OLED TVs last longer than LED LCD TVs, long-term test concludes

Which type of TV lasts the longest? With 100 TVs from various brands each tested 18,000 hours over 3 years, Rtings' accelerated longevity test has reached conclusions that may surprise some buyers.

At 18,000 hours of accelerated runtime, the test far exceeds how long most people typically keep their TVs, notes Rtings. It corresponds to more than 12 years with 4 hours of TV use daily.

The accelerated test put significantly more stress on the TVs than normal use, as the TVs were turned off for less than 8 hours daily. This increases stress on components, accelerates heat buildup, and more. However, the same conditions apply to every TV model in the test, making the results comparable. Such accelerated longevity tests are common.


LED backlight failures
After 10,000 hours, Rtings had already concluded in mid-2024 that thin LCD TVs with edge LED backlighting fail faster than LCD TVs with direct or zone-dimming LED backlights, such as 'QLED' FALD or miniLED.

After 18,000 hours, a total of 20 out of 100 TVs had failed completely, with an additional 24 experiencing partial failures. Only two TVs could be repaired.

- "Backlight issues are by far the most common point of failure, with 34% of all LED models tested experiencing at least one failed LED. Uniformity issues are also extremely common, as heat causes the internal layers of a TV to delaminate over time, leading to a patchy image and even discoloration over time," said Rtings.

Almost 60% of the LCD TVs with edge LED or no local dimming experienced complete or partial failures. Rtings also found that burn-in – or burn-out, as Rtings refers to it – is a significant issue with edge LED TVs. Higher-end LCD models with FALD or miniLED performed better, with a 25% failure rate.


Additionally, Rtings identified several cases where LED diode failures in LCD TVs caused chain reactions. In one example, the entire LED backlight behind a Vizio TV failed as a result of just three defective LEDs – similar to an old Christmas light chain. Such designs significantly increase the risk of failure.

LG and TCL stood out as having the most reliable TVs, with only 1 complete failure among TCL's 10 tested models. LG's low failure rate was largely due to its OLED models holding up so well.


OLED TVs last the longest
Rtings noted that OLED TVs did suffer burn-in due to the nature of the accelerated torture-test setup, but added that "previous burn-in tests have shown that with varied content, this won't be an issue".

- "So, overall, what should you look for and what should you avoid when shopping for a new TV? Well, despite the small chance of burn-in, OLEDs tend to last the longest and experience the fewest issues of any display technology. LED TVs tend to break faster, especially thin edge-lit models or entry-level models with a direct backlight, so look for full-array models instead, as these tend to have the fewest issues," concluded Rtings.

Rtings' full study can be found here.

You can see which LCD models use edge LED, direct LED, FALD zone dimming or miniLED in FlatpanelsHD's TV Database.