Electronic devices use a variety of display technologies. Some of the most common are In-plane Switching or IPS, Thin-Film Transistor, or TFT. Although the basic display technology remains the same, many differences impact the final image that the displays render. Let us learn more about how an IPS display is different from a TFT LCD.
What is an IPS Display?
In-Plane Switching Display or IPS Display is a type of screen technology used in liquid crystal displays of LCDs. It is made of layers of liquid crystals sealed between glass surfaces. The liquid crystal modules are arranged as per design requirements and are parallel to the surface along predetermined directions. IPS displays are designed to produce a sharper, more accurate picture than traditional LCDs.
The idea behind IPS displays is to render better color accuracy and contrast ratios in comparison to other common panels like TN panels. It is also designed to minimize blue light emitted by technologies like OLED. IPS displays also emit less harmful blue light compared to other display technologies, such as OLED or AMOLED.
IPS displays were designed in the late 1980s to solve the limitations of twisted nematic field effect (TN) matrix LCDs. These limitations include strong viewing angle dependence and low-quality color reproduction
What is TFT LCD Technology?
TFT LCD means Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display. It is a special kind of display that uses liquid crystals but with improved image quality because of the thin-film-transistor technology. The technology ensures the best resolution of all flat panel techniques. However, this technology is very expensive.
Many times these TFT screens TFT screens are sometimes called active matrix LCDs. TFT screens are the most widely used liquid crystal display material. TFT LCD screens are display screens, have no function of sensing touch, and can only be used to display an image.
The major difference between regular LCDs and TFT LCDs is the thin-film-transistors, while. LCDs have a single ‘layer’ transistors. Because of the additional film of transistors, the images are better, the quality is better, the response time is faster and the power consumed is also lower. Besides, these TFT LCDs are thinner lighter, and more portable than traditional LCDs.
Some Differences Between IPS and TFT LCD
As both these display technologies are used competitively, there are many common features and a handful of differences. Here we take a closer look at these differences:
- Color Reproduction: IPS displays have better color reproduction than TFT displays.
- Viewing Angle: IPS displays have wider, more accurate viewing angles than TFT displays.
- Image Quality: IPS displays have better image quality than TFT displays.
- Contrast: IPS displays have superior high contrast.
- Response Speed: IPS displays have a fast response speed.
- Color Integrity: IPS technology doesn’t have the effect of content appearing in the wrong colors.
Conclusion
The above discussion helps us infer that IPS LCDs are more eye-friendly than other options. They emit less harmful blue light than other display technologies, like OLED or AMOLED. The superior quality of IPS ensures high refresh rates reaching as high as 500Hz, Besides, they ensure considerable best colors and viewing angle over other display planes, since Vertical Alignment and issues related to Twisted Nematic are handled by IPS default features.
But care should be taken when using IPS to ensure the viewing room is in ambient lighting as it will help in better the ‘glow’ or the sharp brightness common to such displays. It eliminates the override spots when viewed from angles and distances. These displays make the ideal viewing option for gaming due to their superior color reproduction and wider viewing angles. They provide a more immersive gaming experience, especially for visually stunning and graphically intense games.
