Smartphones now-a-days do come with good screen quality as usually manufacturers tend to include atleast an HD or 720p screen resolution. We do get Fhd screen resolution with phones that do not break our bank. However along with screen resolution there is one more parameter that some may not know i.e the type of screen. The manufacturers make use of IPS LCD, AMOLED, OLED, etc. type of screens. However the main type which is commonly found these days is IPS LCD and AMOLED.
What is IPS and AMOLED screen !!
Both of them are acronyms.
IPS LCD stands for: In plane switching liquid crystal display
Amoled stands for: Active matrix organic light emitting diode
From the acronyms you may get a basic idea of their difference. One consists of the LCD panel whereas the other LEDs
IPS LCD :
As said earlier, it makes use of LCD panel. LCD panel makes use of POLARIZED light. The simple meaning of POLARIZED light is that the light waves are found to be in a single plane rather than multiple as the rays in other plane appear dark on being blocked. This prevents divergence and hence we get a clearer image on our eyes.
This polarized light is then passed through colour filters. Not going much deep, it consists of a panel which is backlit. The filters adjust the colours.
The above picture is a microscopic view of an LCD panel. It is backlit and consists of filters which controls the colours. RGB combination yields variety of colours, hence they are used and are also known as primary colours.
The main advantage of an IPS LCD screen is that it yields natural colours as well as good viewing angles. It costs lesser to manufacture and hence widely used.
E.g Apple's retina screen is based on the IPS LCD screen.
AMOLED screen:
From the full form itself we come to know about what it is based on. It consists of an active matrix of pixels which can be individually controlled. It makes use of a panel which consists of LEDs. Unlike LCD panel, it doesn't consists of a backlit panel.
Here as the pixels are individually generated, the colours tend to be more vivid and saturated as compared to LCD screens.
Technically speaking it makes use of electron flow between anode and cathode. The brightness levels depend on the current flow. The LED panels consists of Red, green and blue LEDs which provide combination of colours. The panels are placed over an array of TFTs which in turn control these process.
Speaking of what advantage it has over IPS screens, it has deeper blacks as the pixels are controlled individually and hence for black colour, the pixel remains off. The saturation levels are higher which is a personal preference as some people may like saturated colours.
However in terms of power both of them have advantage in some or the other part i.e if you like a lot of black on your phone, an AMOLED screen will be the best whereas if you like colourful objects a lot, IPS panel is the way to go. The power consumed when both panels are fully bright, the IPS screen will be more power efficient if the colours used in both cases are not black.
The life of both panels as compared to modern use of smartphones is long enough for us to use them fully. However, as compared to IPS LCD screen, an AMOLED screen has lesser life as dead pixels may occur after prolong usage.
The main OEM making use of AMOLED panels is Samsung. They are masters in this technology as their screen qualities are one of the best and also end up selling to other companies for use in their phones. Samsung names it as SUPER AMOLED which provides more vivid colours and more saturation with excellent viewing angles and also much efficient.
This was an overview or insight to the basics of both type of screens. Both of them have their own advantage and disadvantage. Do let us know your thoughts about the article and on what topics you would like us to write on.
Image source: Google images
What is IPS and AMOLED screen !!
Both of them are acronyms.
IPS LCD stands for: In plane switching liquid crystal display
Amoled stands for: Active matrix organic light emitting diode
From the acronyms you may get a basic idea of their difference. One consists of the LCD panel whereas the other LEDs
IPS LCD :
As said earlier, it makes use of LCD panel. LCD panel makes use of POLARIZED light. The simple meaning of POLARIZED light is that the light waves are found to be in a single plane rather than multiple as the rays in other plane appear dark on being blocked. This prevents divergence and hence we get a clearer image on our eyes.
This polarized light is then passed through colour filters. Not going much deep, it consists of a panel which is backlit. The filters adjust the colours.
The above picture is a microscopic view of an LCD panel. It is backlit and consists of filters which controls the colours. RGB combination yields variety of colours, hence they are used and are also known as primary colours.
The main advantage of an IPS LCD screen is that it yields natural colours as well as good viewing angles. It costs lesser to manufacture and hence widely used.
E.g Apple's retina screen is based on the IPS LCD screen.
AMOLED screen:
From the full form itself we come to know about what it is based on. It consists of an active matrix of pixels which can be individually controlled. It makes use of a panel which consists of LEDs. Unlike LCD panel, it doesn't consists of a backlit panel.
Here as the pixels are individually generated, the colours tend to be more vivid and saturated as compared to LCD screens.
Technically speaking it makes use of electron flow between anode and cathode. The brightness levels depend on the current flow. The LED panels consists of Red, green and blue LEDs which provide combination of colours. The panels are placed over an array of TFTs which in turn control these process.
Speaking of what advantage it has over IPS screens, it has deeper blacks as the pixels are controlled individually and hence for black colour, the pixel remains off. The saturation levels are higher which is a personal preference as some people may like saturated colours.
However in terms of power both of them have advantage in some or the other part i.e if you like a lot of black on your phone, an AMOLED screen will be the best whereas if you like colourful objects a lot, IPS panel is the way to go. The power consumed when both panels are fully bright, the IPS screen will be more power efficient if the colours used in both cases are not black.
The life of both panels as compared to modern use of smartphones is long enough for us to use them fully. However, as compared to IPS LCD screen, an AMOLED screen has lesser life as dead pixels may occur after prolong usage.
The main OEM making use of AMOLED panels is Samsung. They are masters in this technology as their screen qualities are one of the best and also end up selling to other companies for use in their phones. Samsung names it as SUPER AMOLED which provides more vivid colours and more saturation with excellent viewing angles and also much efficient.
This was an overview or insight to the basics of both type of screens. Both of them have their own advantage and disadvantage. Do let us know your thoughts about the article and on what topics you would like us to write on.
Image source: Google images