Most people consider OLED TVs as some of the best TVs you can buy, and this display technology has advanced a lot in the past several years. However, some TV manufacturers have shied away from incorporating OLED panels since they're not perfect by any means.

Therefore, if you're looking for a new high-end television, it's essential to be knowledgeable about the various display technologies available today.

Here, we'll look at all the pros and cons of buying an OLED TV.

The Pros of OLED TVs

OLED displays come with a host of advantages, especially over conventional LCD panels. Below, you'll discover some areas where these TVs excel in.

1. OLED TVs Have Perfect Blacks and Infinite Contrast Ratio

OLED TV powered off

An OLED display is full of self-illuminating pixels. This puts the TV at a huge advantage when it comes to black levels and contrast ratio.

Whenever an OLED TV displays a black scene, the individual pixels shut off completely. Since these pixels emit no light in their off state, the screen appears black as if the TV is powered off. Black levels cannot get better than this.

They have infinite contrast ratios for the very same reason. The contrast ratio is simply the difference between the brightest and darkest points on a screen. Since the black levels are 0 nits of brightness for an OLED TV and you cannot divide anything by zero, it has an infinite contrast ratio.

2. OLED TVs Offer the Widest Viewing Angles

Luxury OLED TV in the living room

Not everyone sits right in front of the TV while watching content. If you watch TV at an angle, you'd want to ensure that your visual experience is unaffected. Luckily enough, OLED TVs offer unmatched viewing angles compared to their traditional LED counterparts.

While QLED TVs have improved in this department in recent years, OLEDs still come out on top. There is little to no degradation in color and brightness, even at severe off-angles. So, no matter where you're seated in the room, you're getting the best picture quality possible.

3. OLED TVs Are Energy-Efficient

Since OLED panels don't have a backlight, unlike conventional LED displays, they're more energy-efficient theoretically. Depending on the scene you're watching, many black pixels that are turned off consume no power.

However, your OLED TV's brightness setting will be an essential factor in determining the energy it consumes. If you often watch bright HDR content, your OLED TV will consume way more power than it does when displaying SDR content.

As long as you keep your brightness levels to a minimum, your OLED TV will consume less power than your average LED TV.

4. OLED TVs Offer Unmatched Response Times

FIFA on OLED TV

If you're into gaming, you will enjoy playing games on an OLED TV due to how fast the pixel response rates are. In layman's terms, response time measures the time taken by a pixel to switch from one color to another. This means clearer images during fast-paced scenes, which is crucial when gaming.

OLED displays have a near-instant pixel response time of 0.2ms on average. These numbers put the conventional LCD and QLED panels to shame, with a response time of roughly 3.5ms. This is unlike any other display technology in the market right now, and the main reason OLEDs can achieve this is that the pixels turn on and off individually.

5. OLED TVs Are Usually Way Thinner

LG Signature OLED R TV
Image Credit: LG

OLED TVs can get really thin, but this depends on the model you choose. Most OLED TVs have a super-thin panel section with a hardware enclosure that houses the speakers, processor, and other connections. Since OLEDs don't need a separate backlight, the panel itself is only about 2.5-3mm thick.

Having said that, some OLED TVs have a thicker uniform body to sit flush against the wall. These designs are typically around 2mm thick. In comparison, Samsung's Neo QLED 4K TVs have a thickness of 2.7mm.

6. OLED TVs Aren't Expensive Anymore

The first-generation OLED TVs were out of reach for most people, and this trend continued for a few years until 4K TVs started to become mainstream. Today, they cost maybe a tad more than competing QLED and LED televisions.

LG has been aggressive with its pricing strategy in recent years to compete against the likes of Samsung and Sony. This is why we say competition is great because, in the end, the consumer wins. You can get the 55-inch LG A2 OLED TV today for as low as $900, which is actually far less than what you'd need to shell out for Samsung's 55-inch Q85B QLED TV.

The Cons of OLED TVs

While OLED displays can deliver unmatched picture quality, the technology has its fair share of downsides. Here, we'll discuss the areas where OLED TVs lose the upper hand when pitted against competing LCD TVs.

1. OLED TVs Have Average Brightness Levels

Sony OLED TV

As much as we love to appreciate the picture quality of OLED TVs, we simply cannot overlook the fact that the brightness levels aren't that great. This should be a concern if you often watch TV in a bright room. When viewing HDR content, the peak brightness for OLED TVs is in the range of 600-800 nits. The competing QLED TVs in the market can easily hit twice the peak brightness levels.

Samsung's new QD-OLED panels have addressed this issue by adding a quantum-dot layer instead of a color filter to maximize the brightness and enhance the color output. But these advanced panels cost a hefty premium over conventional OLED TVs since the technology is bleeding edge.

2. OLED TVs Are Susceptible to Burn-Ins

Music on OLED TV

Since its introduction, one major issue that has plagued OLED technology is screen burn-in or image retention. An OLED TV that you've been using for a long time may start to retain static images displayed on the screen for hours, like channel logos, for example. This occurs due to uneven degradation of pixels over a long period.

The individual pixels that turn on to display static images on your TV degrade faster than the pixels surrounding them. This image retention is permanent, and you'll notice it the most when your screen is white. Although manufacturers claim to prevent burn-in with features like pixel shift, you still have to be extra careful with your usage, especially if you plan to keep your OLED TV for years.

3. OLED TVs Can't Match QLEDs in Color Volume

While OLED TVs have better color accuracy than competing QLED panels, the latter delivers better color volume. So, if you're someone who wants the colors to pop rather than them being accurate, the QLED TVs are what you should be looking at.

Since OLEDs don't get nearly as bright as QLED TVs, they don't display bright colors at their maximum potential. Samsung's QLED displays have no issue showcasing a wider range of more saturated colors that appeal to the mainstream audience.

4. OLEDs Pale in Comparison to MicroLED Technology

Samsung The Wall microLED TV
Image Credit: Samsung

You may already know that Samsung has been pushing its microLED technology in recent years at CES. Although MicroLED TVs aren't quite ready for the average consumer yet, it's an exciting new technology to look forward to, as it has certain advantages over OLED displays.

For starters, Samsung's microLED displays can get far brighter than today's OLED displays, capable of peak brightness levels of 4,000 nits. In comparison, LG's G2 OLED TV, for example, can only hit peak brightness levels of 1,000 nits.

MicroLED technology also addresses one major flaw of OLEDs: screen burn-in. As it uses inorganic materials, like gallium nitride, screen burn-in is not an issue with microLED TVs, meaning you don't have to worry about their lifespan.

But the best part about microLED TVs is their modularity. Samsung's microLED TVs use modular panels that you put together to form one giant screen; therefore, you can customize them to fit your room according to your needs.

OLED TVs Aren't Ideal for Everyone

As you can see, an OLED TV has its pros and cons. If you're trying to save some cash, and if one of the three cons bothers you, spending your hard-earned cash on a QLED TV would be wise. Sure, it may not have the best picture quality, but you're getting a brighter TV that lasts in the long run.

Now that you know all the pros and cons of OLEDs, you can make an informed decision to avoid buyer's remorse. And, if you do purchase an OLED TV, you know how to avoid burn-in problems and make sure brightness levels don't impact your viewing experience.