Local dimming and Mini-LED

In short: With local dimming an LCD controls its backlight zone by zone so dark parts of the image become darker. Mini-LED uses thousands of tiny LEDs for this.

In more detail: An LCD has a backlight that can never deliver true “black”. Zones that are dimmed improve contrast and HDR impact.

In Depth

• Edge-lit: LEDs at the edge, few zones. Cheap, mediocre contrast.
• Direct-lit with full-array local dimming (FALD): LEDs behind the panel in zones, dozens to hundreds.
• Mini-LED: Thousands of zones, very high peak brightness and therefore strong HDR. Approaches the contrast of OLED.
• Blooming: A bright object on a dark background gets a halo because the zone is larger than the object. More zones reduce it.
• Versus OLED: Mini-LED gets brighter and has no burn-in risk. OLED has perfect per-pixel black and faster response.
• Buying tips: Check zone count, peak brightness and reviews on blooming, not just “HDR” on the box. See HDR and monitor brightness.

See also: panel types