Difference Between TFT and OLED Screen

In the market, there exists considerable confusion regarding LCD, TFT, IPS, and OLED displays. While all fall under the category of displays, OLED stands out as one of the most talked-about concepts in the current display industry, boasting numerous advantages. On the other hand, TFT, another significant concept in the industry, remains less familiar to many.

This article aims to delineate the disparities between TFT and OLED screens. By juxtaposing the two, we can deepen our comprehension of their unique characteristics.

TFT

The TFT (Thin Film Transistor) screen stands as a prevalent display technology today. In this type of display, each liquid crystal pixel is powered by an integrated thin film transistor located behind the pixel. This setup enables individual control of each pixel on the screen, resulting in notable advantages such as high responsiveness, brightness, and contrast.

Commonly found in mid-to-high-end color screen mobile phones, the TFT screen is capable of displaying 65,536 colors, 260,000 colors, and even up to 16 million colors, delivering impressive display effects.

OLED

OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) is a type of light-emitting diode that utilizes a thin layer of organic materials and either a glass or flexible organic substrate. When an electric current passes through these organic materials, they emit light. The display on OLED advertising androids is powered by an electric field, where organic semiconductor materials and light-emitting materials are introduced and combined to generate light emission.

Pros

- OLED stands out due to its light-emitting nature, making it thinner and lighter compared to LCD displays.

- Its advantages include low power consumption and flexibility as OLED doesn't require a backlight, resulting in reduced power usage. Additionally, OLED is constructed on a plastic film, making it bendable and easily manageable.

- With high contrast and vibrant color reproduction, OLED emits its own light, producing bright and beautiful images. Furthermore, OLED's capability to completely turn off enables the display to achieve true black, enhancing visual quality.

- OLED's quicker response time, attributed to the faster switching of LEDs compared to liquid crystal twisting in LCDs, results in faster display responsiveness.

Cons

- OLED screens may experience image retention, commonly known as burn-in, caused by prolonged display of static images that gradually degrade pixels over time.

- The stroboscopic effect, often attributed to PWM dimming technology used in many OLED screens, might cause discomfort for individuals sensitive to stroboscopic frequencies, leading to eye strain and tears.

- Additionally, the organic material responsible for producing blue light in OLED displays tends to have a shorter lifespan. This can result in color shifting and contribute to a shorter overall lifespan of the OLED screen.

Comparison Of TFT and OLED screen:

Light Emission

OLED displays naturally emit light, so using them on a display panel doesn’t require a backlight. Meanwhile, TFT need backlights because the liquid crystals cannot create light on their own. OLED’s natural light emission also paves the way for creating lighter screen devices than those using TFT LCD displays.

Brightness

TFT displays outshine OLED in terms of brightness. This is primarily because TFT screens utilize backlights that can uniformly illuminate the entire display. While OLEDs emit impressive brightness from their light, they cannot achieve the same level of brightness as LCD backlights.

Black Levels

OLED excels in producing deep black levels. This advantage stems from OLED's ability to completely turn off individual pixels, resulting in true black. TFT displays struggle to achieve perfect black screens, even with their full-array local dimming feature. Additionally, TFTs are susceptible to blooming, where bright elements can disrupt the darkness of adjacent black areas.

Viewing Angle

OLED screens offer superior viewing angles compared to TFT displays. While some TFTs enhance their viewing angles by utilizing in-plane switching panels (IPS), the clarity of images and videos on TFTs doesn't rival that of OLEDs when viewed from extreme side angles. TFTs inherently hinder light due to their filtering layers, which limits LCD viewing angles and creates added depth, affecting the overall viewing experience.

Energy Consumption

TFT displays tend to be slightly more energy-efficient than OLEDs. In OLED displays, energy usage correlates with screen brightness. Lower brightness levels lead to reduced power consumption, but this may compromise the contrast ratio, particularly in situations like using an OLED smartphone in bright sunlight.

In contrast, the backlights account for the majority of power consumption in TFT displays. Adjusting the backlight to a lower setting significantly enhances the energy efficiency of TFT displays. For example, reducing the backlight brightness of an LCD TV with LED backlighting won't impact picture quality but will consume less power compared to an OLED TV.