Two of the best TV technologies are mini-LED and QLED. While neither offer OLED’s incredible image quality, they’re close and most often brighter. They’re also typically cheaper than OLED and available in a wider range of screen sizes. They’re more similar than different, which is good news for anyone trying to decide between the two.
Both mini-LED and QLED use LEDs, aka light-emitting diodes, to create light. In front of that backlight is an LCD layer that creates the image. This is different from OLED and microLED where the light-creating and image-creating parts are the same. We’ve reviewed TVs using all these technologies and several have regularly made it onto our guide for the best TVs.
Also read: QLED vs. OLED: What’s the Difference and Which Is Better?
QLED, QNED, ULED, (aka QD LED TVs) vs. mini-LED
All the abbreviations in the line above are variations of the same technology. They are, broadly speaking, LED TVs. The “Q” typically denotes the use of quantum dots, a fascinating technology that is able to change the color of light with almost perfect efficiency. Quantum dots can also improve a TV’s brightness as well as color. A TV doesn’t have to have quantum dots to look good, but TVs that use quantum dots often look better than those that don’t have QD or a similar technology.
As mentioned, all the above technologies use LED to create light and an LCD to create an image. In the case of QD LEDs, aka QLED and its variants, this usually means a few hundred or a few thousand LEDs arranged across the back of the TV. Cheaper TVs, often just called “LED TVs” have only a handful of LEDs, often arranged along the bottom facing up into the screen. Regardless of where the LEDs are on the TV, they’re collectively called the “backlight.”
On the bottom are LED LCDs from different companies. The top row are the same TVs with the LCD layer removed. You’re looking directly at the LED backlight. The TV on the right has more LEDs and greater control of them, resulting in a better looking image.
Mini-LED TVs are an advancement in QD LED tech using many thousands of LEDs. These LEDs are smaller than the ones found in “regular” LED TVs, but there’s a lot more of them. The advantage isn’t just a brighter image, though that’s usually true, but also finer control over how the image looks. Because there isn’t a 1:1 ratio of LEDs to pixels, even the most advanced mini-LED TVs still can only make groups of pixels dimmer if the image requires it. Compare this to OLED which can turn off, aka make completely black, individual pixels. That finer control is what allows mini-LED TV to get close to OLED’s image quality.
As far as quantum dots go, mini-LED TVs will usually incorporate quantum dots, since they are often positioned above standard QD LEDs in a manufacturers lineup. They don’t have to however, and it’s possible there might be a manufacturer who will someday offer a mini-LED without quantum dots, perhaps at a lower price. Best to check our reviews for specifics.
What’s better: Mini-LED or QLED?
It’s hard to make a sweeping judgement, but in our testing for best TVs, we’ve often liked mini-LED over QLED (et al.). While there will be individual models that might do better or worse than average, the general picture quality rankings based on years of testing look something like this:
- OLED
- Mini-LED
- QLED, QNED, ULED, etc
- LED TVs
Could the best QLED/QNED/etc look better than the worst mini-LED? Possibly. Will the best mini-LED look as good as the worst OLED? Doubtful, but it will often be brighter, cheaper and with a wider range of screen sizes.
One almost-current TV tech not on that list is microLED which, while getting smaller, still is typically in “projector-replacement” sizes not TV sized. It’s also a lot more expensive.
Which should you choose: QLED or Mini-LED?
Usually the difference comes down to price. Mini-LED TVs tend to be more expensive than the same company’s QD LED models. While mini-LEDs are generally brighter and have better picture quality, that extra performance might not justify the higher price. After all, all modern TVs look quite good, even the cheaper models. Some definitely look better than others, though, and that’s what we’ve picked for our guide to the best TVs.
In addition to covering cameras and display tech, Geoff does photo essays about cool museums and other stuff, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, 10,000-mile road trips.
Also, check out Budget Travel for Dummies, his travel book and his bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines. You can follow him on Instagram and YouTube.
