IPS super amoled display technology. AMOLED or IPS – which screen is better for a smartphone? Which screen is better for a smartphone: IPS or AMOLED to choose

I feel that this year AMOLED vs IPS will be a new trend and a topic for endless debate. I want to express my opinion about AMOLED and IPS screens. IN technical details I won’t go into detail, just personal impressions.

Since I used the Galaxy S1, Galaxy S2, Galaxy Nexus, a little Note 2, and also Galaxy Tab 7.7, then I understand perfectly what it is AMOLED display and what are its advantages. In turn, I did not ignore displays on IPS matrices: iPhone 4/4S/5, Meizu MX2, HTC Droid DNA (LCD3) and HTC One(IGZO?).

AMOLED vs IPS

AMOLED screens often use their own pixel structure and most often it's not the best option their layout (PenTile), but in the era of the advent of FullHD resolution in smartphones, you can miss this moment, since it is in AMOLED screens that high pixel density can hide all the jambs with a non-standard subpixel layout.

Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode (AMOLED) - technology for creating displays for mobile devices, computer monitors and televisions. Technology involves the use organic LEDs as light-emitting elements and an active matrix of thin film transistors (TFT) for driving LEDs.

Any display made using AMOLED technology is an advertising bullshield. The colors on such a screen are oversaturated and far from natural, but many people like it, especially at first, until their eyes begin to get tired. To avoid this, Galaxy smartphones have added a special item in the screen settings, in which you can change the color rendering from “tear out your eyes and let them peck a crow” to “dead corpse”. In any mode, the colors are far from natural, I speak as a person who does a little design work.

AMOLED screens are very economical - advertising noodles for your ears. Indeed, when the smartphone screen displays completely black, the power consumption is minimal, but this does not happen so often. Good example is a browser. If the picture is bright, then AMOLED consumes battery power 5-6 times more actively.

If we compare the power consumption of AMOLED screens with IPS, when White color in the picture, AMOLED begins to consume twice as much charge as IPS. If we consider the option of displaying icons on the desktop when the background is completely black, then the power consumption in both cases is similar. At normal use Based on the capabilities of a smartphone, a screen on an IPS matrix will always be more economical, unless, of course, you force yourself into limits and use black color everywhere. For Android there is special versions gapps, in which standard applications(gmail, contacts, etc.) are inverted to black colors, even the bare Android interface is mostly made in dark colors. Here you may like it as you please, but the advantages in energy consumption of IPS screens are undeniable.

One of the advantages of AMOLED screens is the maximum viewing angles, but here I can argue with fans of these types of screens. If we take into account the IPS smartphone screens that I listed at the beginning of the article, then their viewing angles are maximum, and in the case of the HTC One there is no distortion at all in the color or contrast of the picture. In the case of AMOLED, the contrast and viewing angles are also maximum, but if you look at a light background, then at certain angles it begins to give off different shades (most often green or red).

The undeniable advantage of AMOLED over IPS is true black color, but every year the quality of black color on IPS screens is noticeably improving, and if you look at it from the point of view that everyday use device, we encounter more light shades on the screens than black ones, then the advantage of AMOLED is insignificant.

By 2018, the competition between screen technologies had come down to the fact that there were only two worthy options left on the market. TN matrices have been supplanted, VA in mobile devices have not been used, and something new has not yet been invented. Therefore, competition has developed between IPS and AMOLED. It’s worth remembering here that IPS, LCD LTPS, PLS, SFT are the same as OLED, Super AMOLED, P-OLED, etc. are just variations of LED technology.

On the topic of what is better, IPS or AMOLED, . But technology does not stand still, so in 2018 it will not be superfluous to make adjustments and analyze it taking into account today’s realities. After all, both types of matrices are constantly being improved, some disadvantages are eliminated, or these disadvantages become less significant.

Now let’s try to find out which is better for a smartphone, IPS or AMOLED. To do this, let’s weigh all the pros and cons of each technology so that strengths identify the absolute leader or, taking into account the specifics, decide what is better in specific conditions.

Pros and cons of IPS displays

The development and improvement of IPS displays has been going on for two decades, and during this time the technology has acquired a number of advantages.

Advantages of IPS matrices

IPS matrices are the best among all types of LCD panels due to a number of advantages.

Availability. Over the years of development, many companies have massively mastered the technology, making mass production of IPS screens inexpensive. The cost of a smartphone screen with FullHD resolution now starts at around $10. Due to their low price, such screens make smartphones more affordable.
Color rendition. A well-calibrated IPS screen reproduces colors with maximum accuracy. That is why professional monitors for designers, graphic artists, photographers, etc. are produced on IPS matrix X. They have the greatest coverage of shades, which allows you to get realistic colors of objects on the screen.
Fixed power consumption. Liquid crystals that form the image on an IPS screen consume almost no current; the main consumer is backlight diodes. Therefore, energy consumption does not depend on the image on the display and is determined by the backlight level. Due to the fixed power consumption, IPS screens provide approximately the same autonomy when watching movies, web surfing, written communication, etc.
Durability. Liquid crystals are almost not subject to aging and wear, so in terms of reliability, IPS is better than AMOLED. Backlight LEDs can degrade, but the service life of such LEDs is very long (tens of thousands of hours), so even after 5 years the screen hardly loses its brightness.

Disadvantages of IPS matrices

Despite significant advantages, IPS also has disadvantages. These shortcomings are fundamental and cannot be eliminated by improving technology.

Black purity problem. Liquid crystals, which display black, do not block light from the backlight 100%. But since IPS backlight The screen is common to the entire matrix, its brightness does not decrease, the panel remains illuminated, and as a result the black color is not very deep.

Low contrast. The contrast level of LCD matrices (approximately 1:1000) is acceptable for comfortable perception of the picture, but according to this indicator AMOLED is better IPS. Due to the fact that the black is not very deep, the difference between the brightest and darkest pixels in such screens is noticeably smaller than in LED matrices.
Long response time. The pixel response speed of IPS panels is low, about tens of milliseconds. This is enough for normal image perception when reading or watching videos, but not enough for VR content and other demanding tasks.

Pros and cons of AMOLED displays

OLED technology is based on the use of an array of miniature LEDs located on a matrix. They are independent, so they offer a number of advantages over IPS, but they are not without their disadvantages.

Advantages of AMOLED matrices

AMOLED technology is newer than IPS, and its creators have taken care to eliminate the disadvantages characteristic of LCD displays.

Separate pixel glow. In AMOLED screens, each pixel itself is a light source and is controlled by the system independently of the others. When displaying black, it does not glow, and when displaying mixed shades, it may display increased brightness. Due to this, AMOLED screens show better contrast and depth of black.

Almost instant response. Pixel response speed LED matrix orders of magnitude higher than IPS. Such panels are capable of displaying a dynamic picture with high frequency frame changes, making it smoother. This feature is a plus in games and when interacting with VR.
Reduced power consumption when showing dark tones. Each pixel of the AMOLED matrix lights up independently. The lighter its color, the brighter the pixel, so when displaying dark tones, such screens consume less power than IPS. But when displaying white AMOLED panels, they show similar, or even greater, battery consumption than IPS.
Small thickness. Since AMOLED matrices do not have a layer that scatters backlight light onto liquid crystals, such displays are thinner. This allows you to reduce the size of your smartphone while maintaining its reliability and without sacrificing battery capacity. In addition, in the future it is possible to create flexible (and not just curved) AMOLED matrices. This is not possible for IPS.

Disadvantages of AMOLED matrices

AMOLED matrices also have disadvantages, and the culprit for most troubles is one. These are blue LEDs. Mastering their production is more difficult, and they are inferior in quality to green and red ones.

Sineva or PWM. When choosing a smartphone with an AMOLED screen, you have to choose between pulse-width brightness control and blue light tones. This is due to the fact that with a continuous glow, blue subpixels are perceived stronger than red and green ones. This can be corrected by using PWM brightness control, but then another drawback emerges. On maximum brightness There is no PWM screen or the adjustment frequency reaches about 250 Hz. This indicator is on the border of perception and has almost no effect on the eyes. But when the backlight level decreases, the PWM frequency also decreases, ultimately by low levels flicker with a frequency of about 60 Hz can lead to eye fatigue.

Blue Burnout. There is also a problem with blue diodes. Their service life is shorter than green and red ones, so color reproduction may become distorted over time. The screen turns yellow, the white balance shifts towards warm tones, and overall color reproduction deteriorates.

Memory effect. Since miniature LEDs are prone to burnout, areas on the screen that displayed a bright, static image (for example, a clock or network indicator) light color), may lose brightness over time. As a result, even if the element is not displayed, the silhouette of this element is visible in these places.

PenTile. The PenTile structure is not a fundamental disadvantage of all AMOLED panels, but is still characteristic of most of them. With this structure, the matrix contains an unequal number of red, green and blue subpixels (Samsung has half as many blue ones, LG has twice as many). The main motive for using PenTile is the desire to compensate for the shortcomings of blue LEDs. However, a side effect this decision There is a decrease in picture clarity, especially noticeable in VR headsets.

Taking into account all the features of both types of matrices, it can be noted that IPS with high resolution It’s better if you are interested in VR and need maximum picture clarity. After all, AMOLED has a comfortable perception virtual reality PenTile is a little hampered, and the PWM backlight so far neutralizes the instantaneous response speed. IPS is also better if you have to work more with light colors (web surfing, instant messengers).

AMOLED screens are the future, but the technology is not perfect yet. However, you can safely buy a smartphone with LED screen, especially if it's a flagship. Brightness, contrast, deep blacks and energy savings when displaying dark tones can overcome all the disadvantages of OLED.

It’s easy to notice that phones with AMOLED screens are more expensive than their IPS counterparts. What is the reason for the higher cost? Is it possible to immediately distinguish a display created using AMOLED technology from other types of screens? Why are such LCD panels rarely found outside of the products of the South Korean company Samsung? The answers to all these questions are in this material.

Under the abbreviation AMOLED lies the decoding of “Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode”. It means that given matrix built on the basis of organic light-emitting diodes, while it is active. Each pixel here lights up independently, as a result of which a separate backlit layer is not required - this reduces the thickness of the panel and also reduces power consumption.

Almost any AMOLED screen has the following structure:

Upper layer - cathode;
Below is organic layer with LEDs- there is no air gap;
Posted even lower matrix of thin film transistors those involved in diode control;
Followed by anode layer;
It all lies on a substrate made of silicone, metal or some other material.

Structure of an AMOLED screen

The order of LED subpixels in AMOLED displays can be different. Samsung for a long time I used PenTile - a checkerboard pattern (blue in the middle, two green on the sides, two red behind them). It is this position of the subpixels that has the most positive effect on power consumption.

PenTile - subpixel order used by Samsung

AMOLED or Super AMOLED: which is better?

IN Samsung smartphones screens made according to Super technology AMOLED. What are the main differences between such displays? Initially, the prefix “Super” meant the absence of an air gap - it was the South Korean company that managed to get rid of it in 2010. But now ordinary AMOLED screens manufactured by other companies can boast of this. Consequently, Super AMOLED is now a marketing feature of the South Korean manufacturer. That is, you can put an “equal” sign between AMOLED and Super AMOLED.

It should be noted that it is Samsung that produces greatest number AMOLED panels. South Koreans have already learned how to bend their creations in every possible way (doing this without a separate backlit layer is much easier). Rest assured, all smartphones with an AMOLED display, the edges of which are curved, are manufactured using South Korean matrices. Apple is going to open its own plant for the production of organic LED screens, but this will not happen earlier than 2020.

Main advantages of AMOLED panels

The physical properties of matrices consisting of organic light-emitting diodes are such that the screen can have tiny thickness. In particular, this is especially important for smart watches and fitness bracelets, physical dimensions which should not be large.

But the most important advantage of any OLED screen (including its AMOLED variations) is low power consumption. Each pixel of such a display glows independently. It turns out that the greatest energy consumption will be at the moment when the entire screen displays a flat white color. And if some areas should display dark colors, they glow noticeably dimmer, which reduces battery consumption.

The darker the picture displayed on the display, the less energy is consumed.

High Contrast- another undoubted advantage of such screens. This is explained by the same ability of pixels to glow on their own. For example, under the IPS panel there is a substrate of LEDs that illuminate black colors as well. This doesn't happen here.

Differences in contrast are immediately noticeable

It is also due to this that the picture on the AMOLED screen clearly visible even under bright sunlight. IPS technology allows you to see something on the display on a clear day only by turning down the backlight brightness, which leads to a sharp increase in power consumption.

Phones with AMOLED display

As mentioned above, only Samsung is familiar with organic LEDs. But this does not mean that this manufacturer does not sell its screens to someone else. In particular, a 6-inch AMOLED panel is included in the popular smartphone OnePlus 5T. The resolution of this screen is 2160 x 1080 pixels, and the width of the side frames is kept to a minimum.

The screen, created on the basis of organic light-emitting diodes, has Meizu Pro 7 . This device much more compact - the diagonal of the display installed here is only 5.2 inches, and the resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels. A distinctive feature of the device is the presence of a second screen located on the rear panel, directly below the dual camera. AMOLED technology was also used in its creation.

As for South Korean smartphones, there is no point in singling out specific models. For quite some time now, even relatively inexpensive devices produced by Samsung have received an AMOLED display. The only exceptions are ultra-budget models, sold for 4000-5000 rubles.

Conclusion

AMOLED screens are the future, that's for sure. Such displays do not have serious drawbacks, producing images with better color rendition and maximum viewing angles, while consuming a very small amount of electricity. The only problem is the higher cost of such panels. This results in a percentage of yield of suitable products that is far from a record. We can also mention that production rates are not the highest - alas, it is extremely difficult for Samsung alone to satisfy the demands of the smartphone market.

The display is one of the most important parts smartphone, which we most often pay attention to when using it. True, not when purchasing, because it’s so easy to get lost in the variety of types of matrices and listing screen resolutions. That’s why we’ll talk about the types of displays and their resolutions. The smartphone market offers a huge variety of display matrix types - TFT, IPS, AMOLED and others. We will focus on the most important ones.

TFT is a display that is based on thin film transistors. This technology was invented back in 1959 and is already covered in dust and cobwebs. TFT displays no longer suit everyone necessary criteria quality to screens and are installed only in budget smartphones. Now TFT is inferior to IPS and OLED in color reproduction and contrast.

However, they have one advantage - high (1 ms) response time. Although regular user does not see the difference between 1 and 3 or 5-7 ms, which completely buries the technology.

IPS (In-Plane Switching) is a technology that also grew out of LCD displays(LCD). Unlike the same TFT (I hope you are not yet confused about the terms?), IPS is more different high contrast and color rendering indicators, the viewing angle is also expanded and energy consumption is reduced. However, IPS is criticized for oversaturation of color and insufficient saturation of the entire picture.

On this moment IPS is perhaps the most popular technology when creating smartphones and tablets.

Retina is the marketing name for the IPS technology described above, invented by Apple. Cupertino displays are different high density pixels (about 300 per inch), which makes them practically indistinguishable on the matrix to the human eye.

In 2012, the company began introducing Retina displays into laptops MacBook Pro, then new screens appeared in smartphones.

OLED and AMOLED

Organic LEDs Light Emitting Diode) are very widely used in production plasma panels, smartphones and tablets. Such displays consist of thin sheets of electroluminescent material that produce their own light. The advantages of OLED over older technologies are less weight, no need for backlighting, increased viewing angle, brightness and contrast.

The main disadvantages of the technology remain their high cost and short service life. Unfortunately, even in top flagships, OLED displays dim and fade after 2-3 years of use.

AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) or Super AMOLED are the marketing names used led panels named Samsung. In order not to fill your head with unnecessary facts, just remember that such displays are more energy efficient and more expensive. The normal eye will not notice the difference between AMOLED and OLED.

Display resolution

No matter how high-quality the display matrix is, a lot depends on its resolution. Resolution tells you how many pixels there are along the length and width of the display. The higher the resolution, the denser the pixels are located on the matrix (PPI indicator). We will tell you what resolution displays are currently on the mobile device market.

HD (1280 x 720 pixels)

The basic resolution for smartphones, as a rule, cannot be lower than this. All budget smartphones are equipped with HD displays; the PPI indicator in such devices fluctuates around 300 dpi. Experts say that our eyes can already clearly see lower pixel densities.

Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)

An indicator often common in sub-flagships. For example, on smartphones with a 5-inch PPI display already fluctuates around 440 dpi. Full screens For example, the 2016 flagships OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T are equipped with HD.

Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels)

We go further - with Quad HD, the pixel density on a 5.5-inch screen (a very popular option) rises to 538 ppi. For Full HD, for example, this figure will be only 400 dpi. To avoid confusion, you need to remember that Quad HD is often called 2K.

Ultra HD (4096 x 3840 pixels)

The highest display resolution found on modern market smartphones. More often, Ultra HD resolution is called 4K. For example, at Sony Xperia The Z5 Premium's 5.5-inch display has 806 ppi, nearly three times that of HD panels.

Which display is better?

It’s difficult to answer, because everyone chooses a smartphone based on their requirements and tasks. Objectively speaking, in most cases the flagship with Super display AMOLED and 2K resolution will display the picture much better than smartphones with an IPS matrix and Full HD resolution. However, there are nuances.

For example, there is no point in overpaying for Super AMOLED if there is more nearby affordable smartphone With OLED display- you won’t notice the difference, but you’ll lose money. Or is it crazy to take a smartphone with an IPS display and HD resolution, and then expect it to display realistically the photos taken on professional camera. In any case, if you are serious about buying a smartphone and you have the opportunity to touch it in your hands before buying, then do so. And, best of all, take two or three candidates for purchase in your hands, turn them on and compare them head-to-head.

In constant competition and race between manufacturers, new technologies are born every year that surpass their predecessors in all respects. This also applies to manufacturing technologies for modern displays. Just imagine, some 15-20 years ago we only knew CRT picture tube screens. They were bulky, heavy and had low frequency flickering, which negatively affected our health. But today, users can choose between Amoled or IPS, as well as other types of matrices that allow them to make screens as flat and light as possible.

Besides, modern types matrices are different highest precision images, high resolution and quality. In this article we will talk about exactly two modern technologies– Amoled (S-Amoled) and IPS. This knowledge will help you do right choice, meeting your requirements. But in order to understand which display is better in a particular situation, it is necessary to analyze both technologies separately.

1. What is an IPS matrix and what advantages does it have?

Despite the fact that the first IPS displays were developed back in 1996, popularity and mass distribution among consumers this technology received only in the last few years. During this time, IPS matrices have undergone a lot of changes and improvements, which made it possible to provide users with high-quality displays that display the most natural colors. In addition, IPS matrices have high definition and image accuracy.

Asking which screen better IPS or Amoled, it is worth understanding that the comparison is between the two most recent developments. These two technologies have different design features.

The main feature of the IPS display is natural color reproduction. It is thanks to this quality that such screens are in great demand among professional photographers and photo editors.

1.2. Advantages of an IPS matrix

IPS displays have a number of undeniable advantages, which are visible to the naked eye:

Maximum natural color rendering;
Excellent screen brightness and contrast;
Accuracy and clarity of the image. It is worth noting that in IPS displays the pixel grid is practically invisible to the naked eye, which makes the image even more accurate and pleasant to read;
Low power consumption;
High screen resolution. Speaking about resolution, it is worth understanding that the vast majority modern screens IPS has Full resolution HD 1920x1080.

Of course, like any other technology, IPS also has its drawbacks, but they are minor:

Slow response. But this is absolutely invisible to the naked eye, and when compared with the “fastest” (in terms of response) TN matrices, you will not notice it visually;
Very often on the Internet you can find statements about a large and noticeable pixel grid IPS screen, however, this parameter is by far the best among analogues. If you compare IPS with TN+Film or Amoled, then the pixel grid sizes of IPS are the smallest, which makes such screens the best in this comparison.

Of course, when comparing which is better IPS or superAmoled, it is worth understanding that not all IPS displays are equally good, since there are different types IPS matrices. At the same time, Amoled is a development of Samsung and they are produced only under the brand of the same name, so Amoled screens are practically no different from each other.

2. Super Amoled matrices

This type of display was developed in 2009 by Samsung. The main and only goal of development of this screen– use in mobile phones, smartphones, tablets and other touch screen mobile devices. Already in 2010 Korean company released new type matrices called Super Amoled. The difference between Amoled and Super Amoled is the absence of an air gap between the layers of the second type of screen (S-Amoled).

This solution made it possible to make the screen even thinner. Also thanks to this, the brightness of the display increased by 20%. At the same time, energy consumption remained at the same low level. In theory, such features make Super Amoled screens impervious to bright light. In other words, the user sees the image perfectly even in direct sunlight. However, in practice this is not the case. Of course, a comparison of IPS and Super Amoled shows that this parameter S-Amoled wins, but in any case, with direct rays the picture becomes difficult to distinguish.

2.1. Advantages of Super Amoled matrices

If we talk about touch screens, then first of all it is worth noting that this type screens are characterized by higher sensitivity and faster response to user gestures. In addition, there are other advantages:

Most high brightness, among all types of screens;
The largest viewing angles;
High saturation and maximum amount colors and shades;
Partial glare suppression when sunlight, which improves picture perception in bright sunlight;
Low power consumption, which is extremely important for mobile devices;
The service life of the screen is one of the longest.

3. Super Amoled vs IPS

So, taking into account all of the above, you can understand how Amoled differs from IPS. Firstly, the brightness of the screen. Super Amoled is the undisputed leader in brightness and color saturation. This is very important parameter for mobile devices. However, if you are engaged in photo processing, then it is not brightness that is important to you, but the naturalness of color reproduction, and in this there is no equal to IPS technology.

Another difference is the thickness of the device. Of course, if we talk about monitors or TVs, then this parameter is not particularly important. However, if we're talking about When it comes to smartphones or tablets, the clear leader is Super Amoled. Also, sensory S-Amoled screens have more high sensitivity, unlike IPS, which provides faster and more accurate response to user commands.

IPS technology, in turn, has a smaller and more invisible pixel grid. However, to see it you need to use a magnifying glass. With normal visual inspection, this difference is practically not visible.

Knowing all these differences will help you understand which display best IPS or Super Amoled in a given situation. Any advice in in this case cannot be given, because both screens have high quality, image accuracy and clarity, as well as display resolution.