With TV tech terminology changing fairly regularly, it can be quite a chore for the average buyer to keep pace with it all. Take for instance the current OLED vs QLED battle that seems to have emerged as the key aspect determining the buying choice for many a TV buyer.
However, for those who are yet to come to terms with the two display technologies, vsbytes.com has some good options and comparisons suggested. Here is a discourse on both to find out what each stands for and which trumps over the other.
How the image gets displayed:
To begin with, QLED is short for Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diode. It can also be considered to be an improvement over the base LED displays in that the LED continues to be there though there is a layer of quantum dots on top that justifies the QLED branding.
In contrast, OLED which stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode has a different approach in that the organic pixels emit their own light which negates the need to have a dedicated backlight source.
Colour:
The quantum dots determine the colour they emit once light falls on them from behind. The additional quantum layer, in fact, leads to more colours to be displayed. A well designed QLED TV has been found more adept in displaying a wider gamut of colours and that too with a higher degree of accuracy when compared to OLED TVs.
Sharpness:
Since each pixel can be turned on or off, the obvious advantage here is that the picture quality is way sharper. Since QLED require a backlight, there is some amount of light leakage which leads to sort of a blurring effect between two bright objects. So, its OLED that has the edge here.
Brightness:
QLED TVs are way brighter compared to OLED as the former emits more light. So for those looking to have a TV placed in a well-lit zone, its QLEDs should be on top of their buying options. However, if it’s a more cosy ambience with more shade than light, OLED should make for the best choice.
The blacks:
The black levels of a display determine how accurately it can reproduce the pictures. And its OLED that is the winner here as there is the provision to switch on or off the individual pixels. So, with all the pixels shut, it is the deepest black that gets rendered. This in turn leads to sharper pictures as well with the object edges well marked out.
Unfortunately, that isn’t the case with QLED that inherently depends on backlighting for its functioning, and backlighting leads to light leakage. As such, there is the lingering greyish sensation that otherwise should have been black. And that’s far from being the ideal scenario to have, which means its advantage OLEDs here.
Viewing angle:
OLEDs retain colour better when viewed from the sides compared to QLEDs. While the images remain crisp and bright, those can seem to be washed out in QLED panels if the viewing angle is stretched a bit. That makes OLEDs the better choice here.
On the whole, its OLEDs that enjoys a distinctive edge over quantum dot displays given that OLEDs have deeper black and better contrast. In the end, it is also worth mentioning OLED is the overall favourite and is used by the majority of TV manufacturers like Philips, LG, Sony, Panasonic, to name a few. In contrast, QLED is backed by only Samsung at the moment.
