Samsung might just destroy LG’s lead in OLED TV market
Samsung Display’s new QD-OLED display technology has been turning a lot of eyeballs at the ongoing CES 2022 event in Las Vegas. The company is so confident with the latest technology that it is making direct comparisons with LG’s best OLED TVs at its CES booth. Some experts have already been able to test QD-OLED and LG’s OLED side by side and praised Samsung.
Unlike LG’s WRGB OLED panels, which have a dedicated white sub-pixel to push higher brightness levels, Samsung’s QD-OLED technology just uses red, green, and blue sub-pixels to create whites. And thanks to Samsung’s Quantum Dot magic, each pixel works more efficiently, resulting in better colors, higher brightness, and wider viewing angles.
LinusTechTips, one of the world’s most famous tech YouTube channels, had the chance to compare Samsung’s QD-OLED TV and LG’s 2021 flagship OLED TV (LG G1) side by side. They came up pretty impressed with Samsung’s new display technology, calling it “the new top-of-the-line (OLED).”
Samsung’s QD-OLED panel produced 27% higher brightness than LG’s OLED TV in full-screen white frames and reached up to 1,400 nits in a small bright window. In comparison, LG reached a brightness of just 800 nits. QD-OLED also reproduced better reds, greater details in brighter and darker scenes, and higher color volume than LG’s OLED.
However, Samsung’s DX, which makes Samsung TVs, is taking a measured approach towards OLED TVs, especially since it was hesitant to launch OLED TVs due to their burn-in issues and low brightness. The company is reportedly buying OLED panels from LG and QD-OLED panels from Samsung Display as a part of its dual-track strategy. With two supply partners, the company might get stable supply and lower prices due to the competition between LG Display and Samsung Display.
During CES 2022, Jong-Hee Han, CEO of Samsung DX, said the QD OLED TVs are “being mass-produced, but not at a level of quantity (Samsung) has sought.” When asked about Samsung’s deal with LG Display for TV OLED panels, he said, “I cannot say because there is nothing confirmed regarding the plan (for collaboration with LG), but we are open to all options.”
Samsung Display is also selling its QD-OLED panels to other brands, including Sony and Dell. Sony has already switched from LG’s OLED to Samsung’s QD-OLED for its flagship OLED TV (A95K). Alienware also announced its flagship gaming monitor that uses Samsung’s 34-inch QD-OLED panel with a 175Hz refresh rate, 0.1ms response time, and HDR. Alienware is even offering a 3-year warranty against burn-in.
From what we’ve read and seen, Samsung’s QD-OLED has real potential to beat LG in its own game. However, the production and cost could be the real issue, at least for the first couple of years.
