Burn-in on OLED screens

In short: On OLED, pixels that often glow bright age faster than others. As a result, shadows of static image parts such as channel logos or taskbars remain permanently visible.

In more detail: Each organic light-emitting diode loses luminance with operating time and brightness. Uneven use leads to uneven ageing.

In Depth

• Cause: Permanently bright, unchanging elements. Blue subpixels age fastest.
• Do not confuse with image retention: A temporary afterimage vanishes after minutes or hours. True burn-in stays.
• Protection in the device: Pixel shifting, automatic dimming of static logos, screensavers, “pixel refresh” in standby (do not trigger too often, it uses lifetime).
• Behaviour: Moderate brightness, auto-hide the taskbar, dark theme, switch the screen off when unused, change wallpaper.
• Reality: With mixed use (films, games) burn-in rarely occurs on modern TVs. Office work with a static interface is riskier.
• Warranty: Manufacturers differ, some cover burn-in.
• Alternatives: Mini-LED does not have the problem.

See also: OLED