Samsung Display Announce ‘QD-OLED Penta Tandem’ Brand To Distinguish Latest Panel Technologies

Samsung Display have announced the launch of their “QD-OLED Penta Tandem” branding which will now be used to market their latest generation QD-OLED monitor and TV panels, which are built around a 5-layer structure of light-emitting OLED material. They explain that “Penta” comes from the Greek word for the number five. Beginning last year, Samsung Display advanced the blue emitting layer stack from four layers to five, which ties in with their latest EL 3.0 (Electroluminescent Layer gen 3.0) material.

5-stack structure

We knew from last year that they had introduced a 5-stack OLED structure with 3 blue and 2 green layers, with all layers being deuterium now, something that is occasionally promoted by display manufacturers such as this example from MSI for their 27″ 4K QD-OLED monitor, using the first EL 3.0 (aka “Gen 4”) panel that was produced last year.

Everything is “Tandem” now it seems

The use of the word “Tandem” is not new either, as you can see this marketed last year in some cases, and it’s always been referred to subtly. But the shift to the new “QD-OLED Penta Tandem” branding brings this more to the forefront of Samsung Display’s marketing and will presumably lead to more widespread marketing adoption from display manufacturers. We already have “Tandem WOLED” (aka Primary RGB Tandem) of course, so now we also have “QD-OLED Penta Tandem” to compete. Samsung Display seem to be perhaps subtly saying “5 layers is better than 4” as well.

Benefits of a 5 layer structure

The multi-layer stacking of organic light-emitting materials has emerged as a key differentiator amid intensifying competition in the high-resolution monitor market. Achieving higher resolution within the same panel size and increasing the pixel density reduces the light-emitting area of each individual pixel. Under these technical constraints, effectively dispersing the energy applied to organic materials is essential to maintaining stable, high brightness levels.

Compared to last year’s four-layer QD-OLED, Samsung Display say that Penta Tandem “improves luminous efficiency by 1.3 times and extends lifespan by 2 times.”

Samsung Display’s 27″ UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution QD-OLED monitor panel, launched last year, and achieves ~166 pixels per inch (PPI), the highest pixel density among self-emissive gaming monitors so far, although more recently LG Display have announced the production of their own Tandem WOLED panel with this pixel density.

Samsung Display say that QD-OLED Penta Tandem forms the core technological foundation of this panel and pixel density for their technology. We already knew about EL 3.0 material being used for this panel last year, but they’ve given the technology a more marketable name now with the new branding.

Samsung Display say that “products featuring QD-OLED Penta Tandem technology achieve industry-leading peak brightness of 4,500 nits for TVs and 1,300 nits for monitors, based on 3% OPR (On Pixel Ratio, the ratio of active pixels among all pixels composing the screen). Panels featuring QD-OLED Penta Tandem technology enable customers to obtain VESA’s ‘DisplayHDR™ True Black 500’ certification.”

List of current ‘QD-OLED Penta Tandem’ Panels

From a monitor point of view, we already know about the following panels that use EL 3.0 material and have this 5-stack “Penta Tandem” structure:

• 27″ 4K, 166 PPI (produced 2025) – as used in monitors like the Asus ROG Swift PG27UCDM and MSI MPG 272URX that we’ve reviewed
• 31.5″ 4K, 140 PPI (produced 2026) – as used in monitors like the new Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDM3 we’ve reviewed
• 34″ ultrawide 3440 x 1440, 110 PPI (produced 2026) – as used in monitors like the Asus ROG Swift PG34WCDN and MSI MPG 341CQR X36 that we’ve reviewed

A refresh of their other panels is coming

Samsung Display say they “plan to expand QD-OLED Penta Tandem across its full range of panel sizes this year, supplying the technology for flagship products from major customers. Following last year’s 27-inch UHD panel and the 31.5-inch UHD and 34-inch WQHD products introduced earlier this year, the technology will be applied to a 49-inch Dual QHD (5120×1440) model. In the TV segment, Penta Tandem has been featured in top-tier self-emissive TV display line-ups from key customers since 2025.”

So this means the 49″ super ultrawide panel will be getting a refresh this year to use their latest EL 3.0 material, which means it should offer higher brightness including True Black 500 certification, and (we expect) a 1300 nits peak brightness too, aligned with their recently updated 34″ ultrawide panel.

It’s not clear if the refresh rate will be increased above the current 240Hz or if they will shift to their new RGB stripe (aka “V stripe”) sub-pixel layout for that refresh, like they did on their 34″ ultrawide panel. We think this is likely though given it’s the same pixel density as the 34″ module. More info when we get it on this panel update. The new Black Film coating (aka “BlackShield Film” by Asus and “DarkArmor Film” by MSI) should also be an option and feature.

While it’s not explicitly mentioned, this does also imply there may be a refresh of their 27″ 1440p panel as well, although we’re seeking further information from Samsung Display on this.

Source: Samsung Display

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