There are two things that make OLED screens stand out. The first thing you’ll notice about OLED TVs, PC monitors, smartphones, tablets, and handheld gaming consoles is their excellent image quality. Second, there is the issue of “OLED burn-in.”
Since OLED technology has advanced, burn-in is less likely on newer OLED screens. However, you should reevaluate how you’re using your OLED-equipped devices to make sure you’re not accidentally damaging them.
OLED burn-in: What does it mean?
“Burn-in” occurs when your screen shows an after-image of something that is no longer visible. Because OLED displays have individual backlighting instead of area backlighting like other LED panels, they suffer from persistent phantom images. Depending on what’s on screen, each OLED pixel can turn on, off, and change colors. As a result, OLED screens have the “deep blacks” and sharp contrast levels they’re known for, but it also means that each pixel can be damaged or over-used, resulting in faded (or even burnt-out) pixels.
Most burn-in occurs due to the UI elements in video games, apps, and streaming service menus; TV channel ID icons; and lower-third chyrons on news stations.
The general use of OLEDs shouldn’t cause burn-in. Screens can be damaged by images on screen for hundreds or even thousands of hours. In addition, burn-in is less likely to occur on newer OLEDs, which often come with burn-in mitigation technology.
Nonetheless, minor distortion or discoloration can occur after just a few dozen hours, even on the latest devices. After it sets in, even the smallest bit can’t be removed. Often, floor models of TVs and smartphones in stores display the same images for days or weeks at a time.
Burn-in of OLEDs: how to prevent it
It’s true that the above examples are rare edge cases that do not reflect how most users interact with their OLED screens, but they still demonstrate burn-in is a concern. The good news is that you can avoid burn-in without limiting your screen time to extremes.
Change what you watch and play
Keep the content on the screen changing regularly to avoid displaying static images for too long. For example, if you only watch House of the Dragon on TV, try watching LOTR: Rings of Power or some anime once in a while to prevent burn-in. If you play a lot of Call of Duty, try some Mobile Legends or WoW to switch things up. Make sure you are viewing YouTube or Twitch in full-screen mode if you tend to view them a lot.
Adjust the brightness
The brightness of your screen is also a crucial factor to consider to ensure nothing burns in on your screen. As burn-in occurs faster on bright screens, turning down the brightness and enabling auto-dimming and auto-sleep settings can reduce the chances of burn-in.
Ideally, you should aim for no more than 70-80 percent reductions, but anything less than that is fine. Likewise, you don’t need your screen to dim every 10-30 seconds, 10 to 30 minutes will do. This is to ensure that the screen does not display the same image at maximum brightness all day long.
Use dark mode and other settings
Additionally, some devices have extra settings to reduce the possibility of burn-in. OLED screens benefit from dark mode because the pixels dim when displaying dark colors and disappear when displaying black. There are also “Extra-dim” modes on Android 12 and the “Reduce White Point” and other brightness-reduction options on iOS.
It is not necessary to enable all of these settings in order to prevent burn-in, but we recommend that at least a few of them be used to prevent this rare, but irreversible, damage to your screen.
