What are OLED and QLED displays?

What it is

OLED pixels are made of organic compounds that glow when current passes through them. There is no backlight, so each pixel can switch off completely, which gives true black and strong contrast. The risk is burn-in: pixels that show the same bright image for long periods age faster than their neighbors, and a faint ghost of that image can remain. A CRT display also makes its own light, and can burn in the same way.

QLED is still an LCD display. Quantum dots convert the backlight into purer red and green, which widens the range of colors and allows high brightness. The backlight stays on behind every pixel, so blacks look dark gray unless the screen dims zones of its LEDs. Because the light comes from the backlight, QLED does not burn in the way OLED can.

Why it matters to a business

• Office desks: both types work. A bright room suits QLED, and a dim room shows off OLED black.
• Signage: a sign that shows the same logo or menu for hours is a poor fit for OLED. QLED handles static content and long hours.
• Conference rooms: slides with a fixed header or toolbar left up day after day are the kind of image that can burn into OLED.
• Brightness: QLED can usually go brighter than OLED, which helps a room with sunlit windows.

How this shows up in our work

When we supply a monitor, room screen or sign as part of managed IT, the panel type follows from what it will show and for how long.

Screens that could sit on one image get a sleep schedule.

Learn more

• OLED on WikipediaCovers how organic light-emitting diodes work and why burn-in happens.
• Quantum dot display on WikipediaExplains how quantum dots improve color in LCD-based screens such as QLED.