Chapter 4
Compare technologies
Relative ratings for a typical example of each technology — not a specific model. Use them to understand the trade-offs, then let reviews of current models settle the details.
| Attribute | Mini-LED | W-OLED | QD-OLED |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black level & contrast | |||
| Peak brightness | |||
| Colour richness | |||
| Viewing angle | |||
| Burn-in risk lower is better | |||
| Halo / blooming lower is better | |||
| Motion clarity | |||
| Typical price tier lower is better |
All 10 technologies
| Attribute | Edge-lit LED | Direct-lit LED | QLED | Mini-LED | RGB Mini-LED | Micro RGB | SQD-MiniLED | W-OLED | QD-OLED | Tandem OLED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black level & contrast | ||||||||||
| Peak brightness | ||||||||||
| Colour richness | ||||||||||
| Viewing angle | ||||||||||
| Burn-in risk lower is better | ||||||||||
| Halo / blooming lower is better | ||||||||||
| Motion clarity | ||||||||||
| Typical price tier lower is better |
What the rows mean
- Black level & contrast
- How dark "black" really is and how much punch the picture has in a dim room.
- Peak brightness
- How well the picture holds up against sunlight and how vivid HDR highlights look.
- Colour richness
- How saturated colours stay, especially when they are also bright.
- Viewing angle
- Whether the picture washes out for people sitting off to the side.
- Burn-in risk · lower is better
- Whether static content left on screen for hours (news tickers, game HUDs, a desktop) can leave a faint ghost.
- Halo / blooming · lower is better
- A glow around bright objects on dark backgrounds — subtitles, stars, credits.
- Motion clarity
- How crisp fast movement looks in sport and games (pixel response, not refresh rate).
- Typical price tier · lower is better
- Where the technology usually sits in a brand's range, from entry level (1) to flagship (5). Not a price.
A rating is a starting point, not a verdict. Within one technology, models differ a lot — a mini-LED with a few hundred zones and one with thousands are both "Mini-LED". Compare the technology here, then the model in reviews.