Steam Deck OLED vs LCD: specifications and differences
Both models have the same CPU and GPU: four Zen 2 cores at 2.4–3.5 GHz and 8 RDNA 2 compute units at 1.6 GHz, in a 4–15 W APU. Everything around that changed with the OLED model: screen, chip process, memory speed, battery, wireless and weight.
 Steam Deck OLED |  Steam Deck LCD | |
|---|---|---|
| APU | 6 nm AMD APU, 4–15 W[1] | 7 nm AMD APU, 4–15 W[2] |
| RAM | 16 GB LPDDR5, 6400 MT/s[1] | 16 GB LPDDR5, 5500 MT/s[2] |
| Storage | 512 GB or 1 TB NVMe SSD[1] | 256 GB; 64 GB and 512 GB while supplies last[2] |
| Display | 7.4-inch HDR OLED, 1280 × 800, touch[1] | 7-inch optically bonded IPS LCD, 1280 × 800, touch[2] |
| Brightness | 1,000 nits peak (HDR), 600 nits (SDR)[1] | 400 nits typical[2] |
| Refresh rate | Up to 90 Hz[1,3] | 60 Hz[2,3] |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E, tri-band, 2×2 MIMO[1] | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), dual-band, 2×2 MIMO[2] |
| Bluetooth | 5.3, dedicated antenna[1] | 5.0[2] |
| Battery | 50 Wh; 3–12 hours of gameplay[1] | 40 Wh; 2–8 hours of gameplay[2] |
| Charger | 45 W USB-C PD 3.0, 2.5 m cable; no Fast Charging / Quick Charge[1,3] | 45 W USB-C PD 3.0, 1.5 m cable; no Fast Charging / Quick Charge[2,3] |
| External display | DisplayPort over USB-C, up to 8K 60 Hz or 4K 120 Hz; USB 3 Gen 2[1] | USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode, up to 8K 60 Hz or 4K 120 Hz; USB 3.2 Gen 2[2] |
| Weight | approx. 640 g[1] | approx. 669 g[2] |
| Built-in mic with 3.5 mm headphones | Yes (usable at the same time)[3] | No — the built-in mic is disabled while the 3.5 mm jack is in use[3] |
| Rear cover screws | T6 Torx[3] | Phillips size 1[3] |
Highlighted rows differ between models.
Photos: Steam Deck OLED: SparklesTrainNerd, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Steam Deck LCD: Liam Dawe/GamingOnLinux, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Display
The OLED model has a 7.4-inch HDR OLED panel at up to 90 Hz, with 1,000 nits peak brightness in HDR and 600 nits in SDR. The LCD model has a 7-inch optically bonded IPS panel at 60 Hz and 400 nits. Both are 1280 × 800 touchscreens. Valve’s guide notes the refresh caps, 60 Hz on LCD and 90 Hz on OLED. The rate can be lowered in settings. Setting a game above the cap doesn’t improve performance and can drain the battery faster.
Small differences that matter day to day
- Headset mic: on the LCD model, the built-in microphone switches off while something is plugged into the 3.5 mm jack. The OLED model can use both at once. Bluetooth audio keeps the built-in mic available on both.
- First power-on: LCD units ship in battery-saving mode and have to be plugged in before they’ll start. OLED units can be switched on out of the box by holding power for 7 seconds.
- Force restart: hold power for 4 seconds on LCD, 7 on OLED.
- Charger: both use a 45 W USB-C PD 3.0 supply, with a 2.5 m cable on OLED and 1.5 m on LCD. Neither supports Fast Charging or Quick Charge.
- Opening the case: the rear cover uses Phillips #1 screws on LCD and T6 Torx on OLED. Valve doesn’t recommend opening either, and damage from doing so isn’t covered by the warranty.
Storage
The OLED model comes with a 512 GB or 1 TB NVMe SSD. Valve’s LCD page lists 256 GB, with the 64 GB and 512 GB versions marked as available while supplies last. Both have a microSD slot. Any UHS-I card (class 3 or better) works, and UHS-II/III cards work at UHS-I speed. A card has to be formatted on the Deck before use.
| APU | 6 nm AMD APU, 4–15 W[1] |
|---|---|
| CPU | Zen 2, 4 cores / 8 threads, 2.4–3.5 GHz (up to 448 GFLOPS FP32)[1] |
| GPU | 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.6 GHz (1.6 TFLOPS FP32)[1] |
| RAM | 16 GB LPDDR5, 6400 MT/s[1] |
| Trackpads | 2× 32.5 mm square, haptic, pressure-sensitive[1] |
| Built-in mic with 3.5 mm headphones | Yes (usable at the same time)[3] |
| Dimensions | 298 × 117 × 49 mm[1] |
| Weight | approx. 640 g[1] |
| Rear cover screws | T6 Torx[3] |
| Operating environment | 0–35 °C, up to 85 % RH non-condensing, up to 3,500 m[3] |
Docking either model: Steam Deck Docking Station. The desktop counterpart: Steam Machine specifications.
Sources
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