Term of the Moment
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Definition: OLED
(Organic LED) A display technology that offers rich colors, high contrast, deep blacks, wide viewing angle, low power and fast response time for action scenes. Introduced in 2007 and still considered the best picture quality, instead of silicon or gallium, which LEDs are made of, OLEDs use "organic" carbon emitting layers. OLED screens are found in TVs, smartphones, tablets, watches and VR/AR headsets. Increasingly, laptop displays and monitors are OLED, but screen burn-in can be a problem when the same toolbars and logos remain on screen for months on end. For a deep look into this amazing technology, see OLED layers. See LED, PHOLED and QD-OLED.
Phones vs. TVs
On smartphones, OLED screens have individual red, green and blue emitters. Using this method on TVs presents manufacturing issues, which is why OLED TVs combine blue and yellow OLEDs to emit a white backlight, and colors are created with color filters like LED TVs. See LCD vs. OLED.
TOLEDs and FOLEDs
Transparent OLEDs (TOLEDs) function in heads-up displays and even as window shades. Flexible OLEDs (FOLEDs) can be folded, and OLEDs are also used for general-purpose ceiling and light fixtures (see OLED lighting). OLED's thinness, transparency and flexibility make it a versatile display technology for the 21st century. See TOLED, FOLED and WOLED.
From 11 to 77 Inches in Seven Years
Phones vs. TVs
On smartphones, OLED screens have individual red, green and blue emitters. Using this method on TVs presents manufacturing issues, which is why OLED TVs combine blue and yellow OLEDs to emit a white backlight, and colors are created with color filters like LED TVs. See LCD vs. OLED.
TOLEDs and FOLEDs
Transparent OLEDs (TOLEDs) function in heads-up displays and even as window shades. Flexible OLEDs (FOLEDs) can be folded, and OLEDs are also used for general-purpose ceiling and light fixtures (see OLED lighting). OLED's thinness, transparency and flexibility make it a versatile display technology for the 21st century. See TOLED, FOLED and WOLED.
In 2007, Sony's XEL-1 11" OLED TV (top) was the first commercial OLED TV. To emphasize how thin the screen was, it was separated from the TV tuner. The intense colors captivated audiences but not its $2499 price tag. Seven years later, LG unveiled a 77" 4K OLED (bottom), and by 2020, a 65" OLED cost less than the 11" model. (Top image courtesy of Sony Corporation.)