QD-OLED from Samsung: Combined television technology with many advantages

1. What does QD OLED mean?

2. This is how the technology works

3. Advantages

4. Disadvantages

5. QD OLED TVs from other manufacturers

6. To buy or not to buy?

As one of the largest and best-known TV manufacturers, Samsung introduced a new television technology a few years ago that is now ready for the market: QD-OLED. The picture of such televisions should be so good that it outshines everything that has come before. But is the picture quality of such smart TVs really that good and are they not incredibly expensive?

What does QD OLED mean?

First of all, let’s answer the question of what the term QD-OLED actually means. Classic OLED televisions have already established themselves on the market many years ago. This is a display technology in which self-illuminating diodes display the colors on the screen. QD-OLED devices complement this type of technology with quantum dot technology. Tiny semiconductor crystals generate colored light for each individual pixel.

To put it simply, QD OLED televisions are OLED televisions with additional built-in quantum dot technology. So the name is already explained. By the way, until Samsung presented the first QD-OLED models, the quantum dot technology was mainly used in QLED televisions.

QD OLED monitors and the technology behind them

The panel technology behind it is quickly explained. Basically, QD OLED televisions are comparable in design to OLED televisions. Small organic diodes that are built into the panel (screen) of the television light up independently by means of a chemical compound and thus produce different color tones. As a result, OLED televisions can not only display an enormous number of finely graded colors, but also real and deep blacks, which is particularly noticeable in dark scenes.

Other advantages of OLED televisions: they are more environmentally friendly than other smart TVs, consume less energy on average and thanks to the self-illuminating diodes, OLED televisions can do without an additional backlight, making the devices significantly slimmer and lighter.

QD-OLED vs. OLED: The difference is the Quantum Dots

Quantum dots (quantum particles/semiconductor crystals) are now being added to QD-OLED televisions. Each of the countless self-illuminating pixels of a QD-OLED television can thus individually generate colored light. An even more detailed and small-scale illumination of individual pixels is thus possible. The result: colors, black tones and, to a certain extent, even contrasts and brightness gradations appear richer, more natural and more extensive.

Samsung makes clever use of the properties of Quantum Dots and the OLED light source. The latter mainly produces the blue tones on the television. Deep greens and reds are produced by the semiconductor crystals, the Quantum Dots. In combination, they also adjust the light emitted by the OLED light source. The result is optically impressive red, blue and green tones.

Pros: The best of OLED and QD technology

QD-OLED combines the wide color variation that you know from QLED televisions with the advantages of OLED televisions, primarily the self-illuminating pixels. It is therefore not surprising that Samsung’s QD-OLED technology combines almost all the advantages of both panel technologies.

We have already mentioned the larger color space and the much richer black of these televisions. Another advantage that goes with it: blooming effects are avoided. These effects denote local overexposure, often visible on screen as a bright, unrecognizable spot.

Nevertheless, QD OLED televisions achieve new peak brightness without the picture appearing blurry. The finely graded colors remain natural even at high brightness and hardly lose any of their saturation.

Ideal for gamers and action film fans

Anyone who likes to play video games that involve rapid image changes (racing games, shooters, action games) or who often watch fast-paced action films will also benefit from particularly fast-reacting pixels. Even with rapid changes on the screen, the built-in technology ensures that the image is always presented smoothly and in the correct color scheme.

Last but not least, QD OLED TVs also have a very forgiving viewing angle. Especially with devices with backlighting, such as QLED or classic LED televisions, it can happen that the picture appears blurry or even “shifted” when seated on the side. As with OLED screens, you can still see a perfect picture on QD OLED screens if you sit far to the right or left of the display.

So the picture quality of QD OLED TVs is actually very good, at least for now and in relation to the TV technology otherwise available on the market. Of course, the QD-OLED technology is not without its disadvantages either.

Burn-in effect and Co.: The disadvantages

One disadvantage is the relatively high prices for televisions. Although devices with the corresponding display are significantly cheaper than some experts feared when the technology was introduced, you still pay a few hundred euros more compared to an OLED or QLED television of the same size.

Even a 65-inch QD-OLED screen costs over 4,000 euros from Samsung. Samsung sells OLED televisions of the same size for around a quarter of the price. So it can be said that QD-OLED devices are still rather luxury devices.

It is also noticeable that there are mainly medium-sized and small televisions with QD OLED displays on the market so far. Models with sizes over 65 inches are gradually appearing on the market only sparsely, perhaps also in view of the production costs and the minimum prices that have to be charged for such specimens.

In addition, Samsung also has to accept the disadvantages of OLED televisions with the technology. These include both the comparatively short service life of the self-illuminating diodes in the display and the burn-in effect: Content that is continuously shown on the display, such as station logos, can remain as a silhouette on the screen after prolonged use. After all, people are eagerly working on solutions to this problem.

QD-OLED: Samsung no longer offers the technology exclusively

Just a few months ago, only Samsung sold TVs with QD OLED displays, but other TV manufacturers have now jumped on the bandwagon and are installing the technology in their own devices. This includes the company Sony, which now also offers a small selection of corresponding televisions.

Here, too, it remains with sizes of 65 inches and less. In terms of price, the manufacturers give little. After all, television technology could become cheaper in the future as the technology becomes more widespread and prevails in the market. Incidentally, the QD OLED panel does not affect the actual resolution of the screen. If you want a higher resolution, you should pay attention to the designations 4K (UHD) or 8K when buying.

To buy or not to buy QD-OLED? That’s our opinion

QD OLED TVs do offer excellent picture quality, but when compared directly to classic OLED TVs, the difference is not so huge that, in our opinion, it would justify the price, which is almost four times as expensive on average. At least not for those who have to look at the money when buying a new TV.

If good TV picture quality is more important to you than anything else and you don’t care about the price, then you can consider getting a QD-OLED. Otherwise, you are better off with a much cheaper OLED or, depending on your preferences, QLED television, also because you save a few thousand euros with it.