The world of Smart TVs continues to get even more complicated, and just when you thought you had everything under control and were determined to get a particular model, you discover that there is another model with a different panel technology that restarts the search process. If you are in a similar situation and have doubts about choosing between OLED or Mini LED, we are going to leave you with several points so that you can understand which model best suits your needs.
OLED
As its acronym indicates, we are dealing with Organic Light Emitting Diode technology, a composition that allows each pixel to illuminate independently. By working this way, perfect patterns can be displayed by turning some pixels on and others off, which achieves perfect blacks and the best contrast on the market.
These screens had prohibitive prices a few years ago, although currently we can find 65-inch models on the market for 1.500 euros. Giant diagonals of 75 or more inches remain extremely expensive models due to their manufacturing complexity.
Advantages of OLED
- With OLED screens you will get the best possible contrast, obtaining incredibly realistic dark scenes where a completely black screen is capable of confusing us into believing that the TV is off.
- This technology allows you to design extremely thin TVs, to the point of having a minimum thickness of a few millimeters. This makes them perfect for placement in living rooms where the back is visible or in wall-hanging configurations.
- Something that is also very representative of these screens is the color explosion that they offer, returning vivid colors and with a representation very faithful to reality.
- Thanks to the type of construction, the Viewing angles offered are extremely wide, allowing you to view the image from almost anywhere without losing image quality.
Disadvantages of OLED
- The most repeated problem is related to a problem of image burn. This is due to the organic nature of pixels that, after prolonged exposure of still images, they can become marked. It is a problem that usually appears with the so-called “flies” of TV channels, since the television logos are always in the same place. However, the most current models have image movement technologies that avoid this type of case, so the problem is increasingly controlled.
- If what you are looking for is the maximum possible brightness, OLEDs are not the best option. This does not mean that they are not brilliant, on the contrary, but There are other technologies that achieve much higher brightness peaks..
Mini LEDs
Another technology that has been around for a couple of years is the Mini LED. The idea of this format is to offer a configuration of tiny LEDs to control the backlighting, which translates into very precise control that, although it does not reach the individual lighting of the OLED, improves the contrast and brightness compared to the traditional LED technology.
Advantages of Mini LED
- The most important advantage is related to the total brightness of the panel. The level of brightness is so high that it exceeds that of OLED, being one of the best options to install in very bright rooms.
- Su price is noticeably lower than OLEDs, which makes it a very interesting option for tighter budgets, obtaining fantastic image quality.
- The panel is free from burn problems, so its maintenance is practically zero, and in the long run it will cause fewer problems with prolonged use.
Disadvantages of Mini LED
- The Viewing angles are more limited than on OLED, so in a large living room with separate sofas, it may not be the most suitable model.
- El design obtained with these panels is much thicker than that of an OLED. It is not exactly a design that feels futuristic and new generation, so when hanging it on the wall it will be quite bulky.
What model to choose?
Taking all these details into account, it is clear that Smart TVs with Mini LED technology are ideal options for those looking for a good price, but with top-notch image quality. OLED panels continue to be superior in spectacularity and in general the image quality is superior, despite their lower brightness.
The only technology that today surpasses OLEDs are the new QD-OLEDs, which mix the benefits of OLED with Quantum Dots, achieving spectacular peaks of brightness and enviable image quality, although of course, at the price level we are not satisfied. We climb a couple more steps.