What is Neo QLED? Is it better than QLED and OLED?

Neo QLED is one of the latest display technologies for TVs. Samsung has already adopted the technology in 2021 for its entire lineup of 4K and 8K TVs, promising a huge improvement in picture quality over traditional QLED displays.

When it comes to buying a new TV, there are a lot of acronyms and confusing terms, creating confusion for buyers. Therefore, the following article will explain Samsung's Neo QLED technology and compare it with more popular options like QLED and OLED so you can make an informed decision.

What is Neo QLED?

Neo QLED is an improvement over existing QLED displays based on Samsung's quantum dot technology. The biggest difference between Neo QLED and QLED is that the latter uses a traditional LED backlight, while the Neo QLED uses a mini-LED backlight. As the name suggests, mini LEDs are much smaller than regular LEDs, meaning you can fit more lights and group them into several dimming zones.

With more LEDs and dimming zones, Neo QLED's lighting control can be subtle and precise, resulting in better contrast ratios. You hardly get much of a halo effect around a bright object in a dark background, a problem that still plagues conventional LCD technology to this day. Besides the backlight technique, Neo QLED's panel is still an LCD screen with quantum dot technology.

Difference between Neo QLED and OLED

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For many years, the battle between OLED and QLED screens remained inconclusive. With these new Neo QLED TVs, it's even more daunting as the technology continues to bridge the gap between LCD and OLED.

Let's start with the main advantage of Neo QLED TV. With mini-LED backlighting, you now get a higher contrast ratio on high-end Samsung QLED TVs made from 2021. For example, when you watch content with black bars, the blacks will actually be closer to true black, with minimal blur around the content displayed on the screen.

On the other hand, OLED screens do not depend on any backlight and individual pixels can turn on or off on their own. Since an OLED pixel doesn't emit any light in the off state, we get an infinite contrast ratio and true blacks. This is an area where OLED has dominated since its inception.

Is Neo QLED better than OLED?

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The short answer to this question is no.

Exactly it depends on what you expect from your TV. The Neo QLED TV delivers much better black levels than traditional QLED models, but still doesn't match the true blacks you get on an OLED display. However, the difference between the two is now closer than ever thanks to the mini LED backlight.

Don't forget that OLED TVs also have their downsides. The Neo QLED and QLED displays, for instance, are unrivaled in terms of brightness levels, with peak brightness exceeding 2,000 nits. Meanwhile, regular OLED screens can only manage a maximum brightness of 700 nits. So, if you plan to use your next TV in a bright room, Neo QLED would be an ideal choice.

On the plus side, Samsung has solved the brightness limitation of OLED screens with its own new QD-OLED technology. These new panels can reach peak brightness levels of up to 2,000 nits, equivalent to QLED, while still delivering the true blacks of traditional OLED displays.

However, OLED TVs (including QD-OLEDs) are still susceptible to screen image retention, no matter how hard the manufacturer tries to minimize the problem. This has been the main drawback of OLED technology since the first OLED screens appeared. Therefore, if you intend to stick with your TV for many years, an OLED model may not be worth buying, as Neo QLED will last better in the long run.

What Neo QLED TVs are available?

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Samsung's Neo QLED lineup for 2023 includes five 4K TV models and three 8K models, with prices starting at $1,199. Also, they all come in different screen sizes, starting at 43 inches and going up to 85 inches. But be prepared to spend "huge" money if you want larger models. For example, the 85-inch QN900B 8K TV will cost $7999.

High-priced flagship 8K models include the QN900C, QN800C, and QN700C Neo QLED TVs. But keep in mind that the availability of these models varies by region.

If you are interested in more mainstream 4K models, you can check out the QN95C, QN93C, QN90C, QN88C and QN85C Neo QLED TVs. Note that Samsung does not sell the higher-end QN95C and QN93C models in the United States to promote 8K TV sales. Prices for these TVs start at just $1199 and go up for higher screen sizes.

Is Samsung the only brand that makes Neo QLED?

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Neo QLED is the fancy term Samsung uses for its mini LED implementations. So, in terms of brand, Samsung is the only brand that produces Neo QLED TVs. However, if you want a TV that uses the same mini-LED technology, you also have other options.

LG uses the term QNED for its mini LED products, and they sit right below its flagship OLED TVs. The QNED models come in 4K and 8K variants, just like Samsung's Neo QLED lineup.

If interested in 8K variants, you can check out the QNED99 and QNED95 models priced above $3,000. However, if you're happy with 4K, you can buy the QNED90 and QNED85 TVs for half the price.

Other brands like TCL and HiSense also sell mini-LED TVs. In fact, TCL was the first brand to launch a mini-LED TV in 2019. For example, you can watch the TCL QM8 4K mini LED TV with the same quantum dot technology as Samsung.