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Listen up, you beautiful bunch of frame-rate freaks and resolution junkies! We’re about to dive into the display debate so heated, it makesconsolewars look like a toddler slap fight. In one corner, we’ve got OLED, flaunting blacks so deep they’d make a goth kid jealous. In the other, LED, strutting around with brightness that could double as a tanning bed for your retinas.
By the end of this pixel-packed journey, you’ll either be a certified display doctor or at least sound smart enough to impress that cute GameStop employee who always judges your game choices. (No, Karen, I don’t only playfarming simulators. Sometimes I harvest souls too, okay?)
If you are someone who regularly checks out our articles, then you’re probably expecting a spec comparison where we put two specific monitors/TVs to the test. However, since this is an article where we’re comparing concepts and not products, we’re not going to do that. Because then, factors like brand value, image processing techniques, proprietary tech, and other stuff like that would have to be taken into consideration, giving one product an unfair edge over the other.
Response Time And Motion Clarity
When it comes to switching colors quickly, OLED displays are crazy fast. They have response times of less than 1 millisecond in many cases. That’s the time it takes a pixel to change from blue to red or any other color transition. This lightning-quick performance means you’ll see little to no motion blur, even with fast on-screen motion like racing games or first-person shooters. The image remains sharp and clear from frame to frame with some silky smooth visuals.
LED displays, in contrast, can’t quite match OLED’s blazing response times yet. But game-centric LED monitors use tricks like overdrive and motion blur reduction to compensate. Overdrive pushes the pixels to transition faster by overvolting them briefly. And blur reduction inserts black frames between content frames to reduce the perception of blur.
While LEDs can’t compete with raw OLED speed,high-end gaming LED monitorscan still deliver clean, fluid gaming experiences. The blur-busting techniques help approximate the crystal clear motion clarity that OLED offers.
Color Accuracy
Ah, we’d have to say that both OLED and LED screens are locked in a tight contest here. OLEDs are renowned for expansive color ranges and true-to-life color reproduction. On the other hand, colors on OLED displays tend to look rich yet natural, with an almost life-like quality.
Also, LEDs, especially those leveraging quantum dot tech (often branded as QLED), can pump out some gah-dang jaw-dropping colors. These displays can hit seriously high peak brightness levels, which makes colors appear to pop off the screen, particularly when showing HDR content.
In real world use, both these technologies can deliver awesome color performance for gaming. The difference really comes down to user preference – some may prefer the more naturalistic look of OLED, while others may enjoy the intense, high-brightness colors of a premium LED panel.
Contrast And Black Levels
If you want to factor in the difference between the darkest darks and brightest brights - OLED is simply unbeatable. Thanks to its unique ability to power off individual pixels completely,OLED screenscan hit an infinite contrast ratio. That means the blackest black you’ve ever seen right next to eye-searing whites, creating a sense of depth and realism that’s practically three-dimensional.
LED screens, even high-end ones with fancy local dimming, can’t completely match that level of contrast control. There’s always some light leakage ruining those dark movie scenes. Though I’ll admit, some really premium LEDs with mini-LED backlighting come impressively close to OLED-level performance.
But when you want the inkiest blacks, you really need an OLED in your living room. Those disabled pixels give OLED the contrast edge over any LED. Probably one of the easiest Ws you can put down for an OLED.
HDR Performance
High Dynamic Range (HDR) takes game visuals to the next level, providing a wider spectrum of brightness and color. Both OLED and LED screens can display HDR, but we’d say that they handle it in different ways.
OLED is amazing at HDR, thanks to its skill to control brightness at the individual pixel stage. This means OLED can show incredibly nuanced highlights and shadows in one scene. The only drawback is that OLED displays tend to not get as crazy bright as their LED cousins.
LED screens, especially high-end models, can hit much higher peak brightness levels, which can make HDR content really stand out with in-your-face vibrancy. However, they sometimes struggle to finely tune darker areas compared to OLED’s pixel-by-pixel control.
For gaming, both LED and OLED can provide mind-blowing HDR experiences. OLED may have a slight edge for atmospheric horror games set in the shadows, while LED could literally shine in bright, colorful fantasy titles. It’s also worth noting that some LED displays use local dimming to achieve better black levels in dark scenes.
Refresh Rate
Both OLED and LED screens can deliver silky smooth visuals thanks to high refresh rates, which are critical for buttery gameplay. However, LED gaming monitors currently rule the roost when it comes to the max refresh rates you can buy. You can find LED displays with blistering 360Hz refresh rates, while even the fastest OLED screens top out at 240Hz (as of 2024).
That said, for most gamers, the difference between 240Hz and 360Hz might be imperceptible. Both will make the action look insanely fluid, so the decision often comes down to personal preference and the specific titles you play. Also, fast-paced competitive shooters will benefit more from 360Hz, while 240Hz will be plenty for RPGs.
Input Lag
The delay between pressing a button and seeing the result on screen, otherwise known as input lag, is make-or-break for competitive gaming. Sure, both OLED and LED can offer low input lag, but it’s important to understand that input lag has more to do with a display’s internal processing rather than the panel technology itself.
Many current gaming monitors, whether OLED or LED, provide specialized low-latency gaming modes that skip non-essential image processing to minimize input lag. When choosing a gaming display, you’ll want to look for models that advertise low input lag measurements, regardless of the logo on the bezel.
Longevity And Burn-In Concerns
OLED screens look amazing, but most folks worry about something called burn-in. That’s when parts of the display that show static images for long stretches (like your health bar in Call of Duty) get subtly etched into the screen. Modern OLED TVs use tricks to minimize the risk, but gamers who play the same game excessively may still see ghostly remnants of their UI.
LED TVs don’t burn in like OLEDs do, so they avoid that potential headache. But they can still change over time - the backlight that makes them shine can lose some brightness or get patchy after many years of use.
Overall, both TV types are pretty solid these days. OLEDs bring perfect blacks and insane contrast, while LEDs offer peace of mind against burn-in. For most people, OLED burn-in shouldn’t be a major real-world problem with normal, varied TV watching. But hardcore gamers who play the same game religiously may want to consider LED to eliminate the risk altogether.
Power Consumption And Heat
OLED screens tend to use less power overall, especially when showing darker images or video since the black pixels literally turn off, using zero juice. This can equal lower electricity bills for you over time and less heat coming from the display. Less heat is nice if you’re gaming for hours on end and don’t want your room feeling like a sauna.
LED displays still use power efficiently for most folks, but they draw more power than OLED when displaying bright whites or colors. However, for everyday YouTube or gaming usage, you may not even notice a difference on your next bill. Unless you’re displaying spreadsheets all day long at max brightness, that is!
Bottom Line
Was there a point to all of this? Do we have an answer? Sadly, there’s no definitive winner. Both have merits, and the right choice depends on what you value most. OLEDs are all about unmatched image quality. The deep blacks, stellar contrast and vibrant yet accurate colors make games feel truly cinematic.
On the flip side, LEDs offer their own gaming advantages. They’re the choice for those wanting extreme brightness - whether to combat glaring ambient light or simply to make colors pop. LEDs currently enable higher refresh rates too, hitting upwards of 240Hz for that buttery-smooth gameplay. Also, you generally don’t need to fret over image retention woes.
So which is better ultimately depends on you. Are best-in-class visuals a must, or do you prioritize performance, affordability and convenience? Can you stomach OLED’s high cost and anti-burn-in precautions, or would you prefer LED’s brighter, cheaper and more carefree experience? There’s merits to both, so weigh what matters most to YOU as a gamer before deciding.
FAQs
Which one is better for my eyes?
Both OLED and LED screens can make your eyes feel fried after an all-day gaming marathon. It’s just reality. OLED has some perks though, when it comes to eye fatigue. Its ability to produce super dark blacks and make colors pop in a more natural way seems to put less strain on your peepers when gaming with the lights low.
On the flip side, those super bright LED displays can actually be better for gaming sessions where you’ve got sunlight streaming in. They have the brightness capabilities to cut through the glare. But if you’re gaming at night, that amount of light in your face may get tiring.
Regardless of whether you go OLED or LED, be sure to take regular eye breaks during long sessions. Get up, walk around, give your eyes a rest. And consider activating those blue light filter settings. They can help ease up on fatigue.
Which is better for multiplayer gaming?
Well, OLEDs kick butt when it comes to viewing angles. Even if your friends are peeking over your shoulder from weird positions, the colors and contrast stay solid on an OLED display. The image doesn’t get washed out or lose that crisp vividness.
Now, LED screens can also allow for some decent side-eyeing. Especially the IPS LEDs - they work hard to keep the colors accurate. But push an LED screen too far off center, and you’ll likely get some color shift, lower contrast, and the image quality takes a bit of a nosedive.
Which one has better upscaling?
Well, turns out it’s not so much about whether it’s OLED or LED that matters. The real hero here is the display’s image processing tech and smarts. High-end models of both OLED and LED TVs can use fancy upscaling to make lower resolution content look way better.
But here’s the thing - OLED has perfect inky blacks and crazy high contrast. So, when you upscale lower res stuff on an OLED screen, those dark scenes and shadows end up looking a bit cleaner and sharper even if the resolution isn’t actually improved. The high contrast makes details stand out more. Where an LED screen might show blotchy artifacts, the OLED somehow makes it look nice. Yeah. I know. You can’t believe anything anymore.
