For NIR-emitting organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs), platinum complexes have the record maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE), although such devices generally suffer from severe efficiency roll-off with increasing current densities. Here, we report on iridium complexes as a competent alternative for NIR dyes with high EQEs and negligible efficiency roll-off. A simple, charge-neutral iridium complex, iridium(III) bis(2-methyl-3-phenylbenzo[g]quinoxaline-N,C 0 ) acetylacetonate (Ir(mpbqx-g) 2 acac, 1), has been synthesized and characterized by a strong NIR emission with l max,peak at 777 nm and l max,shoulder at 850 nm in CH 2 Cl 2 solutions. The single-crystal and electronic structure as well as photophysical and electrochemical properties were systematically studied in comparison with its cationic counterpart [Ir(mpbqx-g) 2 (Bphen)] + PF 6 À (2, Bphen ¼ 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline). Complex 1 has seven times the quantum efficiency of complex 2 because of its much stronger spin-orbit coupling. NIR-emittingOLEDs based on complex 1 have been fabricated with a bipolar gallium complex as the host. The devices achieved a maximum EQE of up to 2.2% (J ¼ 13 mA cm À2 ) and a maximum radiant emittance (R max ) of 1.8 mW cm À2 . In particular, the EQEs remained around 2% over a wide range of current densities from 3 to 100 mA cm À2 . † Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: The uncorrected PL spectra of complex 1 and complex 2 (Fig. S1); CV diagram for complex 1 and complex 2 (Fig. S2); the rst two triplet states for Ir(mpbqx-g) 2 (acac) calculated from the TDDFT approach (Table S1); current density vs. bias voltage characteristics and radiant emittance vs. bias voltage characteristics for devices with the congurations as ITO/NPB (40 nm)/complex 1: Ga 2 (saph) 2 q 2 (20 wt% 40 nm)/Bphen (30, 45, 60 nm, respectively)/Mg: Ag (150 nm) (Fig. S3); electroluminescence transients of the OLEDs (ITO/NPB (40 nm)/complex 1: Ga 2 (saph) 2 q 2 (20 wt% 40 nm)/Bphen (45 nm)/Mg: Ag (150 nm)) at 12 V (Fig. S4); the detailed structural data for the single crystal of complex 1 (Tables S2-S5); the complete author list of ref. 30 (PDF). See