Screen Soft Light / Specimen / OLED BURN-IN TEST #000000 · RGB 0 · 0 · 0

No. 001 · OLED BURN-IN TEST

Free OLED burn-in test for phones, monitors and TVs

  • 01 Reveals burn-in
  • 02 Detects stuck pixels
  • 03 Tests color uniformity

Use this free OLED burn-in test to check your OLED screen for burn-in, stuck pixels and color uniformity issues. Cycle through pure black, white and primary colors at fullscreen to reveal pixel defects and persistent ghost images that only show up on solid color backgrounds. Works on iPhone OLED, Samsung Super AMOLED, OLED monitors and OLED TVs.

Start with pure black
Press F to go fullscreen · Press Esc to exit
Enter HEX #000000 210 × 297 mm
Related testing tools: —
Black screenWhite screenDead pixel testMonitor test
§ 01

How OLED burn-in happens

OLED pixels generate their own light, and each sub-pixel has a finite lifespan that depends on how often and how brightly it has been driven. When the same image (a status bar, a navigation menu, a TV channel logo) is displayed for many hours, the pixels in that region wear faster than surrounding pixels. The result is a faint persistent ghost image visible on solid color backgrounds — burn-in. It is not reversible but can be slowed by varying content and lowering brightness.

§ 02

OLED defects are usually invisible against everyday content because the eye is distracted by detail, motion and color variation.

Why solid color screens reveal OLED issues

OLED defects are usually invisible against everyday content because the eye is distracted by detail, motion and color variation. Pure solid colors remove all distractions: every pixel in your field of view is supposed to be the exact same color, so any pixel that differs (stuck, dead, burned-in) becomes obvious. Cycling through black, white, red, green and blue catches every type of pixel-level defect because each color isolates a different sub-pixel state.

§ 03

Reading the results — what to look for

On the black screen: any glowing dot is a stuck pixel (lit when it should be dark). On the white screen: any dark dot is a dead pixel; uneven brightness patches indicate panel non-uniformity. On red/green/blue screens: missing dots in matching color reveal sub-pixel failures; faint ghost shapes (like a status bar outline) indicate burn-in for that sub-pixel. New OLED phones with burn-in showing under 1000 hours of use may qualify for warranty replacement.

§ 04

OLED test on different devices

iPhone OLED (since iPhone X): hold the device in a dim room and tap to enter fullscreen for each color. Samsung AMOLED (Galaxy S/Note/Fold): fullscreen works the same. OLED monitors (LG, Samsung, ASUS): use Chrome/Edge fullscreen with F11. OLED TVs (LG, Sony, Samsung QD-OLED): cast or browse to softlight.tools and use the TV remote to enter the colored screen pages. Let each color stay on screen for 5-10 seconds before scanning for issues.

Procedure

Three moves to peak output

  1. 01

    Start with pure black

    Open the black screen and go fullscreen. Look carefully across the entire display for any glowing dots (stuck pixels) or faint ghost images of frequently-displayed elements (burn-in).

  2. 02

    Cycle through pure white

    Switch to the white screen at full brightness. Look for dim or dark dots (dead pixels) and any uneven brightness patches that suggest panel non-uniformity.

  3. 03

    Cycle through primary colors

    Test pure red, green and blue screens one at a time. Each color isolates one OLED sub-pixel — burn-in and dead sub-pixels show up clearly only against their matching primary color.

Inquiries

Questions worth asking

Q.01 Can this tool fix OLED burn-in?
No — this is a detection tool, not a fix. OLED burn-in is permanent because the pixels themselves have aged unevenly. Some manufacturers (LG OLED TVs) include a 'pixel refresher' built-in software cycle that can reduce mild burn-in, but third-party tools cannot. To prevent further burn-in, lower brightness and vary your content.
Q.02 How long does an OLED burn-in test take?
About 1-2 minutes. Cycle through black, white, red, green and blue, holding each color fullscreen for 10-15 seconds while scanning the screen carefully. For a thorough test, also check yellow (red+green sub-pixels), cyan (green+blue) and magenta (red+blue) to test sub-pixel combinations.
Q.03 Is OLED burn-in covered by warranty?
It depends on the manufacturer and the age of the device. iPhones generally cover burn-in within the first year if it appears under normal use. Samsung Galaxy phones cover burn-in for the warranty period if usage was reasonable. OLED TVs from LG/Sony cover it under warranty unless caused by displaying static images for excessive hours. Check your device's warranty for specifics — having clear test results helps your claim.
Q.04 What is the difference between burn-in and image retention?
Image retention is temporary — a faint ghost of an image stays on screen for seconds or minutes after the image changes, then fades. Burn-in is permanent — the ghost stays indefinitely because the OLED pixels themselves have aged unevenly. Image retention is not a defect; burn-in is. If your ghost image disappears within a few minutes of varied content, you have image retention, not burn-in.
Cross-reference

Try adjacent plates

Enough specimen notes.

Go make the screen behave.

Start with pure black