what does an lcd screen look like brands

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:

Sony produces and sells commercial MicroLED displays called CLEDIS (Crystal-LED Integrated Displays, also called Canvas-LED) in small quantities.video walls.

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.

2015, sold to giantplus and tce photomasks, gen 3 still operated by giantplus, gen 4 line sold to giantplus, equipment sold and line demolished, remainder operated by tce

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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.

There is also a downloadable design software called STONE Designer. This is a completely free GUI design software you can use to create responsive digital module-ready user interfaces.

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.

You can also use a peripheral MCU to serially connect STONE’s HMI display via TTL. This way, your HMI display can supply event notifications and the peripheral MCU can then execute them. Moreover, this TTL-connected HMI display can further be linked to microcontrollers such as:

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.

Smart Medicine & Engineering Integration Business includes Mobile Healthcare IoT Platform and Smart Healthcare Services. BOE has launched mobile platforms for healthcare management, based on AI and big data algorithms, to provide personalized medical treatment and health management services for users. Healthcare services combine medical, information, AI, cell engineering, and other technologies, focusing on the digital hospital, digital human body and regenerative medicine, etc., and is committed to developing comprehensive and life-cycle health management solutions.

In 2019, BOE’s yearly new-patent applications amounted to 9657, of which over 90% are invention patents, amounting to over 70,000 usable patents in total. Data from IFI Claims also shows that BOE has ranked 13th among the Top 50 USPTO (The United States Patent and Trademark Office), Patent Assignees, in 2019. According to the 2019 International PCT Applications of WIPO, BOE ranked No.6 with 1,864 applications.

BOE has manufacturing bases located in Beijing, Hefei, Chengdu, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Mianyang, Wuhan, Kunming, Suzhou, Ordos, Gu’an, etc. BOE boasts a global marketing and R&D centers in 19 countries and regions like the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Russia, Brazil, and Dubai, with its service networks covering the world’s major areas such as Europe, America, Asia, and Africa.

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).

LG Display now operates back-end assembly plants in South Korea, China, and Vietnam. In addition, LG Display operates a sales subsidiary with a global network to effectively serve overseas markets.

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.

Sharp is committed to creating a unique company, creating life in the 21st century through unparalleled “originality” and “sophistication”, and is a sales company, operating video, home appliances, mobile phones, and information products throughout the major cities of the country. Establish a business point, establish a perfect after-sale service network, satisfy consumer demand.

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.

Kyocera was founded in 1959 as a manufacturer of technical ceramics. Industrial ceramics is a series of advanced materials with unique physical, chemical, and electronic properties. Today, most of Kyocera’s products are related to telecommunications, including semiconductor components, RF and microwave packaging, passive electronic components, wireless mobile phones and network equipment, crystal oscillators and connectors, and optoelectronic products for optoelectronic communication networks.

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.

Shopping for a new TV is like wading through a never-ending pool of tech jargon, display terminology, and head-spinning acronyms. It was one thing when 4K resolution landed in the homes of consumers, with TV brands touting the new UHD viewing spec as a major marketing grab. But over the last several years, the plot has only continued to thicken when it comes to three- and four-letter acronyms with the introduction of state-of-the-art lighting and screen technology. But between OLEDs, QLEDs, mini-LEDs, and now QD-OLEDs, there’s one battle of words that rests at the core of TV vocabulary: LED versus LCD.

Despite having a different acronym, LED TV is just a specific type of LCD TV, which uses a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel to control where light is displayed on your screen. These panels are typically composed of two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them. When an electric current passes through the liquid, it causes the crystals to align, so that light can (or can’t) pass through. Think of it as a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking it out.

Since both LED and LCD TVs are based around LCD technology, the question remains: what is the difference? Actually, it’s about what the difference was. Older LCD TVs used cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) to provide lighting, whereas LED LCD TVs used an array of smaller, more efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the screen.

Since the technology is better, all LCD TVs now use LED lights and are colloquially considered LED TVs. For those interested, we’ll go deeper into backlighting below, or you can move onto the Local Dimming section.

Three basic illumination forms have been used in LCD TVs: CCFL backlighting, full-array LED backlighting, and LED edge lighting. Each of these illumination technologies is different from one another in important ways. Let’s dig into each.

CCFL backlighting is an older, now-abandoned form of display technology in which a series of cold cathode lamps sit across the inside of the TV behind the LCD. The lights illuminate the crystals fairly evenly, which means all regions of the picture will have similar brightness levels. This affects some aspects of picture quality, which we discuss in more detail below. Since CCFLs are larger than LED arrays, CCFL-based LCD TVs are thicker than LED-backlit LCD TVs.

Full-array backlighting swaps the outdated CCFLs for an array of LEDs spanning the back of the screen, comprising zones of LEDs that can be lit or dimmed in a process called local dimming. TVs using full-array LED backlighting to make up a healthy chunk of the high-end LED TV market, and with good reason — with more precise and even illumination, they can create better picture quality than CCFL LCD TVs were ever able to achieve, with better energy efficiency to boot.

Another form of LCD screen illumination is LED edge lighting. As the name implies, edge-lit TVs have LEDs along the edges of a screen. There are a few different configurations, including LEDs along just the bottom, LEDs on the top and bottom, LEDs left and right, and LEDs along all four edges. These different configurations result in picture quality differences, but the overall brightness capabilities still exceed what CCFL LCD TVs could achieve. While there are some drawbacks to edge lighting compared to full-array or direct backlight displays, the upshot is edge lighting that allows manufacturers to make thinner TVs that cost less to manufacture.

To better close the local-dimming quality gap between edge-lit TVs and full-array back-lit TVs, manufacturers like Sony and Samsung developed their own advanced edge lighting forms. Sony’s technology is known as “Slim Backlight Master Drive,” while Samsung has “Infinite Array” employed in its line of QLED TVs. These keep the slim form factor achievable through edge-lit design and local dimming quality more on par with full-array backlighting.

Local dimming is a feature of LED LCD TVs wherein the LED light source behind the LCD is dimmed and illuminated to match what the picture demands. LCDs can’t completely prevent light from passing through, even during dark scenes, so dimming the light source itself aids in creating deeper blacks and more impressive contrast in the picture. This is accomplished by selectively dimming the LEDs when that particular part of the picture — or region — is intended to be dark.

Local dimming helps LED/LCD TVs more closely match the quality of modern OLED displays, which feature better contrast levels by their nature — something CCFL LCD TVs couldn’t do. The quality of local dimming varies depending on which type of backlighting your LCD uses, how many individual zones of backlighting are employed, and the quality of the processing. Here’s an overview of how effective local dimming is on each type of LCD TV.

TVs with full-array backlighting have the most accurate local dimming and therefore tend to offer the best contrast. Since an array of LEDs spans the entire back of the LCD screen, regions can generally be dimmed with more finesse than on edge-lit TVs, and brightness tends to be uniform across the entire screen. Hisense’s impressive U7G TVs are great examples of relatively affordable models that use multiple-zone, full-array backlighting with local dimming.

“Direct local dimming” is essentially the same thing as full-array dimming, just with fewer LEDs spread further apart in the array. However, it’s worth noting that many manufacturers do not differentiate “direct local dimming” from full-array dimming as two separate forms of local dimming. We still feel it’s important to note the difference, as fewer, further-spaced LEDs will not have the same accuracy and consistency as full-array displays.

Because edge lighting employs LEDs positioned on the edge or edges of the screen to project light across the back of the LCD screen, as opposed to coming from directly behind it, it can result in very subtle blocks or bands of lighter pixels within or around areas that should be dark. The local dimming of edge-lit TVs can sometimes result in some murkiness in dark areas compared with full-array LED TVs. It should also be noted that not all LED edge-lit TVs offer local dimming, which is why it is not uncommon to see glowing strips of light at the edges of a TV and less brightness toward the center of the screen.

Since CCFL backlit TVs do not use LEDs, models with this lighting style do not have dimming abilities. Instead, the LCD panel of CCFL LCDs is constantly and evenly illuminated, making a noticeable difference in picture quality compared to LED LCDs. This is especially noticeable in scenes with high contrast, as the dark portions of the picture may appear too bright or washed out. When watching in a well-lit room, it’s easier to ignore or miss the difference, but in a dark room, it will be, well, glaring.

As if it wasn’t already confusing enough, once you begin exploring the world of modern display technology, new acronyms crop up. The two you’ll most commonly find are OLED and QLED.

An OLED display uses a panel of pixel-sized organic compounds that respond to electricity. Since each tiny pixel (millions of which are present in modern displays) can be turned on or off individually, OLED displays are called “emissive” displays (meaning they require no backlight). They offer incredibly deep contrast ratios and better per-pixel accuracy than any other display type on the market.

Because they don’t require a separate light source, OLED displays are also amazingly thin — often just a few millimeters. OLED panels are often found on high-end TVs in place of LED/LCD technology, but that doesn’t mean that LED/LCDs aren’t without their own premium technology.

QLED is a premium tier of LED/LCD TVs from Samsung. Unlike OLED displays, QLED is not a so-called emissive display technology (lights still illuminate QLED pixels from behind). However, QLED TVs feature an updated illumination technology over regular LED LCDs in the form of Quantum Dot material (hence the “Q” in QLED), which raises overall efficiency and brightness. This translates to better, brighter grayscale and color and enhances HDR (High Dynamic Range) abilities.

And now to make things extra confusing, part of Samsung’s 2022 TV lineup is being billed as traditional OLEDs, although a deeper dive will reveal this is actually the company’s first foray into a new panel technology altogether called QD-OLED.

For a further description of QLED and its features, read our list of the best TVs you can buy. The article further compares the qualities of both QLED and OLED TV; however, we also recommend checking outfor a side-by-side look at these two top-notch technologies.

There are more even displays to become familiar with, too, including microLED and Mini-LED, which are lining up to be the latest head-to-head TV technologies. Consider checking out how the two features compare to current tech leaders in

In the world of TV technology, there’s never a dull moment. However, with this detailed research, we hope you feel empowered to make an informed shopping decision and keep your Best Buy salesperson on his or her toes.

Many TVs use LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panels that are lit by LED backlights. There are two popular types of LCD panels: In-Plane Switching (IPS) and Vertical Alignment (VA), and there are two main differences between each type. A VA panel usually has a high contrast ratio and narrow viewing angles. However, an IPS panel has low contrast and wide viewing angles. These are the main differences between each, and for the most part, panel type doesn"t affect other aspects of picture quality, like peak brightness, color gamut, or color accuracy.

For the purposes of this article, we"re going to compare two LED-backlit LCD TVs: the Sony X800H, which has an IPS panel, and the Hisense H9G, which has a VA panel. Due to their different panel types, there are three noticeable differences in picture quality: viewing angles, contrast, and black uniformity, so we"re going to look at each one.

Viewing angle refers to the angle at which you can watch the TV without seeing a noticeable drop in picture quality. IPS TVs are the clear winner here, as the image remains accurate when viewing from the side - you can see the differences in the videos above. This is their main advantage over VA panels. Most VA panel TVs have a noticeable loss in image accuracy when viewing from the side. The narrow viewing angle of VA-type TVs is also problematic when the TV is used as a PC monitor from up close since the edges of the display look washed out.

Contrast ratio is one of the most important factors when it comes to picture quality. It determines how well a TV displays blacks, so one with a good contrast displays deep blacks when viewed in the dark. However, if your TV has a low contrast ratio, you"ll notice that blacks look gray when viewed in the dark.

VA panels are far superior to IPS panels when it comes to this, so if you tend to watch movies in the dark, you likely want to get a TV with a VA panel. Most TVs use VA panels due to this main advantage, and high-end models may have a local dimming feature that further enhances black levels. On the other hand, IPS panels normally have low contrast, so blacks look closer to gray, but you may not notice the difference in contrast in bright environments.

In the photo above, the Hisense has a much better contrast ratio; both photos are set at the same brightness, but the Hisense appears brighter because there"s a bigger contrast between its deepest black and brightest white.

Our black uniformity tests determine how well a TV displays a dark scene with a bright image in the center. Ideally, you want to see a completely black screen with the center cross being the only part that"s lit up, and this is important for people watching movies. No LED TV has perfect uniformity, and unlike viewing angles and contrast, the panel type doesn"t completely determine its black uniformity. However, most VA panels that we"ve tested have good black uniformity, while most IPS panels have sub-par black uniformity. This doesn"t mean that every VA panel TV has good uniformity, as this can change between units, and you can also improve uniformity using the local dimming feature.

As you can see in the pictures above, the Sony has uniformity issues with backlight bleed and clouding throughout. The entire screen also looks blue due to the low contrast ratio. The Hisense"s screen is much more uniform, and although you can see some backlight bleed along the edges, it disappears if you enable local dimming, as seen in this photo.

LCDs function by having liquid crystals in little groups to form the pixels. These crystals react and change position when charged with electricity and, depending on their position, they allow a certain color of light to pass through.

IPS displays have their crystals aligned horizontally at all times. When charged, they turn to allow light through. VA displays have their crystals aligned vertically. When charged, they move to a horizontal position, allowing light through. When current isn"t sent through them, however, their vertical alignment blocks light far more efficiently, creating better blacks and giving better contrast.

There"s also another type of IPS panel, called Plane-to-Line Switching (PLS), which can be seen with the Sony X800H. This panel type was designed by Samsung and technically performs the same as an IPS panel. When you compare the pixels visually, IPS panels look like chevrons, VA looks like very straight rectangles, and PLS looks like round-edged capsules. You can learn more about pixels here.

The way the pixels are laid out can also affect text clarity. Many IPS panels, like the ones on the Sony X800H or the LG SK9000, use RGB sub-pixel layouts, while many VA panels have a BGR layout, like on the Hisense H9G. The sub-pixel layout doesn"t directly affect picture quality unless you"re using it as a PC monitor. Some applications may expect an RGB layout, so if you have a BGR sub-pixel layout, text may not look clear. You may need to increase the text scaling to read it properly, but this issue isn"t common with an RGB layout. You can learn more about it here.

TV manufacturers have come up with ways to improve LED TVs to increase picture quality. There are competing technologies, like OLED, which also present their own unique characteristics.

Unlike LED TVs, OLEDs don"t use a backlight and instead have self-emitting pixels. This allows the pixels to individually turn on and off, resulting in perfect blacks. This means that they also have perfect black uniformity as there"s no blooming around bright objects like on some LED TVs. They also have wide viewing angles, sometimes even wider than some IPS panels, so OLEDs are a good choice for wide seating arrangements.

However, the one major downside to OLEDs compared to LEDs is their risk of permanent burn-in. This could be problematic if you constantly watch content with static elements, like the news, or if you use it as a PC monitor. We don"t expect it to be an issue for people who watch varied content, but if you"re truly worried about it, LED TVs appear to be immune to burn-in.

Samsung released quantum dot TVs in 2015, which they later labeled as QLED in 2017. These TVs include a quantum dot layer between the LED backlights and the LCD panel to achieve a wider color gamut. Other companies like Vizio and TCL also use this quantum dot technology on their TVs. Adding this extra quantum dot layer doesn"t change the characteristics of the panel type; the VA panel on the TCL 6 Series/S635 2020 QLED still has a high contrast ratio and narrow viewing angles. Although most QLED TVs use VA panels, you can easily use an IPS panel as well.

Manufacturers have tried different techniques to improve the viewing angles on VA panels over the years, aiming to produce a perfect LCD panel with both wide viewing angles and high contrast. While they have yet to achieve that goal, a few TVs have hit the market that try to combine the best of both panel types. The first TVs with this viewing angle technology came out in 2018, and only a few high-end models like the Samsung Q90/Q90T QLED and the Sony X950H had this technology in 2020. These TVs are a bit unique, delivering noticeably better viewing angles than their pure VA counterparts, but still worse than true IPS panels. This comes at the expense of a lower contrast ratio, as these TVs have worse native contrast than most VA panels, but they"re still better than IPS panels. Combined with their local dimming features, they still produce deep blacks.

Below you can see the viewing angle videos for the Samsung Q90T and the Sony X950H. The image remains accurate at fairly wide angles on each TV, but the Samsung does a better job overall at making sure the image is still fairly accurate when viewing from the side.

Between IPS and VA panels, neither technology is inherently superior to the other as they both serve different purposes. In general, IPS TVs have wide viewing angles suitable for when you want to watch the big game or your favorite show in a large seating arrangement. They"re also beneficial for use as a PC monitor since the edges remain accurate if you sit up close. However, VA panels are a better choice for watching content in dark rooms, as their improved contrast allows them to display deep blacks. Choosing between the two is a series of trade-offs and qualities, so choosing the best TV for your needs depends on your usage.

The best mid-range TV we"ve tested with an LED panel is the Hisense U8H. It"s an excellent TV overall, with fantastic contrast and an impressive Mini LED local dimming feature, delivering deep blacks in a dark room with very little distracting blooming around bright objects. It has exceptional peak brightness and reflection handling, ensuring it can easily overcome glare in a bright room. It has worse processing overall than the Samsung QN90A QLED, though, so it"s a bit of a step down. There"s more noticeable banding in areas of similar color, and it has slightly worse motion processing as well.

It"s a great TV for gaming, with many of the same great features found on the Samsung, including 4k @ 120Hz support from the Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles. It has a fast response time and incredibly low input lag, ensuring a smooth and responsive gaming experience, which is great for competitive gamers. It also has one advantage over the Samsung model, as all of its HDMI ports support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, while the other TV only supports it on one port.

There are plenty of new and confusing terms facing TV shoppers today, but when it comes down to the screen technology itself, there are only two: Nearly every TV sold today is either LCD or OLED.

The biggest between the two is in how they work. With OLED, each pixel provides its own illumination so there"s no separate backlight. With an LCD TV, all of the pixels are illuminated by an LED backlight. That difference leads to all kinds of picture quality effects, some of which favor LCD, but most of which benefit OLED.

LCDs are made by a number of companies across Asia. All current OLED TVs are built by LG Display, though companies like Sony and Vizio buy OLED panels from LG and then use their own electronics and aesthetic design.

So which one is better? Read on for their strengths and weaknesses. In general we"ll be comparing OLED to the best (read: most expensive) LCD has to offer, mainly because there"s no such thing as a cheap OLED TV (yet).

Take this category with a grain of salt. Both TV types are very bright and can look good in even a sunny room, let alone more moderate indoor lighting situations or the dark rooms that make TV images look their best. When it comes down to it, no modern TV could ever be considered "dim."

At the other side of light output is black level, or how dark the TV can get. OLED wins here because of its ability to turn off individual pixels completely. It can produce truly perfect black.

The better LCDs have local dimming, where parts of the screen can dim independently of others. This isn"t quite as good as per-pixel control because the black areas still aren"t absolutely black, but it"s better than nothing. The best LCDs have full-array local dimming, which provides even finer control over the contrast of what"s onscreen -- but even they can suffer from "blooming," where a bright area spoils the black of an adjacent dark area.

Here"s where it comes together. Contrast ratio is the difference between the brightest and the darkest a TV can be. OLED is the winner here because it can get extremely bright, plus it can produce absolute black with no blooming. It has the best contrast ratio of any modern display.

Contrast ratio is the most important aspect of picture quality. A high contrast-ratio display will look more realistic than one with a lower contrast ratio.

One of the main downsides of LCD TVs is a change in picture quality if you sit away from dead center (as in, off to the sides). How much this matters to you certainly depends on your seating arrangement, but also on how much you love your loved ones.

A few LCDs use in-plane switching (IPS) panels, which have better off-axis picture quality than other kinds of LCDs, but don"t look as good as other LCDs straight on (primarily due to a lower contrast ratio).

OLED doesn"t have the off-axis issue LCDs have; its image looks basically the same, even from extreme angles. So if you have a wide seating area, OLED is the better option.

Nearly all current TVs are HDR compatible, but that"s not the entire story. Just because a TV claims HDR compatibility doesn"t mean it can accurately display HDR content. All OLED TVs have the dynamic range to take advantage of HDR, but lower-priced LCDs, especially those without local-dimming backlights, do not. So if you want to see HDR content it all its dynamic, vibrant beauty, go for OLED or an LCD with local dimming.

In our tests comparing the best new OLED and LCD TVs with HDR games and movies, OLED usually looks better. Its superior contrast and lack of blooming win the day despite LCD"s brightness advantage. In other words LCD TVs can get brighter, especially in full-screen bright scenes and HDR highlights, but none of them can control that illumination as precisely as an OLED TV.

OLED"s energy consumption is directly related to screen brightness. The brighter the screen, the more power it draws. It even varies with content. A dark movie will require less power than a hockey game or ski competition.

The energy consumption of LCD varies depending on the backlight setting. The lower the backlight, the lower the power consumption. A basic LED LCD with its backlight set low will draw less power than OLED.

LG has said their OLED TVs have a lifespan of 100,000 hours to half brightness, a figure that"s similar to LED LCDs. Generally speaking, all modern TVs are quite reliable.

Does that mean your new LCD or OLED will last for several decades like your parent"s last CRT (like the one pictured). Probably not, but then, why would you want it to? A 42-inch flat panel cost $14,000 in the late 90"s, and now a 65-inch TV with more than 16x the resolution and a million times better contrast ratio costs $1,400. Which is to say, by the time you"ll want/need to replace it, there will be something even better than what"s available now, for less money.

OLED TVs are available in sizes from 48 to 88 inches, but LCD TVs come in smaller and larger sizes than that -- with many more choices in between -- so LCD wins. At the high end of the size scale, however, the biggest "TVs" don"t use either technology.

If you want something even brighter, and don"t mind spending a literal fortune to get it, Samsung, Sony, and LG all sell direct-view LED displays. In most cases these are

You can get 4K resolution, 50-inch LCDs for around $400 -- or half that on sale. It"s going to be a long time before OLEDs are that price, but they have come down considerably.

LCD dominates the market because it"s cheap to manufacture and delivers good enough picture quality for just about everybody. But according to reviews at CNET and elsewhere, OLED wins for overall picture quality, largely due to the incredible contrast ratio. The price difference isn"t as severe as it used to be, and in the mid- to high-end of the market, there are lots of options.

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The Hisense U7G offers great image quality, superb gaming features, and the Android TV interface, but it has a narrower viewing angle and comes in fewer screen sizes than some other TVs.

The Hisense U7G is a great-looking 4K TV with all the technologies and features that any LCD/LED TV should have today, including a full-array local-dimming backlight for superb black levels and image contrast as well as a 120 Hz refresh rate that delivers better motion quality than you’ll find on many competitors. It does a nice job showing high dynamic range video, thanks to its high brightness and rich color, and it supports the more advanced Dolby Vision HDR standard (which can offer improvements in image quality over the standard HDR10 format). For serious gamers, Hisense has also added all the HDMI 2.1 features necessary to take full advantage of the newest gaming consoles. (Check out TV features, defined for more explanation of the technical terms we’re using here.) The U7G features the Android TV streaming platform, which offers a wide variety of streaming services and a continually improving user interface. But the TV comes only in 55-, 65-, and 75-inch screen sizes.

The Samsung QN90A offers better contrast ratios, brighter HDR highlights, and a wider viewing angle than our top pick—in a larger selection of screen sizes.

If you’re willing to pay a higher price to get one of the best LCD performers we’ve tested, the Samsung QN90A is our recommendation. Moving beyond the standard LED backlight in the Hisense U7G, this TV has a mini-LED backlighting system—which offers more local-dimming zones for even better contrast ratios and brighter HDR highlights than on the Hisense—and it produces vibrant colors. It also has a wider viewing angle than our top pick, so everyone can enjoy a good-looking image no matter where they sit in the room, and it comes in more screen sizes, from 43 to 98 inches. The QN90A supports all the latest HDMI 2.1 features, which gamers will appreciate, and it uses Samsung’s proprietary Tizen streaming platform, which supports most of the popular streaming services. We like that it features a center stand so it will fit on virtually any TV furniture, and it sits high enough on the stand that you can place a soundbar in front of it without blocking the screen. The drawbacks are that the QN90A does not support the more advanced Dolby Vision high dynamic range format (but it does support the similarly advanced HDR10+ format), and it’s significantly more expensive than the Hisense U7G.

If you have a wider seating area, or if you regularly watch your TV from side angles, the Sony X950H uses an LCD panel specifically designed to produce a better-looking image at wider viewing angles than many 4K LCD TVs offer. (Our upgrade pick, the Samsung QN90A, employs a similarly effective wide-angle-viewing technology but costs more.) This TV also has Sony’s superb color accuracy and video-processing capability, so it’s better than the competition at removing banding artifacts. However, that wider viewing angle comes at the expense of the TV’s black level, which isn’t as dark as that of Hisense’s U7G or Samsung’s QN90A. Also, you don’t get the full complement of HDMI 2.1 features to improve the gaming experience. The Sony X950H is available in a variety of screen sizes, from 49 to 85 inches.

“Original” screens are those containing LCDs manufactured for Apple. “Copy” screens are compatible replacements entirely designed and manufactured by third-party companies not associated with Apple.

LCD display panel can have poorer resolution (i.e. looks “coarser”), worse brightness, contrast and vibrancy and reduced refresh rate amongst other problems.

Changes in specification from original can result in battery and performance issues. Certain badly-engineered screens could even damage the backlight circuitry.

Customers who bring their iPhones to us for a screen repair are offered two choices of replacement- an original or a “copy” screen. The most common response is “Is there a difference- and which one would you recommend?”

Originals are those screens containing LCDs that were manufactured for Apple. So-called “copy” screens are compatible replacements, but designed and manufactured entirely independently by third-party companies, typically in China.

Our answer is simple- the original screen is the one we’d go for ourselves, every time. Some people think we make more money on them, but this isn’t the case. We recommend originals because they’re far higher quality and the price difference is fairly small.

We’d rather only fit original screens. The only reason we don’t is that many people will shop around and choose purely on price. As such, we need to offer the cheaper copy screens to remain competitive and avoid losing these customers. In some cases, they didn’t even know there was a difference in the first place- especially since it’s not in some shops’ interest to draw people’s attention to the issue!

This may well be the worst copy screen we’ve ever come across. As a result, the unfortunate customer has ended up paying twice to have their screen replaced- we’re sure that had they been properly informed, they would have chosen an original in the first place.

While the difference in price between copies and originals can vary across devices, it’s generally around £10 – £14 extra to have an original screen fitted. This really isn’t a lot considering the improved quality and reliability.

We compare our prices to our competitors- and we know that we come out of it favourably. While we have to offer copy screens to remain competitive, we always advise customers to go for the original.

When you’ve spent- directly or indirectly- several hundred pounds for an iPhone with a Retina display, it doesn’t make sense to replace it with a lower-quality screen that can make a £400 phone look like a £40 one! Not only that, but you’re likely to have fewer issues, and a longer-lasting screen.

There’s nothing stopping any random person without training or experience opening up a smartphone repair shop. As a result, the industry is full of companies with little skill or experience who are only interested in getting hold of your money and installing the cheapest parts they can find.

Many- if not most- don’t even acknowledge the existence of copy screens, let alone explain the difference to the customer. Hardly in their interest to do so if they only fit cheap, low-quality copies. Some of them can hardly be blamed- they know so little, they’re not even clear on the differences between OEM, non-OEM and copy displays themselves! Others can be more deliberately misleading… and some outright lie.

Generally, these shops are looking for the cheapest price on replacement screens.. When offered a copy at a half or a third of a price of the original, they’re going to go for that. That might be fine if they offered the customer a cheaper price- what we disagree with is selling “supermarket beans” (i.e. the copy screens) at “Heinz beans” prices!

Heading towards the “blatantly fraudulent”, we’re aware of companies that shamelessly fit copy screens while claiming them to be original. Worse, they’ll take your broken original screen and sell that to a recycler for more than they paid for your copy!

Obtained or manufactured “off the clock” via the same production line that produced them for Apple- in some cases, from the stockpile of parts that didn’t meet Apple’s standards, or

Apple tightened up their supply chain around 2015, which reduced the number of screens available for repairs and increased their price dramatically. A lot of companies went bankrupt, and Chinese manufacturers responded by making their own “copy” screens from scratch. At first, these weren’t much cheaper than the Apple ones, but the price soon fell.

We should be clear that- despite the name- “copy” screens aren’t direct copies of the Apple originals. Rather, they’re compatible replacements that have been designed from scratch and- as a result- vary in some respects that have an effect on usability and quality.

One of the most important differences between an original and a “copy” screen is how the digitizer (touch sensor) is designed. Apple has it manufactured as part of the LCD itself, whereas the copies have it on the glass.

Although there are only a small number of manufacturers of the bare LCDs themselves, these are then bought by countless other companies who add the remaining components needed to turn these into a complete working screen. As a result, you could easily end up with an LCD from the best “copy” manufacturer, but the digitizer/touch (as part of the separately-manufactured glass) from the worst.

There are countless digitizers out there, and you can only take the supplier’s word that the quality is good. Many ship good ones at first, then switch to cheaper parts to make more profit. This is particularly bad with the iPhone 6S and 6S+, since Apple moved the chips responsible for touch processing onto the LCD itself. As a result, you’re not just getting a copy screen- you’re getting copy chips too.

The performance specification (power drain, etc.) of most copy screens isn’t identical to the originals. As a result, they can drain the battery more quickly and mislead the operating system which was optimised for the original screen design.

It’s even possible that this mismatch could damage your backlight. We do a lot of subcontracted repairs for less-experienced shops, and get backlight repairs in almost every day. We’ve had cases where we fixed the circuit, fitted the new copy screen to test it, and had it break the circuit again!

Copy screens can disrupt the touch ID fingerprint reader. With the 6S, 6S+, 7 and 7+, the home button- part of the 3D touch- is part of the screen assembly. Frequently the home button flexes on aftermarket designs don’t work properly and stop the touch ID working- annoying if you use it to unlock the phone or log in to your bank.

We’ve seen many lift away from the frame that holds them in place. This usually results in the flex cable getting torn, and the screen needing replacing. You don’t even need to have dropped the phone- this often happens through general everyday wear and tear.

That brings us to another major issue with the copies. When you drop an Apple original, the glass often breaks, but if the LCD itself is intact, you can continue to use it until it’s fixed. With the copies, the touch/digitizer is on the glass and stops working when that’s broken. Even worse, the LCD itself is more likely to break due to the thinner and more fragile glass.

We’re not convinced this will happen, since Apple recently changed their repair policy to accept iPhones with third-party screens. However, it is possible that copy screens could be stopped from working via an iOS update, since those make a number of security checks.

The technology used for producing displays for mobile devices is broadly divided into two popular types -- AMOLED and LCD. Some mobile devices even use OLED panels which are very similar to AMOLED technology. The underlying technologies that both AMOLED and LCD panels rely on are very different from each other. So, the leading smartphone manufacturers promote the various benefits depending on the type of display they’ve opted for their devices. However, more manufacturers are adopting AMOLED displays for higher-end devices while reserving the LCDs for less expensive handsets. Here, we will discuss the differences between these two display technologies.

Before starting about AMOLED displays, we should first know the technology behind OLED displays. The key components in these displays are a Light Emitting Diode (LED). These little lights are compressed exponentially into even smaller sizes and are arranged in red, green, and blue clusters to create an individual pixel. These pixels can reproduce white light and multiple other colours that also include -- red, green and blue.

The performance of these displays is slightly altered by the arrangement of the sub-pixels. For example, pentile vs striped pixel layouts help in improving the image sharpness, but the life spans of these pixels deteriorate for the smaller sizes. OLED or Organic Light Emitting Diode displays use a series of thin organic material films that are placed between two conductors in each LED. When current passes through them, these films are then used to produce light.

Meanwhile, AMOLED or Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode tells us how each little OLED is controlled. This technology is different from the passive matrix technology which is a slower, less accurate and more complex grid system that is used to control individual pixels. In this technology, integrated circuits are present to control a charge sent down each column or row. On the contrary, AMOLED systems attach a thin film transistor (TFT) and capacitor to each LED. To access the correct pixels, these capacitors retain their charge in between refresh cycles when a row and column are activated.

Another display technology related to OLED is the one marketed by Samsung as Super AMOLED. Instead of it being a separate layer on top of the display, this display technology integrates the capacitive touchscreen right into the screens, which eventually makes them thinner.

LCDs or Liquid Crystal Displays reproduce colours very different from AMOLED displays. LCDs depend on the backlight as their sole light source and are not equipped with individual light-emitting components. Multiple backlights can be placed across a display for local dimming and to save power, but this is needed only for larger displays like TVs.

We know that white light is a mixture of all other visible colours in the spectrum and it doesn"t have an individual wavelength. So, LCD backlights create a pseudo white light which is then filtered into different colours in the liquid crystal element. Most LCDs produce pseudo white light with the help of a blue LED backlight filtered through a yellow phosphor coating.

Light is then passed through a crystal element after it is polarised. The crystal can be twisted to multiple degrees depending on the voltage applied to it. This adjusts the angle of the polarised light. The light is then passed through another polarised filter which is placed at 90 degrees from the first one weakening the light based on its angle. Eventually, a red, green, or blue colour filter is applied to this light and these sub-pixels are clustered into pixels to adjust colours across the display.

Rather than producing coloured light in each pixel, a combination of all these allows an LCD panel to control the amount of RGB light reaching the surface by selecting a backlight. LCD panels can either be active or passive matrix devices like AMOLED, but most modern smartphones are active.

The major benefit of the OLED display technology is the amount of control that can be applied over each pixel. These displays can produce deep blacks and a high contrast ratio by completely switching off the pixels. The ability to dim and turn off individual pixels even saves a bit of power and is great for viewing HDR content. The maximum amount of light reaches the display surface as there are fewer other layers on top of the LEDs which eventually results in brighter images with better viewing angles.

The key driving force behind the growth of curved edge displays and the latest foldable devices is the advancement of OLED display technology. These displays can be very thin as they use LEDs and minimal substrates. Moreover, the absence of a rigid backlight and innovations in flexible plastic substrates has enabled the development of flexible OLED-based displays.

The backlight requirement hinders complex LCDs to be built in such ways. Initially, flexible displays looked very promising for wearables, but now flagship mobile devices use these flexible OLED displays. However, there is a major concern about the number of times these displays can flex and bend before breaking. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Motorola Razr 5G and Huawei Mate XS are some of the foldable smartphones that are based on OLED display technology.

As an official phone repair provider who has been in the business for almost a decade, one unique question people ask when they visit our service centres to replace their phone screen is: "what"s the difference between original and copy phone screen?"

Well, the answer is, there are many differences between these two screens, which is mostly in their quality. And while “copy” phone screens are somewhat cheaper than the originals, it doesn’t justify the difference in quality. So, before you regret replacing your phone screen with a forbidden part, the tips below will tell you the critical differences between original and copy phone screens.

Generally, phone screens manufactured from your brand"s factory are the original ones while ‘Copy’screens are the ones designed and produced by third-party manufacturers and factories that are not related to your brand.

Many people usually like to go for copy screens because of their cheaper price. However, the "real" differences between original and copy screens lie in their quality, and here’s what you need to know about them.

One of the principal issues with "copied" phone screens and why it differs from the originals is touch and digitizer problems. And that"s a big problem since you"re going to control the device with the touchscreen anyway.

As far as we could remember, phone manufacturers build the touch panel/digitizer with the LCD itself, while the copied screen manufacturer build it separately on the surface glass. Hence, there"s a difference in touch sensitivity. Additionally, copied phone screens usually drop the high touch sampling rate, meaning your screen may not respond to your touches faster.

Here"s also another major issue with the digitizer on copied phone screens. When you crack a copied screen accidentally, the touchscreen stops working, stopping you from accessing the device until you fix it again. Meanwhile, the touch on the original phone screen works perfectly, even after undergoing severe cracking.

Besides having touch problems, most copy phone screens usually have poor display properties. That means you get lower brightness, colour accuracy, sharpness, contrast, etc. And when the display isn"t great, watching movies and viewing other content becomes boring.

For instance, if the original screen is supposed to have 480 nits of brightness, but the copy screen has just 200 nits, the screen becomes unusable under bright lights. Moreso, copied phone screen seems to have more blue light, which, in return, affect your sight and disrupts your sleep at night.

Among others, copied phone screens drop higher refresh rates, and that"s a bummer since most phones come with at least 90Hz refresh rate screens. What that means is the copied screen won’t feel smooth as it’s supposed to be.

It"s not all about the display quality. A copy phone screen may also affect other parts of the phone system if its specifications don"t tally with the original one. In such a case, it could drain your battery at an alarming rate, or at worse, damage your backlight.

If you happen to have a phone with an in-display fingerprint sensor, then replacing its screen with a copied one is not an option – it’s going to mess with your fingerprint accuracy.

We know copied phone screens for their poor quality, and it also extends to the fingerprint sensor. Hence, it takes a longer time to unlock your device. And in other cases, the security of the sensor is not accurate. We"ve seen situations where phones get unlocked with many unregistered fingers after replacing the screen with a copied one.

If you care about your phone"s security and you don"t want a sluggish fingerprint sensor, then we recommend you only go for the original phone screen replacement.

That brings us to the last difference we’re going to mention between copied and original phone screens. They manufacture copied phone screens with poor glass materials. Hence, they break quicker than the originals. And when they do, you’ll be left with only one option: to replace the screen again.

The major reason for choosing the official service centre over third-party/local repair shops summarizes what we"ve said earlier. The official service centre is the reliable place to get origi