Before deciding on what smartphone you want to try next, get to know the different types of screens smartphones use to help your decision. Buying a brand-new phone sounds luxurious, but Wamatek buys and sells used cell phones, so you can sell us your old phone and shop our site for a more affordable one that still works like new. The phone’s display may be the deciding factor for you; take a look below to get familiar with the different displays that smartphones offer.
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
LCD displays use an array of liquid crystals illuminated by a backlight. This screen displays well under direct sunlight, and it’s lower in cost. However, this screen may poorly represent colors.
TFT LCD (Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display)
TFT LCD screens produce better image quality and higher resolution. This LCD version works more poorly in sunlight, but it’s on the cheaper end, working great in lower-end smartphones. Larger screens can also use more power, so they might not be as battery friendly.
LPS LCD (In-Place Switching Liquid Crystal Display)
This LCD display has wider viewing angles and consumes far less power than its counterparts. This screen, mostly in high-end smartphones, has superior color representation.
OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode)
OLED technology features a layer of organic material between two planes of glass. When the user touches the screen, an electric pulse is applied to the two sheets of glass, producing electroluminescent light from the organic material. These displays are much better than LCDs for their color representation, quick responses, and wider viewing angles.
AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode)
AMOLED screens are always off until a touch electrifies an individual pixel, which then emits light. This display consumes less energy when darker colors appear on the screen, yet these colors aren’t not as visible in direct sunlight. This screen is more expensive to manufacturing but superior to the above displays.
Super AMOLED
The most advanced OLED display is the Super AMOLED. The screen has a built-in touch sensor, making it the thinnest display. This version is more responsive to touch and is used by higher-end phone manufacturers.
The different types of screens smartphones use depend on the phones’ quality and the prices the companies have to pay for the screens. Generally, lower-end brands will have lower-quality screens, while brands such as iPhone splurge on better displays—hence why those phones are more expensive. The next time you’re shopping around for a phone, keep in mind the type of screen you might want.
