There isn't one single replacement for OLED yet, but the leading contenders poised to challenge or surpass it are Micro-LED (especially RGB Micro-LED) for ultimate quality and QD-OLED (Quantum Dot OLED)/QDEL (Quantum Dot Electroluminescence) for cost-effective, high-performance displays, offering advantages like greater brightness, no burn-in risk, and potentially lower cost than traditional OLEDs. Mini-LEDs are also strong current contenders, offering excellent HDR brightness as an interim step.
Samsung Electronics today unveiled the world's first 130-inch Micro RGB TV (R95H model) at CES 2026, marking the debut of its largest Micro RGB display and a bold new design direction for ultra-premium displays.
Quantum-Dot Electroluminescence: A Cost-Efficient Successor to OLED. Cost and performance could make QDEL technology a real competitor to OLED. A potential scenario? Notebooks will adopt it first, followed by TVs and perhaps smartphones.
Considering the product attributes, OLED and QDEL could be head-on competitors in terms of product performance, although QDEL will have intrinsically lower like-for-like cost.
In 2025, the future of display technology is defined by: Adaptability: Flexible displays that enable entirely new product designs. Immersion: VR, AR, and holographic displays transforming work, education, and entertainment. Smart Connectivity: Digital signage that is dynamic, data-driven, and interactive.
As far as dark room performance goes, OLEDs are still the undisputed kings, and this is especially true when you're comparing them with mid-range and budget Mini LEDs. Black levels aren't everything, though, and Mini LEDs still tend to be the best choice for bright room viewing most of the time.
2026 is when TV finally admits it wants to be performance media when it grows up. We'll see CTV advertising investment accelerate as streaming viewership surpasses 60% and major streamers fully embrace programmatic, precision-targeted ad models.
The Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV was crowned the 2025 King of TV by Value Electronics | OLED-Info.
Studies have shown that OLED TVs tend to last for well over ten years, provided they are adequately maintained and cared for! One of the key secrets behind OLED's longevity is its lack of a backlight. 4K OLED TVs make use of special pixels that are self-illuminating.
OLED TVs' main disadvantages are their higher cost, lower peak brightness compared to some LED/QLEDs (making them less ideal for very bright rooms), and the potential for "burn-in" or permanent image retention from static content like news tickers or game HUDs, though modern sets have improved this. They can also be more fragile, have a shorter lifespan for blue organic pixels, and are sensitive to high humidity.
The best times to buy a Samsung TV for major savings are Black Friday/Cyber Monday (November) and the Spring (March-June), when retailers clear out older models for new releases, with the Super Bowl (Jan/Feb) also offering big discounts on big screens, while getting the newest model means buying in Spring/Summer after CES announcements.
Many expect that quantum dot display technology can compete or even replace liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in near future, including the desktop and notebook computer spaces and televisions. These initial applications alone represent more than a $8-billion addressable market by 2023 for quantum dot-based components.
OLED displays have a limited lifespan by design — that's not debatable. The shelf life of organic LEDs is limited, and they will suffer burn-in sooner or later. Gradual degradation remains the nature of the technology, but modern OLED displays have managed to delay it enough for it to be a non-issue for most people.
Best OLED TV value of 2025
The Samsung has similar picture quality to its more-expensive S95F sibling and that's the best reason to buy it. The Samsung also has most of the features you need including 4K/120Hz gaming support, HDR 10+ and onboard streaming.
Australia's best OLED TVs for 2025 vary by need, with the LG G5 OLED often cited as the top overall flagship for its incredible brightness, vibrant color, and gaming features. For bright rooms and gaming, the Samsung S95D/S95F (QD-OLED) is a strong contender. The LG C5 OLED offers an excellent balance of performance and price as a mid-range all-rounder, while the Sony Bravia 8 (XR80) is praised for home cinema with its Cognitive Processor and sound.
Notable Mentions
LG OLED TVs are often considered better for gaming due to their faster response times, support for HDMI 2.1, and low input lag. However, Sony TVs are also great for gaming, with models supporting advanced features like VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and excellent motion handling.
Picture Quality: For us, OLED wins thanks to its perfect blacks and infinite contrast, making it the ideal choice for a truly cinematic experience. That being said, QLED does offer good colour reproduction and a higher peak brightness, making it a suitable option for well-lit spaces.
TVs don't typically become technologically obsolete the way that phones or computers do when their hardware is too slow to run newer programs or various components have worn down and no longer work efficiently. Instead, they become obsolete because a new technology comes out that makes the older models less desirable.
16K TVs actually already exist! Numerous manufacturers across the world have produced immense 16K TVs, with equally impressive screen sizes.
The best TV in Australia depends on your needs, with top contenders including the LG C5 OLED for overall versatility and picture quality, the Samsung S95F/D OLED for bright, vibrant OLED performance, and TCL C855 for exceptional value Mini-LED brightness. For budget buyers, Hisense U8QG and TCL C7K/C6K offer great features, while the Sony Bravia 9 Mini-LED is a premium alternative for bright rooms.
Emissive QLED TVs have the potential to match the absolute black levels and "infinite" contrast ratio of OLED, with better power efficiency, better color and more.
The next effective step up in the quality ladder is QLED. QLED (Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diode) TVs use the same kinds of backlighting technologies as regular LED LCD TVs, but with an added layer of quantum dots in a film on the tv panel that enables better colour representation and higher levels of brightness.