If you have n’t boughta raw TVin a longsighted time , there ’s a cosmos of TV tech acronym to learn about . Some of these terms and phrases — like HD , 4 K , and LED — you may already be familiar with , but video tech has acquire quite a morsel over the last several years , leaving us with new moniker likeOLED , QD - OLED , and the focal point of today ’s explainer , QLED .
What is a QLED television on the nose ? Well , it can be a lot of things , as each TV manufacturer brings a bit of brand - specific inventiveness to the table . The short answer , though , is that a QLED is an LED - LCD TV with a layer of quantum dots ramp up in . When actuate by LED light , quantum dots can be used to enhance your QLED ’s peak brightness levels and colors . And that ’s really just scratching the surface .
For the rest of this guide , we ’ll be exploring the ins and outs of QLED tech while also discussing some of the best QLED TVs you’re able to buy today .
What is QLED?
QLED is a proprietary presentation panel technology short for “ quantum dose LED . ” Quantum dot technologywas in the beginning foretell by Sonyvia a partnership with QD Vision , but Samsung rapidly impart its own rendering to market and currently owns the QLED trademark , work with a variety of specialized manufacturers to put the panels together . The first consumer QLED presentation lead off show up several years ago . Now the technology is relatively unwashed and low-cost — if you take a look at the good TVs usable today , most of them are probably QLED .
What does QLED really do ? It resolve a problem that traditional light-emitting diode TVs have writhe with for years . In purchase order for a TV ’s color filter to produce the most vivid and precise semblance , it needs to embark on with a very everlasting , full - spectrum source of blanched light . But how do you improve colour truth when even the best white LED backlights make light that is n’t absolutely white ?
QLED solves this problem by adding a layer of quantum dots to a TV ’s lead backlight ( thus the Q in QLED ) . These quantum point are tiny phosphorescent crystals that own an almost wizard quality : When they ’re exposed to light , they emit their own light with a very gamy level of efficiency . The light they let out can be tuned to specific portions of the color spectrum .
So QLED TVs swap out lily-white LEDs for blue light-emitting diode and then layer red- and green - tune up quantum window pane on top . The quantum Lucy in the sky with diamonds absorb the blue light from the LEDs and exchange it into ruddy and green brightness . When the dispirited light from the LEDs combines with the scarlet and dark-green light emitted from the quantum dot , you get a very pure , full - spectrum whitened lighting . This gives the color filter the start point it needs , and because of the efficiency of quantum dots , almost no brightness is lost in the process .
This gives an LED TV the power to exhibit more colors with greater accuracy and ( if the run backlight is sufficiently powerful ) incredible brightness . This benefit received dynamic range ( SDR ) material , but it ’s especially helpful when display mellow - dynamical range ( HDR ) video , which bank on high brightness and demarcation .
So it’s only available on Samsung TVs?
No . Samsung helped to popularize quantum dot engineering science , and it established the QLED trademark , but most TV makers have quantum pane - free-base TV models these daytime . Samsungestablished the QLED Alliancein partnership with Hisense and TCL for the purpose of advertise the QLED terminus to TV buyers , but so far , these three company remain the only ones that employ it in their marketing .
Other companies habituate their own terminology . Vizio adds the Holy Scripture quantum to models that habituate quantum Lucy in the sky with diamonds , for example Vizio P - Series Quantum , while both Sony and LG have a disposition to deflect the full term entirely despite using quantum dots in some of their LED goggle box .
Who makes the best QLED TVs?
We actually have an intact leaning ofour favorite QLEDs for 2024 . These are made by company like Samsung , Sony , Hisense , and TCL — a lineup ofTV manufacturersthat all add something unique to QLED tech . justly now , our top QLED selection for 2024 is the outstandingSony Bravia 9 Series .
This particular stage set produces a watch crystal - clear characterization with big HDR high spot and top - notch motion handling , making the Bravia 9 a fantastic choice for action at law movie dice - hards and video plot fanatics . There ’s no acquiring around the gamey price power point on this Sony , though , which is where gens like Hisense and TCL enter the fold .
QLEDs like theHisense U8N SeriesandTCL ’s QM8 Seriesare insurance premium TVs raise by budget - friendly stain . So , while the picture may not be as detail - compact as that of the Bravia 9 , you ’ll still enjoy excellent brightness , color , and line , along with some pretty impressive local blind potentiality on specific models .
Is QLED better than OLED?
They are very dissimilar display technologies , so comparability between the two are a little tricky . For a deeper dive , we suggest taking a flavour atour clause on QLED versus OLED .
For a quick summation , here ’s how it works : OLED stands for organic light - emitting junction rectifier . This type of display board completely interchange honest-to-god LED excogitation with a lean panel of picture element that can farm their own light and target colors as needed without swear on the backlighting that LED panel use .
OLED panels are slim and offer unbelievably vivid colour , exceptional contrast levels with the deep blackamoor around , and no light - bleeding yield . If you are principally interested in demarcation , it ’s belike your effective pick for a TV . However , OLED also has downsides compared to QLED . While Price have fallen , it ’s still an expensive technology equate to the alternatives . OLED can also struggle with image retentiveness / burn - in reckon on how the TV is used and has natural limitations when it do to luminousness tier .
Does QLED work with 4K?
QLED advances how LED backlighting and color filtering workplace , while 4 K ( UHD ) is limit by the number of pel on the venire . As such , QLED engineering science can be used on 4 K , 8 kilobyte , or any other declaration that comes along .
How expensive are QLED TVs?
QLED television come in a tolerant cooking stove of prices . They are currently more expensive than traditional precede television and a bit more low-priced than OLED telly . If you take a look atour listing of the best QLED models , you ’ll see they can stray from around $ 4,000 for a high - conclusion 8 1000 version to around $ 700 for a budget 4 K modeling .
Is QLED good for gaming?
Because QLED enhances colors and brightness , it can make all genre of game more enjoyable , even if you get back for a lower resolution . You may want to flirt around with preferences and different modal value , however — not everyone thinks that game modes are inherently better on QLED television .
If you ’re thinking about QLED versus OLED for a gaming TV , that ’s a harder inquiry . OLED is a superb choice since it offers first-class coloring and contrast — ideal for enjoying in - game surroundings — and super refresh rates , which is great for fast - action titles . However , stake television set are more at danger of being depart on the same CRT screen for extended geological period of clip , which can worsen OLED ’s own risk of exposure of burning - in . QLED does n’t have the same problem .
What is Neo QLED?
This is a newer , more modern phase of QLED that Samsung is offering . It replaces the traditional lead raiment with a mini - lead backlighting system . Wediscuss mini - LED in more astuteness in another clause , but fundamentally , it ’s a panel of extra - small LEDs that can offer incredibly precise lighting geographical zone for improved image tone .
TVs like the Sony Bravia 9 Series and TCL QM8 use extremely advanced mini - LED backlighting to deliver a lustrous and colorful icon with great contrast levels .
