March 8, 2019

Difference Between LCD and OLED Screens

You can find LCD and OLED screens across monitors, TVs, mobile phones, cameras and any other electronic device with a screen.

When we are buying a smartphone, TV or monitor we take into consideration as a key factor the screen.

Most of smartphones adopt OLED screen instead of LCD screen. What is the difference between LCD screen and OLED screen?

LCD vs OLED screens

LCD Screens

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) has a constant backlight. A panel the same size as the display creates a steady white light that illuminates the display. Manufacturers layer polarizers and filters in front of the backlight control the amount of light that shines through. Additionally, they shape the images you see on the screen.

LCD displays are millions of little colored dots laid out in front of a big light called a backlight. This backlight is what lights up the display and makes the colored dots visible. This method’s drawback is that even if you have the entire display turn black, it still generates light. You can’t make this kind of display “look” off while it’s running. One good side of LCD is that it has better power consumption.

OLED screens

OLED Screens

OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays are also millions of little colored dots. However, unlike LCD, every single dot generates its own source of light. This means that pixels that are black actually turn off. This makes it possible for a display to look like it’s off, even if it’s running. This is what makes the Always On Display of Samsung phones possible. This kind of display also typically has much better color contrast and looks much more vibrant than LCD displays. One downside is that OLED has higher power consumption.

OLED screens have a layer made of organic material (carbon and other substances) located between two electrodes that, when supplied with electricity, emit light.

OLED screens also have 2 types: AM active type and PM passive type. Even though the AMOLED plays a dominant role in the market, but the AMOLED display effect still varies from manufactures to manufactures.

AMOLED is another version of OLED that has lower power consumption and can be flexible. However, AMOLED is more expensive to make than OLED.

The P array of AMOLED: the struggle between display effects and lifespan. When it comes to the downsides of AMOLED, the first thing that comes to mind is the P array, namely the Pentile array. Samsung was the first company to massively produce OLED panels and to use P array. The Galaxy S4 first use the P array called Diamond Pixel, which head down a different path with the standard RGB alignment.

What is IPS?

IPS stands for In-Plane Switching and is one type of LCD screen. There are different types – TN and MVA which is used for TVs, while phones only use IPS LCD screens.

TV manufacturers have only referred to LCD as ‘LED’ screens to make people think it’s some kind of new technology. Samsung made up a new acronym: QLED. But underneath it’s still an LCD screen.

LCD vs OLED: which is better?

LED LCD has been around for much longer and it’s cheaper to make. OLED technology is already much better than LED LCD at handling darkness and lighting precision.

Burn-in is one big issue for OLED. Companies have gotten really good at reducing burn-in through software, but it is inevitable. Burn-in is caused by uneven wearing of the pixels. Over time, OLED pixels dim. This is exacerbated by use, especially from bright and static images.