Whether for streaming or watching movies on disc with one of the best 4K Blu-ray players, getting your home entertainment setup right is key, and that means having the best TV that your budget can accommodate.
One of the main tech questions in TVs right now is QLED vs OLED displays, so let's dig into the differences between the two technologies.
Both offer impressive advancements in picture quality, yet they rely on very different methods to deliver that performance.
In brief, QLED, which was developed by Samsung, builds on traditional LCD displays and uses quantum dots to deliver vibrant colors and high brightness, making it ideal for brighter rooms.
OLED, meanwhile, is an entirely different approach that uses organic compounds to emit light directly from each pixel, allowing for unbeatable contrast and "true black" levels that are perfect for well-optimized home theater setups.
Neither is completely "better" than the other, but there are pros and cons to each approach. Let's dive in.
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QLED vs OLED: What are the key differences?
We mentioned above that QLED and OLED offer competing methods on how to power a TV display. The first thing to note is that both of these technologies are a big improvement over plain old LCD TVs.
QLED, pioneered by Samsung and adopted by other major TV brands in the past few years, builds on traditional LCD tech by adding a layer of quantum dots that enhance brightness and expand color accuracy. OLED, which stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode, takes a different approach by using organic materials to produce light at the pixel level.
Due to its display technology, QLED is ideal for brightly lit spaces, such as if your living room gets a lot of sun, while OLED screens can give the viewer unrivaled contrast and deep, true blacks, which are ideal for a cinematic experience in dimly lit rooms.
QLED vs OLED: Key things to look for
Roughly speaking, there are three key areas that separate QLED and OLED: brightness, colour accuracy, and contrast ratios.
In terms of brightness, QLED displays generally outperform OLED as QLED’s reliance on LED backlighting – enhanced in some models with mini-LED technology – allows it to reach higher brightness levels.
The addition of mini-LED backlighting gives certain QLED TVs a further edge by improving brightness control and reducing blooming, or a visible light halo effect, which enhances detail in bright and dark scenes.
Color accuracy and contrast are also crucial to any TV viewing experience. OLED excels at producing deep blacks due to its self-emissive nature, where individual pixels can completely turn off, resulting in what is often called “infinite contrast.” QLED screens, on the other hand, leverage quantum dot technology to achieve a wider color range, making colors look vibrant even in brightly lit conditions.
Viewing angles and off-axis uniformity are important factors to consider, especially if you’re watching TV from different positions around the room, and OLED has a clear advantage in this area. As each pixel emits its own light, OLED TVs maintain consistent colors and contrast even when viewed from the side.
QLED can struggle with color and brightness shifts when viewed from an angle. However, advancements in panel tech and special filter layers in high-end QLED models have helped minimize this issue. Still, for the best all-around viewing experience across a range of seating positions, OLED remains the more reliable choice of the two.
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QLED: Regular LED vs. Mini-LED
Traditional QLED TVs use regular LED backlighting, where LEDs illuminate the screen from behind or along the edges, which enables QLED displays to reach high brightness levels, but can also lead to “blooming”, or a halo effect where bright areas bleed into dark areas due to less precise control over individual light zones.
While regular LED backlighting is good for overall brightness, this blooming effect can reduce contrast, especially in scenes with a mix of light and dark elements, and just doesn't look good on a big TV.
Mini-LED technology has brought a significant improvement to QLED’s backlighting as they are much smaller than standard LEDs, allowing for significantly more to be packed in. This increase in individual LEDs enables QLED TVs with mini-LED backlighting to have higher brightness and more dimming zones, resulting in finer control over light and dark areas on the screen.
The end result is reduced blooming and improved contrast, as mini-LEDs can adjust lighting in smaller, more precise sections of a screen. While mini-LED backlighting doesn’t completely eliminate blooming like OLED with its self-emissive pixels, it narrows the performance gap, making QLED a more competitive choice for viewers who want deeper contrast in a bright room.
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QLED vs OLED: Anything else to consider?
Good question. There are a few other details to consider when choosing between QLED and OLED for your next TV: response time, durability, and power consumption.
OLED’s pixels respond to input almost instantaneously, giving it a fast response time that’s perfect for fast-motion content like sports and gaming, with minimal motion blur. QLED displays, although slower, have made strides in reducing motion blur, particularly in higher-end models, in recent years, and that's been helped along by higher TV refresh rates such as 120Hz and 144Hz.
When it comes to durability, QLED has the advantage since it relies on inorganic materials. QLED screens are less prone to long-term image retention or burn-in, which can affect OLED displays if static images remain on the screen for extended periods, such as when you leave a show paused. Some newer OLED models have added features to mitigate burn-in, improving their longevity.
In terms of power consumption, OLED is generally more energy-efficient, especially in darker scenes where fewer pixels are active. This efficiency not only reduces energy costs but also aligns with eco-friendly practices, making OLED a solid choice for viewers conscious of environmental impact.
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