Are OLED TVs actually better than QD-OLED TVs?

Tom’s Guide recently put the two competing OLED technologies through their paces, and the results might not be what you expect.

On one side, LG’s second-generation OLED evo, in the form of the LG G2 OLED TV. On the other, Samsung’s QD-OLED, in the S95B OLED TV. Let’s dive into the results.

The surprising thing with the tests is that LG’s OLED evo technology won across the board.

That’s interesting, as one of the big selling points of quantum dot films is that they improve color range, accuracy, and vibrancy. Samsung also made a big point about saying the quantum dots made the panel brighter.

The results in the table below for color accuracy (Delta-E) show a good result from both panels. Anything under 2.0 is good on this test, but the LG OLED gets a 1.3, which is outstanding.

UPDATE 6/3/2022 1:30 PM ET: Tom’s Guide has issued the following statement on its test results: “Due to mistakes in our data collection process, we erroneously reported that the Rec709 color gamut of the Samsung S95B OLED was only 99%. After further review, it’s closer to 130%, similar to what we’ve seen on the LG G2 OLED. […] We are in the process of fully updating this article and will update with any further changes.“

The LG panel also had a wider color gamut, but only by a couple of points. Tom’s realized a mistake in their initial data collection process, so is in the process of fully retesting their results.

Tom’s Guide testing data

Measured brightness can differ from the tested brightness numbers supplied by the manufacturer. Tom’s found the QD-OLED panel on the Samsung had a respectable 501.3 nits.

The LG OLED panel blew past that, with 590.5 nits when set to Vivid mode and a 10% window.

It’s worth noting that the G2 from LG has a “40% increase in brightness compared to last year’s LG G1 OLED TV.” That would make the QD-OLED panel better than last year’s LG by miles, and is perhaps a better comparison as both are first-generational technologies.

As Tom’s Guide notes, “there are several factors that go into scoring a TV besides the tested picture performance.” This panel testing can’t tell you, which is the best TV, only that QD-OLED needs some time to mature.

This is only the first year of QD-OLED, and only the second TV that has used it, with the other being the Sony A95K. Alienware also used it in a recent gaming monitor, which uses a Samsung panel.

One thing to take away from this test result? Expect next year’s QD-OLED panels to be even better.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere. His hobbies include photography, animation, and hoarding Reddit gold.