Properties ofliquid crystal display

In May 2024, Apple released the new iPad Pro and iPad Air. Both are available in two sizes, 11-inch and 13-inch, and come in multiple storage capacities.

Whereas with a 77-inch TV, you’re likely to be watching from several feet away. At that distance, you can’t discern individual pixels, even if there’s only 1/6 the pixel density.

In OLED screens, individual pixels are hit with electricity. In response, each pixel emits both light and color. A pixel that isn’t stimulated by electricity is unlit, which creates the color black. The combination of lit and unlit pixels creates the images you see.

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Starting with the iPhone X, Apple began using OLED in their higher-end iPhone models. The iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max, as well as iPhones 12 through iPhone 15 all have OLED screens.

AMOLED stands for Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (regular OLED is considered passive). In AMOLED screens, each pixel can be controlled individually, which provides even sharper images.

QLED (Quantum Light-Emitting Diode) is an upgraded version of LCD/LED technology. It’s clearer than your average LCD display, but it’s not as bright or clear as OLED.

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OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes. OLED displays are common in heandhelp devices and wearables, but are also used in TVs and monitors. There are many variations of OLED screens, all with their own acronym (more on this later).

An iPhone 15 has a pixel density of 460ppi, whereas a 77-inch 4K TV might have a ppi of 80. Why the discrepancy? It mostly has to do with viewing distance. The closer you get to a screen, the easier it is to see individual pixels. Since we view smartphone screens closeup, the pixels need to be smaller and more densely packed to avoid being detectable.

LCD diagram

With LCD screens, LED lights backlight the entire display. Images are created when the backlight is filtered through the liquid crystal, which blocks some of the light.

When it comes to portable devices, we look at pixel density as opposed to pure pixel count. Smartphones have a very high pixel density (ppi—pixels per inch).

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There’s a common misconception that 4K is different from OLED, but these terms aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, 4K refers to a display’s resolution—the number of pixels on a screen—regardless of whether the screen is OLED or LCD/LED.

OLED offers better color accuracy (including blacker blacks), faster response time, and better viewing angles. LCD is brighter, more affordable, and less prone to burn-in than OLED.

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POLED screens are OLED displays that are covered in polymer plastic (different from OLED TVs, which are usually covered by glass). The polymer cover is what provides a lighter weight for tablets and flexibility to smartphones with foldable screens.

Most smartwatches do use some form of OLED display. Apple is rumored to be looking into potentially manufacturing its own MicroLED display for its Apple Watch in some future release, but for now, it’s all OLED. The same is true for the Google Pixel Watch and Samsung’s Galaxy Watches.

Types ofliquid crystal display

Both OLED and LCD/LED TVs are available in 4K resolution. Sometimes marketers refer to 4K as UltraHD or 4K UHD, but it’s pretty much the same thing.

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The new iPads employ dual OLED panels that merge illumination to achieve full-screen luminosity. The latest iPad Pro offers 1000 nits of full-screen brightness for both SDR and HDR visuals (peak brightness of 1600 nits for HDR content).