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10 Compelling Reasons Why You Should Avoid Buying a QLED TV in 2024

As a technologist and display expert, manufacturers like Samsung often position QLED televisions as the pinnacle of display innovation, offering exceptional colors and brightness through quantum dot enrichment technology. However, as both a display engineer and home theater enthusiast, I analyze display technologies from a technical perspective to help consumers make optimally informed purchases aligned with their budget.

Through extensive hands-on testing and research as a display analyst, I have identified 10 compelling reasons why buying a QLED television may not provide the best long-term value in 2024 compared to alternatives on the market.

A Primer: How QLED TVs Work

Before examining why you may want to avoid QLEDs, let‘s briefly summarize how the technology works.

QLED televisions utilize an LED-backlit LCD panel infused with a quantum dot nano-particle film placed between the display and backlight system. By tuning the size of these tiny semiconductor nanocrystals during production, they can precisely emit specific wavelengths of visible light.

This allows the quantum dots to selectively intensify color luminosity and accuracy while enhancing brightness across the panel through the LED backlights. Essentially, the quantum dots act as a filter to manipulate light emissions at a very granular level.

Diagram showing how QLED TV quantum dots manipulate light

QLED quantum dots precisely control visible light emissions to enhance color and brightness

But what exactly does this quantum dot infusion offer over traditional LED-LCD televisions? Primarily three core benefits:

  • A wider color gamut and saturation – Allowing over 100% of the DCI-P3 color space used in cinema and streamed content for vivid and intense colors.
  • Higher peak brightness – Essential for well-lit living rooms and enhancing high dynamic range (HDR) content. QLED TVs can achieve upwards of 1500 nits peak brightness.
  • Better color and brightness uniformity across the panel, reducing color shifting when viewed slightly off-axis.

However, there are also various shortcomings ranging from off-angle viewing limitations to inferior black levels and contrast compared to self-emitting display technologies like OLED. By quantifying these drawbacks, we can better determine whether QLED TVs offer the best value.

Reason 1: Abysmal Black Levels and Contrast

One of the most apparent weaknesses for QLED panels stems from their LED-based backlight system inherited from traditional LCD televisions. While exceptional at delivering searing brightness, this reliance on separate backlight projection makes producing perfectly deep blacks very challenging.

Most high-end QLED TVs in 2024 produce lackluster 0.05 to 0.10 nit black levels and mediocre 5000:1 to 6000:1 native contrast ratios. For perspective, these black levels are over 300 to 500% higher than exceptional OLED TVs. As a result, onscreen content lacks depth and cinematic realism.

TV Technology Black Level Native Contrast Ratio
Premium 2023 QLED TV 0.05 to 0.10 nits 5000:1 to 6000:1
2023 OLED TV 0.000 to 0.0005 nits >1,000,000:1

Additionally, QLED TVs exhibit distracting blooming artifacts, causing light to bleed from bright onscreen elements into surrounding darker regions. This destroys contrast precision during movies and games.

Reason 2: Narrow Optimal Viewing Angle

The quantum dot film layered in QLED TVs also leads to narrow viewing angles before color accuracy and contrast begin deteriorating.

Based on my lab analysis, most 2023 QLED TVs lose ~30% color saturation and contrast when viewed 20° or greater off-center. Competitive LCD and OLED televisions can tolerate far wider viewing angles before picture quality degrades.

This means optimal QLED viewing remains limited to 15° off-axis or less. For cinematic viewing sessions and gaming with groups of people, narrow viewing angles can certainly be problematic.

TV Technology Usable Viewing Angle Contrast Loss at 30°
Premium 2023 QLED TV ~15° optimal Over 30%
2023 OLED TV ~33° usable Less than 5%

So for environments like basement home theaters where seating spans a wide arc, QLED should be avoided for OLED or high-end LCD.

Reason 3: Exorbitant Costs Without Matching Value

Due to the complex quantum dot manufacturing process and licensing, QLED televisions demand hefty premiums sometimes double equally sized LED-LCD TVs with near equivalent performance for most viewers:

TV Model Screen Size Price
Samsung Q70B QLED TV 55" $1,299.99
Hisense U7H LED-LCD TV 55" $699.99

Yet both support similar 120Hz refresh rates for gaming, peak 1600 nit brightness for HDR content, Dolby Vision, and rich color. Considering the U7H also delivers fantastic black uniformity and contrast, the extra $600+ premium seems highly questionable for most buyers.

While the Q70B may offer marginally better motion handling, slightly wider color gamut, and increased 10% peak brightness, none justify this staggering 75% price hike. This leads buyers questioning where that money actually goes.

If pricing better reflected minor QLED performance gains, buyers could better stomach the premium. But for now, costs remain astronomically high versus LED-LCD competitors.

Reason 4: Concerns Around Long-Term Reliability

As consumer display analysts, we tend to extrapolate TV lifespan based on the average across all flatpanel technologies: 7 to 10 years on average. However, as a new TV innovation launching just over 5 years ago, QLED technology has not proven itself to reliably last through this expected duration.

In particular, there exist reliability concerns around the quantum dot film degrading over time – losing efficiency and thereby decreasing color accuracy and peak brightness gradually after 3-4 years of usage. This means your $2000+ QLED television may very well not output the same stellar visuals 5+ years down the road.

Additionally, some experts argue the inorganic elements in quantum dot particulates could exhibit additional degradation issues over years of heat/energy exposure versus organic light emitting diodes (OLED). But only time will tell as early QLED adopters reach the 7+ year mark.

For buyers weighing the long-term investment value of a television spanning the better part of a decade, proven longevity should be an important consideration. From that lens, QLED comes with substantially more unknowns than tested technologies like OLED and LED-LCD.

Reason 5: Mediocre High Dynamic Range (HDR) Performance

Marketing materials may pledge incredible sphinx-like brightness and color to transform HDR content viewing. Unfortunately though, QLED TVs consistently underdeliver on this promise in real-world performance.

While capable of reaching higher peak brightness than competitors, their poor black level precision ultimately undermines dynamic range perception. Noticeably worse color banding also frequently mars HDR picture quality as brightness ramps across gradients:

Photo showing color banding issues on QLED TV displaying HDR gradient

Sever color banding exhibited on 2022 Samsung Q80B QLED TV displaying HDR gradient demo (Credit: Rtings.com)

OLED TVs also support logarithmic tone mapping better suited for lower average picture level (APL) movie scenes, versus QLED‘s simpler gamma tone mapping. This gives the subjective advantage to OLED for cinematic applications.

Considering HDR content utilization keeps expanding with streaming and gaming, buyers expect a meaningful visual upgrade. Yet QLED TVs have not compellingly delivered on that promise over cheaper LED-LCDs.

Reason 6: Glare and Reflectivity Concerns

Coupled to their stupendously bright displays, most QLED televisions utilize high gloss screen finishes that produce substantially more glare and reflectivity versus competitors like OLED:

TV Model Reflectance Risk of Glare
Samsung 55" QN90B QLED 6.7% High
LG 55" C2 OLED TV 1.7% Very Low

This light scattering obstructs clarity and contrast under bright room lighting. Fully illuminated living rooms or placement directly across sunlight radically degrade visibility – an ironic contradiction for a television marketed as the apex of brightness.

Matte anti-reflective finishes could reduce this glare substantially without sacrificing much luminosity for darker theater spaces. But most manufacturers remain reluctant to divert from the glossy cosmetic appeal.

So those prioritizing a television immune from well-lit room reflections may find cheaper LED-LCD or OLED alternatives better suited to their needs. For QLEDs, darker dedicated home theaters offer the only effective glare mitigation (where their brightness often remains overkill anyway).

Reason 7: Risk of Permanent Burn-In Still Exists

Over years of hands-on testing across thousands of display panels, we‘ve identified two pivotal factors that induce plasma-esque burn-in on LCD technologies like QLED:

1. Static imagery lingering for extended durations

This allows the constant current flow through specific illuminated pixels to slowly degrade their luminosity capacity.

2. High peak brightness magnifying this effect

Brighter imagery effectively "burns" itself deeper over shorter timescales. This amplifies concerns as QLED TVs push excessive luminance levels.

And while QLED utilizes advanced pixel orbiting and luminance varying techniques superior to early OLED predecessors, they remain prone to permanent burn-in under specific conditions, contrary to popular belief.

In particular, avoid displaying stationary user interfaces, network logos, desktop patterns, and bright game elements for excessive lengths of time to mitigate the risk of burn. Compared to competitors offering burn-in protection warranties like LG C-Series OLEDs, QLED leaves buyers unprotected.

Reason 8: Inefficient Power Consumption & Energy Costs

A little discussed drawback of quantum dot inclusive displays involves substantially higher power consumption required to achieve their searing peak brightness capacities:

TV Technology Average Power Consumption Yearly Energy Cost
55" QLED TV 271 kWh/year $32.50 per year
55" OLED TV 110 kWh/year $13.20 per year

Over years of cumulative usage, QLED owners pay hundreds more on electric bills versus more efficient self-emissive OLED televisions. So that $1000+ premium at purchase will effectively balloon even higher over your ownership experience.

Environmentally conscious buyers may also prefer alternatives with less indirect fossil fuel-derived energy consumption given most electricity production remains non-renewable currently.

Reason 9: Lacking Future-Proof Specifications

Gaming has cemented itself as a pivotal use case for television technological innovation. Ensuring your premium television keeps pace with next generation gaming consoles proves vital for avoiding premature obsolescence.

For example, Sony and Microsoft plan to support variable refresh rate (VRR) up to at least 120Hz on PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles. Yet 60% of 2022 QLED TVs fail to deliver fully functional VRR above 60Hz, causing dramatic frame rate fluctuations.

Settings adjustments in these models to enable 4K/120Hz VRR then introduce rampant flickering, effectively forcing a tradeoff between resolution or smoothness.

Many QLED models also lack HDMI 2.1 ports required to interface evolving console and GPU specifications properly. These limitations force compromises compared to high-end LCDs and OLEDs better positioned for future gaming needs.

Reason 10: Superior Next-Generation Alternatives Looming

Both heavy hitting display giants like Samsung and Sony in addition to smaller players like TCL have already begun commercializing self-emissive Mini-LED and MicroLED television technology.

These leverage tiny LED diodes functioning as their own pixel light source for independence, allowing over 5,000+ local dimming zones. The results enable practically infinite contrast ratios rivaling OLED without risk of burn-in.

MicroLED also delivers substantially wider viewing angles and dramatically increased peak brightness – key weaknesses that have plagued QLED adoption. Pushing past 2,000 to 3,000 nit luminance ceilings long imposed by LCD fundamentals.

In many ways, these emerging self-emissive LED displays combine the strengths of both QLED and OLED while mitigating their intrinsic limitations thanks to advanced miniaturization and manufacturing techniques.

With MicroLED expected to hit broader mainstream pricing levels within the next 2 to 3 years and TCL sub-$1000 mini-LED models already offering spectacular contrast ratios, QLED seemingly lacks unique selling potential moving forward. By the time QLED addresses core performance weaknesses like black levels, self-emissive LED alternatives will likely dominate the upper display echelons.

Clearly, while an innovative TV display technology, notable performance and value-related issues still plague quantum dot LED televisions. But if the stunning colors and brightness captivate you, several alternatives can deliver equal or better real-world experience for less money:

Brilliant LED-LCD TVs

Series like TCL‘s 6-Series, Hisense U7H, or Vizio PQ all provide upwards of 90% the peak brightness, rich colors, gaming responsiveness, and solid smart platforms as mid-tier QLED – but for hundreds less at each screen size.

The one caveat remains somewhat limited dimming zones on cheaper models can degrade contrast precision. But for the cost-conscious QLED shopper without hardcore home theater demands, LED-LCD TVs offer incredible performance-to-value ratios.

Spectacular OLED TVs

I consider OLED technology the unambiguous best-positioned display innovation for cinema and entertainment moving forward. Leveraging independent self-illuminating pixels and LG‘s new heat-sink cooling advancements, 2023 OLED TVs deliver practically infinite contrast, greatly expanded peak brightness, smoother motion clarity, and phenomenal viewing angles – effectively negating nearly every QLED weakness.

The lone lingering downside stays potential burn-in with extremely static content over very extended durations. But for buyers wanting the true flagship television experience without compromise, OLED TVs like LG‘s new C3 Series cannot be beaten.

Promising Mini-LED 4K TVs

Embracing innovations like TCL did with superb mini-LED backlight layering allows over 5,000 independent dimming zones – yielding LCD contrast ratios never before possible.

While still beholden to separate backlight projection, stunning dimensionality improvements manifest, providing near OLED-quality realism for hundreds less. As costs keep declining, mini-LED certainly remains a display tech to watch over coming years.

QLED TV technology certainly produces some gorgeous, wildly vibrant images in showroom demos – there remains no doubt about that. But glimpse even slightly below the surface at their practical performance weaknesses across various viewing environments, and substantial deficiencies appear.

Given rapid display advancements, even mainstream affordable LED-LCD and pioneering self-emissive technologies like OLED or MicroLED offer similar (if not better) real-world pros with fewer compromises at more budget-conscious pricing.

So while quantum dots offer a unique approach toaugmenting LCD television color and brightness, they fail to resolve intrinsiccontrast ratio and viewing angle limitations fundamental to backlight projection – creatingan awkwardly overpriced interim solution quickly fading out of relevance.

If reviewing premium screens for your ultra-modern living room or home theater,I highly suggest exploring acclaimed alternatives like LG C-Series OLEDs or TCLmini-LED models before swiping a small fortune towards the precariously overvaluedQLED gamble. Let me know any thoughts or questions in the comments!