Manufacturers of display technologies, smartphones, gadgets, watches, and other items use screens and panels that can either optimize and enhance the aesthetic experience or give the user practical advantages unavailable to others. These screens can affect users’ choice of a particular product.
Two panels using different technologies but favored by many manufacturers are AMOLED and LCD. Why do these two panels catch the attention of manufacturers, and what benefits can they offer users?
1. AMOLED Technology
AMOLED belongs to the LED family of technologies, which employs light-emitting diodes to generate light for certain appliances, gadgets, and display technologies. These lights are either for illumination or generating images for a particular screen.
AMOLED stands for “Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode.” These panels are of organic materials and significantly improve other versions of LEDs because they are more energy-efficient and have superior color technology.
In essence, AMOLED is like most LED technologies: It runs electric current into diodes (in thin sheets of materials) to generate light. However, the materials used to create AMOLED panels make them more flexible than other panels. Because of this, AMOLED panels have a wide range of applications, from entertainment to medicine.
2. LCD Technology
LCD stands for liquid crystal display. It uses liquid crystal molecules to generate images. Various LCD technologies can generate images through appropriate control and manipulation of light. However, they all need other light sources for illumination and image generation.
In essence, LCD creates white light by passing a blue light through a filter. The white light then passes through multiple filters, eventually leading to the generation of images.
LCD is most common in smartphones and many display technologies. Though the technology seems complicated, the materials used for manufacturing LCD panels are relatively inexpensive. For this reason, many manufacturers who want to produce inexpensive items and gadgets use LCD technology.
3. Comparing AMOLED and LCD
The different technologies used for AMOLED and LCD panels result in significant differences in design, efficiency, cost, and aesthetic effects. These can impact your viewing experience and may ultimately affect your choice of the product.
Design
The materials and technology employed in AMOLED panels make for a thinner, more flexible design. Because of this excellent design and flexibility, AMOLED has many applications. Because of this flexibility, manufacturers can also create and design products that suit certain specifications.
For instance, AMOLED panels offer a superior viewing angle, and their flexibility and design allow for the creation of curved display technologies. Thinner panels also make for slimmer gadgets and display technologies, which can be aesthetically appealing and have practical advantages, like lighter weight.
LCD panels, meanwhile, are thicker. That is because they need backlights for illumination to generate images. Because of this, gadgets and display technologies using LCDs are noticeably thicker and a bit heavier than those using AMOLEDs.
Energy Efficiency
LED technology is born of the need to create sustainable but energy-efficient materials. AMOLED is just one of the LED technologies deemed energy efficient and best for saving costs.
AMOLED screens benefit not only from the use of those diodes but also from the use of organic material in those panels. That makes them better even in comparison with other LED family members.
In addition to materials and technology, the absence of backlights in AMOLED displays makes gadgets, smartphones, and display technologies consume less electricity. That contrasts with LCD panels, which need backlights for illumination and image generation.
Backlights mean that any device using LCD panels needs to consume more energy. They are not as energy efficient as AMOLED panels. The more electricity you use, the more it drains your battery and the higher the electricity cost.
Costs
AMOLED panels are costlier than LCD panels primarily due to advanced technology and the high cost of materials. Because of this, most products, whether watches, monitors, television sets or smartphones using AMOLED, are generally more expensive than those using LCD panels.
The materials and the technology are responsible for the flexibility, aesthetic appeal, excellent design, and better energy efficiency of the AMOLED over LCD.
The materials for LCDs are relatively inexpensive. And because of the inherent limitations in design and effectiveness due to the nature of materials, products using LCD panels may not appeal to some consumers.
Aesthetic Experience
In terms of generating images, LCD screens are generally brighter. In general, they are better than AMOLED when used in sunlight. Again, this is due to the backlights operating in the device, which lighten up the molecules, unlike in AMOLED, where pixels emit the photons themselves.
AMOLED, however, can provide superior color contrasts and more vibrant colors, again because the light comes from the pixels themselves and not from the backlight.
A standard AMOLED display screen might have a superior viewing angle than a standard LCD screen. However, some LCDs that use technology like IPS (In-Plane Switching) can have the same superior viewing angle as an AMOLED.
Overall, the nature of the aesthetic experience and whether one can optimize a particular device employing either AMOLED or LCD depend on other factors, including the purpose and its use under a given set of circumstances.
All things being equal and used appropriately, it can give you the aesthetic and immersive experience you desire.
Application
Because of its superior color quality and precision imaging, AMOLED is among the best bets for many display technologies, such as televisions and monitors, smartphones, and other gadgets. Other industries, such as smart watches, digital cameras, VR headsets, and healthcare and medical equipment, also employ AMOLED panels and technology.
The advanced technology of AMOLED allows for faster response times, which is critical for those devices. The designs and flexibility of the AMOLED make it ideal for use in such devices.
Meanwhile, in addition to gadgets, smartphones, monitors, TVs, and other display technologies, manufacturers find LCDs best for electronic billboards, video projection systems, digital cameras, and camcorders.
Most portable game consoles also use LCD screens. The earliest application of LCD technology was in portable game consoles like the Game and Watch, one of the earliest prototypes of portable game consoles and the fad in the 70s and 80s.
4. Which is the Better Option?
AMOLED panels are undoubtedly better in design, advanced technology, energy efficiency, and the aesthetic experience they can give you. The nature of the material allows manufacturers to create designs to suit specific specs. The thin material makes for thinner screens and appeals to most consumers.
It also makes other designs, such as curved screens, possible. It saves energy and electricity costs and drains a device’s battery far slower than those employing LCD panels.
AMOLED provides a more immersive aesthetic experience due to its vibrant colors, greater clarity, and superior contrast, though LCD panels are brighter.
Practical use, however, can trump all the excellent specifications of a product. Much as AMOLED is better in nearly everything, the higher cost of production, resulting in higher prices for the device, can impact your decision to buy a device with an AMOLED display or an LCD one.
The way you use specific devices also matters. If you are always outside or using your smartphone during the day, the superior brightness of an LCD will trump that of an AMOLED. And if you spend your smartphone’s energy wisely, battery consumption may not even be a factor to consider.
Concerning the viewing experience, some devices with advanced technology, such as IPS panels, can give those employing AMOLED a run for their money. They offer better refresh rates and faster response times and can give viewers a superior viewing angle than other LCD screens.
Like most things, the better an item, the more enjoyment and aesthetic experience it can give you, and the more costly it becomes. Those with AMOLED panels are more expensive because, pound for pound, they are better. Manufacturers using AMOLED invest much in material and production and utilize advanced technology.
For this reason, those producing for the mass market will likely use LCD panels because of lower materials and production costs. It does not mean they are not of better quality—far from it. However, you gain much efficiency, aesthetic experience, and appeal if you go for devices with AMOLED panels.
However, the purpose and how you use the device matters more. Not all things need to be high-end; some are enough to give you more than great satisfaction, comfort, and enjoyment.
Whether you choose an AMOLED display or an LCD, we at Ledsino can help you. We offer various products employing those displays, and we can help you decide which device perfectly suits your needs and will satisfy your desires.
5. Final Thoughts
AMOLED and LCD are the most widely used displays for certain devices. Each utilizes specific advanced technology, which can impact your experience depending on purpose and use.
However, the significant difference between most devices lies in the cost. Due to technology that allows for more aesthetically appealing design, greater energy efficiency, and superior aesthetic experience, AMOLED is more expensive than LCD.
But if the device employing LCD panels can give you the desired experience, then it makes more sense to choose that device.
