LED vs QLED vs OLED: What Is the Difference?

Let us break down the core differences between these display types, highlight their pros and cons, and help you choose the right one based on your needs:

What Is an LED, QLED, and OLED Display?

To understand the differences clearly, it is essential to understand what each of these technologies entails.

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. These displays are essentially LCD panels that use LED backlights to illuminate the screen. They are widely available and generally offer good brightness levels and decent colour reproduction.

QLED, or Quantum Dot LED, is a technology developed by brands like Samsung. It enhances standard LED panels by adding a quantum dot layer between the LED backlight and the display panel. This results in better brightness, improved colour accuracy, and slightly deeper contrasts.

OLED, short for Organic Light Emitting Diode, works differently. Here, each pixel lights up individually, eliminating the need for a backlight. This enables true blacks, infinite contrast, and exceptional viewing angles, characteristics often found in premium displays.

Key Differences Between LED, QLED and OLED

Understanding the difference between LED and QLED is often the first step for buyers. QLED is essentially an upgrade over LED. It delivers more vibrant colours and better brightness. However, both still rely on backlighting, so deep blacks are not their strongest suit.

When asking what is the difference between OLED and QLED, the answer becomes more interesting. OLED screens do not require a backlight, allowing each pixel to switch off completely. This results in perfect blacks and extremely high contrast, something QLED struggles to match. However, OLED screens can be more expensive and are slightly more prone to burn-in over time.

Another consideration is LED vs. OLED vs. QLED power consumption. OLEDs are more power-efficient when displaying darker content, as black pixels are essentially turned off. QLED and LED, however, consume more power overall because the entire backlight is active regardless of what’s on screen.