QLED vs. OLED

A single letter really changes what you see

By
Robert Silva
Robert Silva
Robert Silva
Writer
  • San Diego State University
Robert Silva has extensive experience in consumer electronics and home theater product sales and sales supervision; he has written about audio, video, and home theater topics since 1998. Robert has articles published on HBO.com and Dishinfo.com plus has made appearances on the YouTube series Home Theater Geeks.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on February 27, 2020

Shopping for a TV can get confusing. Two types you'll encounter are QLED (quantum dot LED – LCD TV with LED backlight and quantum dot layer) and OLED (organic LED or organic electro-luminescence - No LCDs used).

QLED and OLED TVs have much in common. Generally, factors such as display resolutions (1080p, 4K, 8K), specific HDR format compatibility, smart TV technologies, and form factors (for example, flat or curved screen) vary by manufacturer and model, regardless of the LED technology used to display images.

QLED is a marketing label that Samsung, TCL, and others use in branding quantum-dot TVs. Other labels include Color IQ, QD, QDT, Quantum (Vizio), and similar.

Here, we take a look at how the two technologies differ in ways that can affect your TV viewing experience.

QLED vs OLED

Overall Findings

QLED

  • Best for gamers and those who watch mostly news and TV shows.

  • Performs well in bright light.

  • Available in smaller screens.

OLED

  • Best for film aficionados and those who appreciate deep, bold blacks.

  • Well-suited to dimly lit or light-controlled viewing environments.

  • Thinner and lighter, but available in bigger screen sizes.

Your best choice in a TV depends largely on your viewing habits. If you use your TV for gaming and watching TV and news—content that doesn't demand the true blacks that more artful productions such as movies might demand—a QLED would work well for you. If you watch TV in low lighting, OLED will produce the image quality and depth you'll appreciate.

Under the Hood: How They Work

QLED


  • An LED back or edge light provides the light source that passes through the LCD chips to produce an image (LED/LCD TV).

  • A layer (sheet) composed of quantum dots (that's where the Q comes from) is placed between the backlight and LCD layer. 

OLED

  • Diodes employ organic compounds that are formed into pixels and placed on a panel layer to create images.

  • Diodes produce light when electrically charged. They don't need an extra light source (backlight) to produce images.

  • OLED TV screens are thinner than traditional LCD, LED/LCD, and plasma screens.

The underlying technology that brings realistic images through your screen differs drastically for QLEDs and OLEDs.

QLED TVs

Quantum dots are artificial nanocrystals that enhance brightness and color performance. When a light source hits the dots, each one emits a color of a bandwidth that's determined by its size. Large dots emit reddish light, and progressively smaller dots skew towards green. The nanocrystals are commonly placed on a layer referred to as QDEF (Quantum Dot Enhancement Film), as illustrated below.

QLED TV Structure
Nanosys

OLED TVs

OLED technology creates images from pixels generated by organic compounds without needing an extra backlight, as illustrated below.

OLED TV Structure
LG Display

Picture Quality: Seeing Is Believing

QLED

  • Wider, more saturated color gamut (range) than other technologies.

  • Capable of high brightness without losing saturation.

  • Can't produce absolute black because LCD chips can't be turned off and on, only dimmed. There's always some light leakage surrounding LCD pixels, even in dark scenes.

  • Color fading and shift at wide viewing angles.

OLED

  • Better suited to dimly lit or controlled-light environments because of lower light output.

  • Pixels can be turned on and off individually, which allows OLED to produce absolute black and have almost perfect screen uniformity.

  • Minimal color fading and shift at wide viewing angles.

  • Susceptible to screen burn-in if static images are displayed for too long.

Both technologies produce sharp, realistic images, but they perform differently with regard to color and light. QLED delivers a broader range of colors than OLED and retains color depth even when you brighten the display. However, it can't produce a true black.

OLED produces deep, dark, true blacks with even color, even when viewed at an angle. Such fidelity comes at a cost, though. OLEDs are susceptible to burn-in if the same image is displayed for a long time.

Prices: How Much Will You Pay?

QLED

  • Less expensive.

  • Range from $800 (43 inches) to $6,500 (82 inches) for 4K sets, and $5,000 (65 inches) to $15,000 (85 inches) for 8K sets. 

OLED

  • More expensive.

  • Range from $1,600 (55 inches) to $13,000 (77 inches) for 4K sets; prices are not yet available for 88-inch 8K sets or LG's forthcoming 4K roll-up OLED TVs. 

Generally, you'll pay more for an OLED TV, but prices vary depending on the time of year, promotions, and bundling. As with most technology, you generally can expect prices to go lower as new models, screen sizes, and technologies appear on the market.

Samsung is the primary maker of QLED TVs, followed by Vizio for the U.S. market. TCL offers QLED TVs in Asian and some international markets. LG is the primary manufacturer of OLED TVs available in the U.S., followed by Sony. Panasonic, Philips, Loewe, and Bang & Olufsen sell OLED sets in Europe and other select markets. Hisense, Skyworth, and Changhong sell mainly in the China market.

All OLED TV makers use screen panels made by LG Display Company.

Form Factors: The Aesthetics of the Set

QLED

  • Screen sizes range from 43 to 85 inches.

OLED

  • Screen sizes range from 55 to 88 inches.

  • Thinner than QLED TVs—so thin that they can roll up, like LG's forthcoming 65-inch model.

Both types of TVs are available in a variety of sizes. OLED TVs are thinner and lighter than their QLED counterparts, giving rise to interesting innovations like LG's forthcoming roll-up TV.

Final Verdict: It All Depends

QLED and OLED TVs are about evenly split when it comes to advantages and disadvantages.

Performance Marker QLED OLED
Black Level   X
Screen Uniformity   X
Brightness X  
Color Accuracy X X
Response Time (How fast the TV's pixels respond to image content changes)   X
Input Lag (How fast the TV responds to game controller commands) X X
Viewing Angle   X
Screen Burn-in Resistance X  
Lifespan X  
Screen Sizes Available X  
Power Consumption   X
Price  X  

Taking cost differences out of the mix, a QLED TV is better if you watch mostly news and TV programs, or if you're a gamer who sees a lot of static images such as news tickers, station logos, scores, and status boxes. QLED is also a good choice if you watch in a brightly lit room and prefer screen sizes of less than 55 inches.

OLED is the best choice if you watch mostly movies and streaming content, are picky about getting the deepest blacks, watch in a dimly lit or light-controllable room, and are somewhat energy-conscious.

Check out both QLED and OLED TVs from different manufacturers before deciding which to buy.

Addendum: Looking to the Future

Whether QLED and OLED TVs become as popular as traditional LED/LCD TVs depends on the makers' ability to lower production costs, make screen sizes consumers prefer, and constantly improve performance.

Emerging technologies can affect popularity, too. For instance, Samsung and other developers are working on a solution that combines quantum dots with OLED (dubbed QD-OLED) for better color performance and brightness without the drawbacks of current QLED and OLED TVs. Another solution from Samsung is microLED TVs that allow shoppers to create custom screen sizes and resolutions by assembling display modules.

Was this page helpful?