Ultimate Guide to OLED TVs (2025)

LG Display currently makes all OLED TV panels and sells them to other TV brands like Panasonic, Philips, and Sony. Those companies all use different image processing, so there will be a difference in the visuals of each OLED TV. For this article, we'll be focusing on LG TVs using the LG Display OLED panel.

OLED vs. LCD Displays Brandon Jones / TechReviewer

OLED Comparison

	LED	QLED	OLED	Mini-LED	MicroLED
Viewing Angle	Good	Good	Excellent	Good	Excellent
Black Levels	Limited	Limited	Excellent	Very Good	Excellent
Color Accuracy	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Burn-in Risk	No	No	Yes	No	Minimal
Peak Brightness	Good	Excellent	Moderate	Excellent	Excellent
Lifespan	60K+ Hours	60K+ Hours	100K+ Hours	60K+ Hours	100K+ Hours
Contrast Ratio	3K-6K:1	4K-8K:1	Infinite	10K-100K:1	Infinite
Response Time	Good	Good	Excellent	Very Good	Excellent
Backlight Bleed	Yes	Yes	No	Minimal	No
Price Range	$	$$	$$$	$$$$	$$$$$

For this pros/cons list, we are comparing OLED to all other currently available display types, along with the main features that stand out for OLED displays.

Pros of OLED	Cons of OLED
Excellent color accuracy	Slight chance of burn-in
Wide viewing angles	Slightly shorter lifespan
No light bleed
Extreme contrast ratio
Perfect blacks
Excellent response time
Excellent HDR in dark rooms
Thinnest screen size

To learn more about each Pro and Con of OLED displays, click the items above.

For a complete list of every question answered in this article, scroll to the top of this page.

• This is an exceptional TV for any use, whether for movies, games, sports, or as a PC monitor.
• Fast refresh rates reduce motion blur and make animations smoother.
• This TV has wide viewing angles, perfect for many people watching TV together (like most OLED TVs).
• It has an extreme contrast ratio capable of producing pitch-black scenes without suffering from blooming.
• This TV offers improved brightness compared to previous generations, making it suitable for most room lighting conditions.
• This has the fastest response time for smooth fast-moving content, great for games or sports.
• The LG C5 OLED TV also supports very low input lag and variable refresh rate, both of which are also needed for gaming.
• It's superb for HDR content due to its extreme contrast ratio and wide color gamut.
• Check the latest price of the LG C5 OLED TV on Amazon

• This TV has superb picture quality with an extreme contrast ratio, perfect for your home theater room.
• The Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV has excellent color out of the box, so there's no need for color calibration.
• This TV offers improved brightness performance, making it suitable for various room lighting conditions.
• This TV has Google TV built-in, allowing you to watch from most of your streaming services quickly and smoothly.
• The Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV has very low input lag and quick response time, both of which are excellent for sports and gaming.
• Check the latest price of the Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV on Amazon

Each pixel in an OLED display can transition from being turned off to reaching full brightness. There's no overlapping light that is seen in most LED TVs.

Blacklight bleed is also known as blooming or halo effect. The white text needs bright light to be visible, while the dark scenes don't need any light. The bright light spills over in the dark areas, causing a haloing effect and ghosting with motion.

OLED displays do not suffer from the backlight bleed; instead, you will get fluid motion and deep blacks with excellent contrast.

Learn about how backlight bleed affects LED TVs.

Backlight Bleed

LED	Yes
QLED	Yes
OLED	No
Mini-LED	Minimal
MicroLED	No

Refresh rate refers to how many times per second a display redraws the screen, measured in hertz (Hz). For example, a 120 Hz display refreshes 120 times per second. Most OLED displays in 2025 offer at least 120 Hz, which is sufficient for general use and casual gaming. High-end OLED gaming monitors can reach 240 Hz to 360 Hz, while many smartphones feature adaptive refresh rates that adjust between 1 Hz and 120 Hz (or higher) to balance smoothness and battery life. For comparison, older displays typically operated at 60 Hz, which is now considered the baseline standard.

Response time measures how quickly a display's pixels can transition from one color to another. This is typically measured by calculating the time needed to switch between black and white, expressed in milliseconds (ms). Lower response times are better.

Displays with higher response times exhibit motion blur during fast-paced content such as sports broadcasts, action movies, and video games. For smooth motion, a response time of 5 ms or lower is recommended, though competitive gamers often prefer 1 ms or less. OLED displays easily surpass these standards with their sub-millisecond performance.

Response Time

LED	Good
QLED	Good
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Very Good
MicroLED	Excellent

For optimal gaming performance, displays with low response times (under 1ms for OLEDs) and high refresh rates (120Hz or higher) are recommended. OLED technology naturally excels in these areas while also providing superior contrast and HDR performance that enhances visual quality in modern games.

Your gaming device must support high refresh rates to take full advantage of these displays. The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S support up to 120Hz, while gaming PCs can drive even higher refresh rates (144Hz, 240Hz) depending on your graphics card. Many OLED displays also support variable refresh rate (VRR) technologies like HDMI 2.1 VRR, AMD FreeSync, or NVIDIA G-SYNC to eliminate screen tearing.

Note that OLED displays can be susceptible to burn-in if static images (like HUD elements) are displayed for extended periods, though this risk has been significantly reduced in newer models with built-in protection features.

If you're unfamiliar with the term, a nit is a unit of measurement that quantifies the amount of light a display emits per unit area. The higher the nit value, the brighter the screen can display content.

Peak Brightness

LED	Good
QLED	Excellent
OLED	Moderate
Mini-LED	Excellent
MicroLED	Excellent

For optimal viewing in rooms with direct sunlight, displays with 1,500+ nits of brightness are recommended. Many current OLED models now meet or exceed this threshold, with flagship models reaching 2,000+ nits, making them viable for various lighting conditions.

You most likely won't run into screen burn-in issues if you watch a variety of content on your OLED display, but the slight risk is there.

Burn-in Risk

	Burn-in Risk
LED	No
QLED	No
OLED	Yes
Mini-LED	No
MicroLED	Minimal

Example of Screen Burn-in Brandon Jones / TechReviewer

OLED TVs have an average viewing angle of around 70 to 85 degrees from the center, with the center meaning that you're directly in front of the screen. The brightness and colors remain consistent at most viewing angles with an OLED TV, with minimal distortion occurring only at extreme angles. This is significantly better than QLED displays, which start showing color and brightness degradation at around 55 degrees.

Viewing Angle

LED	Good
QLED	Good
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Good
MicroLED	Excellent

OLED Viewing Angle Comparison Brandon Jones / TechReviewer

Excellent black levels on a TV can significantly enhance the viewing experience by creating more realistic contrast and making scenes appear more lifelike, especially in dark content.

TVs with poor black levels result in a lack of true black in outer space scenes, dark indoor shots, and end credits. Instead, the blacks appear as more of a gray color, which reduces overall picture quality and contrast.

The exceptional black levels are possible because OLED displays do not rely on a backlight like LCD or LED TVs. Each pixel generates its own light independently, allowing for infinite contrast ratios and true blacks when individual pixels are turned off.

Black Levels

LED	Limited
QLED	Limited
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Very Good
MicroLED	Excellent

OLED Contrast Comparison Brandon Jones / TechReviewer

Color Accuracy

LED	Good
QLED	Excellent
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Excellent
MicroLED	Excellent

While some OLED TVs claim 100% color volume in marketing materials, real-world performance typically falls slightly below this benchmark. However, this difference is imperceptible to most viewers. OLED technology delivers outstanding color reproduction with deep blacks, high contrast ratios, and pixel-level precision that ensures accurate color representation across the entire screen. The self-emissive nature of OLED pixels allows for superior color control compared to backlit LCD displays.

Despite HDR usually requiring higher brightness levels, OLEDs can produce amazing HDR scenes because of their extreme contrast ratio. Due to the lower brightness levels, though, it'd best to view HDR content during the evening with lower ambient light.

Viewing content using HDR will result in a picture with brighter brights, darker darks, more accurate/natural colors, and a sharper image.

Contrast Ratio

LED	3K-6K:1
QLED	4K-8K:1
OLED	Infinite
Mini-LED	10K-100K:1
MicroLED	Infinite

OLED TVs will likely last up to 8 to 10 years or more of regular use for most people.

The main risk of a TV's lifespan, in general, is the other components within the display. Capacitors, power supply boards, or other parts have the chance of failure before the OLED panel does, but for most people, their TVs will last up to the expected life expectancy.

OLED TVs risk color degradation and lower brightness towards the end of their life if you use your TV at peak brightness, but most people won't notice this issue.

OLED TVs also risk screen burn-in, although this isn't likely to happen with most people's displays.

Compared, QLED TVs typically last up to around 8 to 10 years of heavy use and likely won't experience reduced peak brightness and faded colors over time.

Standard LED TVs last an average of 5 to 7 years.

Average Lifespan

	Lifespan
LED	60K+ Hours
QLED	60K+ Hours
OLED	100K+ Hours
Mini-LED	60K+ Hours
MicroLED	100K+ Hours

Want to learn more about OLED TVs? Check out the articles in my OLED TV series:

• Ultimate Guide to OLED TVs.
• Are OLED TVs Good for Gaming?
• Do OLED TVs Have Good Viewing Angles?
• What Is the Response Time of an OLED TV?
• Do OLED TVs Have True Black Levels?
• How Bright Are OLED TVs Compared to Other TVs?
• What Is the Refresh Rate of an OLED TV?

Want to learn more about TVs? Check out the articles in my TV series:

• Best TV Display Types
• TV Resolution Explained - 8K UHD vs. 4K vs. QHD vs. FHD
• Choosing the Best TV for Your Room
• Best TV for Playing PlayStation 5 Games
• What Type of TV Is Best for Gaming?
• Ultimate Guide to Samsung QLED TVs
• Best Type of TV for Bright Rooms
• What Type of TV Has the Best Refresh Rate & Response Time?
• What Type of TV Has the Best Viewing Angle?
• Do LED TVs Have Backlight Bleed?
• How to choose the best soundbar for your TV