Smartphone display acronyms can be confusing, but we've got you covered if you want to understand what all the numbers and abbreviations on your screen signify.
Smartphones employ a variety of
display types, including LCD, OLED, AMOLED, Super AMOLED, TFT, IPS, and a few
others that are less used anymore, such as IPS-LCD. AMOLED is one of the most
common display technologies today found in mid-to-high-end phones. But what do
all of these things mean?
In a nutshell, there are two types
of smartphone display technology on the market: LCD and OLED. Similar to
televisions such as LED, QLED, and miniLED - which are all versions of LCD
technology - each of them has multiple modifications and generations, giving
rise to more acronyms.
Smartphone Display
What exactly is an LCD?
LCD stands for Liquid Crystal
Display, and it refers to an array of liquid crystals powered by a backlight.
Because of their widespread use and inexpensive cost, LCDs are a popular choice
for smartphones and other gadgets. LCDs also function well in bright sunlight
due to the fact that the entire panel is illuminated from behind, but they
could have less accurate colour reproduction than displays which do not require
a backlight.
In LCD, you have mainly two types
of smartphone displays: TFT and IPS
- TFT (thin-film transistor)
A Thin Film Transistor (TFT) is an
advanced type of LCD that employs an active matrix (like the AM in AMOLED).
Each pixel in an active matrix is connected to a transistor and a capacitor
separately.
When compared to standard LCDs,
the key advantage of TFT is its comparatively low production cost and enhanced
contrast. TFT LCDs have the disadvantage of requiring more energy than other
LCDs, as well as having less spectacular viewing angles and colour
reproduction. TFTs are no longer extensively utilised in smartphones because of
these factors, as well as lowering prices of alternative options.
- IPS (In-Plane Switching)
The IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology
tackles a problem that plagued the initial generation of LCD displays, which
used the TN (Twisted Nematic) technique to produce colour distortion when
viewed from the side - an issue that persists on lower-cost smartphones and
tablets.
The liquid crystals in IPS panels
are aligned to the display, resulting in better viewing angles - commonly
advertised at 178o on TVs, which is another IPS feature. Another advantage of
IPS displays over other LCD technologies is their greater colour reproduction,
which explains why such panels are used in monitors for image editing.
What exactly is an AMOLED display?
Active Matrix Organic
Light-Emitting Diode (AMOLED) is an acronym for Active Matrix Organic
Light-Emitting Diode. While this may appear to be difficult, it is not. The
active matrix is a thin-film display technology that we've already seen in TFT
LCDs, and OLED is just another name for it.
When a current is passed through
organic material, it emits light, as the name implies. OLED displays are
'always off' unless the individual pixels are electrified, unlike LCD screens,
which are back-lit.
This means that when black or
darker colours are projected on-screen, OLED displays have considerably purer
blacks and use less energy. Lighter-coloured themes on AMOLED panels, on the
other hand, consume far more power than a similar theme on an LCD. OLED screens
are also more expensive than LCD screens.
Because the black pixels in an
OLED display are turned off, the contrast ratios are higher than on LCD
screens. AMOLED displays offer a high refresh rate as well, however, they are
less visible in direct sunlight than backlit LCDs. Other considerations include
screen burn-in and diode degradation (because of their organic nature).
On the positive side, because
AMOLED screens do not require a backlight layer, they can be manufactured
thinner and more flexible than LCD screens.
What's the difference between an
OLED display, an AMOLED display, and a Super AMOLED display?
OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. An OLED display is made
up of thin sheets of electroluminescent material that emit their own light,
eliminating the need for a backlight and therefore lowering energy consumption.
When utilised on smartphones or televisions, OLED screens are more generally
referred to as AMOLED displays.
AMOLED stands for "Active Matrix OLED," and current consumer
electronics OLED displays use active matrices rather than passive matrices
present in previous OLED displays. AMOLED displays use active-matrix or
thin-film transistor arrays, which are more power-efficient than most old OLED
displays. AMOLED displays typically incorporate the advantages of both P-OLED
and standard OLED panels. They are more expensive because they are more durable
and multifunctional.
Samsung calls its displays Super
AMOLED, which were previously exclusively seen in high-end models but have
already made their way into more modestly equipped handsets. Super AMOLED, like
IPS LCDs, improves on the fundamental AMOLED concept by incorporating the touch
response layer into the display itself rather than as an additional layer on
top.
As a result, Super AMOLED screens
are more resistant to sunlight than AMOLED displays and use less electricity.
Super AMOLED is merely a better version of AMOLED, as the name implies. It's
not just marketing bravado, either: Samsung's displays are consistently rated
among the best in the industry.
Polymer organic light-emitting
diode (P-OLED) is an acronym for polymer organic light-emitting diode.
Glass substrates are replaced with polymer or plastic substrates in P OLED
displays. As a result, the panel is more shock-resistant and less likely to
break. P OLED displays can be flexible depending on the polymer used, allowing
them to be used in foldable and rollable devices. Polymer OLEDs or P OLED
displays can be substantially thinner than glass because polymer sheets can be
made with much tighter tolerances.
There are a few flaws with P OLED
displays. They aren't always as sharp as newer OLED screens, although the
difference is rarely noticeable. Burn-in is more likely with P OLED displays.
"Dynamic AMOLED"
is the name given to the most recent version of the technology. Samsung didn't
explain what the phrase meant, but it did say that panels with it have HDR10+
certification, which indicates they can handle a broader range of contrast and
colours, as well as a blue light reduction for better eye comfort.
In a similar vein, OnePlus' use of
the name "Fluid AMOLED" on its most sophisticated devices refers to
the high refresh rates used, which results in more fluid animations on the
screen.
8-bit and 10-bit displays
There are thousands or millions of
pixels on a screen. Each pixel is made up of Red, Blue, and Green parts that be
combined and intensified in different ways to display millions of different
colours in an image.
We mean 8 bits of Red, 8 bits of
Blue, and 8 bits of Green when we say "8-bit." So, for each of the
Red, Blue, and Green hues, an 8-bit display may display 256 different tones,
totalling approximately 16.7 million colours.
A 10-bit display, on the other
hand, can depict 1024 shades for each Red, Blue, and Green hue. This means it
can create more than 1.07 billion different colours. As a result, it has 64
times the colour information of an 8-bit panel.
A 10-bit display may display
significantly more colour data than an 8-bit panel which increases the colour
accuracy of your photographs and HDR video is enhanced. Also, a wider range of
colour gradations is available which leads to colour banding being less
prominent and shadow details being fine-tuned.
It does, however, have some
drawbacks like more processing power is required and in general, 10-bit screens
are more expensive. As a result, it is not as popular.
Also Read: Smartphone Processors Explained: Qualcomm, MediaTek, Exynos and Tensor
Some other displays such as IGZO, LTPS, LTPO
You'll also come across other less common phrases that are commonly highlighted in promotional materials for cellphones, further muddying the alphabet soup we've come across.
LTPS (Low-Temperature PolySilicon) Is a TFT variant based on a-Si
(amorphous silicon) technology that delivers greater resolutions and lower
power consumption than regular TFT panels.
IGZO (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide) is a semiconductor material used in
TFT films that allows for better resolutions and lower power consumption. It's
utilised in a variety of LCD panels (TN, IPS, VA), as well as OLED displays.
Apple created LTPO
(Low-Temperature Polycrystaline Oxide), a technology that combines LTPS and
IGZO methods and may be utilised in both OLED and LCD displays. What's the end
result? Reduced energy use. It's in the Apple Watch 4 and the Samsung Galaxy
S21 Ultra.
LTPO allows the display to
dynamically modify its refresh rate in response to the material being
displayed. Scrolling pages can activate the quickest mode for fluid reading,
however displaying a static image allows the phone to operate at a reduced
refresh rate, which saves battery life.
In 2022, flagship phones began to
use the so-called LTPO 2.0 technology, which has the advantage of being
able to go as low as 1 Hz instead of the 10 Hz possible in first-generation
LTPO screens. LTPO 2.0, which can be found in phones like the OnePlus 10 Pro
and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, offers even more energy savings.
LCD/LED vs. AMOLED: which is
better?
Each technology has its own set of
benefits and drawbacks, but OLED screens have risen to prominence in recent
years, thanks to their inclusion in high-end flagship smartphones. It grew in
popularity even more after the release of the iPhone X, which reinforced OLED
panels' position in the luxury segment.
As previously stated, OLED/AMOLED
screens benefit from a wide range of contrast levels due to individual pixel
brightness management. Another benefit is a more accurate representation of
black, as well as lower battery usage when the screen displays dark images,
which has helped dark modes become more popular on smartphones.
When compared to LCD panels, OLED
screens have a higher manufacturing cost and a fewer number of suppliers -
dominated by South Korean companies Samsung Display and LG Display, with
China's BOE in the third position and a few other Chinese companies filling in
the gaps.
Furthermore, the organic diodes
that give OLED panels its name might lose their capacity to change attributes
over time, which occurs when the same image is exhibited for a long time. This
is known as "burn-in," and it occurs when greater brightness levels
are used for extended periods of time.
While this is a real possibility,
most people don't experience it because they confuse burn-in with a related
issue called picture retention, which is very transient and normally fixes
itself after a few minutes.
The main advantage of LCD displays is their low manufacturing cost, with dozens of competitors on the market offering competitive pricing and large production volumes. Some brands, such as Xiaomi, have used this feature to prioritise specific characteristics above others, such as a greater refresh rate, rather than using an OLED display.
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