Best OLED Display for Gaming Revealed

I vividly remember purchasing my first OLED TV, the LG E8 55 inch back in 2019, just before the world went into lockdown. It turned out to be the perfect companion during isolation. At the time, I didn't fully grasp what OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology was like. I knew it used self-lit pixels instead of a backlight like LCD displays, promising infinite contrast. However, after diving into the vibrant worlds of Final Fantasy XV and navigating through the intense landscapes of The Last of Us Part II, it dawned on me. This was 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, and since then, I've reviewed numerous devices featuring OLED displays and discovered that not all OLED screens are created equal. In fact, not all OLED technologies are the same. You might wonder, “How many types of OLED are there?” There are quite a few, but the three you should pay attention to are 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 it. It wasn't until LG introduced its OLED TVs in the early 2010s that the technology became mainstream.

LG's version of OLED is called WOLED (White OLED). They don't market it as such because LG positions itself as synonymous with OLED. But what is WOLED? As I've mentioned, OLED technology uses self-lit pixels to achieve infinite contrast and vivid colors. However, the compounds used for 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. Imagine all those self-lit pixels; they're no longer just red, green, or blue—they're white. However, this approach has its challenges. When you project a spotlight through color filters, some colors become brighter than others, leading to uneven brightness and reduced color volume. Higher-end WOLEDs attempt to mitigate this with Micro Lens Array technology, which enhances light focus.

In 2022, another solution emerged: QD-OLED (Quantum Dot OLED), introduced by Samsung. QD-OLED replaces the white OLED layer with a blue one, which excites a layer of quantum dot color converters. Unlike the RGBW filter, quantum dots absorb the light, converting blue to red or green without losing backlight efficiency.

AMOLED, on the other hand, is a distinct category. It's similar to WOLED but includes a thin-film transistor (TFT) layer, which controls pixel charge and allows for faster pixel 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 circumstances and preferences. If you're looking for a straightforward answer, QD-OLED is the best choice. However, there are scenarios where WOLED might be preferable, and others where you might find yourself using AMOLED.

Let's start with AMOLED, which is commonly found in smartphones and laptops. You won't find many AMOLED TVs due to their cost. AMOLED is versatile (it's used in foldable devices), can fit any screen size, and offers high refresh rates and better viewing angles. However, they struggle in direct sunlight because of their lower peak brightness.

For gaming monitors and TVs, you have the choice between WOLED (often marketed simply as OLED) and QD-OLED. WOLED can get very bright thanks to its white OLED layer, but this brightness is mostly limited to whites. The RGBW filter loses a lot of brightness across other colors. In contrast, QD-OLED displays provide a brighter overall visual and bolder colors due to the quantum dots absorbing rather than filtering light.

I have my OLED TV in my living room, positioned opposite windows, so it faces a lot of glare. Despite this, the darkest areas of the screen still appear black. However, my QD-OLED monitor on my desk doesn't maintain the same black level under glare; it shows a purplish tint. This is because Samsung removed the polarizing layer from QD-OLED displays to increase brightness, which also increases reflections.

While QD-OLED technically offers superior color and brightness, WOLED screens are less distracting in highly reflective environments. Keep in mind, however, that the quality of these displays largely depends on their specifications. As a general rule, the more you spend, the better the display quality.

But QD-OLED and WOLED may not be our only options for long.

The Future of OLED Is PHOLED

There are several types of OLED, one of which is PHOLED (Phosphorescent OLED). This technology uses phosphorescent materials to convert energy into light. The challenge with PHOLED is that the blue component has a significantly shorter lifespan than green and red, which can render a PHOLED panel practically dead on arrival.

However, LG recently announced a breakthrough in blue PHOLED technology, paving the way for mass production. LG refers to PHOLED as "Dream OLED" because phosphorescence achieves 100% luminous efficiency, far surpassing the 25% efficiency of fluorescence. This means PHOLED TVs will be brighter and consume less power.

Unfortunately, we won't see PHOLED displays in TVs anytime soon, but we'll likely see this technology in smartphones and tablets before long.