Samsung QLED: How does its display work and is it better than OLED?

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Before I get to my review of the Samsung QLED, specifically the Q8C model, I wanted to touch on the tech behind the TV and compare how it works, how it compares to an OLED, and why HDR is so important to gaming. Samsung's new flagship TV range has taken a new form. Leaving the SUHD models behind, the new QLED lineup promises to deliver new 4K HDR visuals thanks to this new tech known as Quantum Dots. Take a look at the video below where we go through the tech behind the TV and compare it to an OLED.

What is a Quantum Dot you ask? Well, a standard LCD display makes use of a blue LED backlight that has a layer of gas on top off it also known as phosphorus. This gas turns the blue backlight into a white beam that then gets filtered through various micro-pixels ranging from red to blue, to green.

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As the white light is filtered, it changes intensity depending on the signal sent. The final result is a coloured pixel that is one of many that makes an image. The problem with the white phosphorus gas is that colours, whites, and blacks were washed out due to this white film look that was delivered in the end. 

This is where quantum dots comes in. In the QLED, the layer of phosphorus has been removed and replaced with these quantum dots. These little microcrystals are placed behind the TV screen on top of the blue light. Instead of filtering the colours like the phosphorus, these crystals emit light themselves so when the LED shines through them they can more efficiently send light through the micro-pixels. 

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These results are a brighter image with even more vibrant colours and best of all this is all done with less energy too. And unlike traditional LED displays that emit light from directly behind the screen, the QLED sends light up from its 12 LED lights at the bottom of the display and when this hits the microcrystals they light up like magic. 

Thanks to these dots, the TV delivers great black levels as there is no light at the back, only these dots shining when they need to. These dots can also reach a brightness of up to 1000 nits, which is how it delivers its super-bright images on the screen. The max brightness also allows it to create a superb HDR result that brings the brights in the images up more than ever, and the blacks on screen are darker than ever due to these microdots creating a levelled dark and light visual.

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HDR is created by a series of things that include how colour, whites, and blacks are processed on a TV. The QLED has all that and more so the HDR in gaming especially on the PS4 Pro and Xbox One is something that has to be seen to be believed.

So why QLED over OLED you may ask. Well, OLED is a very expensive tech that makes use of every single pixel lighting up when they need to. This creates a pitch-black image as the screen actually turns off when it is not using that pixel. Fancy right? Well yes and no. OLED is almost double, if not triple the cost of QLED so Samsung created a way to, in theory, use these microcrystals as pixels themselves. 

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This delivers the OLED effect without the price. Sure it is not one hundred percent there yet as there is still some glow on the screen at times when on a black image, but it is as close as you will get to the OLED image without putting your house up for sale to buy one. 

So, in the end, Samsung invented a new way to create richer colours, brighter lights, and deeper blacks all while eliminating the need to pay a premium for an OLED display. Does all this tech make sense? Let us know in the comments below. 

More on the Samsung QLED

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Marco is the owner and founder of GLITCHED. South Africa’s largest gaming and pop culture website. GLITCHED quickly established itself with tech and gaming enthusiasts with on-point opinions, quick coverage of breaking events and unbiased reviews across its website, social platforms, and YouTube channel.

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