What Is OLED Burn-In? (And How to Avoid It)

How to prevent OLED Burn-in

Sure, the above examples are rare edge cases that don’t reflect how general users interact with their OLED screen, but they’re still proof burn-in remains an issue for all OLED screens. There are ways you can avoid burn-in without resorting to extreme screen-time rationing, though.

Change what you watch and play

The most obvious thing is to regularly change what’s on-screen to avoid displaying static images for too long. For example, if you only watch ESPN on TV, maybe tune into FOX Sports or NBC once in a while to avoid burn-in from the “ESPN” logo. If you play a lot of Call of Duty, try some Apex Legends or Destiny to switch things up. And if you tend to watch lots of YouTube or Twitch, watch in full-screen mode to avoid having the interface on-screen for hours at a time.

Adjust the brightness

While varying what’s on your screen will ensure nothing is displayed long enough to burn in, screen brightness is also a major factor to keep in mind. Burn-in sets in faster on bright screens, so turning down the device’s brightness and enabling auto-dimming and auto-sleep modes that kick in after a few minutes of inactivity can decrease the likelihood for burn-in.

These don’t need to be extreme changes—anything below 90 percent is fine, but ideally, you should aim for the 70-80 percent range or lower. The same for auto-dimming and auto-shut-off or sleep timers: You don’t need your screen to dim every 10-30 seconds, 10 to 30 minutes work just fine. The point is to make sure the screen isn’t on and displaying the same images at max brightness all day.

Use dark mode and other settings

Some devices also have extra settings that further reduce the possibility of burn-in. Enabling dark mode for your OS and apps is an especially useful one for OLED screens, since the pixels are dimmed when displaying darker colors, and turned off entirely for black. Other examples include the “Extra-dim” mode on Android 12, and the “Reduce White Point” and further brightness-reduction options in iOS’ accessibility settings.

While you don’t need to turn on all of these settings to prevent burn-in, we recommend using at least a few that work for you to prevent this rare—but irreversible—screen damage.

[CNET]