OLED Burn-In: How to Check for It and Prevent It

OLED screens look great because each pixel makes its own light. The downside is that pixels wear a little every time they light up, and the ones that show the same bright image for hours wear faster. When some pixels wear more than their neighbors, you get burn-in: a faint, permanent shadow of something that was on screen too long, like a keyboard, a navigation bar, a TV channel logo or a game’s health bar.

Burn-In vs Image Retention

These two look similar at first, but they aren’t the same problem.

• Image retention is temporary. A faint ghost of the last image stays for a few seconds or minutes, then fades. It is normal and not a defect.
• Burn-in is permanent. The shadow is still there after the screen has been off for hours and after you restart the device.

If you see a ghost image, turn the screen off for an hour and check again before you worry.

How to Check for Burn-In

Burn-in is easiest to see on solid colors, especially gray. You can use the screen test tool on this site:

1. Set your screen brightness to maximum and turn off dark mode filters, night light and auto-brightness.
2. Open the tool, type #808080 (medium gray) in the HEX field and go full screen.
3. Look for faint shapes: icons along the top, a keyboard outline at the bottom, a channel logo in a corner, or bands where the status bar or taskbar usually sits.
4. Repeat with #404040 (dark gray) and then the red, green and blue screens. Burn-in on OLED often shows a tint, so one color may reveal it more clearly than the others.

Shapes that line up with parts of your apps or interface are burn-in. A general uneven or blotchy look is more likely a uniformity issue in the panel.

What Causes Burn-In

• Static elements shown for long periods, such as status bars, navigation buttons, taskbars and TV logos
• High brightness, which wears pixels faster
• Long screen-on time with the same app, for example navigation apps or dashboards
• Heat, since OLED panels age faster when they run hot

How to Prevent Burn-In

On phones

• Use auto-brightness instead of leaving brightness at maximum.
• Use a short screen timeout, such as 30 seconds or one minute.
• Use dark mode where you can, so fewer pixels are working hard.
• Switch to gesture navigation instead of the three-button bar.
• Avoid using the phone as a navigation screen at full brightness for hours every day.

On OLED TVs

• Keep the TV’s built-in protection features turned on, such as pixel shift and logo luminance adjustment.
• Let the TV run its pixel-refresh routine. Most OLED TVs do this automatically in standby after you turn them off, so avoid unplugging the TV right after use.
• Don’t leave news channels, game menus or paused images on screen for hours.
• Use a picture mode with moderate brightness for everyday viewing rather than the brightest mode.

On OLED laptops and monitors

• Auto-hide the taskbar or dock.
• Use a dark wallpaper and a short screen-off timer.
• Let the monitor’s pixel-refresh or panel-care routine run when it asks.

Can Burn-In Be Fixed?

True burn-in is permanent because the pixels have physically aged. Some TVs offer a manual pixel-refresh option that can reduce mild cases, but run it only occasionally, as the manual advises. “Burn-in fixer” videos and apps that flash colors are designed for stuck pixels and do not reverse burn-in. For severe burn-in, a screen replacement is the only real fix. Check whether your warranty covers it, as policies differ between brands.

Quick Answers

Do LCD screens get burn-in?

LCD screens can show temporary image retention, but permanent burn-in is rare. It is mainly an OLED and plasma issue.

Is a little burn-in normal on an older phone?

Light burn-in after a few years of heavy use is common on OLED phones, especially around the status bar and keyboard.

Is burn-in the same as screen lines or spots?

No. Lines, black spots and spreading patches come from damage or failing connections. See our guide to common phone screen problems.