best lcd panel technology brands
Liquid-crystal display (LCD) monitors are the most common today. They generally consist of a liquid crystal panel and a fluorescent backlight system located at the back of the screen. The images are shown when the light from the feedback system hits the screen.
LCD monitors are characterized by their flat, thin, and durable screens. Besides, they have had integrated LED feedback for some years now, which is why manufacturers often talk about LED LCDs. These monitors generally have low energy consumption and are affordable.
LCD monitors have many benefits to offer. As we just mentioned, they have extremely low energy consumption, and you can find very affordable models. They also allow you to enjoy very vivid colors and high definition levels.
You will have to evaluate a series of key criteria before you can choose the LCD monitor that best fits your needs. Since we want to make your life easier, we have selected the most important aspects to consider and have detailed them in the following section. This will help you sort through the wide array of options on the market, and you will know how to pick a monitor that offers the performance and value for the money you’re looking for.
You won’t want the same type of monitor if you often play video games on your computer or if you only use it for browsing the internet and office tasks. This is why the very first aspect you should think about is how exactly you plan on using your LCD monitor.
Even if you are looking for a gaming monitor, you will have to choose a model suitable for the type of game you play. If you are into competitive games, you should choose one with a low response time. For graphic design or to view content in high definition, on the other hand, your best bet will be a VA panel.
The screen size of a monitor is generally expressed as a function of the length of its diagonal in inches. The size of the screen you choose should, in part, be determined by the area of your home or office where you want to fit the monitor. That being said, the vast majority of LCD monitors currently vary between 24 and 27 inches in size.
Did you know that LCD, called liquid-crystal display, means that electrical pulses form the basis for the alignment of the crystals, which produce different colors due to their uneven light transmission?
As we briefly mentioned earlier, there are three main types of panels for monitors and TVs: TN, IPS, and VA. Each one has its own features and is more tailored to a specific type of use.
If this is your case, you should start your search by looking at monitors with 4K resolution. Do keep in mind that a high-quality LCD monitor isn’t enough; you still need to have a powerful enough computer. Since more and more 4K content is being released, you may also be interested in these monitors if you are a cinephile.
High dynamic range (HDR) technology has become increasingly common in monitors and televisions in the last few years. It makes it possible to offer colors that are much closer to those we can see in reality. Another fantastic benefit of HDR is that it can independently illuminate different areas of the monitor.
This high-dynamic range means that you can enjoy a higher contrast in the image. The main advantages of this technology are, therefore, the illumination of the different scenes and the incredibly vivid colors it offers. Remember that there are currently different HDR standards: HDR10, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HLG.
The greatest advantage of the HDMI port is that it also allows you to transmit audio. DVI ports, on the other hand, support higher refresh rates. You may also think about the DisplayPort connection as it offers the best bandwidth. As you can imagine, it’s never a bad idea to have an LCD monitor with a couple of USB ports as well.
First of all, there is often a direct relationship between the size of the screen and the price of the monitor. However, we’re sure you will have guessed that it isn’t the only influencing factor in the final cost of the product. The type of panel is another element that plays a significant role in this, the three main ones being TN, VA, and IPS.
The most expensive panels are currently the IPS models, although their price has dramatically decreased in recent years. Also, the image resolution and HDR technology are factors to consider in the final cost of an LCD monitor. If you are looking for a gaming model, keep in mind that they often integrate specific technologies to offer better in-game performance and are, therefore, more expensive.
The LG 32GQ950-B is the best LG monitor we"ve tested. It"s a 32-inch monitor with a high-resolution 4k screen, delivering a high pixel density that"s great for both gaming and multitasking. It"s an amazing gaming monitor with low input lag and a fast response time, ensuring a responsive gaming experience with very little blur behind fast-moving objects. It"s also great for office users in a bright room thanks to its high peak brightness, but direct reflections can be distracting if you have a lot of natural light. It also has a few convenience features built-in, including a built-in USB hub, so you can connect your peripherals to the monitor and have a single cable going back to your computer.
STONE Technologies is a proud manufacturer of superior quality TFT LCD modules and LCD screens. The company also provides intelligent HMI solutions that perfectly fit in with its excellent hardware offerings.
STONE TFT LCD modules come with a microcontroller unit that has a 1GHz Cortex-A8 CPU. Such a module can easily be transformed into an HMI screen. Simple hexadecimal instructions can be used to control the module through the UART port. Furthermore, you can seamlessly develop STONE TFT LCD color user interface modules and add touch control, features to them.
Becoming a reputable TFT LCD manufacturer is no piece of cake. It requires a company to pay attention to detail, have excellent manufacturing processes, the right TFT display technology, and have a consumer mindset.
Now, we list down 10 of the best famous LCD manufacturers globally. We’ll also explore why they became among the top 10 LCD display Manufacturers in the world.
BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd., founded in April 1993, is an IoT company providing intelligent interface products and professional services for information interaction and human health. BOE’s three core businesses are Interface Devices, Smart IoT Systems, and Smart Medicine & Engineering Integration.
Interface Devises Business includes Display and Senor, Sensor, and Application Solutions. As a leading company in the global semiconductor display industry, BOE has made the Chinese display industry develop from scratch to maturity and prosperity. Now, more than one-quarter of the global display panels are made by BOE, with its UHD, flexible display, microdisplay, and other solutions broadly applied to well-known worldwide brands.
Smart IoT Systems Business includes Intelligent Manufacturing Services, IoT Solution, and Digital Art IoT Platform. BOE provides integrated IoT solutions in smart retail, smart finance, digital art, business office, smart home, smart transportation, smart education, smart energy, and other fields. In the field of digital art, BOE has launched its digital art IoT solution – BOE iGallery, realizing the perfect combination of technology and art. For smart retail, BOE provides IoT solutions in price management, shelf management, and customer behavior analysis to achieve seamless online and offline convergence.
LG Display is a leading manufacturer of thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD) panels, OLED, and flexible displays.LG Display began developing TFT-LCD in 1987 and currently offers Display panels in a variety of sizes and specifications using different cutting-edge technologies (IPS, OLED, and flexible technology).
Samsung Electronics is South Korea’s largest electronics industry and the largest subsidiary of the Samsung Group. In the late 1990s, Samsung Electronics’ independent technology development and independent product innovation capabilities were further enhanced. Its product development strategy not only emphasizes “leading the technology but also using the most advanced technology to develop new products to meet the high-end market demand at the introduction stage”.In addition to the matching principle, it also emphasizes the principle of “leading technology, developing new products with the most advanced technology, creating new demand and new high-end market”.
Founded in 2003, Innolink listed its shares in Taiwan in 2006. In March 2010, it merged with Chi Mei Optoelectronics and Tong Bao Optoelectronics, the largest merger in the panel industry. Qunchuang is the surviving company and Chi Mei Electronics is the company name. In December 2012, it was renamed As Qunchuang Optoelectronics.
With innovative and differentiated technologies, QINNOOptoelectronics provides advanced display integration solutions, including 4K2K ultra-high resolution, 3D naked eye, IGZO, LTPS, AMOLED, OLED, and touch solutions. Qinnooptoelectronics sets specifications and leads the market. A wide range of product line is across all kinds of TFT LCD panel modules, touch modules, for example, TV panel, desktop and laptop computer monitor with panels, small and medium scale “panels, medical, automotive, etc., the supply of cutting-edge information and consumer electronics customers around the world, for the world TFT – LCD (thin-film transistor liquid crystal display) leading manufacturers.
AU Optronics Co., LTD., formerly AU Optronics Corporation, was founded in August 1996. It changed its name to AU Optronics after its merger with UNIOPtronics in 2001. Through two mergers, AU has been able to have a full range of generations of production lines for panels of all sizes.Au Optronics is a TFT-LCD design, manufacturing, and r&d company. Since 2008, au Optronics has entered the green energy industry, providing customers with high-efficiency solar energy solutions.
Sharp has been called the “father of LCD panels”.Since its founding in 1912, Sharp developed the world’s first calculator and LIQUID crystal display, represented by the living pencil, which was invented as the company name. At the same time, Sharp is actively expanding into new areas to improve people’s living standards and social progress. Made a contribution.
BYD IT products and businesses mainly include rechargeable batteries, plastic mechanism parts, metal parts, hardware electronic products, cell phone keys, microelectronics products, LCD modules, optoelectronics products, flexible circuit boards, chargers, connectors, uninterruptible power supplies, DC power supplies, solar products, cell phone decoration, cell phone ODM, cell phone testing, cell phone assembly business, notebook computer ODM, testing and manufacturing and assembly business, etc.
Toshiba is a famous multinational company with a history of 130 years. It covers a wide range of businesses, including social infrastructure construction, home appliances, digital products, and electronic components. It covers almost every aspect of production and life. Toshiba has the largest research and development institution in Japan. Through unremitting innovation and development, Toshiba has been at the forefront of science and technology in the world.
From the introduction of Japan’s original washing machines, refrigerators, and other household appliances, to the world’s first laptop, the first 16MB flash memory, the world’s smallest 0.85-inch HDDs; Create advanced HDDVD technology; Toshiba created many “world firsts” in the research and manufacture of new SED displays and contributed to changing people’s lives through constant technological innovation.
Tianma microelectronics co., LTD., founded in 1983, the company focus on smartphones, tablets, represented by high order laptop display market of consumer goods and automotive, medical, POS, HMI, etc., represented by professional display market, and actively layout smart home, intelligent wear, AR/VR, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other emerging markets, to provide customers with the best product experience.IN terms of technology, the company has independently mastered leading technologies such as LTPS-TFT, AMOLED, flexible display, Oxide-TFT, 3D display, transparent display, and in-cell/on-cell integrated touch control. TFT-LCD key Materials and Technologies National Engineering Laboratory, national enterprise Technology Center, post-doctoral mobile workstation, and undertake national Development and Reform Commission, The Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and other major national thematic projects. The company’s long-term accumulation and continuous investment in advanced technology lay the foundation for innovation and development in the field of application.
As we count down to Black Friday, the flood of early Black Friday monitor deals are starting to trickle out, meaning that now is a great time to buy if you"re in the market for a new monitor and you don"t want to wait. Everything from the best gaming monitors to the best 4K monitors with high refresh rates are going to see some great discounts in the coming weeks, so definitely dig into the best PC displays out there and get a sense of what you want so you can find the best deal for your needs at a great price.
Finding the best monitor is getting harder and harder these days thanks to all the plethora of options out there. Whether you"re looking for a cheap display or an extra panel for work, whether you"re looking for a gaming monitor or an ultrasharp display with great color coverage for creative content work.
Fortunately, we here at Techradar do a lot of work with all kinds of displays over the years so we know how the best monitors are an essential component of any PC, especially the best computer setups for work and playing the best PC games, whatever the case may be.
So whether you"re looking for the best 5K and 8K monitors for creative work or the best cheap gaming monitor deals for some casual esports, we"ve tried and reviewed just about all of them. To help you find out which monitor is best for you, we"ve written up a guide for how to pick the best monitor to help you find what you"re looking for, no matter what your need or budget might be.
So from the best 144Hz 4K monitors to the best monitors for video editing, we"ve broken down our top picks of the year so far and compiled them in this handy guide to make your buying decision easier than ever. We"ve even included our price comparison tool to help you find the best monitor deals no matter what kind of monitor you"re in the market for.
Now that the best PCs can handle 4K easier than ever before, the best 4K monitors are all over the place. That’s why BenQ released the PD3200U, a massive 32-inch Ultra HD display, as part of its Designer Monitor range. 3D designers particularly love this display, thanks to the factory-calibrated color accuracy and CAD/CAM mode. Marketed to creatives and professionals, BenQ has designed, seemingly by mistake, a panel that gamers will enjoy as well, making it one of the best monitors all-around – so long as they can find the space for it on their desks.
Ultrawide monitors have been around for a while: they’ve constantly made it on folks’ the best monitors list for a few years now, in fact. These wide monitors are lifesavers when it comes to productivity, and they’re only increasing in popularity. The Asus Designo Curve MX38VC, however, takes it to the next level.
We don’t usually run into technology that’s so far ahead of the curve that we’re left dumbfounded, which is why the Dell UltraSharp UP3218K has impressed us even more. Finding one of the best monitors that can reach the raw gorgeousness this one can should be next to impossible. It’s not just the resolution, either.
Dell went so far as to ensure that the build quality and color reproduction are the best in the business as well. The Dell UltraSharp UP3218K is aimed at professionals, obviously, so if that sounds like it’s made for you, it’s probably the best monitor you’ll ever find.
If you’re looking for a first-rate 1440p monitor with HDR for multimedia and gaming, then the BenQ EX3203R might be the display for you. One of the best monitors this 2022, this one’s noteworthy as it offers a ton of high-end features in a product that is very reasonably priced. Sure, 32 inches might sound like a bit much for a monitor, but the 1800R curvature on this BenQ panel means that it’s easy to use, both for productivity, as well as for immersion in your games and media.
If you’re searching for a gaming monitor with a super-wide 1440p resolution, incredibly fast response time of 1ms, a viewing angle of 178 degrees and a quick refresh rate, then the MSI Optix MPG341CQR is something you should consider. If not for those, then perhaps for the fact that MSI has decided to go with a VA panel, as opposed to IPS, giving it more contrast and punchier colors. A few bonuses are included, as well: snazzy “Mystic Light” RGD LEDs, USB-C connectivity, an integrated camera and a competitive price.
We review monitors based on a number of factors including price, design, and performance. We consider the size of each display, as well as the number and type of ports on each monitor to determine who each display would benefit most. Each monitor is used in a variety of scenarios, so we use it for work, media consumption and gaming to test what it’s best suited to.
Among the best brands in this regard are Dell, Alienware, BenQ, Acer, LG, Samsung, HP, Lenovo, and Asus, but they are by no means the only ones.Which monitor quality is best?Well, this really depends on a couple of factors, but first and foremost is your use case.
If you"re just a typical PC gamer looking for the best image quality, getting a 4K monitor with 144Hz refresh is going to make your games look fantastic. If you"re an esports competitor (or want to be someday), then the only thing that matters is pixel response and refresh rate. Even a 1080p resolution is acceptable so long as it has at least 1ms pixel response or lower. The refresh on 1080p monitors can go as high as 360Hz or even higher with the very latest monitors coming onto the market.
If you"re on a high-end gaming desktop with the best graphics card on the market, then a 4K monitor or even an 8K display might be more of what you"re looking for. 4K monitors are only just now starting to get higher refresh rates like 120Hz and 144Hz, so these are definitely the 4K panels that you need to keep an eye out for.What is best screen size for 4K?Depending on how far away from the screen you are, there will be a point where it just doesn"t benefit you to upgrade to a new monitor with a higher resolution.
Typically, 32 inches is considered the best monitor size since this is the size where a person sitting about 3 feet away from a screen will be able to see the difference between 4K and 1440p. The difference isn"t going to be huge, but it will be there.
Instead, we’ll cover the best-selling monitors by the most popular brands and briefly go over the company, what they do right, what could be improved, etc.
What makes these displays exceptional is that they are the only VA (Vertical Alignment) panels capable of a 1ms GtG (gray to gray pixel transition) response time speed.
Previous-generation VA panels had significantly slower response times, which resulted in prominent smearing behind fast-moving objects in dark scenes.
The fast 1ms GtG response time speed in combination with the main asset of the VA technology, which is high contrast ratio, make these Samsung models ideal for those who want both: responsive gameplay and immersive image quality with deep blacks.
We mentioned brightness flickering. This issue is often associated with high refresh rate VA gaming monitors regardless of the panel manufacturer (Samsung, AUO, CSOT, etc.).
Since VA panels aren’t used for serious color-grading anyway due to gamma/saturation shifts, this is usually not deal-breaking to most users, but it can be if you’re buying one of Samsung’s wide gamut IPS monitors, such as the
While the popular Dell Alienware AW3423DW monitor uses Samsung’s (panel manufacturer) QD-OLED panel, Samsung (monitor manufacturer) is yet to release their model using the same panel, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8.
Later, LG applied this fast IPS technology to other models with higher resolutions too, including the LG 27GN950 (4K 144Hz) and the LG 34GP83A (3440×1440 144Hz ultrawide).
Alongside Acer, ASUS offers state-of-the-art display technology, usually based on panels by AU Optronics, such as the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ with full-array local dimming solutions and G-SYNC Ultimate for the true HDR viewing and gaming experience.
So, if you want the absolute best gaming monitor, it’ll often be one of ASUS’ or Acer’s models, and it won’t be cheap, such as the $3,000 ASUS PG32UQX 4K 144Hz IPS gaming monitor with an 1152-zone mini LED FALD backlight, or the ASUS PG42UQ 4K 138Hz OLED display.
Some ASUS gaming monitors feature the exclusive ELMB-Sync technology. It’s one of the rare MBR (Motion Blur Reduction) implementations that can work at the same time as variable refresh rate.
We usually recommend going for whichever is cheaper in your country, or according to your preference of the design or exclusive features. Any difference in image quality or performance is usually attributed to panel variance.
The AOC C24G1A and 24G2 are some of the most popular budget gaming displays. Not only are they cheaper than the competing models, but also better – making for the best value for the money – if you can find them in stock and at original pricing.
This adjusts the strobe length allowing you to find the best trade-off between picture brightness and motion-clarity for you. Most monitors don’t have this much customization for backlight strobing, there are usually just two to three options, or just one.
Gaming monitors such as the BenQ ZOWIE XL2546K don’t compromise on performance; they deliver impeccable input lag and response time performance, as well as the impressively tuned DyAc+ (Dynamic Accuracy) backlight strobing technology with minimal brightness penalty and strobe crosstalk.
So, why would anyone ever buy a TN panel? For starters, they’re cheap. They don’t cost a lot to produce, so they’re often used in the most budget-friendly options. If you don’t value color reproduction or need excellent viewing angles, a TN panel might be fine for your office or study.
TN panels also have the lowest input lag—typically around one millisecond. They can also handle high refresh rates of up to 240 Hz. This makes them an attractive option for competitive multiplayer games—especially eSports, where every split-second counts.
IPS technology was developed to improve upon the limitations of TN panels—most notably, the poor color reproduction and limited viewing angles. As a result, IPS panels are much better than TNs in both of these areas.
In particular, IPS panels have vastly superior viewing angles than TNs. This means you can view IPS panels from extreme angles and still get accurate color reproduction. Unlike TNs, you’ll notice very little shift in color when you view one from a less-than-ideal perspective.
IPS panels are also known for their relatively good black reproduction, which helps eliminate the “washed out” look you get with TN panels. However, IPS panels fall short of the excellent contrast ratios you’ll find on VAs.
While high refresh rates were typically reserved for TNs, more manufacturers are producing IPS panels with refresh rates of 240 Hz. For example, the 27-inch 1080p ASUS VG279QM uses an IPS panel and supports 280 Hz.
Previously, TNs exhibited less input lag than any other panel, but IPS technology has finally caught up. In June 2019, LG announced its new Nano IPS UltraGear monitors with a response time of one millisecond.
Despite the gap being closed, you’ll still pay more for an IPS panel with such a low response time than you would for a TN with similar specs. If you’re on a budget, expect a response time of around four milliseconds for a good IPS monitor.
One last thing to be aware of with IPS panels is a phenomenon called “IPS glow.” It’s when you see the display’s backlight shining through it at more extreme viewing angles. It’s not a huge problem unless you view the panel from the side, but it’s something to keep in mind.
VA panels are something of a compromise between TN and IPS. They offer the best contrast ratios, which is why TV manufacturers use them extensively. While an IPS monitor typically has a contrast ratio of 1000:1, it’s not unusual to see 3000:1 or 6000:1 in a comparable VA panel.
In terms of viewing angles, VAs can’t quite match the performance of IPS panels. Screen brightness, in particular, can vary based on the angle from which you’re viewing, but you won’t get the “IPS glow.”
VAs have slower response times than TNs and the newer Nano IPS panels with their one-millisecond response rates. You can find VA monitors with high refresh rates (240 Hz), but the latency can result in more ghosting and motion blur. For this reason, competitive gamers should avoid VA.
Compared to TNs, VA panels do offer much better color reproduction and typically hit the full sRGB spectrum, even on lower-end models. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, Samsung’s Quantum Dot SVA panels can hit 125 percent sRGB coverage.
For these reasons, VA panels are seen as the jack of all trades. They’re ideal for general use, but they either match or fall short in most other areas except contrast ratio. VAs are good for gamers who enjoy single-player or casual experiences.
When compared to CRT monitors, all LCD panels suffer from some form of latency issue. This was a real problem when TN panels first appeared, and it’s plagued IPS and VA monitors for years. But technology has moved on, and while many of these issues have been improved, they haven’t been eliminated entirely.
Uneven backlighting is another issue you’ll find on all panel types. Often this comes down to overall build quality—cheaper models slack on quality control to save on production costs. So, if you’re looking for a cheap monitor, be prepared for some uneven backlighting. However, you’ll mostly only notice it on solid or very dark backgrounds.
LCD panels are also susceptible to dead or stuck pixels. Different manufacturers and jurisdictions have different policies and consumer laws covering dead pixels. If you’re a perfectionist, check the manufacturer’s dead-pixel policy before you buy. Some will replace a monitor with a single dead pixel for free, while others require a minimum number.
Office or study use: Your budget should be your primary concern here. VA is the do-it-all panel, with superior viewing angles to TN, but either would do the trick. You can save some money because you don’t need high refresh rates or ultra-low latency. They’re still nice, though. You’ll see a noticeable difference in smoothness just when moving the Windows cursor on a monitor with a 144 versus 60 Hz refresh rate.
Photo and video editors/Digital artists: IPS panels are still generally favored for their ability to display a wide gamut of colors. It’s not unusual to find VA panels that also cover a wide gamut (125 percent sRGB, and over 90 percent DCI-P3), but they tend to exhibit more motion blur during fast-paced action than IPS panels. If you’re serious about color accuracy, you’ll need to properly calibrate your monitor.
Programmers who mount monitors vertically: You might think TN panels are great for programmers, but that’s not necessarily the case. TN panels have particularly bad viewing angles on the vertical axis. If you mount your monitor in portrait mode (as many programmers and mobile developers do), you’ll get the worst possible viewing angles from a TN panel. For the best possible viewing angles in this scenario, invest in an IPS display.
Competitive online gamers: There’s no question TN panels are still favored in the eSports world. Even the cheapest models have fast response times and support for high refresh rates. For 1080p gaming, a 24-inch will do just fine, or you could opt for a 1440p, 27-inch model without breaking the bank. You might want to go for an IPS panel as more low-latency models hit the market, but expect to pay more.
Non-competitive, high-end PC gamers: For a rich, immersive image that pops, a VA panel will provide a higher contrast ratio than IPS or TN. For deep blacks and a sharp, contrasting image, VA is the winner. If you’re okay with sacrificing some contrast, you can go the IPS route. However, we’d recommend avoiding TN altogether unless you play competitively.
Best all-rounder: VA is the winner here, but IPS is better in all areas except contrast ratio. If you can sacrifice contrast, an IPS panel will provide fairly low latency, decent blacks, and satisfactory color coverage.
Contrary to what you may think, not all LCD TVs are built around the same core panel technology. They can actually have at their hearts one of two really quite different technologies: VA or IPS.
Each, as we’ll see, has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages – so much so that we personally think the type of panel a particular TV uses should be presented right at the top of its specifications list, rather than typically left off altogether. Especially as some brands have been known to actually mix and match VA and IPS panels at different screen sizes within the same TV series.
The VA initialism stands for Vertical Alignment. This name is derived from the way VA panels apply voltage to vertically aligned liquid crystals that have been mounted perpendicularly to the panel’s glass substrate, making them tilt as required to let the necessary amount of light through for each image frame.
The main advantage of VA panels is contrast. Their perpendicular crystal alignment provides greater control over the light passing through each pixel, meaning dark scenes and dark areas look less grey / enjoy better black levels.
The extent to which this strength is exploited can vary greatly between different manufacturers, and depends on any number of secondary factors. The type and position of LED lighting a particular VA screen might be using can have an impact, for instance. There are multiple variations on the VA theme available from different manufacturers, too. As a basic principle, though, black levels and contrast are consistently and often considerably better on LCD TVs that use VA panels.
Because of their ability to control light better, high-end VA panels generally deliver more brightness in real world conditions than IPS ones do. This further enhances their contrast capabilities, and arguably makes them more consistently able to do fuller justice to the wider light range associated with high dynamic range technology.
Being able to deliver dark scenes with relatively little overlying low-contrast greyness additionally means that VA panels tend to achieve more consistent colour vibrancy and toning.
VA panels for use in LCD TVs come from a number of panel manufacturers, including Samsung Display (which makes a so-called SVA variant) and AU Optronics (which makes an AMVA variant). TV brands are able to buy in panels from these and other VA panel manufacturers as they see fit.
Samsung Electronics is the most consistent user of VA panels in its LCD TVs. In fact, until recently pretty much every Samsung TV at every price level used a VA panel. For the past couple of years, though, IPS panels have unexpectedly cropped up in one or two parts of Samsung’s TV range, including 2021’s high-end QN85 series.
Sony predominantly uses VA panels on its most premium TVs, but it also habitually mixes IPS and VA panels across its wider mid-range and entry level LCD ranges. The same goes for most of the other big brands, too, including Panasonic and Philips.
IPS stands for In-Plane Switching. Like VA panels, IPS panels work by manipulating voltage to adjust how liquid crystals are aligned. Unlike VA, though, IPS panels orient their crystals in parallel with (rather than perpendicular too) the glass substrates present in every LCD panel, and rotate their crystals around to let the desired amount of light through rather than tilting them.
By far the biggest and most talked about advantage of IPS technology is its support for wider viewing angles. In fact, one way of identifying IPS panels has traditionally been to look for quoted viewing angles of 178 degrees.
When we talk about wide viewing angle support in relation to LCD TVs, we’re talking about how much of an angle from directly opposite the screen you can go before the picture starts to lose contrast, colour saturation and, sometimes, brightness.
With VA panels the angle you can watch them before the picture starts to deteriorate sharply can be really quite limited – as little as 20 degrees off axis. While we’d say the 178-degree claims for regular IPS panels are rather exaggerated, you can typically sit at a significantly wider angle than you can with VA and still enjoy a watchable picture.
We’ve even seen occasional evidence of the edges of really big (75-inch plus) VA screens suffering from the technology’s viewing angle limitations when viewed straight on, whereas this never happens with IPS technology.
The VA/IPS viewing angle situation is muddied a little by the introduction into a few high-end VA TVs of wide angle technologies based around filters or sub pixel manipulation. These technologies can be associated with other problems, though, such as reduced resolution, and can still struggle to suppress backlight blooming around stand-out bright objects with LCD TVs that use local dimming backlight systems.
Traditionally IPS panels have been associated with – on high-end screens, at least – wider colour gamuts than VA panels can readily manage. They retain this colour gamut better, too, when viewing the screen from an angle. This is why many professional designers, for instance, have tended to prefer IPS technology to VA. There can be some pretty extreme variance in the range of colour supported across different IPS price points, though, and improvements in premium VA solutions – especially the widespread use of Quantum Dot technologies – have largely evened things up, at least at the premium end of the VA market. In fact, with dark scenes, at least, IPS’s issues with black levels and ‘grey wash’ effect can give good VA panels a colour advantage.
There was a time when IPS technology was considered to have an edge over VA when it comes to response time, leading to less motion blur and improved gaming reaction times. These days, though, we’re seeing pretty much identically low input lag measurements (between 9.4 and 10.4ms) from both VA and IPS TVs.
As with VA, there are different variations on the basic IPS theme made by different panel manufacturers. LG Display is by far the biggest manufacturer of IPS LCD panels for TVs, but AU Optronics also makes them, as well as, more surprisingly, Samsung – though some of the non-LG Display IPS products seem to be more focused on PC monitors than TVs.
Given how dominant LG Display is in manufacturing IPS LCD panels, it’s not surprising to find that pretty much every LCD TV LG Electronics makes features an IPS panel at its heart. Other TV brands that use IPS panels on at least a few of their TVs each year include Panasonic, Philips, Sony and Hisense. In fact, the only big brand that has tended to shun IPS is Samsung (perhaps because of arch rival LG Display’s dominance of the IPS market).
As noted earlier, it can be frustratingly difficult to determine whether a TV is using VA or IPS technology. Sometimes it is mentioned in the specifications list on a manufacturer’s website – but more often it is not.
If you’re able to actually get your hands on an LCD TV, try knocking gently on its screen. If it’s an IPS panel it will feel solid and the picture will only be slightly affected – or completely unaffected – by the impact of your knocks. If it’s a VA panel, the picture will distort quite noticeably around points of impact.
It’s tempting to assume that any TVs with obviously low contrast are IPS while any screen with a narrow viewing angle is VA. As well as depending on having a wide experience of lots of panels, though, there’s just too much variation in the high and low-end fringes of each technology for this approach to be reliable.
Arguably your best bet is to check out a TV model you’re interested in on an industry website called Displayspecifications.com(opens in new tab), which includes usually reliable information on the core panel of pretty much every TV released.
You might want to consider IPS TV if your room layout means one or more viewers regularly find themselves having to watch the screen from a wide angle (though don’t forget that a small number of high-end VA TVs feature wide viewing angle technology). IPS’s black level limitations tend to be less obvious in bright rooms too, if that fits with the sort of environment your TV is likely to be used in for the majority of the time.
Our long experience of testing VA and IPS TVs, though, has led us to conclude that in general, the sort of person most likely to be turning to us for buying advice will be happier with an LCD TV based on VA technology.
If you"re in the market for a new gaming monitor, you"re going to brush up against three distinct types of displays that all come with their own pros and cons. We"re here to break down exactly what you need to know about TN, IPS, and VA panels and help you make the right choice for your exact gaming needs.
There are three display panel types that cover most gaming monitors (cutting-edge technology like mini-LED and OLED are coming, but we won"t cover that here). TN (twisted nematic), IPS (in-plane switching), and VA (vertical alignment) all use the same technology at their core--molecules that react according to different voltages to move and produce an image--but their differences and evolutions have made each one good for specific use cases.
TN panels have the worst viewing angles of the three, with colors able to drastically shift from even slight angles off the center of the display. TN also has the worst color coverage, with the inability to show a high color depth and producing noticeable banding due to interpolation. Contrast ratios are also poor, with the overall image looking washed out compared to IPS and VA.
So, if TN is this poor, why is it still on the market? For one, TN panels are incredibly cheap, which is why you"ll often find them in budget gaming monitors that can still deliver a good, if not great, image. TN is also still the fastest panel type on the market, with pixel response times (the time it takes for a pixel to change color) as fast as 1ms. While IPS and VA panels have managed to get there, they often make use of methods that lead to other issues (such as smearing or inverted ghosting), which keeps TN panels relevant for speed.
For that reason, TN panels are ideal for competitive gaming, especially in the realm of esports where response time is much more important than image quality. If you"re primarily playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite, or Call of Duty: Warzone, you"ll probably benefit the most from a TN monitor if all you care about is securing those wins. Plus, you"ll save a bunch of money in the process.
In the past, one of the biggest compromises you had to make with IPS displays was pixel response time and refresh rate, but as the technology has evolved it has managed to shake these off. You can now find IPS displays with refresh rates well into the 240Hz range, with response times matching that of the 1ms on TN. You"ll pay a premium for that, with most high-end displays on the market featuring these specs, but it"s also possible to enjoy some of the benefits with cheaper IPS products. You might get a response time closer to 4ms and maybe a limited refresh rate ranging from 60-144Hz, but if you care about what your games look like then it"s a massive step up from TN.
One big disadvantage across the board with IPS panels are their poor contrast ratios, making them worse options for dark rooms than VA. It can make dark areas in games look more milky grey than black, made worse by the uneven backlighting that can be viewed at different angles (also known as IPS glow). The color reproduction is still the best it can be on an IPS display, but if you mostly play games at night or in a dim room, you might want to consider a VA panel.
Speaking of VA (vertical alignment) panels, there"s a reason the majority of LCD TVs use this panel type. It"s the jack-of-all-trades panel, with better color reproduction than TN panels as well as a much better contrast ratio compared to IPS. VA panels, depending on the overall display specs, can also be cheaper than IPS panels in most cases, occupying a good middle ground between performance and price that is difficult to argue against.
One area where VA truly excels is contrast. It"s a night-and-day difference compared to IPS, with VA panels able to produce far inkier blacks and really accentuate dark areas in games, especially when you"re playing in a dim environment. This is one of the strongest reasons for owning a VA panel, especially if the "IPS glow" really bothers you. You do, however, lose out on the wider viewing angles that IPS offers.
One issue with VA is its response times, like IPS. It can reach 1ms in very specific cases, but this often leads to a lot of smearing or inverse ghosting (where ghost trails behind shifting pixels have colors inverted), which make the gains moot. On average, a VA panel will have worse smearing at the same pixel response times when compared to an IPS panel, primarily down to how the vertical alignment of the molecules in the display function. It"s something you might notice when playing at very high refresh rates and in fast-paced games, but it"s also something that a lot of people don"t have an issue with at all.
If getting the fastest response times and highest frame rates possible is crucial to your gaming, there"s no question that a TN panel is still your best option. Competitive gamers who benefit from the fractions of a second that a pixel can take to update will find no corners cut on any TN panel out there, and they"ll benefit from the high refresh rates most offer.
Similarly, if you"re on a very tight budget and you"re looking for the right monitor to accompany a machine built for games like League of Legends, Dota 2, or Fortnite, then choosing a TN panel could help you put more money toward the hardware that powers your games instead. You"ll be missing out on the better color reproduction that TN lacks, but if you"re just planning to play games casually and not take in their sights, then you can save yourself a lot of money.
If single-player games are mostly what you use your PC for and you"re strictly keeping it for recreational use, then it"s difficult to argue against a VA panel. It"s a considerable step up from TN and will let you enjoy your games with visuals as their designers intended. The deep blacks will let you immerse yourself in moody atmospheres, while the cheaper prices could afford you the ability to get a bigger monitor with a decently high refresh rate.
VA panels also give you a lot of range to stretch your budget, whether you"re just looking for a slightly-above-average display or one to really bring out the best in your hardware. From 1080p to 4K, it"s easy to find a great VA-equipped display that won"t break the bank or go ultra-premium with one of Samsung"s top-of-the-line products. The company"s latest G7 (or Odyssey G9, if you have the space and the money for it) feature outstanding HDR support, incredible contrast, and great color, if you"re willing to invest in their high price points.
If you"re looking for a monitor that can do it all, there"s nothing beating out an IPS panel. Many new monitors feature the more advanced fast IPS panels, which remove many of the compromises you used to have to make with regards to pixel response times and high refresh rates.
The viewing angles, the color reproduction, and the overall experience of an IPS panel just can"t be beat right now, making it the perfect accompaniment to a high-powered gaming PC, console, or workstation. They"re accurate enough for some professional work, whether you"re color-correcting photos or videos, and fast enough to keep up with your favorite competitive games or engrossing single-player adventures.
IPS panels are also ideal for local multiplayer gaming with their wide viewing angles, but these come at the cost of good contrast ratios and potential backlight bleeding. If you"re only planning to play games in a dark environment, a VA might be better suited to your needs. But if you"re looking for a panel with the fewest compromises, it"s hard to argue against IPS.
We"ve highlighted some of our favorite monitors with each display panel type above, but if you"re looking for more options for well-priced displays, check out our guide to the best cheap gaming monitors on the market right now as well as the best monitors for PS5 and Xbox Series X. If monitors are just too small, we also have recommendations for the best 4K TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X, some of which can also work well for PC gaming. If you’re looking for some more information on the types of monitors out there, we’ve got a list of the differences between LCD and LED Monitors. Let us know what your favorite displays are in the comments below.
While there are many different manufacturers of LCD monitors, the panels themselves are actually only manufactured by a relatively small selection of companies. The three main manufacturers tend to be Samsung, AU Optronics and LG.Display (previously LG.Philips), but there are also a range of other companies like Innolux and CPT which are used widely in the market. Below is a database of all the current panel modules manufactured in each size. These show the module number along with important information including panel technology and a detailed spec. This should provide a detailed list of panels used, and can give you some insight into what is used in any given LCD display.
Note:These are taken from manufacturer product documentation and panel resource websites. Specs are up to date to the best of our knowledge, and new panels will be added as and when they are produced. Where gaps are present, the detail is unknown or not listed in documentation. The colour depth specs are taken from the manufacturer, and so where they specify FRC and 8-bit etc, this is their listing. Absence of such in the table below does not necessarily mean they aren’t using FRC etc, just that this is how the manufacturer lists the spec on their site.
Flat-panel displays are thin panels of glass or plastic used for electronically displaying text, images, or video. Liquid crystal displays (LCD), OLED (organic light emitting diode) and microLED displays are not quite the same; since LCD uses a liquid crystal that reacts to an electric current blocking light or allowing it to pass through the panel, whereas OLED/microLED displays consist of electroluminescent organic/inorganic materials that generate light when a current is passed through the material. LCD, OLED and microLED displays are driven using LTPS, IGZO, LTPO, and A-Si TFT transistor technologies as their backplane using ITO to supply current to the transistors and in turn to the liquid crystal or electroluminescent material. Segment and passive OLED and LCD displays do not use a backplane but use indium tin oxide (ITO), a transparent conductive material, to pass current to the electroluminescent material or liquid crystal. In LCDs, there is an even layer of liquid crystal throughout the panel whereas an OLED display has the electroluminescent material only where it is meant to light up. OLEDs, LCDs and microLEDs can be made flexible and transparent, but LCDs require a backlight because they cannot emit light on their own like OLEDs and microLEDs.
Liquid-crystal display (or LCD) is a thin, flat panel used for electronically displaying information such as text, images, and moving pictures. They are usually made of glass but they can also be made out of plastic. Some manufacturers make transparent LCD panels and special sequential color segment LCDs that have higher than usual refresh rates and an RGB backlight. The backlight is synchronized with the display so that the colors will show up as needed. The list of LCD manufacturers:
Organic light emitting diode (or OLED displays) is a thin, flat panel made of glass or plastic used for electronically displaying information such as text, images, and moving pictures. OLED panels can also take the shape of a light panel, where red, green and blue light emitting materials are stacked to create a white light panel. OLED displays can also be made transparent and/or flexible and these transparent panels are available on the market and are widely used in smartphones with under-display optical fingerprint sensors. LCD and OLED displays are available in different shapes, the most prominent of which is a circular display, which is used in smartwatches. The list of OLED display manufacturers:
MicroLED displays is an emerging flat-panel display technology consisting of arrays of microscopic LEDs forming the individual pixel elements. Like OLED, microLED offers infinite contrast ratio, but unlike OLED, microLED is immune to screen burn-in, and consumes less power while having higher light output, as it uses LEDs instead of organic electroluminescent materials, The list of MicroLED display manufacturers:
LCDs are made in a glass substrate. For OLED, the substrate can also be plastic. The size of the substrates are specified in generations, with each generation using a larger substrate. For example, a 4th generation substrate is larger in size than a 3rd generation substrate. A larger substrate allows for more panels to be cut from a single substrate, or for larger panels to be made, akin to increasing wafer sizes in the semiconductor industry.
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In order to choose the best monitor for your needs, it is very important to distinguish what kind of LCD panel interface type is in the monitor you’re looking at. The most common panels used nowadays are;
One of the types of panels that you will find in a computer monitor is a TN Panel. This stands for Twisted Nematic, and this particular type of LCD panel is generally the cheapest. They are the cheapest to manufacture among all LCD technologies, so they are the most commonly used in budget monitors.
If you are looking to game online, you will need a monitor with a higher refresh rate like that offered by a TN panel. Refresh rates are measured in Hertz (Hz), which defines how many times per second your screen can display new images.
The typical response time for a TN panel is less than 5 ms which is much faster than the 6 or 8 ms response time that other LCD displays have, such as vertical alignment or VA.
The biggest downside with these panels is often their viewing angles. On a TN panel, the viewing angles aren"t very good, and depending on how far off-center you are, the picture can begin to lose color and contrast.
TN panels also don"t support as wide a range of resolutions as IPS. This LCD monitor panel type has a poor contrast ratio when compared with other technologies such as IPS and VA. This results in an inability to display deep blacks and bright whites at the same time.
TN panels are manufactured by Samsung, LG, AUO, Chi-Mei, Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Hannstar Display Corporation, Sharp Corporation, CMI, Innolux, J-Tech Digital Imaging Co. Ltd, AU Optronics Corporation, etc.
A TN panel is a type of liquid crystal display (LCD) used in most LCD monitors and laptops. TN panels were the workhorse of the 1990s and early 2000s, but they were eventually replaced by their more-expensive cousins, the in-plane switching (IPS) and vertical alignment (VA) panels.
TN computer panels work by using two polarized filters, vertical and horizontal, to control the light that passes through them. The filters are arranged so that when the electrical current is off, light cannot pass through. When it"s on, it hits the twisted crystals to produce colors. The active layer is twisted to allow the light to pass through it, and this twist is controlled by electrical fields applied to the liquid crystal material.
It is worth noting that A TN panel is made up of millions of pixels, each pixel being red, green, or blue in color. The light from each pixel can be either on or off, so black is created when all the pixels are off and white when all are on. When all three colors are combined, any color can be produced. This arrangement is called RGB (red-green-blue).
A TN panel uses twisted nematic liquid crystals to form images. While not as desirable as other technologies, it does have several benefits worth considering when making a purchasing decision.They are mostly found in budget LCDs, as they are cheaper to manufacture and therefore sell for less.
TN panels have excellent response rates and refresh rates, typically 1 - 2 milliseconds and 50 – 75 Hz, respectively. This makes them ideal for high-end gaming
TN is the oldest and most common type of LCD panel, and it"s also the cheapest to produce. TN panels were the first panels to be introduced to the market, but they"re no longer as popular as they used to be. This is because TN panels have several downsides:The main disadvantage of TN panels is limited viewing angles, which can be extremely limiting in some cases. If you"re sitting straight in front of the monitor, everything is fine, but if you move to the side, then all colors shift and get distorted. That can be extremely annoying for graphic designers or architectswho work with color palettes, photographers who need exact color matching, etc. (see also
TN panels typically have lower contrast ratios than IPS displays do, so they don"t look as rich in color or dark black. So TN panels are usually not suitable for professional applications such as color-critical photo editingand graphic design.
Many gamers prefer TN panels because they provide a very fast response time and higher refresh rates. You can also find some with a refresh rate of 240Hz, which is even better.The Asus VG248QE is a 24-inch LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and a 1ms response time. It uses a TN panel, so don"t expect much in terms of viewing angle or color reproduction accuracy compared to an IPS display. But if you"re looking for a good 144Hz monitor, choose this one.
ViewSonic VX2458-MHD. It has a TN panel. The refresh rate of this monitor is 72Hz, which is standard. The response time of this monitor is 1ms. It also comes with 4 USB 3.0 ports, which is great if you plan on hooking up multiple devices, which is frequently used when trading. If you have a setup like that, you will also want to look at bezel less monitors, or frameless monitors, for your needs.
Another common type of panel is a VA panel. This stands for Vertical Alignment and is a step above a TN panel in terms of quality. Its name comes from the fact that light emitted from the screen"s backlight (see also LED monitors) is aligned vertically rather than being scattered horizontally and vertically as it is with a TN display.
VA panels provide high-quality images, wide viewing angles along with excellent contrast ratio and high refresh rates. These factors make VA panel monitors preferred for graphic design, photographers, video editors, and others who often work on their PCs.
VA panels are also better when displaying fast-moving images because they offer high refresh rates hence have less motion blur. Additionally, some panels have support for even 120 Hz refresh rates for ultra-smooth movement in games and movies.
Traditional LCD displays use two polarizing filters and liquid crystals (LCs) to create all the colors and patterns that we see on computer monitors and flat-panel televisions.
What are the Benefits of VA Panels?Image quality of VA technology is considered better than TN technology; text appears crisper, and images appear sharper and richer in contrast and color.
One of the other key benefits of VA technology is its high contrast ratio; VA displays can deliver a true black when displaying dark images or video content
The big downside of TN panels is their response time. Most TN panels have a response time of 5-8 MS, which is fine for most people. However, if you"re mostly into competitive gaming or fast-paced action games like me that require quick reflexes, then this could be a problem.
We did some research and came up with a list of the best monitors with VA panels, and they are;ViewSonic VX2457-MHD. It is a24-inch monitor with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and covers 100% of the sRGB spectrum. It also has plenty of picture-enhancing features, including adjustable color settings and support for AMD"s FreeSync technology (see also affordable G Sync monitors).
This is the best LCD panel type. IPS stands for In-Plane Switching, and the biggest advantage over the other panels listed above is its wide viewing angles.
These screens are more expensive than TN panels but offer a greater contrast ratio, higher resolutions than their TN counterparts. They also support higher refresh rates, lower response time which makes them ideal for monitors larger than 24 inches.
These panels offer much more consistent colors, which makes them ideal for graphic designers or anyone who does any kind of color-critical work on their monitor.
IPS panels offer wider viewing angles than VA panels do, making them better suited for use in public spaces such as retail stores or airports where you can expect people will be walking by your TV from both sides.
The contrast ratio of an IPS panel is higher than that of TN panels. The contrast ratio of a display refers to the difference between the darkest black and the brightest white that the display is capable of producing. This can be an important factor in overall display quality, depending on how you use your laptop or desktop monitor.
Some manufacturers that specialize in IPS panel interphases include Samsung, LG, and even Mac Apple. Also, almost all Dell monitors use IPS panels. However, there are plenty of other high-quality manufacturers that also offer IPS panels for you to choose from.
In a liquid crystal display (LCD), light passes through a pair of polarizers. Each polarizer is made of a long chain of molecules, each oriented in a different direction; one vertical, the other horizontal.
In an IPS LCD panel, liquid crystals are aligned so that both polarizers face the same way—horizontal. Light from behind the panel passes through one polarizer and then bounces off onto a second polarizer before reaching your eyes. This design makes IPS LCDs nearly as bright as VA panels and much brighter than TN panels without sacrificing contrast ratio or color accuracy.
If you"re looking for a new monitor, IPS panels may be the right ones for you. Here are some of their most important benefits:It allows for wider viewing angles. This is very useful for monitors used at work that involve customer service, where the monitor may be viewed from many different angles.
The IPS LCD displays are also characterized by their high degree of brightness and contrast, which makes them ideal for outdoor use, among many other features.
The typical lifespan of an IPS panel is around 100,000 hours, which is more than enough for even heavy users to get their money"s worth from their monitor.
They have great color reproduction. Many people who are serious about a photo or video editing are drawn to IPS panels because they offer superior color reproduction possibilities when compared with TN panels.
The main disadvantage of IPS panels is that they are more expensive than TN panels. The cost of an IPS panel will typically be $10-$20 higher than a comparable TN panel.
Today, the majority of flat-panel monitors use in-plane switching (IPS) technology. Best monitors that have IPS panels include;Samsung U28E590D 28-Inch 4K UHD Monitor. If you love gaming, then this is the product for you; it comes with AMD FreeSync, which proved successful in eliminating screen tearing since being introduced as VSync, as this post explained.
The Acer H236HL bmijpphzx is one the best IPS monitors on the market today. This monitor has an extremely high 2560×1440 resolution along with a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and a 160-degree viewing angle.
Also, bear in mind that if it is a flat panel display with a 1080p resolution or