Why a white page looks darker at the edges
On a web page with a white background or in a word processor, the same shade of white can look grey near the edges of the screen. In its AW3926QW review, Club386 measured a luminance difference of up to 21% relative to the centre. That figure describes the unit tested before the update. It does not tell us how much difference the new setting makes.
Dell says the reduction in brightness is intended to limit the risk of OLED burn-in. In a game, a map or health bar can stay in the same place for hours. Lowering the brightness in that area reduces wear on the pixels, but the effect is still visible when you leave the game and open a document. August’s M2B102 firmware gave users no control over this behaviour.
Where to find the new setting
Firmware M2B103, dated 5 November, is available on the Dell support page for the AW3926QW. Once the update is installed, open the monitor’s menu, select “OLED Panel Maintenance”, then “Edge-Dimming”. Leave the option enabled to keep this protection, or turn it off if the brightness differences bother you. You can change it back in the same menu.
Another 4K mode, this time at 32 inches
The update also adds support for a 3,840 × 2,160 signal at 165 Hz in the 32-inch console mode. This preserves the proportions of a 16:9 image on the 38.9-inch ultrawide panel. The image occupies the central area, with black bars on either side.
Across the full width of the screen, the two modes remain the same. You can choose 5,120 × 2,160 at 165 Hz for a sharper image or 2,560 × 1,080 at 330 Hz for smoother motion. The same trade-off between resolution and refresh rate is also available on the REDMAGIC dual-mode MiniLED monitor.
Key takeaways
For anyone who switches between gaming and office work, the most useful change is also the simplest. You can now try both settings with your own content without switching display modes.