What's Better: QLED or OLED TVs?

Today’s best TVs come with major advancements in technology over the basic LCD panel (Liquid Crystal Display) and earlier versions of the an LCD or LED TV. It is crucial when purchasing a TV for your home theater, or just to relax with in your bedroom, to understand the types of TVs that will fit your needs. With the advancements of HDR OLED TVs (organic light emitting diodes) and HDR QLED TVs, you can expect a fantastic picture quality and future proof your viewing experience. OLED TV Technology means the individual pixels emit their own light, there is usually local dimming available so that the best TVs can adapt automatically to any light source. So viewing in a dark room with your new TV or where there is a lot of ambient light, won’t be an issue as these TVs handle contrast ratio tremendously to deliver peak brightness when needed. The image quality in these Smart TVs will show what some of the best TVs are out there now. We will review the display technology and some of the acronyms of both of these types of display panels and some great TV recommendations so you can make an informed decision when deciding on an OLED vs QLED TV.

Both OLED TV’s and QLED TV’s come with a plethora of of HDMI ports including ones with eARC (enhanced audio return channel) which can communicate with your A/V receiver or sound bar. This will allow you to achieve true surround sound. With this feature you should see an increase in bandwidth speed due to it’s 32 channels of audio, as well as allowing you to send higher-quality audio from your TV to a sound bar or AV receiver. In order to achieve Dolby sound on your AV receiver or sound bar, you need the HDMI 2.1 connection. While these TVs do include optical and coaxial audio and video connections as well, the audio quality won’t be as good as an HDMI connection. Ultimately It will depend on your set up of the sound bar or A/V receiver. Most of the new great TVs on the market are capable of handling Dolby Atmos and DTS: X technology for an immersive viewing experience.

Samsung OLED vs QLED

QLED TVs (Quantum Dot light emitting Diodes) with LED backlighting made by Samsung QLED technology, use Quantum dot technology for it’s viewing experience. It’s picture quality is fantastic and allow for excellent color and brightness. A great example of this is the Samsung neo QLED and micro led line of TVs. These TVs have on screen increased brightness levels, better contrast for enhanced and deep black levels. Samsung which developed and uses the QLED moniker for their TVs also have developed the QD-OLED screen type TV which adds a QLED layer over an OLED display which allow for higher peak brightness with a high emittance of nits and an even wider color gamut compared to traditional OLED TVs.

The QLED technology was originally introduced by Sony in 2013. After that Samsung began selling its own QLED TVs and established a licensing agreement with other manufacturers like Vizio, Hisense Panasonic and TCL.

OLED TVs, however, use a material that leaves them susceptible to image burn in. This was a risk with previous made plasma TVs which while offering wide viewing angles which are great for sports and movie streaming allowing individuals seated at an angle from the TV screen to still get a great viewing experience. The risk of burn in and image retention which is when an image is retained too long on the screen and then a different picture is attempted to be viewed, however a faint remainder of the previous image may remain visible on the OLED panel. These usually disappear over time, however with continued usage over time this may become an issue. However the latest TVs like the LG C4 OLED TV has built in technology to help reduce this risk.

Some of the best and highest rated OLED TVs and QNED TVs are made by LG OLED like the amazing and most agree, industry leading OLED panel, the LG C4. Other manufacturer’s of great OLED TV’s are made by popular companies including Sony. These TV brands also make great middle of the road LCD TV’s with technology like LCD displays with mini-led backlight. These TVs will still deliver a sharp and vibrant display.

OLED Display TV’s and QLED TV’s come in a different screen sizes to fit the needs of the room which you are placing it in, and your viewing distance and viewing angle. You can find 4K HDR and even up to 8K HDR OLED displays and HDR QLED on even over 80 inch TV’s. Typically when choosing a TV model the specs from that model will apply to all of the screen sizes offered in that lineup.

Both OLED Technology displays and QLED displays have tremendous black levels, and are usually accompanied by an amazing 120 hz refresh rate which gamers will just love for their low input lag and response time. In addition many OLED TVs are known for their “infinite contrast” which really delivers on the black levels and overall picture quality.

Another great feature which usually accompanies these TVs is their ability to use Apple AirPlay2 which means you can stream music from your iPhone directly to your TV and the sound will emit either from your TV speakers or an attached A/V Receiver or Sound Bar.

Exploring OLED TVs

OLED Screens produce deeper black levels than QLED TVs. OLED TVs can turn unused pixels off completely known as dimming zones. QLED/LCD TVs, even the best ones with the most effective full-array local dimming, let some light through, leading to more washed-out, grayer black levels with some blooming around bright sections.

• OLED displays typically have a better contrast ratio than QLED displays meaning deeper black levels and better dark room viewing.

• OLED TVs have uniformed screens and have better viewing angles than QLED TVs. So you can have a great party at your home for the Super Bowl per say and all of your guests will be able to have a tremendous viewing experience, regardless of where they are sitting when watching the TV with a real feeling of being in the immersive viewing.

• OLED TVs have better color accuracy than LCD technology displays and most QLED TVs.

• ARC or eARC HDMI 2.1 port for enhanced audio and video return to your sound bar or A/V receiver. This will allow for your to video and audio source when plugged into that HDMI port to play via pass through to your TV. So attach an Amazon Fire Stick or an Apple TV 4K and the TV technology will get you the Dolby Vision, HDR capability and ability to handle Dolby Atmos if these devices support those technologies.

• Most of the best OLED TVs offer low input lag especially when activating gaming mode which will hasten response time for fast action online video games.

• More efficient power consumption than most QLED TVs, meaning lower usage of power and lower electric bills.

• Produces less blue light than TVs with QLED technology. This should help ease eye strain and allow for better sleep patterns (especially when watching TV before bed time).

There are other wonderful options on LG OLED TVs. These will vary by size and features. One of the great OLED TV options is the LG 86UQ7590PUD 86 Inch HDR 4K UHD Smart TV. Coming in at a great price point for such a large TV with excellent specs. This TV has the a7 Gen5 AI Processor 4K that adjusts picture quality and sound quality for a high quality viewing experience. You also get 120 Hz refresh rate for fast action games and immersive viewing.

Exploring QLED TVs

QLED technology based TVs may suffer from what is referred to as the "light bleed" effect. It turns into a minimal haze around bright objects (or ghosting) which may show some blurred lines which should be usually sharp. With QLED based display screens, best viewing angle is dead center. So viewing angles won’t be as good as found on OLED TVs.

QLED TVs, even ones with full-array local dimming, let some light through, leading to grayer black levels and the previously mentioned ghosting around bright sections. This differs greatly from the OLED technology. Normally QLED TV’s offer higher brightness with a high nits amount and higher peak brightness than OLED TV’s.

• Quantum dot or QD-OLED TVs offer a higher brightness driven technology above OLED displays. Like the Samsung s95b QD-OLED TV.

• QLED TVs such as the Samsung QN90C series have 4K HDR technology with great 4K upscaling abilities.

• QLED TVs usually offer better lifespan than OLED TVs.

• Larger inch TV sizes that some OLED displays.

• Fantastic LED backlighting which can include edge lit panels and mini led displays.

• Better color accuracy now which can compete with some OLED TVs.

• No risk of burn in like on OLED displays. Meaning you may get more lifetime usage out of a QLED TV.

• ARC or eARC HDMI port for enhanced audio and video return to your sound bar or A/V receiver.

• Price points are usually more affordable than OLED TVs, however as the technology continues to grow and improve expect prices to rise.

One QLED TV that we highly recommend is the Samsung QN65S90CA 65 Inch OLED 4K Smart TV. This wonderful 4K high end QLED TV is being offered at an amazing discounted price which makes this TV hard to pass up. This TV has 20 specialized networks making the AI-powered processor drives the intuitive Smart TV Hub, Dolby Atmos sound and other features. With a virtual bezel free design this TV will look great on a stand or mounted on your wall in your home theater. With a 120 Hz refresh rate and Game Motion Plus which ups the refresh rate to 144Hz with compatible PC-connected content, gamers in your home will be salivating to take advantage of this during their competitive gaming. The TV supports HDR technology of HDR 10, HDR 10+ and the HLG standard. There is also an ethernet connection so you can hardwire your TV to your router with its RJ45 jack and you will get better speeds that using the included Wi-Fi. This will surely help you with gaming as it greatly lowers lag, jitter and ping response times from the game server. There are also 4 HDMI ports, two USB ports to attach media devices to such as an external hard drive. You can then view that media on the TV. This TV is run off Samsung’s Tizen OS which gives you access to streaming apps, gaming apps and productivity apps.

OLED versus QLED

Okay, your looking to purchase a new TV so what is the bottom line on which technology would be right for you. We usually recommend using OLED technology for a new TV over a QLED TV. While both technologies are great for watching television, streaming movies and gaming, the vibrant and sharp picture quality of OLED displays cannot be eclipsed by QLED technology, yet... Its is very close between the two options though, while the overall viewing picture will be a personal preference.

Whether purchasing a Smart TV with an OLED Display or QLED Display, it is important to remember that these TVs usually come pre-programmed for watching in a showroom environment. One of the first things to do when purchasing either an OLED TV or a QLED TV is to change the the settings of the viewing environment to “Home”. We also highly recommend spending some time going through the different display settings of the TV, which will help you achieve that optimal image quality that you have been searching for. Many new TVs will have intelligent picture adjustments which can adjust the picture mode and levels based off ambient light in the room. So whether you are in a dark room or a bright room the best TVs can automatically provide you with the best viewing experience once the TV learns from the lighting environment. OLED TVs are great for adapting to these environments.

Therefore we recommend going with an OLED TV over QLED TV now. However, you cannot go wrong with either. And if you are on a budget check out some of the higher end QLED TVs on discount as they are still an amazing choice.

Enjoy your new TV.