Two Paths to OLED Excellence
In 2025, the premium OLED TV market is dominated by two competing panel technologies from two Korean giants. LG Display manufactures WOLED panels (used by LG, Sony, and others), while Samsung Display produces QD-OLED panels (used by Samsung and Sony). Both deliver the self-emissive pixel-level control that makes OLED special, but they take fundamentally different approaches to generating light and color.
How WOLED Works
LG's WOLED technology uses white organic light-emitting diodes paired with color filters to produce red, green, and blue subpixels. An additional white subpixel boosts overall brightness. In 2025, the flagship G5 introduced a revolutionary four-stack Primary RGB Tandem structure: red and green emitting layers sandwiched between two blue layers. This replaced the Micro Lens Array (MLA) used in the G4, achieving peak brightness of approximately 2,268 nits on a 10% HDR window — a 33% improvement.
How QD-OLED Works
Samsung's QD-OLED takes a different approach. It starts with a blue OLED emitter, then uses quantum dot layers to convert that blue light into pure red and green. Because the quantum dots emit extremely narrow spectral peaks, QD-OLED achieves exceptional color purity without needing color filters — which also means less light is wasted in the process. The 2025 S95F measures approximately 2,170 nits on a 10% HDR window in Filmmaker Mode, with Samsung claiming a 30% brightness boost over the previous S95D.
Color Performance: The Numbers
This is where QD-OLED pulls ahead. The Samsung S95F achieves 100% DCI-P3 coverage and approximately 90% BT.2020 — a color gamut milestone no WOLED has matched. The LG G5, while excellent, measures around 82% BT.2020. For most viewers watching DCI-P3 HDR content, both are superb, but for the widest possible color volume — especially in highly saturated reds and greens — QD-OLED has a measurable advantage. TechRadar called the S95F the first TV they've tested to hit this particular color gamut milestone.
Brightness: Highlights vs Full-Screen
The brightness story is nuanced. For HDR highlight specular brightness (10% window), the LG G5 edges ahead at 2,268 nits vs the S95F's 2,170 nits in Filmmaker Mode. However, for full-screen sustained brightness, the S95F wins with 390 nits compared to the G5's 331 nits. The G5's Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL) is also more gradual — waiting over two minutes before engaging, compared to the S95F's more aggressive dimming that begins after about 25 seconds.
Anti-Glare and Viewing Angles
Samsung's Glare Free 2.0 matte coating on the S95F is a significant practical advantage for bright rooms. It virtually eliminates reflections while maintaining deep blacks — a combination previous matte coatings couldn't achieve. The LG G5's glossy screen delivers punchier colors in a dark room but shows more visible reflections in daylight. For viewing angles, both technologies are excellent compared to LCD, though QD-OLED maintains slightly more consistent color saturation at extreme off-axis positions.
Subpixel Structures
Both technologies have historically had subpixel layout quirks. QD-OLED used a triangular subpixel arrangement that caused fringing on fine text, while WOLED's WRGB layout had its own clarity limitations. Good news: both are improving. Samsung Display is moving to a V-stripe subpixel layout that dramatically improves text clarity, while LG Display has adopted an RGWB arrangement that eliminates fringing on high-density panels.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose WOLED (LG G5) if you prioritize Dolby Vision support, want a more gradual ABL for sustained bright scenes, or are building a dedicated dark home theater. Choose QD-OLED (Samsung S95F) if your TV lives in a bright room, you want the widest color gamut available, or you game at 4K/165Hz. For movie lovers who value processing and upscaling above all else, the Sony BRAVIA 8 II — which uses Samsung's QD-OLED panel with Sony's XR processor — offers a compelling third option.
