Samsung has created a new premium OLED brand, called QD-OLED Penta Tandem. That's 'Quantum Dot OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode)' to break down the acronym.
This five-layer QD-OLED panel type is said to improve on efficiency by 1.3 times the last-generation four-layer panel type, while offering twice the lifespan.
It ought to be a gamers' dream, thanks to the punchy colours of Quantum Dot, super-deep blacks of OLED, and ability to qualify DisplayHDR's True Black 500 for incredible high dynamic range (HDR).
Samsung has officially rubber-stamped its latest OLED panel technology with a trademark. 'QD-OLED Penta Tandem', as it's called, is the top-tier premium offering from the Korean brand's display division.
It sounds like a gamer's dream of the near future, too, with the ability to offer super-rich colours, ultimate black levels and contrast, and great high dynamic range (HDR) too.
This five-layer version, however, improves efficiency and doubles lifespan compared to its predecessor's four-layer technology. That's a good mark for longevity – a key want from creatives, professionals and gamers alike.
To breakdown the key parts of this technology. The Quantum Dot (that's the 'QD' part) layers uses reactive crystals that emit highly saturated colours when illuminated, meaning a broader colour spectrum.
The 'OLED' part, as in the best OLED TVs, refers to the self-emissive panel type – Organic Light-Emitting Diode – where each pixel generates its own light source, so there's no light bleed, for ultimate accuracy and contrast between black and white.
Increasing the QD layer stack – here to a five-layer volume – brings the ability to 'multiply' the benefits, meaning higher brightness overall, yet with greater efficiency thanks to those multiple layers working in harmony.
Interestingly, this display technology is already in the wild – it just wasn't trademarked at the time of its arrival. And even this year, as part of the CES 2026 show, Dell's latest 31.5-inch model was revealed. Which, it appears, is the first of this scale to use Samsung Display's panel.
That Dell panel – the UltraSharp 32 4K QD-OLED Monitor – is more aligned with creative professionals, but the potential for gamers is clearly huge too. It's the only 31.5-inch panel in existence (at present) with VESA’s DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification.
True Black 500 means a panel can maintain a 0.0005 nits output, while simultaneously offering a peak of 500 nits. That low-level black, with high-level white in tandem creates ultimate contrast and, therefore, is the ultimate for high dynamic range (HDR).
As Samsung Display ramps up its production, more panels will be available to more monitor makers – including in 27-inch 4K forms – and it's surely only a matter of time before Samsung's own Odyssey brand will highlight Samsung Display's latest tech, too.
“Multi-layer organic light-emitting structure ... requires deep expertise," says Brad Jung, Vice President and Head of the Large Display Marketing Team at Samsung Display. “Penta Tandem ... represents the ultimate choice".
