It’s hard to distinguish between OLEDs, QLEDs, or Neo QLEDs when there’s so much technology terminology in TV technology. In this article, a Neo QLED TV from Samsung differs from a standard QLED TV.
Initially released in 2017, Samsung’s QLED (Quantum Dot LED) technology has been improved in Neo QLED. By creating quantum dots, which are tiny particles illuminated by UV light.
LED lights evenly illuminate a TV show because they evenly distribute light intensity. As compared to a QLED screen, Neo QLED uses thousands of mini-LEDs. Because mini-LEDs fit better into TV panels than standard LEDs, the picture quality is higher. Therefore, the brightness, vibrancy, and accuracy of QLED displays tend to be superior.
As a result of the OLED technology, where each pixel is paired with an LED, OLED TVs offer individual pixel control. Neo QLED uses a single mini-LED to light up multiple pixels simultaneously.
OLED TVs indeed offer excellent brightness control and color reproduction, but since the panels burn in over time and degrade over time, they are liable to be dim over the years.
This is not the case with Neo QLED displays, which is why you won’t have to replace your Neo QLED TV because of burn-in issues. This means that Neo QLED TVs will be a longer-term investment.
Several Samsung SUHD (Super Ultra High Definition) televisions were discontinued in 2017, and rebranded QLED (Quantum-dot Light Emitting Diode) TVs are now available. Consumers who value the best TVs tend to prefer QLED over OLED despite the latter being more widely supported. To provide the most accurate color and contrast, quantum dot displays use their backlighting and quantum dot color filters instead of producing their light.
A Neo QLED TV offers you a more immersive viewing experience. It provides more brightness potential and can reduce some of the effects of blooming due to revamped technology.
Neo QLED TVs are famous for their high contrast ratios, one of their main selling points. The number of levels you have to control means the blacks you see on an LCD will appear blacker, so the dreaded halo effect you sometimes see on LCDs will be minimized.
While OLED displays are still more likely to offer true blacks than regular QLED displays, Neo QLED displays seem to perform better in this area than standard QLED displays. Likewise, Neo QLED and QLED displays are much brighter than OLED displays (just under 600 nits) compared to OLED displays, so if you’re planning to watch your TV in a bright room, Neo QLED and QLED displays are a much better choice.
It is said that Neo QLED TVs tend to be better for gaming than OLED TVs, as they can go much brighter, meaning it is easier to see what you are doing on your screen when compared with OLED TVs. Other factors shouldn’t be overlooked, such as a high refresh rate, HDMI 2.1 ports, and the possibility of playing 4K videos.
Samsung’s most affordable Neo QLED TV is the 50-inch Class QN90A, which retails for around $899.99 (approximately ₱50,000) for the 2021 model. If you are looking in the market for a larger display, it is estimated that you will have to pay over $5,400 (around ₱300,000) for the 85-inch Class QN95B (2022).
Therefore, it is essential to understand that Neo QLED displays are expensive, but if you do not want to replace your TV all the time due to burn-in issues or other factors, they are worth the money.
The mini-LED TVs are also made by manufacturers like:
but their names are slightly different. Samsung’s Neo QLED technology is simply known as Samsung’s mini-LED technology or just as Neo QLED for short. On the other hand, Samsung calls its mini-LED TVs QNED, which combines Quantum Dot and NanoCell technologies, just as LG does with its mini-LED TVs.
It appears that LG, on the other hand, may still be using its In-Plane Switching (IPS) displays (even though nothing has been officially announced at the time of writing). Samsung has confirmed it has already switched to vertically-aligned LCD panels (VA). Despite offering narrower viewing angles as a trade-off, VA panels are widely known for their exceptional contrast performance compared to IPS panels.
If you are happy with an IPS display, a 55-inch LG QNED 4K smart TV is available for under $1,000 (₱around 56,000). If you aren’t satisfied with an IPS display, you can find an LG QNED 48-inch TV for under $500 (roughly ₱28,000).
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