OLED vs. LED: Which kind of TV display is better?\” />:root{–wp-admin-theme-color:#007cba;–wp-admin-theme-color–rgb:0,124,186;–wp-admin-theme-color-darker-10:#006ba1;–wp-admin-theme-color-darker-10–rgb:0,107,161;–wp-admin-theme-color-darker-20:#005a87;–wp-admin-theme-color-darker-20–rgb:0,90,135;–wp-admin-border-width-focus:2px;–wp-block-synced-color:#7a00df;–wp-block-synced-color–rgb:122,0,223;–wp-bound-block-color:var(–wp-block-synced-color)}@media (min-resolution:192dpi){:root{–wp-admin-border-width-focus:1.5px}}.wp-element-button{cursor:pointer}:root{–wp–preset–font-size–normal:16px;–wp–preset–font-size–huge:42px}:root .has-very-light-gray-background-color{background-color:#eee}:root .has-very-dark-gray-background-color{background-color:#313131}:root .has-very-light-gray-color{color:#eee}:root .has-very-dark-gray-color{color:#313131}:root .has-vivid-green-cyan-to-vivid-cyan-blue-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#00d084,#0693e3)}:root .has-purple-crush-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#34e2e4,#4721fb 50%,#ab1dfe)}:root .has-hazy-dawn-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#faaca8,#dad0ec)}:root .has-subdued-olive-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#fafae1,#67a671)}:root .has-atomic-cream-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#fdd79a,#004a59)}:root .has-nightshade-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#330968,#31cdcf)}:root .has-midnight-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#020381,#2874fc)}.has-regular-font-size{font-size:1em}.has-larger-font-size{font-size:2.625em}.has-normal-font-size{font-size:var(–wp–preset–font-size–normal)}.has-huge-font-size{font-size:var(–wp–preset–font-size–huge)}.has-text-align-center{text-align:center}.has-text-align-left{text-align:left}.has-text-align-right{text-align:right}#end-resizable-editor-section{display:none}.aligncenter{clear:both}.items-justified-left{justify-content:flex-start}.items-justified-center{justify-content:center}.items-justified-right{justify-content:flex-end}.items-justified-space-between{justify-content:space-between}.screen-reader-text{border:0;clip-path:inset(50%);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px;word-wrap:normal!important}.screen-reader-text:focus{background-color:#ddd;clip-path:none;color:#444;display:block;font-size:1em;height:auto;left:5px;line-height:normal;padding:15px 23px 14px;text-decoration:none;top:5px;width:auto;z-index:100000}html :where(.has-border-color){border-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-top-color]){border-top-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-right-color]){border-right-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-bottom-color]){border-bottom-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-left-color]){border-left-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-width]){border-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-top-width]){border-top-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-right-width]){border-right-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-bottom-width]){border-bottom-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-left-width]){border-left-style:solid}html :where(img[class*=wp-image-]){height:auto;max-width:100%}:where(figure){margin:0 0 1em}html :where(.is-position-sticky){–wp-admin–admin-bar–position-offset:var(–wp-admin–admin-bar–height,0px)}@media screen and (max-width:600px){html :where(.is-position-sticky){–wp-admin–admin-bar–position-offset:0px}}/*! This file is auto-generated */.wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none}

We all know that buying a new TV is never as simple as picking the biggest model that’ll fit through your front door.
There are infinite questions, like do you really need an 8K TV when you can barely stream in 4K? Is the screen skinny enough that it looks awesome, but chunky enough to house some decent speakers?
But the real fork in the road is whether to buy an OLED TV or an LED one, with curveball options like QLED, QD-OLED, and Mini-LED thrown in to complicate things further.
(function(){if(document.currentScript){var e=document.currentScript.parentNode;if(e.classList.contains(‘dtads-location’)){if(!e.classList.contains(‘dtads-‘+window.DTScenario.getExperience())){e.parentNode.removeChild(e)}}}}());A decade ago, the decision would have been relatively easy. Want the ultimate true-to-life color, blockbuster black levels and are flush with cash? Then treat yourself to an OLED.
(function(){if(document.currentScript){var e=document.currentScript.parentNode;if(e.classList.contains(‘dtads-location’)){if(!e.classList.contains(‘dtads-‘+window.DTScenario.getExperience())){e.parentNode.removeChild(e)}}}}());Happy to compromise on color accuracy with a big, bright screen that doesn’t require refinancing your home to buy it? LED it is.
(function(){if(document.currentScript){var e=document.currentScript.parentNode;if(e.classList.contains(‘dtads-location’)){if(!e.classList.contains(‘dtads-‘+window.DTScenario.getExperience())){e.parentNode.removeChild(e)}}}}());But things have changed. OLED still leads the way in terms of color purity and range, black levels and response times, but prices have come down. Meanwhile LED technology has moved on considerably, with improved color gamuts, superior brightness and smarter backlighting. And ultimately, it’s still cheaper.

Related: 

The 11 best TVs of 2025, tested and reviewed by our experts
To settle the OLED vs LED debate as it stands, we’ve spoken to some key industry experts, including Paul Butler, Regional Sales Director at AOC International, James Thomas, Senior Product Manager for Media Entertainment Solutions at LG Electronics, and Michael Price,  TV and Home AV specialist at Panasonic. Here’s what we think…
If you’re in the market for a new TV, we’ve also rounded up the best 4K TV deals and the best OLED TV sales available.

What does LED mean?

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“LED” (Light Emitting Diode) TVs are technically LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) TVs. But as LCD feels old fashioned, modern LCDs are now marketed by their backlight technology, which is some form of LED. The LCD panel contains the pixels – the little colored dots that make up a TV’s image. On their own, pixels cannot be seen; they require a backlight. When light from the backlight shines through an LCD pixel, you can see its color.
Now, in the past, a thicker and less efficient technology called CCFL (cold-cathode fluorescent light) was used to light up the pixels. But now virtually every flat-screen TV (other than OLED) uses LEDs as its source of backlighting. “The backlight shines through a series of filters to the LCD’s pixels, which trap the light, and then let a certain amount of that light come through to form the picture you see,” explains Paul Butler at AOC.
(function(){if(document.currentScript){var e=document.currentScript.parentNode;if(e.classList.contains(‘dtads-location’)){if(!e.classList.contains(‘dtads-‘+window.DTScenario.getExperience())){e.parentNode.removeChild(e)}}}}());But there are numerous ways that the LEDs are utilized. You’ve probably heard of QLED TVs. QLED is a type of LED TV that uses quantum dots to achieve better brightness and color. There are also edge-lit LED TVs, which have a single line of LEDs along one or more edges of the screen, using diffusers to spread that light across the whole panel. This makes them cheaper and more energy efficient as they use fewer LEDs, but plenty report instances of color ‘seeping’ across the screen, and a cloudiness to the image.
The most effective modern LED TVs, however, are called Mini-LED, and they use hundreds or even thousands of individual LEDs that can be switched on and off at will, allowing for much more nuanced backlighting: creating much darker areas in darker scenes, or shining extremely bright for HDR highlights.
(function(){if(document.currentScript){var e=document.currentScript.parentNode;if(e.classList.contains(‘dtads-location’)){if(!e.classList.contains(‘dtads-‘+window.DTScenario.getExperience())){e.parentNode.removeChild(e)}}}}());We’ll discuss QLED more below, but here’s a great overview of the differences between QLED and OLED TVs.

What does OLED mean?

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TVs mainly use two kinds of screen technology: the aforementioned LCD (what’s called a transmissive display) and OLED (an emissive display). The main difference between them is that when an OLED, or Organic Light-Emitting Diode, is fed electricity, it can create its own light, whereas LCD screens rely on non-organic LED backlights that shines through filters.
OLEDs have the unusual property of being able to produce both light and color from a single diode when they’re fed electricity. Because of this, OLED TVs don’t need a separate backlight. Each pixel you see is a self-contained source of color and light.
(function(){if(document.currentScript){var e=document.currentScript.parentNode;if(e.classList.contains(‘dtads-location’)){if(!e.classList.contains(‘dtads-‘+window.DTScenario.getExperience())){e.parentNode.removeChild(e)}}}}());Some of the inherent benefits of OLED screens are that they can be extremely thin and flexible. But the biggest benefit when we compare them to LED TVs is that each individual pixel receives its own luminance and power (as opposed to LED TVs, which have persistent pixels that require an external source of light to see). When it’s on, you can see it. When it’s off, it emits no light at all – it’s completely black and the TV can control each OLED/pixel individually, giving incredibly nuanced control. We’ll discuss how this affects black levels in a moment.
LG Display, famed for top-line LG OLEDs like the G4 Series, and more recently, G5 Series, was until recently the only manufacturer of OLED panels for TVs. Brands like Samsung and Sony still source OLED panels from LG Display, layering on their own picture-processing tools, as seen in the Samsung S95D and Sony A95L.
(function(){if(document.currentScript){var e=document.currentScript.parentNode;if(e.classList.contains(‘dtads-location’)){if(!e.classList.contains(‘dtads-‘+window.DTScenario.getExperience())){e.parentNode.removeChild(e)}}}}());However, there is now Samsung Display, a corporation separate from Samsung Electronics, which also builds OLED panels, specifically those with QD-OLED technology, explained below.
Confused? So were we, as you’ll know if you’ve ever read our feature on how TV model numbers are confusing enough, and Samsung’s making it worse.

Is QLED the same as OLED?

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If all that panel talk has you scratching your head, I’m afraid we’ve got another confusing acronym coming your way – QLED. And while they sound similar, an OLED TV is not the same as a QLED TV.
In fact, these two types of TVs couldn’t be more different. Remember how OLED TVs are capable of producing light and color without actual backlighting? Well, it’s exactly the opposite for QLED sets.
(function(){if(document.currentScript){var e=document.currentScript.parentNode;if(e.classList.contains(‘dtads-location’)){if(!e.classList.contains(‘dtads-‘+window.DTScenario.getExperience())){e.parentNode.removeChild(e)}}}}());QLEDs are actually most similar to traditional LED-LCD TVs. The only difference is that QLEDS include a layer of quantum dots between the backlight and the display. When light passes through these chemical blots, the light source is enhanced before hitting the back of the TV screen.
Jeremy Demont, Product Marketing and Training Director for Samsung TV/AV, goes into more detail. “Quantum Dot technology uses a layer of ultra-fine particles known as quantum dots that emit precise colors when illuminated by a backlight. In Samsung QLED TVs, a layer of red and green quantum dots is combined with a blue LED light source to create a clean white light, which passes through a filter to help produce a broad and vivid color range.”
(function(){if(document.currentScript){var e=document.currentScript.parentNode;if(e.classList.contains(‘dtads-location’)){if(!e.classList.contains(‘dtads-‘+window.DTScenario.getExperience())){e.parentNode.removeChild(e)}}}}());According to Jeremy, this helps enhance color accuracy and performance. “Especially when viewing High Dynamic Range (HDR) content, compared to conventional LED displays,” he says. “Samsung QLED TVs are all 100% color volume. In practice, this means that the color accuracy and vibrancy remain across a wide range of brightness, not just at peak brightness.”

But what about QD-OLEDs?

Nowadays, there’s actually a picture technology that combines the best of QLED lighting and quantum dots with organic, self-emissive pixels. These TVs are called QD-OLEDs, and they’re currently made by both Samsung and Sony, using those Samsung Display panels.
(function(){if(document.currentScript){var e=document.currentScript.parentNode;if(e.classList.contains(‘dtads-location’)){if(!e.classList.contains(‘dtads-‘+window.DTScenario.getExperience())){e.parentNode.removeChild(e)}}}}());It’s a technology borne out of the healthy rivalry between two of the biggest OLED players in the market, as Paul explains. “Early on, LG built OLEDs by mixing red, green, and blue subpixels, but the blue ones wore out too quickly, causing screens to yellow over time. To fix that, LG switched to using white OLEDs paired with color filters to create WOLED TVs, as they are known in the trade. Samsung went another route, using quantum dots – tiny particles that glow red, green, or blue depending on their size—creating what they now call QD-OLED.”
To keep it simple, think of a QD-OLED as a traditional OLED infused with quantum dots. The end result of these types of displays is a TV that can achieve deep colors and contrast, as well as superior brightness.
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Which is better, OLED TV or LED TV?

:root{–wp-admin-theme-color:#007cba;–wp-admin-theme-color–rgb:0,124,186;–wp-admin-theme-color-darker-10:#006ba1;–wp-admin-theme-color-darker-10–rgb:0,107,161;–wp-admin-theme-color-darker-20:#005a87;–wp-admin-theme-color-darker-20–rgb:0,90,135;–wp-admin-border-width-focus:2px;–wp-block-synced-color:#7a00df;–wp-block-synced-color–rgb:122,0,223;–wp-bound-block-color:var(–wp-block-synced-color)}@media (min-resolution:192dpi){:root{–wp-admin-border-width-focus:1.5px}}.wp-element-button{cursor:pointer}:root{–wp–preset–font-size–normal:16px;–wp–preset–font-size–huge:42px}:root .has-very-light-gray-background-color{background-color:#eee}:root .has-very-dark-gray-background-color{background-color:#313131}:root .has-very-light-gray-color{color:#eee}:root .has-very-dark-gray-color{color:#313131}:root .has-vivid-green-cyan-to-vivid-cyan-blue-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#00d084,#0693e3)}:root .has-purple-crush-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#34e2e4,#4721fb 50%,#ab1dfe)}:root .has-hazy-dawn-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#faaca8,#dad0ec)}:root .has-subdued-olive-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#fafae1,#67a671)}:root .has-atomic-cream-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#fdd79a,#004a59)}:root .has-nightshade-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#330968,#31cdcf)}:root .has-midnight-gradient-background{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#020381,#2874fc)}.has-regular-font-size{font-size:1em}.has-larger-font-size{font-size:2.625em}.has-normal-font-size{font-size:var(–wp–preset–font-size–normal)}.has-huge-font-size{font-size:var(–wp–preset–font-size–huge)}.has-text-align-center{text-align:center}.has-text-align-left{text-align:left}.has-text-align-right{text-align:right}#end-resizable-editor-section{display:none}.aligncenter{clear:both}.items-justified-left{justify-content:flex-start}.items-justified-center{justify-content:center}.items-justified-right{justify-content:flex-end}.items-justified-space-between{justify-content:space-between}.screen-reader-text{border:0;clip-path:inset(50%);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px;word-wrap:normal!important}.screen-reader-text:focus{background-color:#ddd;clip-path:none;color:#444;display:block;font-size:1em;height:auto;left:5px;line-height:normal;padding:15px 23px 14px;text-decoration:none;top:5px;width:auto;z-index:100000}html :where(.has-border-color){border-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-top-color]){border-top-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-right-color]){border-right-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-bottom-color]){border-bottom-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-left-color]){border-left-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-width]){border-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-top-width]){border-top-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-right-width]){border-right-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-bottom-width]){border-bottom-style:solid}html :where([style*=border-left-width]){border-left-style:solid}html :where(img[class*=wp-image-]){height:auto;max-width:100%}:where(figure){margin:0 0 1em}html :where(.is-position-sticky){–wp-admin–admin-bar–position-offset:var(–wp-admin–admin-bar–height,0px)}@media screen and (max-width:600px){html :where(.is-position-sticky){–wp-admin–admin-bar–position-offset:0px}}/*! This file is auto-generated */.wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none}”>Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
Now it’s time to pit these two technologies against each other and see how they stack up when it comes to criteria like colors, contrast, viewing angle, brightness, and other performance considerations.
Editor’s note: Since OLED TVs are still a premium display, we have compared OLED only to equally premium LED TVs armed with similar performance potential (except, of course, in the price section).

Black level

A display’s ability to produce deep, inky blacks is arguably the most important factor in achieving excellent picture quality. Deeper blacks allow for higher contrast and richer colors (among other things) and thus a more realistic and dazzling image. When it comes to black levels, OLED reigns as the undisputed champion.

“OLED unequivocally produces superior black levels,” states James at LG. “The fundamental difference lies in how they generate light. Because each individual pixel in an OLED display is self-emissive, generating its own light, it can crucially, urn off completely. When an OLED pixel is off, it emits no light, resulting in a perfect, absolute black. This allows for infinite contrast, making bright objects pop against truly dark backgrounds. You can also see greater detail in dark parts of an image, so you never miss a thing.
“With LED TVs, even those with advanced local dimming technologies, some light will always leak through the LCD panel, preventing true black. This means that “black” on an LED TV will always appear as a very dark grey compared to an OLED.”
“OLED can produce perfect blacks because when a pixel is off, it’s truly off – while LED-LCDs always leak a little light, so ‘black’ looks more like dark gray,” agrees Paul at AOC. “This is also why OLED manufacturers brag about ‘million-to-one’ contrast ratios: if you’re comparing pure black to bright white, the difference is basically infinite.”
Sounds like an obvious choice to us.
Winner: OLED TV

Brightness

“One slight drawback of OLED TVs is their brightness,” admits Paul Butler at AOC. “Because the pixels are made from an organic material, they have a finite brightness. You can’t push them too hard. I encourage people to think about it like a muscle – you can tense and flex it, but if you start pumping iron at the gym and go too far it’s going to hurt, or worse, become irreparably damaged.”
OLED TVs can still get pretty bright though, and with such dark black levels, the contrast between the brightest and darkest spots on the screen is more exaggerated, which can make an image seem brighter. But cranking OLED pixels to their maximum brightness for extended periods reduces their lifespan, and the pixel takes slightly longer to return to total black. “Again, I go back to that muscle analogy,” says Paul. “After a big workout at the gym, you’re going to feel it for hours if not days after.”
LED LCDs, on the other hand, have a considerable advantage when it comes to TV brightness. With the addition of quantum dots, that brightness can be preserved even as the size of the individual LEDs gets smaller. “The crystal material that the LEDs are shining through is impervioUs to the stress that OLEDs suffer,” says Paul. “The big advantage of this is brightness – especially with newer Mini-LED backlights, which pack in thousands of tiny LEDs. That means TVs can get incredibly bright, with different lighting “zones” that turn on or off to create better contrast. So if you’ve noticed newer sets looking extra vivid – almost like those glowing real estate window displays – it’s likely thanks to Mini-LED technology.”
With those considerations in mind, it’s important to note that all modern TVs – whether OLED, LED, or QLED – produce more than adequate brightness. The consideration then becomes where the TV will be used. In a darker room, an OLED TV is going to perform best, while LED TVs will outshine them (quite literally) in more brightly lit environments. But if you’re going to be sat in front of a TV for any period of time, you won’t want it to be too bright as it will become unwatchable.
It should also be noted that there have been big gains recently in OLED brightness, making them perfectly suitable for nearly any situation, save for direct sunlight beaming onto the screen (see below). Still, when compared directly, LED TVs have the edge.
Winner: LED TV

Screen reflections

This is another bugbear of older OLED screens. “Early OLED TVs came with glossy screens that made the picture look as bright as possible, but they also acted like mirrors,” says Paul. “If you had sunlight coming through an open curtain, you’d see your reflection instead of the picture, which usually meant getting up to close the drapes.”
However, newer models often use anti-reflective coatings to cut down on glare. “Though that again comes with trade-offs in brightness,” Paul points out. “Some sets handle reflections better than others, but OLEDs in particular can still struggle with glare and light bleeding across the screen.”
Winner: LED TV

Color space

OLED used to dominate this category, but by improving the purity of the backlight, quantum dots have allowed LED TVs to surge forward in color accuracy, color brightness, and color volume, putting them on par with OLED TVs.
Those looking for TVs with Wide Color Gamut or HDR will find both OLED and LED TV models that support these features. OLED’s better contrast ratio is going to give it a slight edge in terms of HDR when viewed in dark rooms, but HDR on a premium LED TV screen has an edge because it can produce well-saturated colors at extreme brightness levels that OLED can’t quite match. “Take Mini-LED TVs, for example – they can hit HDR brightness levels of 1,000 to 1,400 nits. OLEDs, on the other hand, usually top out closer to 400 to 600,” says Paul.
Winner: Draw

Response time, refresh rate, and input lag

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Response time refers to the time it takes for each individual pixel to change states. A pixel’s state is not only its color but also its brightness. With a faster response time, you get less motion blur and fewer artifacts (source material notwithstanding).
Because OLED pixels combine the light source and the color in a single diode, they can change states incredibly fast. “OLED TVs have near-instantaneous pixel response time (typically <0.1ms),” says James at LG. “This means pixels can change from one colour to another almost instantly, virtually eliminating motion blur and ghosting. This is a significant advantage for fast-paced content like sports, action movies, and gaming.”
By contrast, LED TVs use LEDs to produce brightness and tiny LCD “shutters” to create color. While the LED’s brightness can be changed in an instant, LCD shutters are by their nature slower to respond to state changes. “LED TVs typically have slower response times (typically 1-5ms),” James confirms. “While modern LED TVs have improved, their reliance on liquid crystals to twist and block light means they will always exhibit some degree of motion blur or smearing, especially noticeable in fast-moving scenes.”
In conclusion, OLED currently offers the fastest response time of any TV technology in use today, making it a clear winner in this regard.
Refresh rate is how often the entire image on-screen changes. The faster the rate, the smoother things look, and the easier it is to pick out details in fast-moving content like sports. Most new TVs are capable of refresh rates of 120Hz, which means the entire image is updated 120 times every second. Some go as high as 144Hz when paired with a compatible gaming PC.
If refresh rate were simply a matter of hertz, we’d call OLED TV the winner, simply because it can achieve rates of up to 1,000 times higher than LED TVs. But absolute speed isn’t the only consideration. Unlike movies and TV shows, which use a single refresh rate, video games often employ something called variable refresh rates, which simply means that the rate changes during different parts of a game. If a TV can’t match these rate changes, you end up with image tearing — a visible jerkiness that comes from the disparity between the rate the game is using and the rate the TV wants to use.
That’s why gamers, in particular, want TVs that can handle VRR or Variable Refresh Rate. But neither OLED nor LED TVs have a real advantage when it comes to VRR. Some models have the feature, and some don’t. That being said, most TVs these days are integrating VRR, with even some entry-level models introducing the feature. Your gaming system also has to support VRR, though that shouldn’t be much of an issue if you own a new Xbox Series X, PS5, or even a PS4/Xbox One.
Finally, input lag is the gap in time between when you press a button on a game controller and the corresponding action shows up on-screen. Input lag can be a problem when TVs introduce a lot of picture processing that causes a slow-down in the signal they receive. But most modern TVs have a game mode, which eliminates the processing and reduces input lag to barely discernible levels. In the future, all TVs will be able to sense the presence of a video game and switch to this mode automatically, returning to the processed mode when gaming stops.
OLED takes this one on its strength in response times.
Winner: OLED TV

Viewing angles

OLED, again, is the winner here. With LED TVs, the best viewing angle is dead center, and the picture quality diminishes in both color and contrast the further you move to either side. While the severity differs between models, it’s always noticeable.
As far as OLEDs go, you should have no issue with viewing angles until you start getting into off-angle extremes. Those of us sitting at the farthest ends of the couch may start to experience some brightness and color degradation, and that usually doesn’t start happening until you’re around 85 percent off-center.
That being said, many Samsung QLED TVs and LEDs from other noteworthy names have been utilizing anti-reflective coatings, which help to cut down on ambient light affecting the screen. Anti-reflective seals also help to make off-angle viewing much less of an issue. So while OLED still beats these models out in the end, the gap is closing quickly.
Winner: OLED TV

Size

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This writer remembers seeing her first OLED TV back in 2010 – it was a 15in LG prototype, and felt like something out of Blade Runner. Since then, TVs have become more and more humongous, but it’s fair to say OLED has lagged behind LED when it comes to screen size until quite recently.
“Historically, LED (LCD) technology has been easier and more cost-effective to manufacture at very large sizes of 98 inches and above,” admits James at LG. “However, OLED technology has made significant advancements in this area. LG now offers consumer OLED TVs up to 97 inches, and even larger commercial displays are available. While LED (LCD) still has a slight edge at the extreme end of the scale for mass-market availability, the gap in maximum achievable screen size is rapidly narrowing.”
OLEDs can range in size from 40 inches for some of the smallest models, to 85 inches-plus on some of the largest offerings. LEDs play in an even bigger ballpark though. “Panasonic’s largest OLED, part of our top-of-the-range Z95B, comes in a 77-in screen size. Whereas our biggest W95 Mini-LED TV measures 85 inches,” says Panasonic’s Michael Price. LG wins out on the consumer OLED stakes with its market-leading evo G2 97 incher, and also offers a 100-in QNED TV, announced at CES 2025.
Taking all this into consideration, we’re going to give another point to Team LED. While current OLEDs may be competitively sized and priced accordingly, LED has offered bigger sizes at better prices for a longer period of time. But with just 3 inches in it, it continues to be a two-horse race to the top.  
Winner: LED TV (by a nose, quite literally)

Lifespan

One thing you’ve probably heard a million times over about LED technology in all its forms is that it’s extremely energy efficient. And of course, this laurel translates to the world of TVs. Barring issues like software glitches, power surges, and dead pixels, LED TVs should last for more than six years. You may even get close to 10 years out of your LED if you keep the backlight turned down and the viewing hours to a minimum.
OLED TVs aren’t much different though. Other than screen burn-in (which we’ll cover more below), your OLED doesn’t rely on an LED backlight for pixel power. Generally speaking, most OLED TVs should last for up to 100,000 hours, which typically translates to eight to ten years of usage.
Both modern OLED and LED (LCD) TVs are designed for long lifespans, typically tens of thousands of hours of viewing, which translates to many years of normal use.
Winner: Draw

Health

Can one kind of TV be healthier for you than another? If you believe that we need to be careful about our exposure to blue light, especially toward the evening, then the answer could be yes. Both OLED and LED TVs produce blue light, but OLED TVs produce considerably less of it.
LG claims its OLED panels only generate 34 percent blue light versus LED TV’s 64 percent. That stat has been independently verified, and LG’s OLED panels have been given an Eye Comfort Display certification by TUV Rheinland, a standards organization based out of Germany.
Will it make a difference to your overall health? We think the jury is still out, but if blue light is a concern, you should take a serious look at OLED TVs.
Winner: OLED TV

Screen burn-in

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We include this section begrudgingly, both because burn-in is a misnomer and, for most folks, it’s unlikely to be an issue. “Screen-burn has been more of a concern associated with self-emissive panel technologies like Plasma and OLED technology in the past, where static images displayed for very long periods at high brightness could potentially cause permanent image retention,” says James at LG.
This would most commonly happen with something like a channel logo, scoreboard, or news ticker staying on screen too long, and leaving a faint permanent mark.
This was typically happening because the compound lighting up would degrade over time. Burning some pixels longer and harder than others makes them dim prematurely, creating a dark impression. “The issue comes down to OLED being made of organic materials—like muscles holding a yoga pose too long, pixels need time to relax. If they’re pushed too hard for too long, they “stick,” leaving that ghost image behind,” says Paul at AOC.
But in reality, this is not very likely to cause a problem for most people; you’d have to abuse the TV intentionally to get it to happen. Even the “bug” (logographic) that certain channels use disappears often enough or is made clear to avoid causing burn-in issues. You’d have to watch ESPN all day, every day for a long, long time at the brightest possible setting to cause a problem, and even then, it still isn’t very likely.
“And it’s crucial to note that significant advancements have been made to mitigate this risk through sophisticated pixel-shifting, logo dimming, and pixel refresh algorithms,” says James. “For typical varied content viewing (watching movies, TV shows, gaming, etc.), image retention is extremely unlikely for the vast majority of OLED users. And it’s worth noting, that if used in an extreme manner, any panel technology can get damaged.”

That said, the potential is there, and it should be noted. It’s a more particular issue in computer monitors, as computer screens are far more likely to display a static image for hours on end. “To prevent burn issues, TVs run ‘pixel refresh’ routines in the background,” says Paul. “Basically, they shift or reset the pixels to reduce stress so no single pixel gets overworked. On monitors, especially for gamers, you might occasionally see a message pop up saying the screen will go blank for 10–15 seconds while it refreshes. On TVs, though, this usually happens automatically when the set is turned off.”
Since LED TVs aren’t susceptible to burn-in, they win this fight by a technicality.
Winner: LED TV

Power consumption

OLED vs LED: The Great Energy Showdown

It used to be a one‑liner in tech circles: OLED wins the energy battle. After all, OLED pixels glow on their own—no pesky backlight needed. That meant less power, right? Well, not anymore.

Manufacturers have tightened the screws on LED power use

LED makers have been tweaking their designs, dropping power consumption to rival or even beat OLEDs. Meanwhile, the “OLED can be power hungry” mantra still sticks with enthusiasts.

Content matters more than ever

James points out a key truth: power use depends heavily on what’s playing on the screen.

• When you’re watching dark scenes or a black screen, OLED doesn’t have to work at all—pixels stay off, saving energy.
• Bright, full‑white frames flip the script. OLED can end up using more power than a LED‑backlit LCD TV, even if the screens are the same size.

LED TVs, on the other hand, keep their backlight humming 24/7. The power draw stays roughly steady but can dip or spike with brightness adjustments or local dimming zones. In a typical binge‑watching mix of dark and bright scenes, the power bills are often about the same.

Mini‑LED vs Edge‑Lit: the layout game

Mini or Direct‑LED TVs cram a lot of LEDs all over the back, totalling more energy use. Edge‑Lit models use a clever Light Guide Plate to spread light across the screen with fewer LEDs, cutting power consumption.

So if saving every watt matters more than the ultra‑fine picture, an Edge‑Lit LED TV is your best bet.

Final verdict: Dead heat!

The energy battle is now a draw. Pick your favorite based on content type, budget, and your own preference for a sleek or crisp image.

Price

When it comes to overall price, OLED TVs are traditionally more expensive than LED models. Even James at LG admits that “OLED TVs still carry a price premium over comparable LED (LCD) TVs, particularly at larger screen sizes”, although he’s at pains to point out that this has narrowed significantly, and that he believes “the premium is justified by OLED’s unparalleled picture quality”.
It is fair to say we’e seen OLED prices dropping down to more manageable dollars and cents, especially if there are any discounts running. Conversely, LED TVs can range in price from a few hundred dollars, even for a quality big-screen model, to several thousand dollars, making them overall more accessible than OLEDs.
While prices of the highest-quality LED TVs hover at nearly the same range as the price of OLEDs, when judged by price and price alone, LED TVs can still be acquired for a pittance in comparison.
Winner: LED TV

We have a winner!

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This article was originally created by my colleague Michael Bizzaco. And here’s what Michael thought at the time. “In terms of picture quality, OLED TVs still beat LED TVs, even though the latter technology has seen many improvements of late,” he says. “OLED is also lighter and thinner, uses less energy, offers the best viewing angle by far, and, though still a little more expensive, has come down in price considerably.
“OLED is the superior TV technology today. If this article were about value alone, LED TV would still win, but OLED has come a long way in a short time and deserves the crown for its achievements.”
What would I add to that? From my own findings, I’d be specific and say your big decision lies between Mini LED and QLED, and OLED. I suspect Edge-Lit LED screen, while super affordable, are going to disappear as direct-lit options drop in price. And while the technologies seem to be converging, OLED still edges it for me, especially when it comes to your ‘event TV’ that family and friends gather around for movie nights. As far as LED has come, it still isn’t matching that ultimate LED picture quality.
Having said that, for everyday viewing – possibly in an open-plan living space – a bright LED screen will serve you well and can be seen in the brightest sunshine. Or you could do what Paul does… “My neighbour and I both have the same 65-inch TV – except that mine is a Mini LED and his is the OLED version. When we’re watching the Formula 1, he comes to mine, and when a new movie premieres, we go to his.” Problem solved!
Regardless of which technology you ultimately decide on, that’s not the only factor that you need to consider, so be sure to check our TV buying guide to make sure you’re buying the right TV to meet your needs.