OLED evo & more Mini LED from LG

LG Electronics has Mini LED as well, under the name of ‘QNED’ models that combine Mini-LED backlights with Quantum Dot and NanoCell technologies (shown above). Top of the range will be an 86-inch 8K model claiming nearly 30,000 Mini LEDs and 2500 independent dimming zones, also featuring the top-of-the-range Alpha 9 Gen 4 processor, which will also provide the smarts for the newest LG OLED TV models in the Z1, G1 and C1 series, and in two LG NanoCell models (without the micro LEDs).

It’s perhaps ironic that LG’s QNEDs add quantum dots to the existing NanoCell structure, given rival Samsung has always led the QD charge, while LG has championed OLED. By next year Samsung should have QD OLED (under the altered name of QD Display), while with QNED now LG is offering what may be the LED technology to beat in 2021.

But OLED still remains LG’s core message, and it has introduced ‘OLED evo’, calling it “the next step in the evolution of LG OLED TV technology that delivers better luminosity for improved brightness and clear realistic images with amazing detail.” This would appear to include a new green emitting layer as well as an improvement in efficiency of the two blue emitting layers (two are used to prolong longevity of LG’s W-OLED panels) by switching from a Japanese-made hydrogen-based compound to a DuPont material based on deuterium for the blue layers (credit here to deep research by HDTVtest’s Vincent Teoh in the UK). The resulting gain of 20% brightness will go a long way to combat a growing sentiment that OLED advances had stalled. The panel will be used in LG’s G1 range, but apparently not the new C range, the first time the more affordable C range has not had the same panel quality as LG’s higher ranges. Since LG.Display supplies OLED panels to all other OLED TV manufacturers, it is likely the panels will also appear elsewhere (see Sony, left).

LG has also updated its webOS platform and Magic Remote, and has an updated version of its rollable OLED screen to rise from and hide within its benchtop chassis.