220-1101 Question 182
Single answerOrganic light-emitting diode (OLED)A graphic designer uses an OLED laptop for 10 hours a day with the Windows taskbar, design app toolbars, and a bright company logo visible most of the time. After several months, faint outlines of these elements remain visible even when other content is displayed. The user asks what most likely caused the issue and what should be recommended to reduce it on the replacement display. Which of the following is the BEST answer?
- A
The OLED panel has experienced image retention/burn-in from static content; recommend auto-hide for static interface elements, reduced brightness, and a screen timeout or screensaver.
- B
The LCD backlight is failing; recommend replacing the inverter and increasing brightness so pixels refresh more evenly.
- C
The GPU is overheating and creating ghosting artifacts; recommend reseating the video card and increasing fan speed.
- D
The issue is caused by incorrect screen resolution scaling; recommend setting the display to its native resolution and disabling color correction.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This scenario describes OLED burn-in caused by prolonged display of static, high-brightness elements. In OLED technology, each pixel emits its own light, which provides excellent contrast and black levels, but those organic materials can wear unevenly over time. On the A+ Core 1 exam, candidates should recognize OLED advantages and limitations in practical support situations. Standard mitigation best practices include reducing brightness, minimizing persistent static images, enabling power-saving display timeout features, and using interface settings such as auto-hide for taskbars. These recommendations align with manufacturer guidance commonly provided for OLED devices from major laptop and smartphone vendors.
- A. Correct.
Correct. OLED displays use self-emissive organic compounds, so individual pixels age based on usage. Long-term display of static, bright elements such as logos, taskbars, and toolbars can cause uneven wear, commonly referred to as burn-in or permanent image retention. Practical mitigation steps include lowering brightness, enabling screen timeout or a screensaver, using dark mode where appropriate, and hiding static UI elements such as the taskbar to reduce prolonged stress on the same pixels.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. OLED panels do not use a traditional LCD backlight or inverter. That explanation applies to older LCD technologies, especially CCFL-backlit displays. Increasing brightness would generally worsen OLED wear rather than help it.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. GPU overheating can cause artifacts, flickering, crashes, or distortion, but it would not typically create persistent faint outlines of static interface elements that remain visible across different content. Also, most laptops do not have a removable video card to reseat in the way described.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Using the native resolution is a best practice for image clarity, but incorrect scaling or color correction does not cause permanent ghost images of previously displayed static content. Those settings affect sharpness and appearance, not uneven pixel aging.