QLED or OLED: which is better, what’s the difference?

At first glance, the difference between QLED and OLED TVs doesn’t seem particularly serious – both convince with razor-sharp images and a color brilliance that flatters every eye. In a direct comparison, however, there are advantages and disadvantages that can be decisive when buying a TV next time. Find out in this article how the two technologies differ and which of them wins the race.

What is QLED?

QLED is a Samsung brand name and is basically nothing more than improved LCD technology. Its specialty is a special film in the panel, which is covered with so-called

Quantum Dots

or nanoparticles is equipped. If these are backlit by the background exposure, they emit pure red or green – a further development to older LED devices that have not yet been able to separate the basic TV colors properly. As a result, the quantum dot technology delivers extremely high color purity and contrast quality, which remains stable even with bright images.

What is OLED?

OLED (“Organic Light Emitting Diode”) is an image technology that does not rely on quantum dots, but on

organic light emitting diodes

based. In contrast to QLED technology, no background exposure is required here – the diodes themselves serve as a light source (and color rendering). This results in particularly deep black tones and very good contrast values, which ensure the typical, brilliant colors of OLED displays.

A comparison of OLED and QLED

The different functioning of the two image technologies has advantages and disadvantages, which we will explain and compare in more detail below.

Contrast:

OLED panels create very sharp contrasts, as each pixel can be dimmed independently and there is no background exposure. Black levels are particularly deep because the respective diodes then simply switch off. This is not possible with QLED, because the constant lighting in the background means that black areas always appear a bit gray. However, some models offer so-called “dimming zones” that can adapt the backlight to the content and darken it if necessary

.

Picture quality:

Both technologies impress with their excellent color purity. The highest color volume plus peak brightness can be found in QLED devices, which means that white content can be displayed more clearly. Overall, the image quality also depends on the contrast quality, which with QLED is very model and price dependent.

Viewing angle:

Note that QLED displays have a very narrow viewing angle and are therefore often less colorful at the side angles than in the middle. With OLED devices, the color is usually the same across the entire panel.

HDR playback:

Samsung QLED TVs do not support Dolby Vision. Apart from that, both technologies deliver first-class HDR playback – with OLED, especially in darkened rooms.

Lifespan:

If you display static content on OLED displays for a long time, it can happen that certain areas “burn in”. This burn-in effect has the consequence that the luminosity of the screen decreases more and more over time and also no longer regenerates. With QLED displays you don’t have this problem.

Power consumption:

Due to the lack of background exposure, OLED TVs are – at least in theory – more energy efficient than QLED TVs. In addition, OLED displays are easier to dispose of and lower in emissions than LCD or QLED displays.

Weight / construction:

Another advantage of the lack of background exposure in OLED devices is their particularly flat and light design – if that’s important to you.

Conclusion: which technology is better?

There is no absolute winner, because both OLED and QLED have their strengths and weaknesses. Anyone who values ​​a particularly flat design is well advised with an OLED model. In addition, OLED panels score with rich, deep contrasts, for which QLED panels require a so-called “local dimming” feature – which is usually only reserved for the top models. When it comes to color volume and peak brightness, however, QLED TVs are unbeatable.