Other than OLED, two of the top-performing TV technologies are mini-LED and QLED. While neither offer OLED's incredible image quality, they're close and most often brighter. These two display types also typically cheaper and available in a wider range of screen sizes. They're more similar than different, which is good news for anyone trying to decide between the two.
Both mini-LED and QLED use LEDs, aka light-emitting diodes, to create light. In front of that backlight is an LCD layer that creates the image. This is different from OLED and microLED where the light-creating and image-creating parts are the same. We've reviewed TVs using all these technologies and several have regularly made it onto our guide for the best TVs.
Also read: QLED vs OLED: What's the Difference and Which Is Better?
QLED, QNED, ULED, (aka QD LED TVs) vs mini-LED
Ty Pendlebury/CNET
All the abbreviations in the line above are variations of the same technology. They are, broadly speaking, LED TVs. The "Q" typically denotes the use of quantum dots, a fascinating technology that is able to change the color of light with almost perfect efficiency. Quantum dots can also improve a TV's brightness as well as color. A TV doesn't have to have quantum dots to look good, but TVs that use quantum dots often look better than those that don't have QD or a similar technology.
As mentioned, all the above technologies use LED to create light and an LCD to create an image. In the case of QD LEDs, aka QLED and its variants, this usually means a few hundred or a few thousand LEDs arranged across the back of the TV. Cheaper TVs, often just called "LED TVs" have only a handful of LEDs, often arranged along the bottom facing up into the screen. Regardless of where the LEDs are on the TV, they're collectively called the "backlight."
On the bottom are LED LCDs from different companies. The top row are the same TVs with the LCD layer removed. You're looking directly at the LED backlight. The TV on the right has more LEDs and greater control of them, resulting in a better looking image. Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Mini-LED TVs are an advancement in QD LED tech using many thousands of LEDs. These LEDs are smaller than the ones found in "regular" LED TVs, but there's a lot more of them. The advantage isn't just a brighter image, though that's usually true, but also finer control over how the image looks. Because there isn't a 1:1 ratio of LEDs to pixels, even the most advanced mini-LED TVs still can only make groups of pixels dimmer if the image requires it. Compare this to OLED which can turn off, aka make completely black, individual pixels. That finer control is what allows mini-LED TV to get close to OLED's image quality.
As far as quantum dots go, mini-LED TVs will usually incorporate quantum dots, since they are often positioned above standard QD LEDs in a manufacturers lineup. They don't have to however, and it's possible there might be a manufacturer who will someday offer a mini-LED without quantum dots, perhaps at a lower price. Best to check our reviews for specifics.
... continue reading