Experts Share The Best OLED and QLED TVs to Shop During Black Friday Sales

By Angela Tricarico
Updated Nov. 17, 2023
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TV is getting darker these days.

And we don’t mean in terms of storyline. We mean it in the most literal sense — it’s just so hard to see.

We saw this in last year’s The Batman and again last summer during House of the Dragon‘s run, but a better phrase might be “we didn’t see it.”

Turning off motion smoothing is a good place to start (thanks, Tom Cruise!), but if you have an older, strictly HD television, you’ll probably want to look into replacing it.

Newer TVs are equipped with new screen technology designed to increase dark contrasts into something more visible.

We spoke with John Couling, the SVP of Entertainment at Dolby (who also consulted on our guides to the best soundbars and best wireless earbuds), about this filmmaking phenomenon and the kinds of TVs you can buy to ensure the best picture possible.

What Should I Look For When Shopping For A New TV?

Simply put, Couling suggests a TV that supports high dynamic range, which you’ll find in nearly every 4K television.

“4K and HDR on the TV market are becoming pretty much synonymous,” Couling said.

He went on to explain what HDR is: “Brighter brights, darker darks, a wider set of colors. That is what makes the picture more vibrant; that is what makes the picture have higher contrast and much more like real life.”

TV and film creators are actually leveraging HDR when filming dark scenes, so it makes sense that you’ll need a 4K HDR television to see it as the creator intends. It used to be a format primarily utilized on a large scale, but as TVs have advanced, so has the quality of what we choose to watch at home, to the point where streaming services are making movies and shows available in 4K HDR on a much larger scale.

(Couling noted that to get the best picture quality out of your TV, make sure your favorite streaming services are delivering HDR to your preferred streaming platform – whether that is a connected streaming device or your TV’s built-in apps.)

“Dolby Vision is a really good way to know you are getting a really good HDR television because that is a brand that shows the TV maker is investing in that HDR capability,” Couling adds.

Dolby Vision, created by Dolby, is a specific format of HDR available for TV makers to use when creating their products.

So, step one: Prioritize HDR, and if possible, confirm the TV supports Dolby Vision.

Step two: Figure out which display type works better for you — OLED or QLED.

What’s the Difference Between OLED and QLED?

OLED (organic light-emitting diode) and QLED (quantum light-emitting diode) — which fall under the larger LCD (liquid crystal display) umbrella — are two different display technologies that determine the way your TV’s screen looks. We know those acronyms are a lot, so we’ll break it down even further for you.

OLED TVs are not backlit. Instead, every individual pixel is illuminated on its own, producing the blackest shades of black since the pixels can be turned off entirely. That’s not possible with a backlight.

“It can go all of the way down to black, and that gives it the ability to really display these fine grayscale images, as you say, quite dim scenes,” Couling said.

On the other hand, QLED TVs do utilize an LCD backlight paired with color-emitting quantum dots. The LCD backlight creates much brighter images.

Each panel technology has its own individual benefits and drawbacks, but as TVs advance further, the difference between OLED and QLED gets smaller. Ultimately, both are good, so it’s all about finding the TV that you like best for your space and needs.

Pros and Cons of OLED and QLED:

OLED

  • Pros: High dark/light contrast, deeper shades of black, quick pixel response time
  • Cons: Risk of burn-in if the TV is paused on an image for an extended period of time

QLED

  • Pros: Brighter images, often cheaper than OLED, excellent in rooms with more natural light
  • Cons: Less contrast between dark and light, TVs are slightly thicker than OLED, slower pixel response time

The Best OLED and QLED TVs:

All of the TVs below are recommended by Dolby or by experts at Amazon.

For more like this, check out the Decider Shopping section.