OLED near-black uniformity
5% Gray Test for OLED Uniformity
Start with the classic 5% grey test to reveal vertical banding, dark blotches and tinted areas. Then step through 1–75% gray one level at a time to see where the unevenness begins and disappears.
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Recommended first check
Run the 5% grey uniformity test
5% gray is the classic near-black OLED check — it is dark enough to expose banding and blotches, bright enough that the panel is still driving every pixel.
Choose another gray level
In the test: ← → ±1 level · Shift ±5 · O observation map · H hide UI · Esc exit
Before you look
- 1. Turn off auto-brightness and any ambient light sensor.
- 2. Dim the room — near-black detail disappears in a bright room.
- 3. Let the panel run for a few minutes first.
- 4. View straight on. Off-axis viewing invents unevenness.
- 5. Pan your eyes slowly instead of staring at one spot.
This is a visual uniformity inspection. Your browser has no colorimeter, so there is no score and no deviation percentage — why that matters.
How to run a 5% grey uniformity test
- Turn off auto-brightness, energy saving and any ambient light sensor.
- Let the OLED warm up for a few minutes and dim the room.
- Start the 5% gray test and view the panel straight on from your normal distance.
- Look for fixed vertical bands, cloudy patches or a pink, green or blue tint.
- Use the observation map, then compare 2%, 10% and 20% gray to see how persistent the issue is.
The fullscreen value is RGB 13, 13, 13, the nearest 8-bit value to 5% gray. Browser zoom does not matter because the test is a solid color, but Night Light, True Tone and other color-temperature features should be disabled while comparing tint.
Why near-black is the OLED test that matters
On an OLED panel every pixel makes its own light, so there is no backlight to smooth things over. At 1–10% gray each pixel is driven by a very small signal, and small variations between pixels — from the manufacturing process or from uneven ageing — become visible as faint vertical stripes, soft blotches or a slight color cast. The same panel can look flawless at 50% gray.
That is why this test steps in single 0–255 levels rather than jumping between presets. Banding that appears at level 5 and vanishes at level 13 tells you something quite different from banding you can still see at level 51 — and it is worth recording exactly where the boundary sits.
What grey banding looks like
OLED grey banding looks like faint, fixed vertical stripes: one column or a wider strip appears darker or brighter than the area beside it. A soft cloud is better described as a blotch, while a pink or green area is a tint shift. Move your eyes and viewing position slightly; a real panel pattern stays in the same place, while reflections and off-axis tint change as you move.
| What you see | How to interpret it |
|---|---|
| Faint bands only at 1–5% gray | Common near-black variation; check real dark scenes before judging severity. |
| Bands still clear at 10–20% | More likely to show in normal content; document the level and location. |
| Logo, ticker or HUD outline | Possible retention or burn-in, not ordinary grey banding. |
| Pattern changes with viewing angle | Could be reflection or off-axis tint rather than fixed panel uniformity. |
What counts as normal
Some near-black variation is present on essentially every OLED. The practical question is the same one that applies to LCD uniformity: can you see it in real content? Dark film scenes, night-time games and letterboxed video are where near-black banding shows up. If you only find it on a 2% gray test slide in a blacked-out room, it is unlikely to affect your viewing.
Seeing a fixed shape — a logo outline, a status bar, a game HUD — rather than stripes or blotches? That is retention or burn-in territory: run the burn-in test instead.
5% gray test questions
What is a 5% gray test?
A 5% gray test fills the screen with RGB 13, 13, 13 — a very dark gray that is bright enough to drive every pixel. It is commonly used to reveal OLED vertical banding, blotches and near-black uniformity problems.
Is a 5% grey test the same as a 5% gray test?
Yes. Grey and gray are two spellings of the same test. Both refer to a uniform near-black screen at about 5% brightness, not a five-step grayscale chart.
What does OLED grey banding look like?
Grey banding usually appears as faint vertical stripes that are slightly darker or brighter than the surrounding screen. Uneven cloudy patches or colored areas are uniformity issues too, but they are not bands.
How much OLED gray uniformity variation is normal?
Faint variation that only appears at 1–5% gray in a dark room is common. It matters more when the same bands or patches are visible from your normal seat in real dark scenes, games or menus.
What this test checks
- Near-black banding and vertical stripes at 1–10% gray
- Blotches, tinted zones and uneven regions in a 3×3 map
- How far up the gray ladder the unevenness stays visible
Related tests
Screen Uniformity Test
Gray levels that expose bands, clouding and dirty screen effect.
Backlight Bleed Test
Dark slides plus an angle check that separates glow from bleed.
IPS Glow Test
A guided angle check that separates panel glow from real bleed.
Black Level Test
A step wedge that finds where your display starts crushing black.
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