Steam Deck vs Steam Deck OLED
Comparison
| Model Name | Steam Deck | Steam Deck OLED |
| Brand | Valve | Valve |
| Release Date | February 2022 | Q4 2023 |
| Price | $349 (Base) $399 (Mid) $449 (High) | $549 (512GB) $649 (1TB) $679 (1TB Special Edition) |
| Where to buy? | *Get the Steam Deck on Amazon | *Get the Steam Deck on Amazon |
| OS | SteamOS | SteamOS |
| Launcher | ||
| Custom Firmware (CFW) | Batocera | |
| CPU | Custom AMD Zen 2 | Custom AMD Zen 2 |
| Cores/Threads | 4 Cores 8 Threads @ 2.4 – 3.5 GHz | 4 Cores 8 Threads @ 2.4 – 3.5 GHz |
| GPU | Custom AMD RDNA 2 with 8 CUs @ 1.0 to 1.6 GHz | Custom AMD RDNA 2 with 8 CUs @ 1.0 to 1.6 GHz |
| RAM | 16GB | 16GB |
| RAM Type | LPDDR5 5500 MHz | LPDDR5 6400 MHz |
| Internal Storage Size | 64GB/256GB/512GB | 512GB/1TB |
| Internal Storage Type | eMMC (Base) PCIe 3 NVMe SSD (Mid/High) | PCIe 3 NVMe SSD |
| Internal Storage Speed | ||
| Expandable Storage | microSD (max 1TB) | microSD (max 1TB) |
| Expandable Storage Speed | ||
| Width | 298 mm | 298 mm |
| Height | 117 mm | 117 mm |
| Depth | 49 mm | 50 mm |
| Weight | 669g | 640g |
| Material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Colors | Black | Black/Translucent Black (Special Edition only) |
| Shoulder / Trigger Buttons | ||
| Analog Sticks | Dual with L3/R3 | Dual with L3/R3 |
| Rumble / vibration | ||
| Battery Capacity | 5200 mAh | 50 Wh |
| Fast Charging | ||
| Avg. Battery Life (tested) | 2.5 hours | 2.5 to 12 hours |
| Size (inches) | 7 | 7.4 |
| Resolution | 1280 x 800 | 1280 x 800 |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Display Type | IPS | OLED |
| Touchscreen | ||
| Max Brightness | 400 nits | 1000 nits |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz | 90 Hz |
| Protection | OCA laminated screen | OCA laminated screen |
| Screen to body ratio | ||
| Pixel Density | ||
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.3 |
| Network | ||
| 3.5mm Headphone Jack | ||
| TV Output | ||
| Ports | 1 x USB Type C | 1 x USB Type C |
| Others | ||
| Other features | Haptic feedback, capacitative touch trackpads, 4 additional grip buttons, supports Docking Station | Haptic feedback, capacitative touch trackpads, 4 additional grip buttons, supports Docking Station |
| Nintendo Entertainment System | ||
| Super Nintendo Entertainment System | ||
| Sega Saturn | ||
| PlayStation 1 | ||
| Nintendo 64 | ||
| Sega Dreamcast | ||
| PlayStation 2 | ||
| Game Boy Advance | ||
| Nintendo GameCube | ||
| Nintendo DS | ||
| PlayStation Portable | ||
| Nintendo Wii | ||
| PlayStation 3 | ||
| Nintendo Wii U | ||
| Compatibility Sheet | ||
| Passmark CPU Mark | ||
| Geekbench 6 | Single-core: 1278 Multi-core: 4365 | |
| Geekbench 5 | Single-core: 849 Multi-core: 3592 | |
| Antutu | ||
| Cinebench R23 | Single-core: 975 Multi-core: 4359 | |
| 3DMark |
Advantages of Steam Deck
- Cheaper and has the base and mid tiers.
- Better availability and you can get it even cheaper in the used market.
- More accessories and mods although some might be useable on the Steam Deck OLED.
Advantages of Steam Deck OLED
- More efficient CPU resulting in much better battery life and thermals.
- Faster RAM. Some games show visible performance improvements over the original Steam Deck.
- Brighter, bigger screen and 90 Hz refresh rate.
- The latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- Better speakers
- Many other improvements in other areas.
Summary of Steam Deck vs Steam Deck OLED
The Steam Deck OLED is the clear winner. It is an improvement over the original Steam Deck (Steam Deck IPS?) in many ways. The only reason stopping anyone from getting the Steam Deck OLED is probably price. If price is a limiting factor, consider getting a used Steam Deck while saving up until you have enough to upgrade to the OLED model.