Which screens are better, AMOLED screens or LCDs? The iPhone 7 has an LCD screen and the Samsung Galaxy S8 has an AMOLED screen. Both screens can be of high quality. But which of the two display technologies is better? AMOLED vs. LCD.
Two display technologies
In the technical sheet of any smartphone we will find the technology of the screen. In general, we can see that it is an LCD screen, AMOLED, Super AMOLED, Super LCD, IPS, OLED, In-cell, TFT ... well, they are actually different names, but there are only two screen technologies in almost all the mobiles: AMOLED and LCD. In general, AMOLEDs are also called: OLED and Super AMOLED; while LCDs can be Super LCD; IPS, In-Cell, or even TFT (even though AMOLEDs are also TFT). Now, which of the two display technologies is better? AMOLED vs. LCD.
LCD
The LCD screens feature two layers. One layer is for color. If the screen is Quad HD, we will have 2.560 x 1.440 pixels, each of them composed of three different sub-pixels of three colors: red, blue and green. However, these pixels have no light, only color. There is a second layer that is the one that brings the light. Usually it is a complete panel of light. Sometimes it is a panel that is divided into sections, but usually the entire panel is illuminated completely.
AMOLED
The key to the AMOLED technology es que each of the LEDs has individual light and color. So on a 2.560 x 1.440-pixel Quad HD display, each pixel can be illuminated in a different color independently. This simplifies the technology over LCDs. And, it is possible that one section of the screen lights up and the other does not. Also, it removes a layer, so AMOLED screens are thinner.
AMOLED vs. LCD
Since the pixels on AMOLED displays can be illuminated independently, and on LCD displays the entire panel is illuminated, the black pixels are actually black. Blue pixels are blue. Reds are red. And the greens are green. It also saves more battery, because when a pixel is black, this pixel is not activated, and save energy. Thus, it could be said that the colors are theoretically more real. But only theoretically.
And it is that, the colors of a LCD screen are more realistic. Why? Because in reality, in order to see a color, there needs to be light. If there is no light, there are no colors. This makes the contrasts and the colors of an LCD screen more similar to the contrasts of reality.
Now, are LCD screens better than AMOLED screens? Not really. The AMOLED screens are better than LCD screens. And, we have already said that each of the LEDs of an AMOLED screen can be activated independently. Thanks to this we can get more saturated colors. However, it is also possible to make these pixels the same as those on an LCD screen.
To put it in some way, an AMOLED screen can be configured to be calibrated the same as an LCD screen. But an LCD screen cannot become like an AMOLED screen.
Why don't all mobiles have AMOLED screens?
AMOLED screens are more expensive than LCD screens. Now the cost of the screens is almost the sameBut so far it has been different, and that is why many smartphones have LCD screens. Sure, Samsung has mobiles in the mid-range market with Super AMOLED screens. But it is that Samsung is one of the most important manufacturers of AMOLED screens.
Also, AMOLED screens are relatively newer than LCD screens. These last they have already been calibrated very well, and until such a high level of calibration has been achieved with AMOLED screens, many manufacturers of high-end smartphones, such as Apple with iPhones, have integrated LCD screens. Now it seems that Apple will also integrate AMOLED screens in the new iPhones.
So which one is better? An AMOLED screen or an LCD screen?
An LCD screens can be of great quality, and that is why there may be high-end mobiles with LCD screens. However, the truth is that the screens that are currently considered great quality are the AMOLED screens. That is why when a basic range mobile has a screen with this technology, we comment on it as something remarkable, being a high-level feature.
While high-end mobiles with LCD screens can still be launched, the logical thing is that high-end mobiles will all have AMOLED screens. The Samsung Galaxy S8 features an AMOLED screen, the new iPhone 8 would also feature an AMOLED screen, and the Google Pixel 2 will feature an AMOLED screen.