Digital displays have become an integral part of modern consumer and industrial electronic devices. Digital displays provide an intuitive and effective way of human-machine interaction. From smart watches to PC monitors, display panels are to be found everywhere. In a matter of a few decades, digital display technology has advanced by leaps and bounds. Today a large number of display technologies are in existence such as CRT, LCD, OLED, QLED, and Plasma. In this article, we will review the TFT and IPS display technologies and will draw a comprehensive comparison between the two.
In-plane switching or IPS is a sub-category of LCD technology. There are basically four types of LCD panels: TN, VA, IPS, and OLED. Selection of appropriate display technology is crucial as it affects response time, viewing angle, contrast ratio, and black levels.
In an IPS panel, rows of liquid crystals are placed in parallel between two glass surfaces which results in improved color accuracy and super-wide viewing angles. Some of the major advantages of IPS technology are:
Therefore, IPS panels are ideal for users who seek high color accuracy and wider viewing angles. Regardless of the viewing angle, IPS panels deliver outstanding consistency. Another important feature of IPS panels is the higher number of available colors due to which these panels are suitable for professional color space technologies such as Adobe RGB. Prominent variations of IPS technology include S-IPS (super IPS), E-IPS (enhanced IPS), H-IPS (horizontal IPS), P-IPS (professional IPS), and PLS (plane to line switching).
Initially, IPS panels suffered from inferior contrast ratio and response time however, with the passage of time these shortcomings have largely been eliminated. These improvements have led to the acceptance of IPS monitors amongst the gaming community. Having said that, IPS panels do exhibit some drawbacks some of which are listed as follows:
Considering the pros and cons of IPS panels, it is clear that IPS panels are best suited for individuals requiring high color accuracy and wider viewing angles. Hence, these panels are ideal for graphic designers, animators, motion graphics professionals, digital artists, and high-end office users. Despite significant improvements in response time and contrast ratio, the acceptance of IPS technology amongst gamers is somewhat slow.
Thin film transistor or TFT is another type of LCD technology. TFT uses an active matrix LCD as opposed to the passive matrix or direct-driven LCD. In direct-driven LCDs, voltage is applied directly to discrete image segments however this technique is impractical for larger displays as it requires a very high number of connections. Contrarily, in TFT displays, pixels are addressed in rows and columns which reduces the number of required connections significantly. In TFT displays, liquid crystals are placed between conductive ITO layers, and each transistor is controlled independently which leads to enhanced response time. The field-effect transistors for the TFT display are fabricated using a thin film of amorphous Silicon deposited on a glass substrate. For high-performance TFT displays, polycrystalline Silicon is used.
TFT offers improved addressability and contrast as compared to other LCD displays. Therefore, TFT displays are sharper and brighter as compared to common LCD displays. Major advantages of TFT displays are:
Some of the disadvantages of TFT technology are as follows:
TFT displays find their applications in devices like TVs, mobile phones, computer monitors, gaming consoles, and car entertainment systems. From small display units for handheld devices to large screen displays, TFT technology can be employed for clear and crisp image quality.
TFT and IPS are both active-matrix LCD displays. Both of these technologies are widely used in numerous applications and have their own sets of pros and cons. In this section, we will compare these two technologies on the basis of a number of different factors.
When it comes to viewing angles, IPS reigns supreme. The image quality and contrast remain the same in IPS panels regardless of the viewing angle. TFT displays, on the other hand, have poor viewing angles. Colors and contrasts in TFT displays are heavily dependent on viewing angles. Therefore, IPS panels are the technology of choice for applications requiring wider viewing angles.
The contrast ratio is an important factor that affects the performance of a display unit. The contrast ratio is defined as the ratio of the brightest white to the darkest black that a particular display unit can produce. IPS displays have a higher contrast ratio when compared with TFTs and therefore can produce higher quality images.
Cost is one of the most important factors in the selection of any technology. IPS is a higher-end premium technology and therefore tends to be more expensive. Due to a more mature production process, TFT displays have a lower cost of manufacturing as compared to IPS panels. With a cost difference of around 30-50%, TFT panels beat the IPS panels by a mile.
In terms of image quality and color reproduction, IPS displays are the clear winners without a doubt. IPS displays have more available colors as compared to other LCD displays and therefore are highly suitable for creative design work. With wider viewing angles and aspect ratios, IPS displays offer more realistic image production as compared to TFT panels.
TFT displays are ideal for energy-efficient applications as they have lower power consumption. IPS displays consume 15% more power as compared to other LCD technologies. Due to this reason, TFT displays last longer for the same amount of battery juice.
This category is a tie since both TFT and IPS provide adequate performance in this regard. Both types of LCDs avoid image blurring and ghosting and provide clear and crisp images.
IPS and TFT are both widely used display technologies in consumer and industrial electronics. IPS panels are more commonly used in higher-end expensive products such as monitors, Mac computers, and iPhones. Although IPS panels provide superior performance, image quality, and wide viewing angles, they are more expensive and consume more energy. TFTs do not provide as high performance as IPS panels but they are more cost-effective and energy efficient.
| Feature | IPS | TFT |
| Viewing Angles | IPS offers wide viewing angles while maintaining image quality and integrity | Image quality in TFT panels suffers as the viewing angle changes |
| Contrast Ratio | IPS panels offer a superior contrast ratio | The contrast ratio of TFT panels is not at par with IPS panels |
| Response Time | IPS has a response time of approximately 0.3 ms | TFT has a response time of around 10 ms |
| Cost | IPS panels are expensive | TFT panels have a low cost as compared to IPS panels |
| Color Reproduction | IPS panels offer superior color reproduction and image quality | Color reproduction and image quality of TFT panels are lower than that of IPS panels |
| Energy Consumption | IPS panels consume 15% more energy as compared to other LCD panels | TFT panels have lower power consumption as compared to IPS panels |
| Ghosting | IPS panels are resistant to ghosting | TFT panels are also resistant to ghosting |
Display technologies are an integral part of modern consumer electronic devices. Display technologies are constantly evolving and new technologies are introduced regularly. In this article, we have explained the IPS and TFT technologies and have drawn a comparison between them. IPS technology offers excellent wide viewing angles, image quality, response rate, and contrast ratio. The main drawbacks of IPS panels are high power consumption and high cost. TFT panels do offer lower cost and high energy efficiency but their image quality is not as sharp as IPS panels. Both of these technologies are used widely and have their own applications. IPS panels are mostly used in high-end gadgets and phones while TFT panels are mostly used in mid-tier electronic devices. If wide viewing angles and sharp image quality are your priority then you should go with IPS panels. If cost and energy savings are your main focus then TFT is the technology you should opt for.
