QLED and regular LED TVs are some of the most common TV technologies. While they are very similar in many ways, their main differences means their overall performance tends to be quite different. Broadly speaking, QLED TVs are typically more expensive but also brighter and with better, more vibrant colors. LED TVs tend to be very inexpensive, which makes them great for those on a budget or for a TV in a lesser-used room.
It’s worth mentioning up front that both QLED and traditional LED TVs are versions of LCD. They both use LCD panels to create an image, but use different versions of LEDs to create light so you can see the image on that panel. Neither uses LEDs to create an image directly like OLED or microLED. The newer technology mini-LED is like an evolution of QLED and LED.
What’s the difference between QLED and LED?
Both QLED and LED use light-emitting diodes to produce the light that passes through an LCD layer to create an image. “LED TVs” are more accurately called LED LCDs. “QLED” is a marketing term that refers to a specific subset of LED LCDs. In other words, all QLEDs are LED TVs, but not all LED TVs are QLEDs.
The main difference is the addition of quantum dots, which I’ll explain more in the next section. Because QLEDs tend to be more expensive than regular LEDs, they also tend to have more LEDs. TVs that are just called “LEDs” are often the least expensive offerings on the market, and as such, usually just have a handful of LEDs arranged on one side of the screen (often the bottom).
Quantum dots: The ‘Q’ in QLED, QNED and more
Blue LEDs, which are used in most backlight designs, excite red and blue quantum dots (the middle layer in this diagram). This, now RGB light, is then manipulated by an LCD layer to create the image you see.
Quantum dots are tiny particles with an incredible ability to change one color of light into another color of light. They can do this with almost perfect efficiency. The color they create can be tuned to the exact color a manufacturer wants, so the TV can create the range of colors needed for HDR content.
So, in general, TVs that use quantum dots tend to be brighter, with more realistic colors, than TVs that don’t. Because of that greater performance, they often, though not always, have more LEDs than regular LED TVs, which allows for things like local dimming, which offers even better image quality. These are fairly broad generalizations, however, so it’s best to judge each TV’s specific features and performance beyond what the company’s marketing calls it.
There’s a similar TV tech that’s sort of an evolution from LED and QLED called mini-LED. These have significantly more LEDs and offer performance similar to OLED.
Vials of red and green quantum dots, excited by UV light.
I’ve covered quantum dots before, even going to a factory where they are made. They’re a remarkable technology and one that’s seeing wide use in the TV world. Not only are they helping LED LCD TVs create brighter colors, but they’re also being used in some OLED TVs to do the same. Several companies are working on direct-view quantum dot displays as well, no LCD or OLED tech at all. That’s a bit in the future, though.
Is it a real ‘QLED’
Various colors of quantum dots.
As QLED and other Q-related names have become a marketing success, companies have started to use those terms for TVs that might not have any “Q” in them at all. Since the name was created by a marketing department, it doesn’t have any legal or scientific meaning. It implies quantum dots since that’s what the early “Q” models had, but nothing requires a TV called “Q” anything to have quantum dots. As such, some companies might be fudging what’s actually in their TVs.
There are other technologies, most notably phosphors, that can improve the performance of “regular” LED TVs without specifically using quantum dots. Is it still fair to refer to those TVs as “Q” something if they don’t have quantum dots? I would argue no, but I’ve also hated the term “LED TV” since they’re actually LCD TVs with a dollop of marketing on top. I think it’s fair to argue it’s misleading, but if the performance is similar, does it matter?
That is, it’s best to check reviews for how the TV actually performs instead of relying on any company’s marketing terms. To that end, check out our picks for the best TV.
In addition to covering cameras and display tech, Geoff does photo essays about cool museums and other stuff, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers and 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.
