Overview
Hi there! With so many confusing acronyms and advanced technologies out there nowadays, it can be downright dizzying to parse through it all to decide what television is right for your needs and budget. I totally get it!
That‘s why I wrote this buyer‘s guide style article to cut through the noise and get at the heart of differences between QNED and LED televisions. We‘ll explore exactly how they vary when it comes to:
- Picture quality
- Features
- Screen sizes/availability
- Pricing
- Gaming performance
Armed with this breakdown, you‘ll be able to make a confident, informed decision on what technology fits your viewing priorities best over the next couple years. Let‘s dive in!
Backlight and Dimming Zones – Where QNED Pulls Ahead
The most crucial difference between QNED and LED televisions comes down to how each technology handles backlighting and dimming zones.
As a refresher, the LED backlight shines through an LCD panel to produce the images you see on screen. By controlling how bright those LEDs glow in different areas of the screen, TV manufacturers can achieve better contrast between bright and dark regions of the picture.
Here is how QNED and LED TVs compare in backlight and dimming capabilities:
| Display Tech | Backlight Type | Dimming Zones |
|---|---|---|
| QNED | Tens of thousands of mini LEDs covering the entire back panel | Over 2,500 zone dimming control thanks to all those mini LEDs |
| LED TV | Full array, edge lit or direct lit using standard LEDs | At most a few hundred zones on premium models |
With 10x as many dimming zones, QNED televisions can produce deep black levels beside brightly lit sections – like glowing candle flames next to a shadowy hooded figure – without light blooming across zones causing a washed out effect.
This precision backlight optimization, courtesy of mini LEDs, gives QNED TVs their spectacular contrast that simply can‘t be matched even by the highest-end conventional LED televisions.
Unlocking Impressive Brightness and Wide Color
By adeptly controlling those mini LED backlights to limitlessly toggle individual zones on and off across over 2,500 dimming areas, QNED TVs achieve extremely high peak brightness measurements.
Lab testing confirms QNED televisions can reach upwards of 2,000 nits peak brightness based on LG specifications. For comparison, even exceptional LED TVs typically max out below 1,000 nits.
This matters because higher peak brightness allows the TV to truly unlock the stunning High Dynamic Range (HDR) content that makes up much of today‘s streaming and Blu-Ray offerings. Bright highlights like sunlight glinting off ocean waves or explosions against a dark background are rendered more realistically on QNED televisions.
Colors also remain rich, vibrant and accurate across the entire brightness range thanks to LG‘s NanoCell Quantum Dot layer in QNED TVs. This film of nanoparticles filters colors to prevent washout while expanding the color volume beyond what LED TVs can typically achieve.
The combination of higher peak brightness and expanded color through LG‘s NanoCell Quantum Dot filtration gives QNED televisions their spectacular, wide-ranging color capability with High Dynamic Range content.
Notice QNED‘s expanded color volume coverage compared to LED TVs
This means colors stay accurate even as elements of the picture get extremely bright. A vivid red rose bloom, for example, will still appear rich red even beside a glowing sunset sky captured in the same shot. Beautiful, photographic images come through more realistically.
Comparing Viewing Angle Performance
One area where QNED also outperforms traditional LED TV technology comes down to viewing angles.
With many households having open concept entertaining spaces these days, viewing televisions from off center angles is common. Unfortunately, LED TV picture quality degrades more rapidly than QNED televisions when viewed from seat positions outside the central sweet spot viewing cone.
Notice in the graphics below how QNED maintains rich color and contrast even at wide 70 degree viewing positions where LED TVs clearly begin washing out:
This demonstrates QNED‘s better viewing angle coverage to accommodate off-center seats. Image courtesy of DisplayMate TV Shootout 2022.
The reason comes down to LG‘s NanoCell panel layer working in conjunction with the quantum dot film and full array backlight control. This combination preserves color and contrast integrity better when viewing QNED displays from varied seating positions throughout your room.
So if you have family and friends often congregating around your TV from multiple angles, QNED can deliver a more even, immersive experience than equivalent sized LED televisions prone to off-axis picture degradation.
Availability, Model Sizes and Price Comparison
Up until now, we‘ve mainly focused on picture quality differences that give QNED TVs their performance advantages. But television shopping decisions involve more factors like size options, brand availability and budgets. How do QNED and LED compare here?
Availability
- QNED TV models are currently only manufactured by LG from 50 to 86-inches
- LED TVs span from every major brand at all screen sizes, large and small
Pricing
| Display Tech | 65" Model Price Range |
|---|---|
| QNED | $1,799 and up |
| LED | $500 to $3,500+ |
Due to being positioned as LG‘s best LCD LED TV display technology, QNED commands a premium price tag. Large 86" models run over $5,000! While very impressive, clearly QNED TVs sit at the upper echelons of home television spending power.
Contrast this to LED TVs comprising everything from small, affordable 40-inch sets less than $300 to giant designer 98-inch Samsung luxury models pushing the equivalent of a sports car. The scope spans high value to over-the-top extravagance under the expansive LED umbrella.
Ultimately this gives you tremendous flexibility in choices. Whether building a starter home theater on a disciplined budget or sparing no expense for the ultimate big screen LED TV, your needs can be met while balancing performance and price considerations.
Gaming Considerations
For gaming, both QNED and LED TVs support key features like 4K resolution, 120Hz refresh rates, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). These perks combined mean smooth, realistically fluid gameplay free from lag, stutter or tearing during fast paced action.
However, because QNED TVs achieve such higher peak brightness capabilities, they more fully unlock vivid High Dynamic Range graphics found in today‘s most immersive cinematic video games. Sensational lighting effects in titles like Uncharted 4 or God of War Ragnarok pop with more sparkle and gleam to heighten realism.
The superior contrast from QNED‘s mini LED backlight and dimming zones also accentuate darker shadow details during atmospheric horror games without washing out black levels. This amplifies tension and dread.
While all modern LED TVs handle gaming well thanks to HDMI 2.1 integration, QNED‘s stellar contrast and brightness take full advantage of how games are leveraging advancements like HDR, ray tracing and rendering techniques to simulate lifelike visuals.
What Does the Future Hold?
As LG‘s inaugural foray into quantum dot enhanced mini LED TV technology, QNED will likely see rapid improvements year over year for a while in areas like:
- Even more precise dimming zones approaching 5,000+ areas
- Increased peak brightness nearing 3000 nits
- Better off angle viewing
- Larger screen size options up to 98-inches
This means if you invest in a QNED TV today, you can expect it to stay highly advanced and relevant for many years thanks to LG‘s obvious commitment to building out this new TV category.
While continual enhancements to LED TVs will happen as well – modest zone dimming and brightness gains, better color and screen finishes -they may slowly phase to lower price points as part of the natural technology lifecycle. The high-end will shift toward QNED and eventually microbi/nani LED and onward. Value remains but less wow-factor innovation.
Bottom Line Suggestions for Your Next TV
Hopefully this guide provided you a helpful Lay of the Land overview to make heads and tails of the QNED versus LED television landscape. Let‘s drive it home with some specific buying suggestions tailored to your priorities:
For budget buyers, stick with LED televisions from reputable brands like Samsung, Sony, LG and TCL. You‘ll secure excellent picture quality and features on affordable sets across virtually any room or screen size.
Just be wary dimming limitations on edge-lit low-cost models causing occasional backlight blooming during dark scene content. Stepping up to direct or full array LED TVs improves this considerably.
For home theater enthusiasts, QNED TVs bring the thrill with cinema-quality images showcasing incredible contrast and vibrant wide colors. LG‘s newest display innovation clearly outpaces even premium LED televisions.
Just prepare for the corresponding premium price tag and model limitations maxing out at 86-inches presently. Plus off-angle color shift and IPS contrast drop-off.
I hope this guide brought clarity to confuse QNED and LED TV comparisons! Let me know if any other questions come up. Enjoy your television shopping and upgrade adventures!
