What is a super amoled screen on a smartphone. Super AMOLED display: what is it and what are the differences from AMOLED and IPS. Definition of the term “screen”

In this article, we will find details about the structure of AMOLED screens, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the differences between Super AMOLED and Super AMOLED Plus technologies.

AMOLED panels have become the new standard in the world of screen technology. Increasingly, such displays are used in flagship smartphones, other mobile devices, monitors and even TVs.

The technology was first used in mobile Samsung phone S8300 Ultra Touch in 2009, but now it finds its way to other manufacturers. So, last year, the Chinese brand OnePlus introduced its own development of Optic AMOLED in the flagships OnePlus 3 and.

What is an AMOLED panel?

AMOLED stands for Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode. A feature of this type of display is that each pixel is illuminated by a separate diode, so no additional backlight or liquid crystals are required.

The cathode layer comes first. Organic LEDs act as light-emitting elements, and an active matrix of thin-film transistors is used to control them. They determine the strength of the current that passes through each diode, hence the brightness and color of the pixel. Then the anode layer passes. Next is the substrate, which can be made from various materials such as silicone, metal, etc.

In AMOLED panels, subpixels are placed according to the PenTile scheme, developed by Candice Brown Elliott. Each pixel contains five sub-pixels, which are staggered in color: two red, two green, and one blue in the center. This arrangement ensures high display brightness without increasing power consumption. In 2008, the rights to the technology were transferred to Samsung Electronics, and they began to use it in their products.

Super AMOLED

In 2010, Samsung introduced an improved version of the panel called Super AMOLED. Its main difference was the absence of an air gap between the sensor and the screen itself. This made it possible to increase the brightness and clarity of the image, improve readability in bright sunlight and reduce the thickness of the display.

In early 2011, another improved version was released - Super AMOLED Plus. Unlike its predecessor, it uses the RGB color model instead of PenTile, which provides improved picture clarity.

Advantages of AMOLED displays

One of the main advantages of AMOLED is that the power consumption of the display directly depends on the brightness of the image. Thus, the screen requires less power to display dark tones. This achieves deeper blacks, as black pixels are not highlighted at all. Samsung has used the same advantage with its Always On Display technology, which allows you to display the time, date and notifications on the lock screen without noticeably draining the battery.

Such displays provide a wider viewing angle (about 180 degrees) both vertically and horizontally. At the same time, brightness, contrast and color saturation are preserved.

The AMOLED panels are thinner, allowing the device to fit into a thinner and more elegant case. Also, the freed up space inside the case can be used for other important components, such as a larger battery.

In addition, AMOLED screens feature a wider color gamut, faster response time, and higher contrast.

Disadvantages of AMOLED

As mentioned earlier, in AMOLED panels, power consumption directly depends on the brightness of the picture. This means that more power is required to display light colors.

One more weak side is the unreliability of the connections inside the screen. Even with the slightest damage or crack, the display can completely fail. With a slight depressurization, the screen begins to fade gradually and stops showing after about two days.

With constant use in bright colors, the life of such a panel is noticeably reduced. Moreover, subpixels of different colors burn out with different speed, resulting in color degradation. In addition, the maximum brightness of AMOLED displays remains lower compared to LCD.

For a long time, one of the drawbacks was the high cost of production, which means that repairs, if necessary, were more expensive for users. However, with the development of technology, the manufacture of AMOLED panels is becoming cheaper.

Conclusion

The advantages and disadvantages of AMOLED panels are constantly being debated. But it is undeniable that such displays are the technology of the future, as more and more mobile manufacturers begin to switch to new standard, invest in its development, or even produce your own versions of OLED screens.

If you are lucky enough to own a smartphone or other mobile device with an AMOLED display, we can advise you to stick to the dark design of the main screen and interface. This will reduce the power consumption of the screen and prolong the life of the display. At the same time, be careful and remember that even with a small amount of damage, the screen can fail completely.

The screen occupies most of the surface of the smartphone, making a significant contribution to the cost and power consumption of the device. A bad choice can lead to a bad picture or short runtime, and good matrix able to brighten up the impression of even a weak filling. Therefore, it is worth figuring out which display is better.

Types of matrices: what is hidden behind the letters

High screen resolution makes the picture clear. But color reproduction, brightness, contrast, color saturation, viewing angle and a few other important parameters are determined by the matrix production technology. There are several options for approaching the formation of images on displays, but on this moment IPS, AMOLED, Super AMOLED and TFT dominate.

TFT: economical and fast

This technology in last years significantly lost its positions to younger competitors, but it is too early to write it off completely. The main advantage - low price(20-50% lower than IPS), so you can still find a sufficient number of budget devices with this matrix. Also, the strength of TFT displays, which, for example, are installed in Moto X Play, Lenovo A536, LG K3 LTE or LG K7, is a short response time: 1 ms (most IPS have 5-8 ms), which affects when playing dynamic scenes and 3D games.

Color reproduction, brightness, contrast, viewing angle and several other parameters are determined by the matrix production technology.

The disadvantage is the image quality: it is less bright and contrast than screens made according to the latest technologies. Slightly let down and not the widest viewing angles.

AMOLED: bright, contrasty and thin

OLEDs have revolutionized the world of screens, showing color and depth of light never before possible. And today, technologies based on them feel confident in the market. The advantages of AMOLED matrices are provided by an original way of forming an image. Voltage is transmitted to each pixel, which is an organic diode. This allows you to make displays thinner (no need for additional backlighting) and very contrasty, since a de-energized diode gives a deep black color, and under maximum current - a bright white. Also, AMOLED displays are durable and have a fast response time. You can evaluate the quality of this matrix in such smartphones as Microsoft Lumia 650 Dual SIM or ZTE Blade A910.

The technology of backlighting each pixel causes the power consumption of AMOLED screens to depend on the content of the picture. Bright and bright frames consume significantly more battery life than dim or black ones. Therefore, such displays are easily configured for power saving mode.

AMOLED displays are very thin and energy efficient, as well as high image quality.

The disadvantages of the technology include a higher cost and the same contrast, which gives rise to some unnatural color in bright pictures.

Some users also note the gradually forming "light trails" from static pictures (application icons) on the smartphone screen.

SuperAMOLED: even thinner and brighter

The Super AMOLED screen, which is installed, for example, in Meizu Pro 6, differs not in imaging technology, but in the way the sensor matrix is ​​attached. The touchscreen is integrated directly into the display and is not superimposed on top, as in conventional AMOLED. Due to this, a layer of air is removed, the amount of reflected external light is reduced, that is, the image becomes even brighter.

The layout of the subpixels has also changed. By using PenTile RGBG, Super AMOLED displays are more durable. In the screens of the Super AMOLED Plus subcategory, the arrangement is classic - RGB, which makes the colors closer to natural.

The advantages of this technology include an excellent bright and contrast image. The disadvantages are a higher cost and a slightly increased energy intensity.

IPS: natural colors and brightness

IPS liquid crystal technology has several varieties, differing in emphasis on contrast, brightness, or other parameters. However, all displays made using this technology show an excellent picture.

A characteristic feature of IPS displays is a long service life without burn-in.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the ideal White color and wide viewing angles without distortion.

The need for backlighting has a positive consequence. The IPS displays are very bright, which is best seen on a sunny day. Also their characteristic feature is a long service time without burnout. It is difficult to compare the cost of IPS and AMOLED screens, as manufacturers wage a continuous price war, but on average IPS is cheaper.

Which screen is better?

When choosing the display of a new smartphone, you have to imagine what else, besides calls, you will use the device. The budget, of course, also matters. From the budget price category, a TFT screen is quite enough. It will go blind in bright sunlight, but it will show a decent picture indoors, and the short response time will have a positive effect on dynamic games.

When choosing the display of a new smartphone, you have to imagine what else, besides calls, you will use the device.

IPS displays are more expensive, consume more power than TFTs, but have excellent picture quality. Natural colors and brightness even under direct sunbeams make this sensor the best choice for the photographer.

ips or amoled - which is better?

To date, there are several different technologies for the manufacture of phone screens, and between them there is an unspoken struggle for superiority.

Such a fate did not pass and ips along with amoled.

IPS and AMOLED - what is it?

Read also:IPS matrix: what is it? Technology Overview + Reviews

When buying a telephone, not everyone pays attention to its important part - the screen. The main thing is that he was. And he worked well.

Not even all users know that they are different and differ from each other in a number of characteristics.

But still screenips oramoled- what's better?

In the IT technology market, there are several methods for the production of telephone screens:

• Amoled - Used by Motorola, Samsung, HTC and LG.
• TFT - Siemens, Samsung.
• E-Ink - Digma, Sony, Tesla.
• LCD - are more common among all presented. Nokia, Samsung.
• Ips - Lenovo, Xiaomi.

Amoled

Read also:Popular types of monitor matrices: a description of the advantages and disadvantages of each type, choosing the best option for your everyday tasks

ips - appeared in 1996 and over the entire period of its existence have been transformed and improved their specifications. Copyright belongs to Hitachi and NEC.

Transmits fairly natural colors. This is achieved by the fact that crystals with this technology do not turn into a spiral, but perform a turn together when applying an electric field.

It has won the recognition of consumers and is widely used by manufacturers in the manufacture of mobile phones.

What is the difference between the screens?

Read also:Pleasant curvature: TOP 10 smartphones with a curved screen

Many users now understand mobile phone screen formats and choose a device based on these characteristics. And more and more people are wondering ips or amoled?

The difference between them is not obvious to everyone. After all, both options are good, but regarding what the consumer requires from them, one can name the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.

The display of a phone made using ips technology requires a backlight for the screen, which consumes a lot of battery power.

The difference with amoled technology is that such phones do not need a backlight at all.. The next point, if we compare, it is much thinner.

Referring to the figure, you can see that in the first version, the upper corners are darkened to a greater extent, that is, the viewing angle is smaller.

Also, when visually studying both models, you can see that in the second picture the picture is a little brighter.

Still, the lights on the screens are different, and this is clearly visible to the naked eye.

If you express your own opinion about both models, then both drawings are good in their own way.

And after buying any of the models, the owner of the device will not even notice that there is any difference. It's just that each of the topics is presented in its own way.

After some time, Samsung tried to improve amoled displays and developed a new product - this technology was called super amoled.

Now let's figure out what took the lead among buyers - ips or super amoled?

In super amoled displays, manufacturers have tried to eliminate some negative qualities technology and came to the conclusion that they eliminated one layer in the screen, and therefore removed one layer of air.

Main task new development was getting rid of the phone's screen glare while using it in the sun.

The method differs from the previous version only in that the number of subpixels has changed. And, as you know, the more of them, the better the color rendition occurs.

This is due to the fact that the light conducts more and the output image is very clear and bright.

Both models, as a result of the comparison, can boast of their positive aspects. As well as show their own shortcomings.

Positive qualities of IPS

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1 On its screen, the picture appears beautiful, bright and clear - real, without a technically invented design of the gamut of colors. Matrices made using amoled technology cannot convey such a natural picture. That is, if the photo turned out to be successful and all the colors are captured and transferred correctly, then this is how it will appear on the screen.

2 On amoled, you can get a natural color only by performing various manipulations in the settings. So, the manufacturer has developed a special database of configurations that are responsible for setting up the correct color reproduction.

If such settings are present on your device, then both models made using the technologies in question will be practically equal in rights and will not differ from each other.

3 In amodet phones it is absolutely impossible to set up the transmission of white color in a qualitative way. But Ips displays exactly this, without any distortions and changes. What I received when photographing, I sent it to the display. For some users, this anomaly does not interfere at all. But there are other problems with colors.

When the same white is reproduced, a variety of pinks, blues, or yellows appear on the monitor.

Manufacturers have not yet been able to remove this defect. Only it was decided to fix the problem with individual settings.

Solving the problem described in the first option is not difficult, but as for the rest of the output gamma presented in option number two, it is much more difficult to achieve the desired result.

If the user has such a phone for the first time, then he will spend a lot of time before something changes.

4 Another advantage of Ips is that the pattern stays the same no matter what viewing angle you view it from. There is no degradation. For example, if many people want to see on one screen, then they will have absolutely no difficulty with this. Under all tilt angles, the picture will be the same.

5 In amoled screens, a shift in the color gamut to cold shades is often visible. In addition, due to in an interesting way distributed subpixels, when you look at the picture from different angles, green and red tones are clearly visible.

6 Amoled screen burns out over time and this is its next disadvantage when compared with Ips. Because in the latest phone such problems simply do not exist.

7 Ips is considered better themes that the sharpness of the screen and its detail is much better. In AMOLED display, some of the users can see the pixels in the picture. Such a defect is noticeable even to the naked eye, without comparison with any other model.

8 The last advantage, but important enough for consumers, is the price policy. Ips is much cheaper than the other option, but at the same time, it has a lot of qualities that make you think when choosing a model to buy.

Positive qualities of Amoled

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This is not to say that amoled displays are so bad, as it turned out to be shown in the first comparison. These phones certainly have their positive qualities, consider them.

1 The screen, if a comparative analysis is carried out, is noticeably thinner. Although not a very weighty argument, some users may appreciate it.

2 It is believed that the display of the model in question is more economical. It turns out that each individual subpixel glows independently.

3 However, the issue can be called disputable, because when using light backgrounds, the energy consumption is stronger, on dark colors - less. That is, if a person uses a light screen more often, the charge does not last long, and if it is black, then vice versa.

4 Contrast is considered to be an undoubted advantage in Amoled. There are no similar analogues in the world yet. This is very attractive to a person who has not yet used a phone that shows such vivid images. After some time, the euphoria passes and only eye fatigue remains, but this is later.

5 Display on mobile device responds to responses faster. So, we can expect that the pictures on the screen will change faster.

6 Just like Ips, it has a completely dark display. This effect is obtained due to the fact that, if necessary, not all subpixels are highlighted, but only those that are currently needed.

User opinion about phone screens

Read also:TOP 10 Best monitors 24 and 27 inches | Current rating 2018 + Reviews

Summing up the listed advantages of each of the phones, it's hard to say which one is better.

One thing is clear amoled or ips- which is better, everyone must make a choice individually.

After all, some people are chasing a wide screen, others for the speed of the device, the next important thing is its size.

All these and many other characteristics, to some extent, are present in each of them.

Of course, judging by what is written above, ips has a little more advantages and is better made, but this does not mean at all that the other option is not worth your attention.

You can see that the technological characteristics of the latter have a slight overkill in the supply of colors. This, by the way, slightly affects the eyes.

Also, you need to be prepared for the fact that one hundred of its service life is less than what the manufacturers claim.

After all, most often, before using the device for a year, a person begins to notice that the screen is slowly burning out.

Unfortunately, but for some time this will lead to its complete unusable state.

About ips, we can say that in terms of the transmission of colors, it surpasses the naturalness of the resulting image. And their service life is a little longer.

Of course, it is impossible to foresee all the nuances and do without drawbacks. Such a fate did not pass and the models we are considering.

Disadvantages of IPS

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• One of the points for which a phone can be given a negative rating is the thickness of its screen. It is slightly larger and the reason for this is the backlight, which is built into the middle.
• The backlight for such a model is required much more powerful, and because of this, it turns out that energy consumption is also more.
• The matrix produces its response to actions a little slower. This fact is almost not noticeable, but still, there is a place to be.

Disadvantages of Amoled

• The production technology of such a model, in comparison with Ips, is more expensive, and at the same time even more difficult.
• After a short time, the colors begin to fade and the screen becomes unusable.

Comparison of Super amoled and IPS

After the manufacturer saw its obvious shortcomings, it tried to correct them as soon as possible.

As a result, an updated technology called super was born. amoled. So, super amoled or ips what's better?

IN Lately Samsung uses super amoled display technology in almost all of its models.

It is quite different from the manufacture of a liquid crystal screen.

The main difference is that there is an air cushion that is located between the touch screen and the rest of the phone.

The touch screen layer in such models is located directly on the matrix. Thanks to this move, a reduction in the power consumption of the device was achieved.

Also, dust cannot get under the cover by any of the images. And yet, the glare disappeared in the phone.

Screens made using super amoled technology are completely different from liquid crystal screens made using the ips method.

So, if the displays of the latter consist of a group of crystals, a substrate, a mirror type and a diode backlight, amoled screens use LEDs instead of such particles. They just have multi-colored filters.

And so, let's list the advantages of both options and try to decide which is better.

super amoled

This screen is made even thinner than its predecessor. This was achieved due to the fact that they removed one layer - the air cushion.

This decision affected the transmission of the brightness of the display. It has increased by twenty percent.

Energy consumption is quite economical, it practically did not succumb to any changes.

Manufacturers promise that phones will be readable when in places where it is impossible to hide from direct sunlight.

Having tested this argument in sunny territory, one can object to such a theory a bit and say that visibility continues to limp.

Yes, in comparison I ips, the picture looks better. But this is not the result that the average person would like to see.

Positive qualities of super amoled display:

• The screen will last a very long time, according to the developers.
• The viewing angle is huge.
• There is a muting of glare at the time of exposure to the rays of the sun.
• The brightness is greater than in all of the above options.
• The color options are very saturated and the shades are very diverse.
• The picture that the phone gives out is much worse than the first one. And even less bright.
• The device is very vulnerable to all sorts of mechanical damage, which makes it not so versatile and adapted to the big rhythm of the city.

IPS models also cannot be inferior in quality and have a number of their positive aspects:

• The screen has a high resolution.
• Electricity consumption is at a very low level.
• The transmitted colors in the pictures are as close as possible to the real ones.
• The screen has excellent contrast, and the brightness is also at a good level.
• Pictures are obtained on such a phone clear and accurate. Keep a grid of subpixels in such phone models cannot be seen with the naked eye. This is one of the reasons for such a good image transmission.

But it cannot be said that models of such phones do not have drawbacks.

All users who have encountered a similar model note that the phones react to clicks for a long time. It does not bring much discomfort, but I would like better.

Naturally, when presenting phones whose displays are made using this method, one cannot give a one hundred percent guarantee for all the presented models. After all, they all contain different types of matrices.

But the screens that are made using super amoled technology are all similar to each other and the quality is about the same in all.

That is, there is an obvious difference between these two models. And bright color reproduction, and the thickness of the screen, which surpasses the technology of amoled.

But if you need natural colors, for example when photographing, then ips will provide them to you.

According to all of the above, the leader can be called super amoled screens, which manufacturers are happy to put on tablets and smartphones.

They have a sufficiently high sensitivity, which, in turn, allows the device to respond to commands much faster.

Conclusion

And so, you are in front of a huge choice and are trying to decide on the model that you will use in the next couple of years.

The very first thing you need to pay attention to when making important decision, this is what you will use the machine for.

If you need pictures in which all colors are correctly transmitted, then it is better to stop at ips.

If such a moment is not important for you, but at the same time you want the battery not to discharge at a tremendous speed. Stop at amoled displays. The picture in this phone will look richer.

If we compare phones, many differences could not be obtained during visual inspection. And the technologies by which each of them are made are not those in which everyone should understand.

That is, when choosing for personal use, you need not spare money, but choose exactly those offers that have fallen to your soul.

If there are no plans to change the device every year, you should still stop at ips.

After all, a burnt-out screen on another model under consideration will not allow you to work normally with it. Although there are times when such burnout is almost imperceptible.

Manufacturing companies are fighting for leadership in the world of the IT industry, and ordinary users in this competition are the judges.

After re-reading this article and considering both options for phone screens, each user will be able to individually decide what exactly he likes.

Each technology has its positive and negative qualities. They are outlined above.

Two things prompted me to create this article: numerous speculations by marketers and specialized journalists on the topic of screens; and a bunch of exactly the same comment threads under smartphone reviews with exactly the same discussions about which matrices are better. Usually, the hottest happens under the reviews Chinese phones with OLED screens. I'm tired of fighting windmills, talking to each reader individually, in this article I decided to dot all i's and dispel numerous myths about modern screens, looking ahead, I'll say that the emphasis will be on the confrontation between IPS and AMOLED matrices. Most likely, most of you will not see anything new in what is written, you will not receive sacred knowledge here, as well as a breakdown of the covers. I will talk about obvious things that neither bloggers nor journalists want to talk about. The guide is designed for adequate thinking people, convinced fanatics can go about their business.

Definition of the term “screen”

Before getting to the point, it is necessary to define the term screen and clarify its functional purpose. Wikipedia tells us that a screen or display is an electronic device designed to display information visually. If you try to give a less concise and more modern definition of the screen in terms of functionality and with an emphasis on consumer properties, it will turn out something like this: a screen is a device whose task is to display all kinds of content and user interface of operating systems and applications as accurately and in detail as possible. what the authors intended. Physical resolution is responsible for “as detailed as possible”, otherwise: the number of smallest screen elements (picture’s elements) or simply pixels (pixels), the higher the resolution, the better, ideally it should be infinitely large. Parameters such as color accuracy and contrast, or the ratio of the lightest and darkest point on the screen, are responsible for “as accurately as possible”. Secondary parameters that do not directly affect either the accuracy or the detail of the display of information, but affect the consumer properties of the screen, include: maximum brightness, image distortion when the gaze deviates from the perpendicular, reflection coefficient, image refresh rate, response time, energy efficiency and some others. . Standing apart is such a parameter as color gamut - the most important parameter for professional monitors and practically meaningless for devices intended for content consumption. But it is the color gamut in recent years that has been the subject of much speculation by manufacturers of mobile gadgets. Let's clear up this murky topic before moving on.

What is color gamut and why is it the subject of much speculation

You need to start with the fact that any image is encoded when captured and stored in the memory of a photo or video camera. Artificially generated pictures and clips, as well as parts of the graphical user interface of operating systems and applications, are coded in a similar way initially. In both cases, color information is represented using a color model, a special mathematical tool for describing color using numbers or, to be precise, coordinates. The most common is the three-dimensional RGB model, in which each color is described by a set of three coordinates responsible for one of the colors: red, green and blue, the displayed hue depends on the ratio of the brightness of each of the components. Modern screens are capable of displaying only a part of the spectrum of colors and shades visible to a person, color gamut literally means how big this “part” is. Due to this limitation, a person is forced to create standards for the representation of the color spectrum, starting from the capabilities of existing screens. So in 1996, to unify the use of the RGB model in monitors and printing, HP and Microsoft developed the sRGB standard, which used the primary colors described by the BT.709 standard common at that time on television and gamma correction designed for cathode ray tube monitors. It is important to understand that such unification allows, albeit with some reservations, to guarantee that the content creator and consumer will see approximately the same thing on their screens. Subsequently, the sRGB standard has become widespread in all areas of content production, including the creation of Internet sites. Of course, there are other standards for representing the color spectrum, such as Adobe RGB, which has a much wider color gamut, but today the vast majority of content is encoded in accordance with sRGB.

What happens if sRGB content is viewed on a screen with a wider color gamut without adaptation? The sRGB space coordinates will be transferred to the screen's color space coordinate system, causing the colors to appear more saturated than they actually are, in some cases the hues are distorted so much that Orange color will become red, light green, and blue blue. Conversely, if content with a wider color gamut is viewed on an sRGB screen, coordinate shifting will cause the colors to appear less saturated than they should be.

We all know that the screens of most modern flagship smartphones have an extended color gamut relative to sRGB, how does this affect their consumer properties? If it is a smartphone or tablet on android, then there are three options. At best, the shell settings will contain preset color profiles, among which there is one that brings the space to the sRGB standard, MIUI or Samsung's shell can serve as an example. But, even in this case, the application of profiles "on the fly" is impossible, and the user will have to choose between the extended color gamut and the correct color rendering. The second option is when the system does not have built-in profiles, but you can activate the sRGB mode in the developer settings, for example, this can be done on Google Pixel and OnePlus 3T smartphones. Unfortunately the GUI operating system when activated, the sRGB mode becomes faded, as it is encoded in accordance with the color gamut of their screens. In the third worst case, the user will not find any profiles in the system and, accordingly, will not receive any choice, he will only have to enjoy oversaturated colors. But in personal computers on Windows and MacOS, there is no such problem, since both systems not only support color profiles, but can also convert colors from one space to another on the fly, that is, regardless of what content and on what screen will be displayed, the user, with some reservations, will see the colors as the author intended them. A similar color profile management system exists in iOS. Manufacturers, whether for the sake of beautiful numbers on the specifications page, or just for the sake of it, continue to install IPS and OLED screens with extended color gamut in flagship models, despite the fact that there is no need for this, since 99% of the content complies with the sRGB standard and the situation is unlikely to change radically in the near future. There are simply no tasks that such screens can perform in devices designed for content consumption. All this would make at least some sense if Google added color profile management to Android, as Apple did, but at least in 2017 we will not see this. The irony lies in the fact that the problem was created from scratch, and no one is in a hurry to solve it.

Liquid crystal screen: principle of operation; Advantages and disadvantages

Twenty years ago, cathode ray tube screens were installed in most monitors and televisions, they were soon replaced by liquid crystal screens or LCD (liquid crystal display), which over time received several branches of development and today there are three technologies for the production of liquid crystal matrices screens: TN, MVA and IPS, the latter, due to a successful combination of advantages and disadvantages, has become dominant in the mobile technology segment. The principle of operation of the LCD is simple, depending on the manufacturing technology, some details may vary, but a typical matrix includes a backlight and six other layers. First behind the lamp is a vertical filter that polarizes the light accordingly. It is followed by two layers of electrodes with a layer of liquid crystals located between them, the voltage applied to the electrodes orients the crystals and they refract light in such a way that it passes or does not pass through the next layer - a horizontal polarizing filter. The last color filter is red, green or blue. LCD screens are lighter, more compact and more energy efficient than their predecessors, but they also have a number of serious drawbacks, in particular, low contrast and black depth, limited color gamut even in potential, which depends on the imperfection of backlight lamps. In addition, brightness and contrast performance may deteriorate if you look at the screen not at a right angle.

OLED Screen: Advantages, Disadvantages, PWM, Pentile

Relatively recently, LCD has a serious competitor - these are screens with an active matrix on organic light-emitting diodes or AMOLED. Such screens are fundamentally different from LCDs in that the light source in them is not a backlight, but each subpixel separately, which gives AMOLED many advantages over liquid crystal screens, the main of which are: almost infinite contrast; lower power consumption when displaying images with a predominance of dark tones; potentially wider color gamut; and smaller dimensions. The first AMOLED screens, in addition to the advantages, also had significant disadvantages, including: inaccurate color reproduction; fast burnout of LEDs; high power consumption when displaying images with a predominance of light tones; flickering due to pulse width modulation; and most importantly, the high cost of production. Over time, most of the shortcomings were able to overcome or minimize them, except for PWM, which to this day is the Achilles' heel of technology. Pulse Width Modulation or PWM is one way to control the brightness of LEDs, side effect which is the flickering of the screen with a certain frequency. Most people are not susceptible to this kind of flicker, but PWM can cause eye fatigue and even headaches for some users. It is important to note that the flickering effect is completely absent at brightness values ​​close to the maximum and begins to appear at a brightness level of 80% and below.

It is impossible to get past the topic with the organization of subpixels in OLED screens, the fact is that most AMOLED matrices have subpixels arranged according to the RGBG scheme, when a pixel does not consist of three subpixels like a typical LCD screen, but of four: red, blue and two green, such a scheme is also called Pentile. The manufacturer (Samsung) considers the physical resolution of such screens by the number of green subpixels, red and blue subpixels in the matrix to be exactly half as much. Obviously, at least three full-fledged subpixels are needed to obtain a hue. Thus, the effective resolution of such screens is not equal to the nominal resolution specified in the official specification. For example, for a QHD screen, the nominal resolution is 2560 * 1440 pixels, the resolution based on the number of red and blue subpixels will be approximately 1811 * 1018:

The effective resolution of such a matrix, taking into account the tricky interpolation algorithms embedded in the screen controller, is somewhere between 1811 * 1018 and 2560 * 1440, we can assume that it corresponds to FullHD resolution in RGB matrices. It may very well be that for such a match, Samsung has been choosing QHD resolution for its flagship smartphones for many years in a row.

A detailed comparison of IPS and AMOLED on the example of iPhone 7 and Galaxy S8 smartphone screens

Now after we have learned all about the characteristics of the screens and the features different types matrices, you can go to the main question: which technology is better? I am sure that it is correct to try to answer this question by comparing the best AMOLED and IPS matrices available today, namely the screens of Samsung Galaxy S8 and Apple iPhone 7 smartphones. Since I have not yet acquired test equipment, I will analyze the test results taken from an authoritative resource. Let's start with resolution, Galaxy S8 screen is 2960*1440 pixels, guaranteed effective resolution is 2094*1018, guaranteed effective pixel density is 403 per inch. The iPhone 7 Plus has a nominal effective resolution less: 1920 * 1080, and an effective pixel density of 401 per inch. The advantage in favor of the screen from the Korean vendor is obvious. The resolution of both screens is enough for everyday use and not enough for comfortable use with virtual reality helmets. Moving on to accuracy, the contrast ratio of the Galaxy S8 is almost infinite. The iPhone 7 has a declared contrast ratio of 1400:1, the actual one is slightly higher - 1700:1, this contrast ratio is more than enough for comfortable viewing of content. It turns out that in this parameter, the screen of the Galaxy S8 was ahead. As for color accuracy, both smartphones showed virtually the same results, color errors in the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 7 can be safely neglected. You can see the most important secondary characteristics in my opinion below:

As for the color gamut, the iPhone 7 is ahead here, since it can display the colors of the DCI-P3 space or 126% of the sRGB field, while the user does not need to sacrifice color reproduction, the content is displayed based on the color profile embedded in it. The Galaxy S8 screen has an even wider color gamut - approximately 142% of the sRGB field, but does not have a color profile management, driving the user into a corner, that is, in the Main mode, which corresponds to 100% of the sRGB field.

So what's the bottom line? If we consider screen technologies in isolation from the final product, then AMOLED today surpasses IPS in almost everything, although it still has problems with PWM and high power consumption. Without any doubt, the future belongs to matrices on organic light-emitting diodes. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of Android, their potential has not yet been fully exploited. When comparing ready-made solutions in the face of the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 7, the latter's slight superiority is obvious due to the honest DCI-P3 and other reference parameters. I want to warn you against projecting the results of the above comparison onto absolutely all IPS and AMOLED screens. There are a lot of good, average and bad matrices on the market, and in each case you need to deal with it separately. This will help us with online publications focused on technical detail and reliability, such publications I would include the already mentioned, anandtech.com and some other sites from Russian-language sites - ixbt.com.

Perhaps you should not take the consumer properties of screens too seriously, because the factor of subjective perception is almost always superimposed on objective information. For example, in South-East Asia there are a lot of people who like unnatural oversaturated colors, in our country there are also quite a few such people. On the other hand, broadcasting information poured into the ears by marketers in numerous discussions under reviews on YouTube is at least strange. In the end, I’ll be Cap and give a couple of banal tips: don’t stop thinking and be critical of any information received from brand representatives and the media, be able to analyze data and check facts, or just read resources and watch bloggers you can trust.

Today, in the manufacture of screens for mobile phones, two types of matrices are used: AMOLED and IPS. In this article, we will tell you what is the difference between screens built on these types of matrix and point out their difference.

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Key Benefits of IPS Technology

First displays on technology IPS appeared in 1996. But, these were rather experimental devices. The mass production of such screens began only a few years ago. During the time from the first screens on such a matrix to modern displays, all the shortcomings were taken into account and errors were corrected. Today we can state the fact that IPS screens have firmly entered our lives.

The main advantages of IPS matrices over competitive technologies are:

• Best Color Reproduction. Unlike AMOLED screens at IPS colors are not "boosted" artificially. Thanks to such honest color reproduction, IPS displays are loved by everyone who works with photographs. Photographers, photo editors and representatives of related professions. IPS screen gives a bright and saturated picture, if it is such. If the picture is dim, then on the screen built on the matrix IPS it will be dim. Because of what, not everyone appreciates this advantage positively.

IMPORTANT: AMOLED screens can also render "honest" colors. But, this is achieved through software settings that give pre-embellished pictures a more believable look.

• true white. AMOLED screens just can't display white properly. IPS screens, on the other hand, produce true white. No blue or yellow like competitive technology. Pure white affects the entire image. Therefore, applying a tint to it can distort the whole picture.
• No color distortion when viewing the screen at an angle. One can omit this advantage of IPS. But, imagine that you and your friends are watching some interesting video from your smartphone. There will always be someone to whom the screen of your smartphone will not be fully expanded. And if your screen is not IPS, then it will be immediately visible when it is located at an angle. This effect has long been felt by the owners Sony Xperia Z.

IMPORTANT: When you unfold the AMOLED screen, the color reproduction shifts to a cold spectrum or the picture will start to “red” or “green”.

Great maximum brightness. This advantage is especially pronounced when using the smartphone screen in bright sunlight. If you have it built on an AMOLED matrix, then the bright rays of the scorching sun will make you look for a shadow to see what is happening on the screen. The whole point is that IPS The matrix uses an LCD screen with its powerful backlight. At AMOLED screens, each pixel is highlighted. What "physically" does not allow the screen to be bright.

• Detail and sharpness. There are people among us whose eye structure allows you to see pixelation, even at the best Full HD screen. These people definitely do not need to buy a smartphone with a screen AMOLED. Otherwise, its use will lead to great disappointment. Modern screens AMOLED gradually "cure" this childhood illness. But, it is still present on most budget devices.
• LED burn-in. At AMOLED screens, OLEDs may burn out. What is reflected in the different brightness of individual parts of the screen. According to the developers of such screens, the service life of the LED is 6-10 years. But, in practice, they can burn out faster. At IPS there is no such problem.

Cheaper production technology. A banal but important advantage IPS. The cost of a smartphone is made up of various modules and components. The screen is an important and expensive part of a smartphone. The cheaper the screen, the cheaper the smartphone will be.

Advantages of AMOLED technology

• High contrast. When comparing IPS With AMOLED the second screen will seem more colorful and saturated. Organic light-emitting diodes allow to make the picture as much as possible contrast. What causes the effect of "embellishment" in color reproduction.

IMPORTANT: Special tests show that the contrast level AMOLED screens reach the ratio 30000:1 . Whereas at IPS this figure is equal to 1500:1 . The difference is significant.

• Absolute black. If one of the benefits IPS was a "real" white, then AMOLED the screen allows you to display absolute black. This is achieved due to the fact that AMOLED individual pixels are illuminated on the screen. Whereas at IPS backlighting occurs on the entire screen. Which negatively affects black.
• Less energy consumption. Everything is simple here. Individually illuminated pixels consume less battery than full-screen backlighting, as in IPS. On paper, this advantage seems to be very important, and for many it is a turning point. But, in practice, this is not entirely true. The resource consumption of your gadget is influenced by many other factors. From the style of using the device, to the energy saving technologies used by the developer.
• Faster response time. AMOLED the matrix allows you to make screens with a faster response time compared to IPS screens. That allows the picture to change faster. But, this advantage in the speed of changing the picture is so insignificant that in fact it is simply not visible.
• Smaller thickness. IN AMOLED Screens do not need backlighting. Which saves space. It is thanks to this advantage that ultra-thin smartphones are on the market today. If this indicator is important for you, then choose smartphones with a screen AMOLED.

Which screen is better for a smartphone: IPS or AMOLED to choose?

To summarize, both popular screen technologies for smartphones have both their pros and cons. Of course, it may seem that IPS more list of advantages, which means this technology is better. And in some cases it is.

But, more importantly, how the manufacturer implements these benefits in practice. In most cases, this cannot be done. Although there are now IPS screens that are actually superior to even more advanced matrix Super AMOLED.

Quality screens for IPS-matrix can boast Asus ZenFone 3 Max, LG G5 SE, Apple iPhone 5s and some other models. But, is it worth discounting Samsung smartphones with their advanced screens Super AMOLED?

Video. AMOLED or IPS? Comparison