RTings finds edge rot in 87.5% of tested LG WOLED TVs

By Grace Kim

Fourteen of 16 LG WOLED televisions in RTings’ burn-in test developed progressive dark pixels around the screen edges. The finding covered sets made between 2020 and 2022.

RTings puts the incidence at 87.5% of its small LG sample. It calls the defect “edge rot.” The pixels darken in a mold-like pattern around the perimeter. The issue differs from conventional burn-in, which RTings says its long-running test has mostly mitigated, save perhaps for sets left on for 24 hours a day.

What did the test find?

The RTings test ran from 2022 through 2025, covering 16 LG televisions made between 2020 and 2022 in its continuing examination of long-term burn-in behavior. Fourteen showed edge rot in varying degrees. RTings staff also saw the problem on their personal televisions, and the publication found similar reports from users. The Tom’s Hardware report added photographs from the writer’s friend’s 2019 LG television.

The percentage is substantial, but the sample remains small. It describes these tested sets rather than a failure rate across LG’s full television lineup.

What does the Samsung comparison show?

The three Samsung QDOLED sets in the burn-in test did not exhibit edge-rot symptoms, RTings said. The comparison included only three Samsung televisions, so it offers limited evidence about Samsung’s broader lineup.

RTings said it could not assess whether LG’s newer-generation WOLED panels develop the issue because the 2022-through-2025 test did not establish performance for those sets. RTings cited a reported manufacturing-process improvement for those panels in 2024. That remains a reported change, not a verified result. RTings did not assess the newer LG generation.

What could cause edge rot?

RTings asked LG and Samsung for statements about the pixel-darkening defect, and both companies addressed moisture either directly or through claims about their panel-encapsulation technology.

LG stated that the issue “may occur in a very small number of OLED products under prolonged exposure to high-temperature, high-humidity, or other harsh environmental conditions.”

The Tom’s Hardware report said the RTings test environment was probably not especially humid. User reports involving televisions in owners’ living rooms also weakened LG’s environmental argument. Those points weaken that explanation without identifying a single alternative cause.

Samsung said it has implemented proprietary Thin Film Encapsulation, or TFE, to block ingress at the panel edge. Samsung stated: “[eliminates] the root cause of border degradation and [ensures] long-term edge-to-edge uniformity where traditional structures falter.”

RTings, citing conversations with industry experts, listed three possible causes:

• Contamination during manufacturing
• Defects in the encapsulation of some OLED displays
• Degradation of that encapsulation over time

Some test units also showed edge delamination.

Could power-on hours explain the failures?

RTings believes the pixel-death problem may relate to power-on hours, while edge delamination may depend on television age. It considered it unlikely that all user reports came from people leaving their sets on around the clock.

The Tom’s Hardware writer offered one anecdotal comparison, which the report acknowledged was a sample of one rather than evidence enough to establish a pattern. His friend’s 2019 LG television saw about 30 hours of use per week over nearly seven years, and its pixel-refresh function appeared only twice. Most of his set’s dark spots sat on the side closest to a wall with very minor humidity ingress from outside the building. The set rested on furniture rather than a wall mount, leaving the humidity connection inconclusive at best.

Who may face repair costs?

Most of the televisions in the study are likely to be out of warranty. LG has provided five-year panel warranty coverage since 2021, but the policy applies only to higher-end lines, including the G, Z, and M series televisions. Owners should check the purchase date, model and coverage terms before assuming LG will cover a panel repair.

RTings still cannot say whether LG’s newer-generation WOLED panels avoid the problem, leaving the reported 2024 manufacturing improvement unverified in long-duration use on newer sets. Until larger tests examine those panels, Samsung’s three-unit result remains the cleaner reported comparison, though it cannot establish broader superiority. The next durability test is whether LG’s reported 2024 process change prevents edge rot in newer sets over time.