I vividly remember purchasing my first OLED TV, the LG E8 55-inch, back in 2019, just before the world went into lockdown. It was the perfect isolation companion. At the time, I had only a basic understanding of what OLED (organic light-emitting diode) entailed. I knew it used self-lit pixels instead of a backlight like LCD displays, offering infinite contrast. However, after immersing myself in the vibrant world of Final Fantasy XV and navigating through the gritty landscapes of The Last of Us Part II, the true essence of OLED became clear to me. It felt like reliving a nostalgic fever dream in real time. Naturally, I didn't stop at the E8.
A few years later, I upgraded to the LG C2 65-inch TV. Since then, I've reviewed numerous devices with OLED displays and discovered that not all OLED screens are the same. In fact, they don't even use the same technology. You might wonder, "How many types of OLED are there?" The answer is quite a few, but you really only need to know about three: WOLED, QD-OLED, and AMOLED.
WOLED, QD-OLED, and AMOLED: How They Work
OLED technology has been around for decades, with various companies from Kodak to Mitsubishi experimenting with different approaches. It wasn't until LG introduced its OLED TVs in the early 2010s that the technology became mainstream.
LG's version of OLED is known as WOLED (White OLED). While LG doesn't use this term in its marketing—preferring to position itself as synonymous with OLED—WOLED is what powers their displays. OLED's self-lit pixels deliver infinite contrast and vibrant colors, but the compounds in red, green, and blue emitters degrade at different rates, which can accelerate burn-in issues.
WOLED addresses this by using a pure white OLED layer with an RGBW color filter. Instead of individual red, green, and blue pixels, you have white pixels filtered through RGBW. However, this method can lead to imbalanced brightness and reduced color volume. Higher-end WOLEDs mitigate this with Micro Lens Array technology, which focuses light using thousands of microlenses per pixel.
In 2022, Samsung introduced QD-OLED (Quantum Dot OLED), which replaces the white OLED layer with a blue one that hits a layer of quantum dot color convertors. Unlike the RGBW filter, quantum dots absorb the light, converting blue into red or green without losing any backlight, resulting in superior brightness and color accuracy.
AMOLED falls into its own category, featuring a thin-film transistor (TFT) layer that controls the charge of each pixel, allowing for faster activation. This comes at the cost of OLED's iconic "infinite" contrast.
WOLED, QD-OLED, and AMOLED: Which Is Better for Gaming?
Choosing the right OLED technology for gaming depends on your specific needs and preferences. If you're looking for a straightforward answer, QD-OLED is the best choice. However, there are scenarios where WOLED or AMOLED might be more suitable.
AMOLED displays are commonly found in smartphones and laptops, not typically in TVs due to their high cost. They offer flexibility (ideal for foldables), high refresh rates, and excellent viewing angles. However, they struggle in direct sunlight due to lower peak brightness.
For gaming monitors and TVs, you have the option between WOLED (marketed simply as OLED) and QD-OLED. WOLED can achieve high brightness levels, especially in whites, but the RGBW filter can lead to color brightness loss. QD-OLED, on the other hand, delivers overall brighter visuals and bolder colors thanks to its quantum dot technology.
In my living room, my WOLED TV faces windows, so it's prone to glare. Despite this, the darkest parts of the screen remain black. In contrast, my QD-OLED monitor on my desk shows a purplish tint in bright conditions because Samsung removed the polarizing layer to boost brightness, which can increase reflections.
While QD-OLED displays offer superior color and brightness, WOLED screens are less distracting in highly reflective environments. Keep in mind, though, that the quality of the displays ultimately depends on their specifications. Generally, the more you spend, the better the visual experience.
However, QD-OLED and WOLED might not be the only options for long.
The Future of OLED Is PHOLED
There are several types of OLED, one of which is PHOLED (Phosphorescent OLED). This uses phosphorescent materials instead of fluorescent ones to convert energy into light. The challenge with PHOLED has been the shorter lifespan of its blue component compared to green and red, which can render the panel practically useless.
Recently, LG announced a breakthrough in blue PHOLED technology, paving the way for mass production. LG refers to PHOLED as "Dream OLED" because its phosphorescence achieves 100% luminous efficiency, far surpassing the 25% efficiency of fluorescence. This means PHOLED TVs will be brighter while consuming less power.
Although we won't see PHOLED displays in TVs anytime soon, we can expect to see this technology in smartphones and tablets in the near future.
