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Device Test Labs

Is Backlight Bleed Normal? How Much Is Acceptable

Some backlight bleed is normal on almost every LCD monitor: a little light leaking at the edges shows on a black screen in a dark room at high brightness. It's not normal — and worth returning — when you can see bright patches at your usual brightness with the room lit, or in everyday dark scenes. Glow that changes as you move your head is IPS glow, a property of IPS panels rather than a defect. OLED screens have no backlight, so they can't bleed.

Normal or a defect?

What you seeVerdict
Faint glow at the edges, only on black, in a dark room, at high brightnessNormal for an LCD
Glow that moves or changes colour when you move your head, strongest in the cornersIPS glow — Dell calls it an inherent trait of IPS technology, not a defect
Fixed patches you notice in dark films or games, but not with the lights onMild bleed — common; exchange if it bothers you
Bright patches visible at your normal brightness with the room litNoticeable bleed — return or contact support
Glow on black on an OLEDNot bleed — check black-level and HDR settings

How to judge it fairly

  1. Use your normal brightness and room lighting first — that's what you'll live with. ASUS tells customers to judge light leakage in a lit room (at least 150 lux, typical office lighting), not in the dark.
  2. Then check full-screen black in a dark room at maximum brightness to see the worst case.
  3. Move your head: if the glow moves, it's IPS glow; if it stays put, it's bleed.
  4. Run the backlight bleed test for a verdict.

What you can do about it

  • Return or exchange within the retailer's window — the most reliable fix, since bleed varies from unit to unit.
  • Lower brightness and add some room light (a bias light behind the monitor helps) — both make bleed much less visible.
  • Contact support with photos if it's visible in normal use after the return window.
  • Loosening the screws on the back or massaging the panel edge is sometimes suggested online; it can make things worse and may void the warranty.

Frequently asked questions

Does backlight bleed get worse over time?
It usually doesn't get worse, and bleed caused by pressure in a new monitor's frame sometimes eases slightly over the first weeks. A sudden increase after a knock or a move can mean the panel shifted in its frame.
Will the manufacturer replace a monitor for backlight bleed?
Policies vary and few brands publish a bleed threshold the way they do for dead pixels. Severe bleed visible in normal use is often accepted as a defect; mild bleed in a dark room usually isn't. Use the retailer's return window if you can.
Why does backlight bleed look so bad in photos?
Phone cameras raise exposure on a dark scene, which exaggerates edge glow far beyond what your eyes see. Judge with your eyes at normal settings; if you send photos to support, use a fixed exposure close to what you see.
Is IPS glow a defect?
No. IPS glow comes from viewing an IPS panel at an angle — especially the corners when you sit close to a large screen. It shifts as you move your head and is expected on IPS monitors, though some models show less of it than others.

Sources

  1. How to distinguish IPS glow and light leakage in a Dell monitor — Dell
  2. LCD screen light leakage judgement — ASUS
  3. What is backlight bleed or backlight leakage? — BenQ
  4. What is IPS glow and how can I make it less visible? — BenQ

Last reviewed .

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