The Best OLED TVs of 2023

OLED TV FAQs

What is an OLED TV?

OLED stands for “organic light-emitting diode.” Instead of using a traditional LCD panel with a backlight, like those found on QLED and LED TVs, OLED TVs are self-illuminating. This means that each pixel on an OLED can emit its own light or turn off completely, enabling an infinite contrast ratio. Because of this incredible contrast performance, OLED displays are among the best 4K TVs you can buy.

Though there are a few different types of OLED panels, they all share the same key benefits of pixel-level contrast and wide viewing angles. Some OLED subtypes, however, have extra perks that make them even more desirable. 

QD-OLED panels, for instance, have the added benefit of quantum dot technology, which enables them to produce an even wider and brighter range of colors. Sony and Samsung both use QD-OLED panels in their top TVs, like the S90C, S95C, and A95L. 

Though LG doesn’t use QD-OLED, it does use another advanced OLED panel tech called MLA OLED. MLA stands for Micro Lens Array, and OLEDs with this tech employ a layer of tiny convex lenses to boost their brightness capabilities. The LG G3 is the first consumer OLED to use MLA tech.

Should OLED TV buyers worry about burn-in?

Even the best OLED TVs are technically susceptible to an issue known as burn-in. If you leave a static image on an OLED TV for an extended period — a news station’s chyron bar, for example — a faint after-image can get stuck on the screen.

Though it sounds alarming, burn-in is not a new phenomenon. Many past TV technologies, including plasma and CRT displays, have also been prone to this issue. While OLED buyers should be mindful of this risk, OLED TVs have built-in measures to combat burn-in, including automatic pixel-shift modes and pixel-refreshers. 

Publications like Rtings have done long-term tests with many OLED TV models, and while the results do show that burn-in is possible in extreme use cases, the tests show that it shouldn’t be a problem for people with regular viewing habits. 

I’ve owned an LG CX OLED TV for two years, and the screen has no signs of burn-in. In my experience, as long as you don’t plan on watching the same cable news channel all day long, burn-in shouldn’t be a deciding factor when choosing whether to get an OLED TV.