OLED vs QLED: which TV is right for your room?

The short answer

Both technologies make excellent pictures. The right pick depends on where the TV sits, what you watch on it and how much you want to spend, so this guide walks through each of those in turn. If you only want the headline differences, the table below has them.

A quick note on terms. QLED is a brand name Samsung introduced for LCD TVs that use a quantum dot layer, and other makers such as TCL and Hisense sell similar sets under their own names. OLED is a different kind of panel altogether. That difference is why the two behave so differently in a living room.

What OLED and QLED are

The easiest way to understand the difference is to follow the light. A TV picture is made of millions of tiny dots, and the question is where each dot gets its light from.

Contrast and black levels

Contrast is the difference between the brightest and darkest parts of the picture, and it is the biggest single reason people choose OLED. In a dark room, an OLED can show a bright spaceship against true black space. A typical LCD shows the spaceship against dark grey, with a faint glow around it.

That advantage shrinks as the room gets brighter. Daylight lifts the blacks on every screen, so the extra depth of OLED matters less at noon in a sunny lounge than at 9pm with the curtains closed.

Mini-LED sets with many zones narrow the gap. They can still show a halo around small bright objects on a dark background, such as subtitles or a moon, which an OLED never does.

Brightness and HDR

HDR content has bright highlights, such as sun glints, explosions and neon signs. QLED and Mini-LED TVs can reach much higher peak brightness than OLED, so those highlights look more dramatic, particularly in a lit room.

OLED brightness has improved a lot, and recent models are bright enough for most people. The limit appears when large bright areas fill the screen, for example a snowy landscape, where an OLED dims itself to protect the panel. A bright LCD holds its level.

If you mostly watch films in the evening, OLED brightness is plenty. If you watch sport in the afternoon with sunlight on the screen, brightness deserves more weight in your decision.

Viewing angles and reflections

Sit to the side of many LCD TVs and the picture loses contrast and colour. Many QLED sets use VA panels, which have strong contrast head on and weaker performance off axis. OLED looks nearly the same from any seat, which helps if your sofa sits at an angle or several people watch together.

Reflections work the other way. A bright LCD overpowers a reflection from a window or lamp. Some OLEDs have good anti reflection coatings, but a glossy screen opposite a big window can still be distracting. Before you buy, look at where light sources sit in your room and try the screen in a bright shop if you can.

Burn-in, lifespan and care

Burn-in is the permanent ghost of a static image, such as a channel logo or a game health bar, that has been shown in the same place for a very long time. It can affect OLED panels because the organic material in each pixel ages with use. It does not affect LCD sets.

Makers include protections such as pixel shifting, logo dimming and refresh routines, and normal mixed viewing rarely causes problems. The people most at risk leave a news channel with a fixed ticker or the same game interface on for many hours every day.

If you fall in that group, a QLED or Mini-LED is the lower worry. If you do not, the risk is small. A few habits help on an OLED: avoid leaving static content on pause for long periods, let the TV run its maintenance cycles, and use the standby mode instead of unplugging it.

Gaming and sport

Both types can offer 4K at 120Hz, variable refresh rate and a game mode with low input lag, which suits PlayStation, Xbox and PC. Check that the TV supports HDMI 2.1 features on the ports you will use, because many sets limit them to one or two inputs.

OLED pixels switch almost instantly, so fast motion looks sharp and clean. LCD pixels respond more slowly, and fast sport or games can show slight smearing on weaker sets.

If you play for long sessions with fixed on screen elements, factor in burn-in. If you watch fast sport in a bright room, a bright, well made Mini-LED is a strong choice.

Price and value

OLED has usually cost more than QLED at the same size, though the gap varies by brand, model and sale, and it has narrowed in recent years. Large QLED and Mini-LED sets, 75 inches and above, often cost much less than OLED at the same size.

Last year's models are often the best value in either group. When new models arrive, the previous generation usually drops in price while the picture changes little. See the best time to buy a TV for when those drops tend to land.

Do not compare on technology alone. A mid range OLED can beat a basic QLED for contrast, and a well made Mini-LED can beat an entry level OLED for brightness. Compare the specific models you are considering.

Setup tips that change the picture

Many people judge a TV by the shop demo, which is tuned to look as bright and vivid as possible. At home the default settings can look very different, and a few changes help on either technology.

• Use the Movie, Cinema or Filmmaker mode for films. It is closer to what the director intended and is usually less harsh than the Standard or Vivid modes.
• Turn off motion smoothing for films if you dislike the soap opera look. Many sets name it differently, so look for words such as motion interpolation or TruMotion.
• On OLED, avoid setting the screen brightness to maximum all day. It does not help much and it can accelerate wear.
• On an LCD, check the local dimming setting. Too aggressive and dark scenes lose detail, too weak and blacks look grey.
• If you game, switch on Game mode for the lowest input lag, and enable variable refresh rate if your console supports it.
• Place the TV so windows are to the side of the screen, not behind you or opposite it.

Mistakes people make when comparing

Shop floors are a poor test. Lights are bright, the demo loop is chosen to flatter the set, and sets are often placed in different modes. Whatever you see in a shop, check reviews that measured the model in real use.

Another common mistake is comparing different sizes. A larger screen makes the picture more impressive, so an unfair comparison can mislead you. Compare the same size, and look at independent measurements of brightness and contrast, along with the marketing terms.

Also look at the model number and not the name. Makers sell the same range name in several panel types or with differing specifications, depending on the size and the country. A review of the 55 inch model may not describe the 75 inch model.

Which one to choose, by room

Match the TV to the room you have, not the room in the shop.

• A dim living room used mainly in the evening: OLED.
• A bright room with large windows and daytime viewing: QLED or Mini-LED.
• A shared family room where people sit at wide angles: OLED, for the viewing angles.
• A console or PC gaming setup in a dim room: OLED. In a bright room: Mini-LED.
• A large TV, 75 inches or more, on a tighter budget: QLED or Mini-LED.
• A TV that shows the same channel or interface for many hours daily: QLED or Mini-LED.

A checklist before you buy

Run through these steps before you pay.

1. Note the brightness of your room at the times you watch, and where windows and lamps sit.
2. Set a maximum budget for the size you want.
3. Pick two or three models in that size and read their reviews for brightness, blooming or burn-in complaints.
4. Confirm the HDMI 2.1 ports and refresh rate if you game.
5. Check the model number so you know you are buying the version you read about.
6. Compare the price with its lowest recent price and look at the return policy.

If you want a faster answer, paste the exact TV into VEYDICT. It checks the model against your room, budget and priorities and gives you a GO, WAIT or SKIP, with the price we would call a good buy. You can also read how we judge TVs on the TV category page.