LED, QLED, or OLED: Which one is best for you?

 Many TV technologies might be bewildering when shopping for one. Although they may appear to be the same to you, marketing terminology like OLED, QLED, and LED really refer to many kinds of panels. 

This article describes the distinctive features of QLED, OLED, and LED TVs, each of which has its own benefits and drawbacks in terms of visual quality.

LED TV

Sony X900H

Light emitting diodes, or LEDs, were introduced to the TV industry before QLEDs and OLEDs. They illuminate an LCD display using LEDs. Many LED TVs utilize VA panels, which are frequently bright and have narrow viewing angles and high contrast ratios.

Most folks shopping for TVs today should purchase it. The most cost-effective TVs are LED models, which come in a huge variety of sizes.

QLED TV

Samsung Q90/Q90T

Traditional LCD displays are lighted by LEDs in QLED TVs. A quantum dot layer filters the light between the LCD layer and the backlight to provide more vivid, saturated colors. A few businesses, like Samsung and TCL, promote their quantum dot TVs as QLED.

Who should purchase it: Those seeking the greatest color options.

OLED TV 

LG GX

   The brightness of every pixel may be changed independently on OLED TVs. This enables them to entirely turn them off and display only black. They boast broad viewing angles and great image quality as a result.

Everyone who can afford it should get it, with the exception of those who plan to use it as a PC monitor or who frequently consume material with static components.

The sole distinction between LED and QLED TVs is that the latter employ a quantum dot layer that enables them to create a broader variety of colors. 

Both use LCD screens with LED backlights. OLED panels are entirely different since the pixels in them self-light and can turn off on their own as needed, producing perfect blacks on the TV.

QLED is only a marketing word used to describe the quantum dot layer used in the TV. A select few businesses, like Samsung and TCL, formally brand their TVs as QLED. Although Vizio and Hisense utilise quantum dot technology, they do not sell their products using QLED. 

Quantum dot TVs from LG, known as QNEDs, are being released, which will only further confuse matters. No matter what name they go by, all of these TVs use quantum dots. LED TVs lack the quantum dot layer but use the same backlight as QLEDs.

There aren't many differences in picture quality across different OLED models because they all provide comparable picture quality. But there are significant differences in image quality between QLED and LED versions, and there are even many kinds of LED-backlit LCD panels with differing properties.

Black Level

Most TVs use VA panels, which are generally known to have a high contrast ratio and deep blacks. VA-type panels have excellent contrast, while IPS panels have poor contrast, resulting in blacks that look gray. Some TVs have uniformity issues that cause blooming around bright objects, but this can vary between units. Local dimming can also help reduce any blooming.

OLEDs have perfect black level because they can individually turn off each pixel. If you're watching a movie and there are black bars at the edges, those parts of the screen are completely black. There's no blooming around bright objects on OLEDs. Each picture was taken with local dimming enabled, because the contrast is lower without it.

Winner : OLED

Gray Uniformity

There are no TVs that can show colors with perfect uniformity; LED, QLED, and OLED TVs all have various problems doing so. Due to each pixel's independence from the others, OLEDs usually perform better and more consistently in terms of uniformity than LED TVs, which rely on a backlight that, if broken, can lead to uniformity problems.

When watching sports or using the TV as a computer monitor, when there are big regions of solid color, uniformity problems are most obvious. On a TV with low consistency, ice rinks, football fields, or even grassy slopes have an ugly patchwork or even unclean appearance. OLED TVs are therefore fantastic for watching sports, but they still have some flaws since you could observe a few minute vertical and horizontal lines in dimly lit environments.

Winner : OLED

Viewing Angle

OLEDs have extremely broad viewing angles since the pixels on them produce light in all directions. This means that the image is correct when seen from the side, making an OLED the best option if you frequently watch TV with a big group of people or have a broad seating arrangement.

Since LED/QLED TVs with VA panels often have limited viewing angles, the instant you start looking off-center, an erroneous image becomes apparent. Although IPS panel types offer broad viewing angles, they also have a poor contrast ratio, hence few manufacturers employ them. 

Manufacturers have also begun to include new technologies with their VA-type panels to enhance the viewing angles; as you can see above, while using the same panel type, the Samsung has broader viewing angles than the Sony due to Samsung's "Ultra Viewing Angle" layer. Ultimately, OLED TVs' broad viewing angles are unmatched by QLED or LED, even when it comes to display technology.

Winner : OLED

Color Gamut and Volume

When QLED TVs initially became available, their ability to show extremely broad color gamuts for HDR content was their key benefit over conventional LED TVs. 

Even while they still do, most high-end TVs can now provide the wide color gamut required for HDR since the competition has caught up. The LG really offers a broader color spectrum than the Samsung, and the Sony isn't far behind. Other manufacturers have even overtaken Samsung in terms of color gamut. With their quantum dot TVs, Vizio is renowned for their broad color gamuts.

The color volume, or the range of colors that a TV can display at various brightness levels, is also influenced by the color gamut of the TV. Bright and dark colors may be seen on a TV with excellent color loudness. 

A QLED outperforms an LED or an OLED since their brightest models have a tendency to become brighter as well as exhibit good color volume because to their wide color spectrum. While some premium LED TVs may have outstanding color volume, it won't compare to a QLED's. OLEDs also have issues displaying brilliant colors since they don't become very bright, but they have no trouble displaying dark colors due of their almost infinite contrast ratio.

Winner : QLED

Brightness 

Since both LEDs and QLEDs rely on an LED backlight to generate light, they have the same advantages and disadvantages. Depending on the particular model, LED/QLED brightness varies widely.

The most striking difference between LED/QLED TVs and OLEDs is their increased brightness. LED/QLED TVs, especially if the full screen is lighted up, are unable to sustain the same peak brightness with diverse content. This implies that LED/QLED TVs may produce incredibly bright little highlights in particular scenarios, but the brightness reduces noticeably when the entire image is bright. 

The same problem, especially with HDR content, also affects on OLEDs. The screen brightness is aggressively limited by their Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL), so if you want to watch a lot of HDR material, the highlights won't be as noticeable as they would be on QLED and LED TVs.

Winner : LED/QLED

Burn-In

In contrast to transient image retention, burn-in is irreversible. This is a typical problem with OLEDs after prolonged exposure to static, such as if you use it as a computer monitor or are glued to the news. 

For most viewers of diverse material, we don't anticipate this to be a problem, and businesses have implemented settings like "Pixel Shift" and "Screen Refresh" choices to assist minimize the danger. LED and QLED TVs seem to be resistant to burn-in, so you may use them as PC displays without worrying about the screen becoming damaged.

Winner : LED/QLED

LED, QLED, or OLED: Which Is Best?

There isn't really a single response to this subject, despite the fact that many claim that QLED or OLED is the finest display technology. That's because each TV technology has advantages and disadvantages of its own.