In 2020, quarantine, self-isolation and remote work and study have doubled the demand for gaming monitors, analysts at TrendForce reported. If in 2019 up to 9 million gaming monitors were sold, in the category of which displays with a refresh rate of more than 100 Hz were classified, then in 2020 consumers bought 18,4 million monitors for gaming and comfortable work with a total predominance of Taiwanese products.

MSI Optix AG31CR 321 Curved Gaming Monitor

The current year 2021, as predicted by TrendForce, will not be able to repeat the success of the previous year. It is expected that 2021 million gaming monitors will be sold in 25,9, which is 41% more year-on-year and not as steep in dynamics as in the case of comparing 2019 and 2020 (then the annual sales growth was 105%).

The most rapid growth in sales of gaming monitors among the five leaders was observed in the Taiwanese company MSI. In 2020, it increased sales by 114%, which is well above the market average. MSI primarily focused on supplying curved monitors, but in 2020 decided to diversify the supply and expanded its branded offering with flat IPS displays.

ASUS gaming monitors shipments increased 108% over the year. Moreover, 2020 turned out to be the year during which ASUS delivered a record number of monitors to the market in its history. If we take the total shipments of all categories of monitors of the company for 2020, then it will be the leader in annual growth of these products among the ten largest market players.

Dynamics of sales of gaming monitors by years in million units. Image source: TrendForce

AOC / Philips monitors manufactured by the Hong Kong company TPV Technolog came in third with an annual growth of 102%. Both curved and flat IPS panels could be found in the AOC / Philips range. In 2020, the monitors of this manufacturer have significantly expanded their market share, and this year the company promises to surprise everyone with high-quality models of monitors on Mini-LED screens.

The market leader for monitor panels in 2020 was Samsung Display Co (SDC) with a 35% share. But as it cuts down on panel production, its share will gradually be taken away by competitors. In particular, the Taiwanese company AUO is counting on the market share of SDC panels. In 2020, it was in second place after Samsung Display in the supply of panels for the production of monitors. Analysts expect AUO to come out on top in this market category in 2021.