(March 7, 2024) Samsung Display's QD-OLED panel has been a game changer for several years, outperforming what had been the industry standard W-OLED panel designed and manufactured by LG Display. Before the arrival of QD-OLED (which stands for Quantum Dot Organic Light Emitting Diode), LG's W-OLED was featured on the best OLED TVs around. But, QD-OLED's advanced color capabilities were quickly adopted by Sony and Samsung for flagship models, winning performance awards and forcing W-OLED technology to mid- and lower-tier TVs.
Earlier this year, Samsung announced a new agreement with LG Display to source W-OLED panels for what was assumed to be its entry-level OLED models. A common sentiment among industry experts, including our coverage here at AV NIRVANA, was that Samsung would exclusively use QD-OLED panels on its flagship and second-tier TV offerings.
That, however, may not be the case.
According to an article published by the South Korean technology rag The Elec, Samsung is planning to use both W-OLED and QD-OLED panels for its second-tier and most popular OLED TV series, S90D, this year,
The Elec says that Samsung's Flagship S95D series will exclusively feature QD-OLED panels, but the company's next step down will deviate from last year's QD-OLED-only approach, throwing W-OLED into the mix. This decision is reportedly driven by LG Display's request to "not to put W-OLED as below in tier to QD-OLED," which places buyers at a distinct disadvantage.
To be clear, last year's S90D equivalent, the S90C, had four different sizes, three of which used QD-OLED. The largest size, an 83-inch model, used W-OLED only because Samsung Display doesn't manufacture QD-OLED in sizes larger than 75 inches. However, that technology delineation was a known factor in the S90C series. If you were purchasing a 55-, 65-, or 75-inch S90C TV, you knew with absolute confidence that the panel would be of the QD-OLED variety. And, in the same vein, 83-inch buyers knew that QD-OLED was off the table.
For 2024, flagship S95D buyers will only have access to QD-OLED panels, while lower-tier S85D and S80D buyers will likely only have access to W-OLED technology. But those reaching for the S90D range will likely be in the dark, having little control as to which panel type they receive.
To further muddy the waters, Samsung is reportedly shifting away from advertising QD-OLED panels altogether. TV expert Vincent Teoh of HDTVtest says, "Samsung won't explicitly advertise any of its 2024 OLEDs as QD-OLED," which is a confusing move for a technology that's been touted as superior.
So, if you purchase a S90D TV, will you be able to identify if the panel is QD or W-OLED? Likely not, unless you've got a trained eye and equipment needed to see sub-pixels. W-OLED panels have WRGB subpixel groupings, while QD-OLED panels use a triangular RGB subpixel arrangement... good luck identifying those differences. Hopefully, Samsung will provide consumers with a pathway to know what they're buying – perhaps by distributing each panel type to specific regions – otherwise, buyers need beware.
