OLED
An OLED screen makes its own light: every tiny dot of the display glows by itself, so no separate backlight is needed.
On this page 3 sections
How it works
OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode. Each pixel is made of thin organic layers that give off light when a small electric current passes through them. Because every pixel is its own light source, a pixel showing black can switch off completely. That gives true black, very high contrast and a thin panel, which also lets makers build curved or foldable screens.
What it means in practice
- Black areas are truly dark, so colours look rich and the contrast ratio is very high.
- Pixels change colour in a fraction of a millisecond, so motion looks clean.
- Pixels that show a bright picture use more power than pixels that show dark content.
What it does not promise
OLED is a panel technology, not a quality rating. Brightness, colour accuracy and sharpness still differ from one OLED screen to another. Organic materials age over time, and a static image shown for very long periods can leave a faint ghost, called burn-in. Some OLED screens also dim their light in rapid pulses to control brightness, which some people notice at low brightness. AMOLED is the version used in most phones, where a thin-film transistor layer switches each pixel.