QLED vs OLED vs LED- Different types of TV displays explained!

Last Updated on 20 January, 2023 by Sourav Roy

QLED vs OLED vs LED- so many terms, but what do they all mean? I won’t be that far off to assume that most people don’t know at least one of these terms. The truth is that the meaning of each is significant, especially for people intending to buy TVs. These terms are used to refer to different types of TV displays.

If you’re buying a TV, the part you would obviously be looking at first is the image quality. That’s where the display type comes into play. Each type of display has its pros and cons, so to make sure you get the best TV for yourself, you need to have intimate knowledge about each. I’m here to help with just that. So, without further ado, let’s talk about these types and what they do to image quality.

How does display type affect?

The sort of display you get for your TV does more than just make things look pretty. Some types of displays give you wider viewing angles, while others give you a deeper black. The former lets you be more flexible about where you watch your TV from, while the latter increases the contrast of images. With better blacks, images will be more immersive as the contrast helps create depth.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, there are more benefits to certain display types, which I’ll get to in a moment. Do note that the price of the TV is also affected by the type of display.

QLED vs OLED vs LED- Different types of TV displays

Now, I won’t keep you waiting any longer. I figured you’d better understand the usefulness of a display type if I told you what it does to an image. There are three types of displays you should know about: Traditional LED Displays, OLED Displays and QLED Displays. I’ll give you detailed information about each type.

1. Traditional LED Displays

LED stands for Light Emitting Diodes. Most TVs as of now use LED displays. It’s not quite a technology on its own; LED actually is a subclass of LCDs. However, it has a lot more benefits than normal LCDs. Normal LCDs usually utilise CCFL backlighting, which has a far shorter lifetime and greater energy consumption than its LED counterpart.

Advantages Of LED Displays

Good viewing angles, though not as much as OLED displays.
Accurate colour reproduction.
They can last from 60000 hours to 100000 hours based on your driving current.
LED Displays also offer higher brightness compared to other types of displays.
No screen burn-in.
Comparatively cheaper

Disadvantages of LED Displays

They have a lot of dimensional depth, which means they aren’t very compatible with wall mounts.
The contrast isn’t very good.

Should you get an LED TV? I recommend you buy a TV with this type of display if you want a better than average viewing experience and more long-term usability. Something else to note is that LED TVs are also great for watching HDR content. That’s because highlights stand out better in such content due to how bright LED displays can be.

Would you like to try some LED TVs? Well, I’ve got you covered. We’ve compiled a detailed article on the best LED TVs on the market for your convenience. You could go check that out.

2. OLED Displays

You might think that OLEDs are actually LEDs, but I assure you- they are not. OLED Displays are significantly different from their LED counterparts. They’re self-illuminating, in contrast to LEDs. The latter requires backlighting to work. Every individual pixel of an OLED can produce its own light and colours. None of the pixels are tied together to any sort of backlight like in LEDs. Meanwhile, without the backlighting, the pixels of an LED display are unable to form any colours.

The advantage of that self-illumination is that the pixels of an OLED display can turn off individually, to reproduce pure blacks. As such, OLED displays can produce very accurate colours. OLED is also a newer technology than LED, though it’s still quite old.

Advantages Of OLED Displays

No light bleeds through.
Much less image quality degradation when looked at from different viewing angles.
Offers faster response time.
They offer the widest viewing angles compared to all other types.
Self-illumination means it doesn’t need to consume as much energy.
They can offer very deep blacks, allowing the viewer to perceive colours better.

Disadvantages Of OLED Displays

Quite expensive.
These displays aren’t as bright.
Higher chances of burn-in.

Should you buy an OLED TV? Well, if you’re into power savings, then yes. OLED displays consume less power. If you’ll be watching TV from different places in your room, I’d also suggest going for this one.

Plus, you can also get some good use out of it if you play games on console, with the fast response time. The fast response time also translates to better motion blur, so if you’re a sports fan, you’ll be able to see things move more smoothly. As such, the experience will be more immersive.

3. QLED DIsplays

The first thing to note is that QLED displays are almost exclusive to Samsung. Other brands do sell QLED TVs, but they’re not as good. I’ll include these displays in this article because they provide enough unique advantages to be worth talking about. Who knows, you might find just the thing you want here. Basics first: QLEDs use nanoscale crystals called Quantum Dots. These dots form an extra layer in front of backlights, filtering the light to produce more pure and saturated colours.

Advantages Of QLED DIsplays

These displays create incredibly bright images.
Accurate colour reproduction regardless of brightness.
No burn-in.
Available in a wide variety of sizes.
Ideal for watching movies in HDR quality.

Disadvantages Of QLED Displays

Costs more than standard LEDs.
The contrast is not as good compared to other types.
Slow response time.
Viewing angle isn’t good.

Should you buy a QLED TV? QLED is the most confusing option among all the others. It contains traits of both LEDs and OLEDs. However, it has a different set of advantages and disadvantages, so think about it closely to see if it fits you. Most notably, this sort of display can produce the best colours overall, out of all three types.

QLED vs OLED vs LED: Quick Comparision

I know selecting TVs based on display type is harder than getting a TV based on its other characteristics. However, it’s still a matter of preference. The choices will still be easy for you.

Just think to yourself, do you need something with the most natural colours? Or are you more partial towards some extra brightness? Either way, I’ve created a comparison table to make it easy for you to choose the right kind of display. All these are the most important differences. I’ll rate each aspect as either poor, decent, good or the best. So, let’s get started.

Aspect	LED	OLED	QLED
Black Levels	Good	Best	Good
Consistency Of Greys	Decent	Decent	Good
Brightness	Decent	Good	Decent
Colour Gamut	Decent	Good	Decent
Viewing Angles	Decent	Good	Poor
Image Retention	Good	Poor	Good
Motion Blur	Decent	Best	Decent
Lifespan	Best	Good	Best
Affordability	Best	Decent	Good

There you go. Every bit of information you need is wrapped up in a neat little table. Overall, I’d say OLED displays offer the most benefits- not only because they have good image quality, though. They’re also more viable because of how versatile they are with different types of content. For instance, you can’t experience action movies on LEDs and QLEDs very well due to the lower motion blur quality. You’ll start noticing stutters if you watch such movies on these displays. OLEDs are very expensive, though.

If you’re on a tight budget, then go for LEDs. I recommend at least getting a QLED TV, however. It’s a little more expensive, but the purchase is completely worth it. You’ll get the lifespan of an LED Panel. Besides, QLED TVs also offer better image quality than their LED counterparts while costing only a little more.

Extra Tip: Refresh Rates

Now that we’re done with the main part, I’ll tell you something else that might help you get the perfect display. It’s more obscure, hence why I decided to include it here.

Most of the time, people only think of refresh rates when they buy monitors for gaming. However, the benefits of refresh rates also apply to TVs, noticeably so. First off, refresh rate means how fast the screen updates with information gleaned from the video source. The faster the screen updates, the less tearing and the more smoothness images will have. Most TVs come with a 60Hz refresh rate. However, higher-end ones come with 120Hz rates. These are generally more expensive.

I’d recommend buying a 120Hz TV only if you can connect a console or a PC to the TV, as most online sources of content like Youtube or Netflix only support 60Hz at the moment.

Conclusion

It’s hard to find a reliable comparison on TV displays. Most places just talk about basics and don’t dig in too deep. I’ve done my own experiments with the rest of my team to get you all the information you need. Now, you know about all the best types of TV displays. You’re all set now. Good luck getting yourself a great TV.

While you’re at it, you can also look at our reviews of some big TVs with high-quality displays – The best 32 inch LED TVs in India.

Author
Recent Posts

Follow me

Abir B.

Product Analyst at Homeliness

Abir is an expert with electronics that more frequently used and interacted with. Computers and Smartphones, to be more specific. However, his expertise also extends to categories like Audio Equipment, which are some of the things he’s done jobs for over the years. In fact, at 34 years old now, he’s been working professionally for the earlier fields for plenty of years and has built up a large repertoire of knowledge.