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QD-OLED vs. WOLED: What’s the difference in 2025?
If you’re shopping for a new TV and you have your heart set on an OLED, you’ll likely find yourself choosing between two different types of OLED displays: QD-OLED and WOLED.
Yes, it’s true: In 2025, OLED TVs are not only more popular than ever, they come in different flavors, too.
While the best OLED TVs deliver the same fundamental set of benefits — perfect black levels, ultra-wide viewing angles and surgical contrast control — there are some pretty significant differences between those that leverage a QD-OLED display and those that tap a WOLED display. Here’s what you need to know.
The difference between QD-OLED and WOLED
Once upon a time, WOLED was the only available option for folks in the market for an OLED TV.
The “W” in WOLED stands for “white,” and it references a critical component of this OLED display’s structure. Once upon a time, WOLED was the only available option for folks in the market for an OLED TV.
Here’s a simplified explainer: In order to produce color, WOLED displays emit white light that then passes through color filters. Along with red, green and blue subpixels, WOLED displays also feature a white subpixel, which allows light to pass through whenever the TV needs to produce white.
While many of the best TVs I’ve seen in my career have leveraged WOLED panels, there is an inherent drawback to the technology.
The use of color filters means that a significant amount of light is lost in the process. A less energy-efficient display is a limiting factor when it comes to overall brightness. Colors are affected, too, because the loss of light also limits the amount of color the display can produce.
Enter QD-OLED. The “QD” stands for “quantum dot,” and this technology made its commercial debut in 2022 on the Samsung S95B — one of the best TVs of its year.
Quantum dots had spent years as a valued addition to basic LED displays, as these nanocrystals — energized by blue light — allow for brighter, purer color. Nearly ten years after the first OLED TVs hit retail shelves, Samsung Display developed a process for fusing OLED technology with quantum dots.
QD-OLED relies on blue light being converted into color by way of quantum dots, which represents a sizable advantage over WOLED. It’s a much more energy-efficient process, allowing for a brighter image with better color volume.
Before you throw money at the first QD-OLED you see, let’s break down what this means for your shopping plans.
QD-OLED vs WOLED: Which is better?
When taken as a generic matchup, it’s hard to deny QD-OLED’s higher performance ceiling. In 2025, QD-OLED TVs are generally brighter and more colorful than garden-variety WOLED TVs.
Unfortunately, these gains will cost you. On average, QD-OLED TVs are significantly pricier than entry-level and mid-range WOLED TVs.
Of the two brands that currently offer QD-OLED TVs — Samsung and Sony — only Samsung offers the technology in a more affordable, mid-range package.
LG, the global leader in OLED TV sales, offers a range of entry-level and mid-range WOLED-equipped models across various price points. LG Display (panel-maker for LG OLED TVs) doesn’t engineer QD-OLED panels, nor does LG sell its own QD-OLED TVs.
Instead, LG has taken steps to close the gap between WOLED and QD-OLED TVs by harnessing a competitive new type of display: Primary RGB Tandem OLED.
These so-called four-stack OLED displays trade the color filters of traditional WOLED displays for red, green and blue layers that emit their own light. According to our lab tests, these displays allow for much brighter highlights than WOLED displays, surpassing some QD-OLEDs, too.
While four-stack OLED TVs have proven themselves to be among the brightest OLEDs you can buy, the latest high-end QD-OLED TVs are still better at producing color. Still, there have been significant gains in color volume when comparing four-stack OLED TVs to the best WOLED TVs, and that’s worthy of praise.
Currently, you’ll only find Primary RGB Tandem OLED displays on two TVs: the LG G5 and the Panasonic Z95B. Both of these TVs are among the best OLED TVs we’ve seen this year.
If you find yourself priced out of those two models, there are several ways you can go in both the QD-OLED and WOLED classifications.
Best of all, you’ve got a decently sized list of options. Let’s talk about them.
What are the best QD-OLED TVs in 2025?
There have never been more QD-OLED TVs on the market than there are right now, so if you’re willing to splash out on one of these impressive sets, this is the time to do it.
As mentioned, there are a few mid-range QD-OLEDs on shelves, so don’t be frightened off by the sticker price of the top-performing QD-OLEDs you can buy: the Samsung S95F and the Sony Bravia 8 II.
What are the best WOLED TVs in 2025?
In 2025, Samsung, Sony and LG are all offering WOLED TVs in some capacity, but there’s one model that, to date, rises above the rest: the LG C5.
You can get the full scoop in our LG C5 review, but here’s what you need to know: Like its predecessors, the C5 offers a world-class blend of performance and value. It’s pricier than many TVs, but given its prowess, you’ll feel like you should’ve spent more on this TV.
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