Samsung’s highly anticipated 83-inch OLED TV is rumored to be equipped with a white OLED panel from LG Display. While Samsung has not officially confirmed this, industry experts believe that the TV will indeed use LG Display’s hardware.
The potential partnership between Samsung and LG Display is an interesting example of how even fierce rivals in the tech industry can have mutually beneficial relationships. Samsung and LG Display previously worked together to supply OLED displays for Apple’s iPhone, despite their ongoing patent disputes.
If Samsung’s new 83-inch TV does use an LG Display panel, it would mean that Samsung is using two different types of OLED panels in its S90C lineup. The smaller TVs in the lineup use QD-OLED panels, while this larger TV could utilize a WOLED (or WRGB OLED) panel. It is unclear at this point whether this will result in any major picture quality differences, as processing is just as important as panel technology in determining picture quality.
Rtings’ existing comparison between Samsung and LG’s current top-of-the-line OLED TVs suggests that WOLED panels may have a slight overall brightness advantage, while QD-OLED panels can benefit from brighter colors. However, Rtings’ ongoing TV burn-in test suggests that QD-OLEDs may be slightly more susceptible to burn-in in extreme cases where static content is constantly displayed on the screen.
It should be relatively easy to verify what kind of OLED panel technology the new 83-inch Samsung TVs are using once they start reaching customers’ hands. Identification methods include taking zoomed-in photographs of the TV to examine the sub-pixel array or shining a light at the screen when it’s turned off to determine whether it turns gray or remains black. Gray indicates a QD-OLED panel, while black indicates a WOLED/WRGB OLED panel.
So, what is the difference between OLED and QD-OLED? Traditional OLED panels, like those manufactured by LG Display, use blue and yellow OLED compounds to generate white light pixels that are passed through color filters to produce red, green, and blue sub-pixels. More recent OLED TVs also feature a fourth unfiltered/white sub-pixel to enhance brightness for HDR content.
QD-OLED panels, on the other hand, emit blue light through quantum dots to convert some of that blue into red and green, eliminating the need for color filters. This results in greater light energy efficiency and potentially higher brightness compared to previous-generation OLEDs. QD-OLEDs should also maintain vivid quantum dot color reproduction even at peak brightness levels and offer improved viewing angles due to the absence of color filters.
Although the possibility of burn-in still exists with QD-OLED, these panels may have a longer overall lifespan than traditional OLED TVs because the pixels are not working as hard. Samsung Display is using three layers of blue OLED material for each pixel, which could help preserve longevity.
In addition to its panel, Samsung’s 83-inch S90C OLED TV offers a range of features. It runs on Samsung’s Tizen operating system and features a Neural Quantum Processor for content upscaling to 4K. It also supports Dolby Atmos, HDMI 2.1, and 120Hz 4K content. The TV includes Samsung’s Gaming Hub with support for game streaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming, and comes with a SolarCell Remote that can charge via artificial or natural light and RF waves. It should be noted that the TV does not support Dolby Vision HDR, but instead supports HDR10 Plus.
According to Samsung Electronics America’s Senior Vice President for its Home Entertainment and Display Division, James Fishler, large screen sizes are the fastest-growing segment in the TV industry. The introduction of the 83-inch class OLED S90C 4K TV model provides consumers with another option to experience the benefits of OLED technology on an even bigger screen.
In conclusion, Samsung’s rumored use of LG Display’s white OLED panel in its 83-inch OLED TV demonstrates the unique relationships that can exist between competitors in the tech industry. While the potential impact on picture quality remains uncertain, the introduction of QD-OLED technology in Samsung’s lineup could offer improvements in brightness and color reproduction. As customers start receiving the new TVs, it will become easier to verify the panel technology used and assess the overall performance.
