How the test works

A short "Get ready" list comes first: dim the room, so faint shapes show better. Nothing flashes – the colours change only when you tap or click. On iPhone, Safari can't go full screen, so the test suggests Share → Add to Home Screen. You can also say what kind of screen you have, so the advice fits.

Then the whole screen fills with one plain colour at a time: dark grey, grey and light grey, then red, green and blue at half brightness. Tap or click for the next one. Look slowly over the whole screen, especially where things usually stay still: the taskbar, icons, a TV channel logo or a phone's status bar.

At the end you pick what you saw: faint shapes, blotches without shapes, or nothing. The result says "No burn-in", "Possible burn-in" or "Uneven areas", with plain advice. Buying a used OLED? Run the test before you pay.

Burn-in or image retention?

Burn-in is permanent, uneven wear of OLED pixels. Pixels that show the same image for a long time age faster, so a faint copy of it stays visible on plain colours. Typical causes are the taskbar, logos, a game HUD (the health bar, map or score that stay in place), a phone's status and navigation bars, and the on-screen keyboard.

Image retention looks similar but is temporary. It usually fades after a few minutes of other content, or after the monitor's pixel refresh. LCD screens (IPS, VA) rarely burn in, but they can show short-lived retention too.

If you see faint shapes

1. Show varied content for a while – a film or ordinary browsing – then run the test again. If the shapes are gone, it was image retention.
2. Run the pixel refresh or panel care from the monitor's menu and let it finish. Many OLED monitors also run it on their own in standby, so keep them powered, not unplugged at the wall.
3. If the shapes stay, it is likely burn-in. Some manufacturers cover it under warranty and others don't – check the manufacturer's or seller's terms.

Skip "burn-in fixer" videos that flash colours. They can't undo worn pixels, and flashing content can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy – that is why PeakNits never flashes. Never press or rub the screen either.

Blotches without clear shapes are usually uneven brightness – see the uniformity test. For single odd dots, use the dead pixel test.

How to prevent burn-in

• Auto-hide the taskbar.
• Use dark mode.
• Let the screen turn off after a few minutes without use.
• Keep the monitor's panel care and pixel shift on. Pixel shift moves the picture slightly now and then.
• Lower the brightness for long, static desktop work.

More single tests

• HDR brightnessHow bright highlights get, and how much big bright areas dim.
• Black levelTrue black and the darkest shadow detail.
• GradientsStripes in smooth colour ramps – 8-bit or 10-bit.
• ColoursStandard sRGB, Display-P3 or beyond.
• Refresh rateYour Hz right away, plus motion clarity.
• Dead pixelsDark or stuck dots on full-screen colours.
• UniformityPatches, darker edges and backlight bleed.