Red phosphorescent emitters were synthesized based on Ir(III) phenylquinoline complexes for applications to OLEDs. Ir(III) complexes 1-3 were based on 2-(biphenyl-3-yl)-quinoline units connected to various phenyl groups such as 5-phenyl, 5-(4-fluorophenyl), and 6-phenyl groups. The EL efficiencies were quite sensitive to the structural features of the dopants in the emitting layers. In particular, a high-efficiency red OLED was fabricated using complex 1 as the dopant in the emitting layer. This OLED showed a maximum luminance, luminous efficiency, power efficiency, external quantum efficiency and CIE(x,y) coordinates of 21,600 cd/m2 at 16 V, 11.80 cd/A at 20 mA/cm2, 3.57 Im/W at 20 mA/cm2, 10.90% at 20 mA/cm2, and (x = 0.63, y = 0.32) at 12 V, respectively.