OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode. It is a type of light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound that emits light in response to an electric current. This organic layer is situated between two electrodes, and at least one of these electrodes is transparent. OLEDs are used to create digital displays in devices such as television screens, computer monitors, and portable systems such as smartphones and handheld game consoles.
OLED displays feature great image quality, including bright colors, fast motion, and most importantly, very high contrast. They enable emissive displays, which means that each pixel is controlled individually and emits its own light, unlike LCDs in which the light comes from a backlighting unit. OLED technology is used in commercial applications such as displays for mobile phones and portable digital media players, car radios, and digital cameras, among others, as well as lighting.
The future of OLEDs seems bright as their presence in the smartphone and TV markets is continuously growing, in addition to other markets such as wearables and VR. However, OLED can potentially suffer from image retention and even screen burn-in.
