OLED Laptops - any issues?
Discussion
I'm currently shopping around for a laptop (also have a thread about this) and considering the option of an OLED screen. I'm a little put off at the prospect of investing in something which could potentially deteriorate and become unusable within a few years. I am aware that OLED TVs have suffered from burn issues and when using a computer there can be static images for quite some time which increases the possibility of it occurring.
Does anyone have any experience with OLED laptops suffering from image retention / screen burn / lots of dead pixels? Or do you find the screen still looks great with no issues 1+ year down the line?
I'm aware there are things to implement to mitigate the risk but still feel anxious about the potential risk. I would appreciate any views / experience from OLED users on the ownership experience.
Does anyone have any experience with OLED laptops suffering from image retention / screen burn / lots of dead pixels? Or do you find the screen still looks great with no issues 1+ year down the line?
I'm aware there are things to implement to mitigate the risk but still feel anxious about the potential risk. I would appreciate any views / experience from OLED users on the ownership experience.
You don’t want OLED exclusively for productivity. If you’re going to break the day up with videos or gaming then you’ll be ok. But if it’s going to be dusk til dawn still images then you don’t want OLED unless there’s an unconditional 3 year warranty that specifically covers image retention.
As well as burn in standard OLEDs don’t get that bright so might struggle if you work outside.
As well as burn in standard OLEDs don’t get that bright so might struggle if you work outside.
Brainpox said:
You don’t want OLED exclusively for productivity. If you’re going to break the day up with videos or gaming then you’ll be ok. But if it’s going to be dusk til dawn still images then you don’t want OLED unless there’s an unconditional 3 year warranty that specifically covers image retention.
As well as burn in standard OLEDs don’t get that bright so might struggle if you work outside.
The computer will be for leisure purposes: browsing internet, some YouTube and maybe the occasional Word / Excel. As well as burn in standard OLEDs don’t get that bright so might struggle if you work outside.
I use my personal computer next to my work computer when at home. Quite often I will leave the personal computer on a page with a trading platform and it's a static image. There is a concern that leaving a static image on for 10+ minutes could result in burn over time.
Outside working is not such an issue. Although from what I have seen in the shops the glossy effect on the screen is reflective and can cause glare - even in an artificial light setting.
I’d be more worried about battery life than burn-in on an OLED laptop. I’ve seen reports of up to 25% reduction vs the non OLED option on an otherwise identical machine. Some of this will be driven by most laptop OLED panels being significantly higher resolution than the non OLED equivalent - but on a 14 laptop display the difference will be imperceptible or unusable.
I’d also be wary of battery life tests with OLED - a lot use looped video which will flatter OLED as it will have a lot more black pixels (with zero power drain) than having a something like a word doc open with lots of white. Obviously if you use dark mode with white text on a black background, you will start to claw back battery life in quite a big way.
I’d also be wary of battery life tests with OLED - a lot use looped video which will flatter OLED as it will have a lot more black pixels (with zero power drain) than having a something like a word doc open with lots of white. Obviously if you use dark mode with white text on a black background, you will start to claw back battery life in quite a big way.
Edited by bobthemonkey on Wednesday 12th April 10:46
bobthemonkey said:
I’d be more worried about battery life than burn-in on an OLED laptop. I’ve seen reports of up to 25% reduction vs the non OLED option on an otherwise identical machine. Some of this will be driven by most laptop OLED panels being significantly higher resolution than the non OLED equivalent - but on a 14 laptop display the difference will be imperceptible or unusable.
I’d also be wary of battery life tests with OLED - a lot use looped video which will flatter OLED as it will have a lot more black pixels (with zero power drain) than having a something like a word doc open with lots of white. Obviously if you use dark mode with white text on a black background, you will start to claw back battery life in quite a big way.
I'd say that about 98% of my laptop usage will be at home and never far from a charger. Whilst a good battery is always preferable, it's probably less of an issue for me. I’d also be wary of battery life tests with OLED - a lot use looped video which will flatter OLED as it will have a lot more black pixels (with zero power drain) than having a something like a word doc open with lots of white. Obviously if you use dark mode with white text on a black background, you will start to claw back battery life in quite a big way.
Edited by bobthemonkey on Wednesday 12th April 10:46
I did purchase a Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro which should get over 11 hours of battery life.
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff