Over the last few years, we’ve been seeing more and more laptops popping up with OLED panels as their main selling point. Even in the smartphone world, plenty of brands are chucking AMOLED screens onto their mid-range and budget phones. It’s certainly got a lot of people keen.
OLED and AMOLED are definitely eye-catching. You’ve got some shoppers who wouldn’t touch a phone with a barge pole if it didn’t have an AMOLED screen. On the flip side, you’ve got others who avoid them like the plague when buying a new laptop or phone. These two camps are always at each other’s throats—it’s like the great Aussie debate over how much Vegemite you should put on your toast!
Basically, it’s a battle between the fans who love the perks of OLED and the sceptics who are worried about the downsides. So, I figured it was time to write a proper breakdown of the pros and cons of OLED and AMOLED. Hopefully, this helps you decide whether you should jump on the bandwagon or steer clear.
OLED vs. Standard LCD: What’s the Difference?
From here on out, I’ll just call it OLED, since AMOLED is basically built on the same tech. To kick things off, we need to look at how an OLED panel actually works compared to a standard LCD (which includes IPS and TN panels).
We know that every screen on a laptop or phone is made up of millions of pixels. (If you’re not sure what a pixel is, have a squiz at my previous post where I explain it).
Think of it like this: In a standard LCD, each pixel can change its colour, but it can’t actually create its own light. Because of that, LCDs need a “backlight” tucked behind the screen to make everything visible.
What happens if there’s no backlight? You won’t see a thing because it’ll be pitch black. It’s like trying to look at a colourful piece of paper in a dark room—no matter how bright the colours are, you can’t see them without a torch.
OLED is a completely different beast. The special thing about an OLED panel is that every single pixel creates its own light. It doesn’t need a backlight to show off its colours. In other words, every pixel is like a tiny individual light bulb that can turn on, turn off, and change colour all by itself.
It’s this fundamental difference that gives OLED and AMOLED some massive advantages over your typical IPS or TN LCD panels.
Advantages of OLED Screens
Because of the way OLED works, one of the biggest wins is how much battery juice it can save you—especially if you’re a fan of dark themes.
1. Better Battery Life
Since every pixel is its own light source, when the screen needs to show a dark colour, those pixels just dim down. But here’s the kicker: if the screen needs to show true black, those OLED pixels literally turn themselves off. Completely.
Still trying to wrap your head around it? Let’s look at how we use our gear every day. Most apps these days have a “Dark Mode”, right? When you flick that switch, the background goes dark or black, and only the text and images stay bright.
For someone with an OLED screen, Dark Mode is an absolute ripper for saving battery. Because most of the screen is black, a huge chunk of those pixels are just “sleeping” and not drawing any power at all. Only the bits showing text or pictures are actually working. Less pixels firing away means less strain on your battery.
Compare that to a standard IPS or LCD panel. On those screens, even if you’re looking at a completely black image, the big “torch” (the backlight) behind the screen has to stay on to illuminate everything. Whether the screen is showing a white document or a dark movie, it’s using pretty much the same amount of power. The only way to save battery on an LCD is to turn down the overall brightness.
Another great example is the Always-On Display (AOD). You know how some phones show the time and date even when they’re locked? On an OLED screen, this barely touches your battery because only the tiny pixels forming the numbers are turned on. The rest of the screen stays pitch black and power-free.
That’s why you’ll mostly see Always-On Displays on OLED devices—it just makes sense. On an LCD, trying to do that would be a total battery killer.
2. Punchier Colours and “Inkier” Blacks
The tech we just talked about leads us straight into the second big win for OLED: incredible contrast and blacks that are actually black. This makes the whole screen look heaps sharper and more “high-def.”
Because every pixel can brighten, dim, or shut off entirely on its own, the difference between colours in a single frame is massive. When you’re watching a movie with a night scene, the black parts are truly black because those pixels are literally powered down.
Compare that to an LCD panel, where the backlight has to stay on even when the screen is trying to show black. That’s why blacks on an LCD often look a bit “washy” or dark grey. You’re seeing the light “bleeding” through the pixels, which ruins that deep, cinematic look.
3. More Vibrant, Richer Colours
Since OLED pixels have so much freedom, they can produce a much wider range of colours. Darker shades that an LCD would struggle to show are a piece of cake for an OLED. This makes the whole experience way more “eye candy” and pleasant to look at.
But a quick heads-up: just because it can show more colour doesn’t mean it’s always 100% accurate out of the box. Accuracy depends on how the manufacturer calibrates the screen. That’s why you’ll see fancy labels like “PANTONE Validated.” If you see that, it means the colours have been tested to make sure they’re spot on and true to life, rather than just being super bright and over-the-top.
4. Thinner and Bendy
Because OLED doesn’t need that extra backlight layer, the whole screen assembly is much thinner. This lets manufacturers slim down their laptops and phones even more.
On top of that, OLED panels are actually quite flexible—almost like a sheet of plastic. This is what allows for those “curved” displays or the fancy folding phones like the Samsung Galaxy Flip or Fold. You just can’t do that with a stiff old LCD panel!
5. Snappy Response Times
OLED panels are also famous for being incredibly snappy when it comes to response times. Basically, every pixel can flip colours way faster than your average LCD. You’ll really notice this when you’re doom-scrolling through social media—it looks smooth as butter because there’s almost zero motion blur. This means everything stays sharp and detailed, even when things are moving fast.
This is a massive drawcard for gamers, too. The faster the response time, the crisper the action looks on screen. Plus, having less motion blur helps heaps if you’re the type who gets a bit queasy or gets a headache during fast-paced games.
Disadvantages of OLED Screens
As much as OLED sounds like the bee’s knees, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There are a few downsides that make people think twice before splashing their cash on a device with an OLED screen.
1. It’ll Cost You an Arm and a Leg
Because the tech is newer and trickier to manufacture than old-school LCDs, it comes with a hefty price tag. For some mid-range phones, a screen replacement can sometimes cost nearly half the price of a brand-new handset.
Obviously, the bigger the screen and the higher the resolution, the more you’re going to pay. But generally speaking, an OLED panel can be twice as expensive as an LCD. This means if you accidentally drop your gear and crack the screen, you’re going to need pretty deep pockets to get it fixed. This is usually the main worry for folks looking to make the switch.
2. The Dreaded “Burn-In” (or Ghost Images)
Easily the most famous headache with OLED screens is the risk of “burn-in”, or what some people call “shadowing.” This is when an image, an icon, or even text gets permanently “stuck” on your screen. Even when you change what you’re looking at, you can still see a faint “ghost” of the old image hanging around.
This usually happens because certain pixels get “worn out” from showing the exact same static image for way too long, especially if you’ve got the brightness cranked up to the max.
When I say “static image,” I mean things that don’t move—like your app icons on the home screen or the taskbar on your laptop. If they’re sitting there day in and day out, they can leave a mark.
Usually, this isn’t something that happens overnight; it typically pops up after about two years of heavy use. But it really depends on your habits. It could happen sooner if you’re not careful. Remember, the enemy here is static images! If you’ve got an OLED, you want to avoid leaving the same thing on the screen for hours on end.
I’ve actually got a few personal habits to keep my screens “burn-in free.” First, I’m quick to lock my phone or laptop the second I’m done using it. No point leaving the screen firing away if I’m not looking at it.
Secondly, on my OLED laptop, I keep a completely black image file handy. If I’ve been working on the same app for a long stretch, I’ll open that black image in full-screen mode for a bit. Since black pixels on an OLED are actually “off,” it gives the screen a well-earned rest.
I also use this trick if I have to go AFK (away from keyboard) for a few minutes but want to keep the laptop running. The laptop stays on, but the pixels get a nap.
Now, you might have heard a rumour that you can “fix” burn-in by displaying a bright white screen for hours on end. The idea is that you “cook” the rest of the pixels to even out the wear and tear. I can’t vouch for whether this actually works or if it just makes things worse. So, if you decide to give that a whirl, it’s completely on your own head!
3. Colour Fading Over Time
If you’re the type to leave your screen on for ages at a time, there’s a risk that the OLED panel will start to lose its “sparkle.” Over the years, the colours can start to fade or shift. This usually happens because the blue sub-pixels have a shorter lifespan than the others.
Now, this mostly happens if you’re constantly flogging the screen at max brightness. In reality, you probably won’t notice this until years down the track—by which time you’ve likely saved up for a new upgrade anyway.
If you’re planning to keep your gear for a “short” stint (say, four years or less), I wouldn’t lose any sleep over this. But if you’re the type who wants their laptop or phone to last five to ten years, it’s a factor worth considering.
4. The “Light Saber” Risk
You might have heard about the infamous “light saber” effect on AMOLED smartphones. It’s those dodgy vertical lines (usually green or white) that suddenly appear out of nowhere. So far, this seems to be a much bigger headache for phones than for laptops.
Most folks reckon this happens because phone designs are so cramped that heat from the internals messes with the screen. That’s why you’ll often hear stories of a “light saber” appearing right after a major system update—the phone’s “engine” is working overtime, getting toasty, and potentially triggering the fault.
So, Which Team Are You On?
There’s no denying that OLED and AMOLED screens are absolute eye candy. I’ll be honest—I’m a huge fan. I remember the first time I went from an OLED laptop back to a standard IPS one; the IPS screen looked totally washed out and “pale” by comparison.
Mind you, once your eyes adjust back to the IPS, it’s actually not bad at all. It’s just that OLED is that good.
On the other hand, the risks that haunt OLED can make you think twice. Is the risk worth the reward? Do you actually need an OLED?
To help you decide, here’s my take:
- The Creative Pro: If your job depends on visuals—like photographers, designers, or video editors—an OLED screen is a fair dinkum investment. Just make sure the boost in your work quality pays for itself before the screen’s lifespan is up!
- The Budget-Conscious: If you’re worried about repairs or want something that’ll last a decade without a worry, there’s no shame in sticking with IPS. It’s far from “rubbish” and is still a bloody good experience for daily use.
- The Tech Lover: If you’ve got the spare cash and want the best visual experience possible right now, go for it. Treat your eyes!
At the end of the day, it’s all about what suits your lifestyle and your wallet. Hopefully, this breakdown makes your next upgrade a bit easier!
