Choosing the best TV means deciding which type of screen you want, and more often than not that will involve selecting between QLED and OLED. While many budget or smaller TVs will be LED, to get the most out of your viewing experience you'll need to upgrade to QLED or OLED to ensure the most vibrant and detailed images.
QLED and OLED are two different TV panel technologies. For many years, the standard screen type was LED, an older technology which involves a layer of little diodes, one for each pixel. However, they rely on a separate backlight (another lighting panel behind the display) to make the image visible. OLED and QLED are more refined methods, each taking a different approach to increasing contrast and colour accuracy well above anything that LED can offer.
Picking the right screen matters since small differences in brightness and contrast can greatly influence how you enjoy the content you watch. While most modern TVs allow you to tweak these settings, the underlying technology is crucial.
We're here to help you understand the main differences between OLED and QLED so that you can decide which type suits your needs. We'll also discuss their unique selling points and what you can expect from certain budget ranges (from £500 to TVs under £1,000, for example) when browsing.
QLED vs OLED: The quick version
• QLED stands for Quantum Dot LED. It can be thought of as an evolution of LED displays. QLED TVs have a backlight layer.
• OLED stands for Organic LED. It's an alternative screen display that uses different technology. They do not have a backlight layer – each pixel emits its own light.
What is QLED?
QLED is a display type that differs from the standard LCD LED display. It stands for Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diode, with the Quantum Dots being the most interesting part. This Quantum Dot layer enhances the backlight and improves the overall colour output of the display. It's an extra step in forming the picture that appears on screen. Each dot is truly minuscule and the technology is excellent for colour accuracy, in fact it allows QLED TVs to display billions of colours (a feature often referred to as HDR – or High Dynamic Range).
Since illumination comes from the backlight (which the Quantum Dot needs to be visible) it can be considered a transmissive method rather than self-illuminating.
Why is it popular?
The improved vibrancy in colours compared to a standard LED makes a QLED display much more bold with a wider colour range. More colour is inevitability better, so whether they're used for movies, TV shows, or gaming, QLED screens have widespread appeal. They can also have advanced backlight panels that offer high brightness levels and local dimming zones – the latter meaning that darker areas of the screen can have their backlighting turned off for deeper black levels and excellent contrast.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of QLED?
Beyond the colours, as mentioned, QLED screens impress with their excellent brightness and contrast levels. While OLED often has the edge here, good contrast remains a strength of QLED technology. Having said that, they do tend to have a slightly narrower viewing angle than OLED.
The backlight, a core feature of a QLED TV, can have a few drawbacks. You may encounter blooming on occasion, which is when a halo-like effect can be seen around bright objects on the screen. However, this all comes down to the number of dimming zones in the backlight panel. Many high-end QLED TVs have excellent micro dimming zones that have very low levels of light bleed into darker areas, bringing them very close to the performance of an OLED panel. Our advice is to choose a QLED set with as many local dimming zones as possible.
What is OLED?
OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes. Unlike in a QLED screen, there's no backlight. Instead, the pixels produce their own light. This allows for excellent contrast, since each individual pixel can be turned off completely if needed. In fact, where one pixel could produce a stark white, the one next to it could turn off and form a deep black, so the contrast and the lack of blooming (since no backlight is needed) are unmatched. The result is a much brighter and more versatile display capable of deeper blacks, excellent shadow detail and bright highlights. If you sometimes struggle to see your screen clearly due to the lighting of your room or the angle at which you sit, then an OLED display will serve you well.
Why is it popular?
OLED screens look great from every angle, and with their brightness, contrast, slim build, and generally impressive specs it's easy to see why they're in demand. In most cases, an OLED display is almost guaranteed to look great no matter which features the TV may have, so the ease of getting a gorgeous display is appealing to many.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of OLED?
Aside from the fantastic brightness and contrast, OLED screens have another surprising benefit. Since there's no need for a backlight layer, OLED TVs are often a little bit slimmer than QLED models. It's not considerable, but something to bear in mind if you want the most sleek setup possible.
We should note that, although the brightness of an OLED is good enough for most uses, they're generally less bright than either QLED or LED. So, if you are planning on a TV for use in a bright room, an OLED could cause a few visibility issues. The self-illuminating nature of OLEDs also means that any persistent and unmoving elements on the screen (like channel icons, gaming HUDs and so on) can burn into the screen if left on for too long and at too high a brightness. That said, with many OLED sets out there recommended for gaming use, most modern OLEDS include clever anti screen burn features that have all but eliminated this risk. These days, you would have to have your set displaying the same image for many hours on end at maximum brightness to end up with screen burn.
QLED vs OLED: Which is better for you?
Both QLED and OLED TVs are excellent, visually impressive options. Even so, if you want to tailor your viewing experience you should consider each use case and see which one is more applicable for your circumstances.
Which is best for dark rooms?
The exceptional colour range and contrast that come with OLED screens make them ideal for dark rooms. An OLED will also excel if you like to turn the lights off for a proper home cinema experience. Verdict: OLED.
Which is best for bright rooms?
This can go either way. While an OLED screen's contrast and viewing angles are a boon for bright rooms, you won't get the full effect of those deeper blacks due to the lower brightness levels of this technology. Meanwhile, a QLED and its brilliant brightness level and array of colours will be in full view. Verdict: QLED.
Which is best for movies and shows?
Any QLED or OLED screen has merit, but when it comes to selecting the best choice for watching movies and TV shows, we favour OLED.
The unique way that the screen is lit means that colours and contrast levels are super-accurate and nuanced, so you'll always get a great viewing experience. It's the type of screen that can work to its fullest potential in a room set up for a home-cinema experience rather than casual viewing in brightly lit rooms.
Beyond that, the deep darks, amazing contrast ratio and decent brightness are well-suited for many genres. From crime thrillers to enticing dramas, you'll find that it'll make for a more immersive experience. It'll also make the shadows scarier than ever if you're a horror fan, as we found during our review of the Sony Bravia 8. Verdict: OLED.
Which is best for gaming?
You'll often find that high-end gaming monitors tend to be OLED, and that's due to contrast. Most titles will have settings to adjust in-game, but the OLED's extra control over contrast makes it easy to differentiate details on screen. A QLED screen is still great, and the colours make it a tempting choice, but OLED displays tend to have marginally less input lag, which is particularly important for online gaming. However, monitors do have different features to mitigate screen burn. So, if you're choosing an OLED TV for your console gaming, make sure it has good anti-screen burn features built in. Verdict: OLED.
Which is best for power efficiency?
This is another close one to call. On the one hand, QLED screens will consistently use a bit more power due to the backlight. But before you write QLED off completely, consider how bright you'll need an OLED screen to be. If it's going to be at a high brightness often, perhaps due to being in a dark room, then it will likely use more power than a QLED. Verdict: Draw.
Which has the best colours?
While OLED screens are more than capable of producing wonderful colours, the winner here is easily QLED. The more intense colours due to the more powerful backlight are one of the best advantages that QLEDs have to offer. For fans of animated works and movies, you'll love the bold display that a QLED screen can produce. Verdict: QLED.
What is the price difference like?
The cost of a TV will be as influenced by resolution, speakers, size, and other tech as it is by the display technology on offer. Even so, you're more likely to encounter a QLED budget or mid-budget model than an OLED one, since the QLED is based on LED tech which has been around for longer. This is also reflected in size range, as more affordable QLED models can be found in sizes such as 32 or 43-inch TVs, whereas OLED displays are most commonly found in 50 or 55-inch TVs. As such, a QLED screen is the better pick for those working within a budget. Verdict: QLED.
QLED vs OLED: What else should you consider?
Although QLED and OLED screens are fantastic, if you want to draw out their full potential you'll need to ensure the rest of the screen specs can also keep up. We'll go over some of the most important ones to consider here.
• Refresh rate: This is how often the pixels on the screen update. The higher the refresh rate, the smoother the motion will appear. Ideally, you should never settle for anything less than 60Hz, but for QLED and OLED screens, you can do better. Gaming and sports fans will want either 120Hz or 144Hz to get the best results. We think that, beyond screen type, refresh rate and resolution are the most noticeable visual upgrades you can see when choosing a new TV.
• Resolution: This refers to the pixel density that is displayed on screen, and essentially results in the level of detail you see. Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) are well-known at this point, but to maximise the potential of QLED and OLED screens, you'll want a 4K display. These are increasingly common nowadays, and the visual difference between it and HD is striking. You may also encounter 2K screens, which serve as an in-between in terms of detail and quality.
• HDR: Although we've already discussed how QLED and OLED screens affect brightness and contrast, you should also know that the High Dynamic Range (HDR) influences it too. The majority of QLED and OLED TVs will have a minimum of HDR10, which is great for getting a bit of extra contrast out of your display. Even better are HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, both improvements over previous versions. However, as long as your screen has some type of HDR, you can expect great results.
• Sound: Having a great looking TV will mean little without an appropriate degree of sound quality. While you can always opt to add a soundbar, for the TV itself we suggest looking for features such as Dolby Atmos or Dolby Digital Plus, as they are reliable for creating a rich soundscape.
• Size: The size of your TV will mostly depend on the size and type of room you plan to use it in. If you have it in a larger living room, then you'll want to choose a 50-inch or larger TV. Anything more than 70 inches will need to be carefully considered, but will look fantastic with either QLED or OLED technology. For a bedroom TV, we consider a 43-inch screen to be a good size, and you'll still get the benefit of the detail and refinement that the screen tech provides. It's unlikely that you'll find anything smaller that still has a QLED or OLED screen. Although there's the occasional 40-inch QLED to be found.
Budget will affect your options
Unsurprisingly, different prices will impact the type of screen and display options available. LED, for example, is the base expectation for a TV, so you're more likely to find it at lower budget prices than the more advanced QLED or OLED.
Here's our rundown of what to expect from some rough price ranges:
£500 and below – You will find some QLEDs within this category and maybe the odd OLED at the upper end. More routinely featured will be LED screens. These are still serviceable, they just lack the interesting advantages of their upgraded peers.
Around £800 – Since QLEDS are more of a direct evolution from LED screens, it makes sense that they act as an in-between for LED and OLED in terms of cost, and you'll see plenty around this price. QLED TVs are more likely to run a 4K resolution than an LED screen, but some may sit at just HD or 2K at this RRP, so be sure to take a closer look over the specs.
£1000 and over – You should have no shortage of choice by this point. There will be plenty of QLED and OLED models, with screen size being the main factor that influences the higher prices beyond this. It's reasonable to find an OLED screen that is around 50 to 60 inches. 4K resolution and impressive refresh rates should ideally be the standard here. At this cost, you don't want to settle for anything less than a 60Hz refresh rate and, ideally, it would be 120Hz or more.
What other screen types are there?
LG has started producing its own type of screen separate from OLED and QLED designs. Known as QNED, this technology is most similar to QLED. It has the same layer of Quantum LEDs but adds an additional layer of LG's NanoCell technology.
NanoCell TVs are designed to close the gap between LED and OLED screens, with vibrant colour displays comparable to the latter. That said, while they are fantastic for colour, they don't quite match the deep blacks that an OLED is capable.
By combining QLED and NanoCell into QNED, the differences between it and an OLED screen have become minute for many viewers, so it mostly just leaves the behind-the-scenes tech to consider. As it stands, QNED TVs are some of the best backlit screens on the market.
There's also QD-OLED, which you can occasionally find with some Samsung and Sony TVs. It's a fusion of the two main technologies, essentially adding a Quantum Dot layer onto an OLED display. That means you get the incredible brightness of an OLED screen with the vibrant colours that Quantum Dot tech provides, and the results are beautiful. They're not very common, but if you do come across one in your budget range, we highly recommend considering it.
Kyle Purves is a tech writer and reviewer. They specialise in all types of tech and electronic products, including TVs, monitors, speakers, headphones and consoles.
They have a passion for gaming and are always seeking ways to improve their visual setup. They're also no stranger to hunting down savings, always wanting to get the best deal possible. Outside of work, they can often be found playing through an RPG, building Gundam models, or trying to catch up with their ever-expanding list of shows and anime to watch. If possible, they try to play Dungeons and Dragons a couple of times a week, but getting six adults to be free at the same time is easier said than done.