5 benefits of switching to OLED displays

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Whether you’re a movie buff wanting to watch the latest releases with the best visuals available or a video game enthusiast wanting unparalleled screen clarity, you’ve probably considered getting an OLED TV. Great colors and white-black contrast are the biggest selling points, but they can be expensive, often 2 or even 3 times the price of a budget LCD. With OLEDs being as expensive as they are, you need to know what other benefits you’re getting by opting for an OLED TV or gaming monitor.

OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode, and this also explains its biggest advantage over other types of screens. LCD TVs need a backlight to work, while OLEDs produce their own light. This means that when you see black on an LCD screen, a light is still shining on it to help you see the screen. OLEDs simply stop emitting light when necessary. The full black colors aren’t the only visual improvements over the alternatives, though, and there are benefits beyond the screen too.

For example, OLED TVs generally weigh less than their LCD counterparts because they don’t have that extra light or other bulky internal components. Likewise, OLEDs can afford to be much thinner since there are fewer parts to sandwich between the two outer sides. These benefits, along with other technical aspects, such as better pixel response times and better viewing angles, make OLEDs a great choice for those looking for an upgrade.

The main reason why OLEDs are so sought after is the deep color contrasts and specifically the ink-like blacks that they offer. Black differs from other colors on a fundamental level; there is no combination of colors that results in black, and as such, black “light” cannot exist. What makes OLEDs stand out from other display types so far in terms of white-black contrast is a fundamental difference in how OLED technology works compared to alternatives.

When an LCD screen attempts to display a black color, the liquid crystals (LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display) inside the screen move to block the white backlight of those specific pixels. However, because the backlight is always on, some of the light passes through or scatters in different directions, leading to washed out blacks that appear closer to gray.

OLEDs, in comparison, produce their own light and color. So, to display black in certain areas of a screen, the specific diodes simply turn off. Since each diode is isolated from the rest and controlled independently of each other, this allows an OLED to essentially display an absence of light where it is needed, leading to purer blacks that people pay a premium price for.

The faster your TV screen refreshes, the smoother the motion will appear. This is extremely important for competitive gamers, for whom research shows that faster screen refreshes can actually make them better at video games. Even general users can enjoy a better viewing experience with a screen that updates the image faster.

You can usually find a TV’s refresh rate in its settings or on a sticker on the back. Refreshes are measured in Hertz (Hz), describing the number of new images painted on the screen each second. For example, a 60 Hz monitor displays around 60 frames per second, while a 120 Hz display displays double that.

However, even if two displays have the exact same refresh rate, there can be a difference in how quickly each individual pixel changes. A monitor’s pixel response time can vary from its refresh rate, and LCD screens generally have worse pixel response times than OLEDs. When a pixel is updated on an LCD screen, the liquid crystals inside must physically move to change color. This mechanical movement takes time, and even the best LCD pixels require up to 5 milliseconds to update. This is why TVs sometimes seem to blur or smear the picture.

In comparison, each pixel in an OLED operates independently of the others and produces its own light and color. OLED displays have sub-millisecond pixel response times, often as low as 0.03 milliseconds. This helps make OLEDs particularly popular with gamers and sports fans.

To get the most out of your screens, it’s important that you place them in the optimal viewing angle. Even though televisions are getting bigger and bigger, size isn’t everything. Many people forget to check if they are sitting at the best distance from their TV. With monitors, height is the biggest placement mistake that almost everyone overlooks. Even if you set up the devices correctly, you won’t always be sitting in the same place or position from where you started.

With an LCD screen, this can be a problem. When an LCD screen displays an image on the screen, light is projected from the back of the screen. This light passes through various layers, including polarizers that control the movement of the light. When this light passes through both polarizers, it propagates in only one forward direction. This directional nature means that only those in the center can see the emitted light as it is, and those sitting on the sidelines lose visual clarity. The end result is that if you’re sitting far forward during movie night or slumped in your chair during a long gaming session, you may not see the same brightness and color accuracy as when you’re seated perfectly in front of an LCD screen.

In an OLED, there is no backlight. Instead, the light comes from diodes on the surface of the screen, meaning more angles receive good amounts of light. This leads to much better color retention and more consistent brightness across different viewing angles, making OLEDs superior for large gatherings and easy to use in a wider variety of positions.

When discussing the benefits of an OLED display, the main focus is on the visual aspect. However, beyond display quality, there are many things that make OLEDs superior to other types of displays. One of them is weight, as OLED displays are almost always lighter than their non-OLED counterparts.

These backlights on an LCD panel are just one in a series of specialized components that are not necessary for an OLED, and each component has its own weight. When all of these things add up, it often leads to a much bulkier TV than a similarly sized OLED. This may not seem like a big deal to many, but it’s an important thing to consider when moving your monitor or TV.

This isn’t limited to larger pieces of technology either; If you’re considering getting a handheld like the Steam Deck, the OLED versions may be slightly easier to hold for long periods of time because they’re lighter. But OLEDs can also require more power for these brighter diodes. Therefore, handhelds with the same battery might not last as long with an OLED screen as with an LCD screen.

Another attribute that helps OLEDs achieve high prices is their thinness. These screens can seem incredibly thin, and companies often market them as paintings on walls. This thinness doesn’t make on-screen visuals sharper or more colorful, but it does help enhance the overall beauty of your home theater setup.

For example, the 65-inch LG QNED92A Mini LED is 2.3 inches thick, while the similar 65-inch LG C3 OLED is much thinner, with a depth of 1.8 inches at its thickest point. The reason OLEDs can afford to be thinner than their LCD counterparts is that, again, they don’t require the same number of internal parts to work, like the backlight or reflector sheet.

There are technologies, like edge-lit LCD, that can help make TVs thinner. Samsung’s 65-inch The Frame LSO3HE, for example, is just 1.1 inches thick. The TV manages to be this thin by changing the position of the backlight; instead of being placed on the back of the screen, it is placed near the edges, usually on the sides or towards the bottom. However, despite being much thinner than typical LCD TVs, even the most expensive ultra-thin TVs can’t keep pace with high-end OLEDs, like the 65-inch Samsung OLED S95F, which has a paper-like thickness of just 0.4 inches.