Difference between AMOLED and LCD Display

Both AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) are popular display technologies widely used in a variety of electronic devices like monitors, laptop screens, smartphone screens, TV screens, and more.

The fundamental difference between AMOLED and LCD displays is in their screen illumination technology that is AMOLED display uses organic materials that emit light on the passage of electric current which illuminates the screen, while LCD display uses a backlighting system to illuminate the display screen.

Another major difference between AMOLED and LCD displays is in their contrast ratios, i.e. AMOLED displays offer infinite contrast ratios, allowing them to display deeper blacks, while LCD displays have a limited contrast ratio.

Read this article to learn more about AMOLED and LCD and how these two display technologies are different from each other.

What is an AMOLED Display?

AMOLED stands for Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode. It is a display technology used in display screens of various electronic devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, TVs, etc. In an AMOLED display, the pixels are made up of organic material that can produce light on the passage of electric current through them. This emitted light is used to illuminate the display screen.

To control the flow of electric current and the emitted light, the AMOLED display consists of a set of thin-film transistors (TFTs). The self-light emitting characteristic of AMOLED display eliminates the need of backlighting system, making it compact in size. However, AMOLED displays have a major drawback that is screen burn-in, i.e. if a static image is displayed for a long period, then it may leave a permanent ghost image on the screen.

AMOLED displays are widely used in modern electronic devices like smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and more, due to their advantages, including low power consumption, wider viewing angle, faster response time, wider color scale, flexible design, high contrast ratio, and more.

What is an LCD Display?

LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. LCD is one of the popular display technologies used in manufacturing of flat panel display devices. LCD utilizes liquid-crystals placed between two layers of glass or plastic. These crystals can be organized in a specific pattern by the flow of electric current and they control the amount of light passing through them to form images and graphics on the screen.

In LCD displays, a backlighting system is required to illuminate the screen. The light produced by the backlighting system is manipulated to create images on the screen. This type of display screen utilizes color filters to produce different color.

Today, LCD display is considered one of the older display technology due to availability of modern display technologies like LED, OLED, QLED, AMOLED, and more. However, they are still used in various consumer electronic devices like TVs, monitors, digital watches, digital measuring instruments, and more. They offer several advantages like low cost, high resolution, versatility, etc.

Difference between AMOLED and LCD

The following table highlights all the important differences between AMOLED and LCD displays −

Parameter	AMOLED	LCD
Full form	AMOLED stands for Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode.	LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display.
Definition	AMOLED is a display technology that utilizes organic compounds to create images on the screen.	LCD is a display technology that utilizes liquid crystals to create images on the screen.
Light source	In AMOLED displays, the light to illuminate the screen is emitted by the pixels made up of organic compounds.	In LCD displays, the light required to illuminate the screen is produced by a backlighting system.
Viewing angle	AMOLED displays have a wider viewing angle.	LCD displays have a comparatively narrow viewing angle.
Power consumption	AMOLED displays consume less amount of power.	LCD displays consume more power than AMOLED displays.
Picture quality	AMOLED displays offer better picture quality.	LCD displays offer lower picture quality.
Color accuracy	AMOLED displays can produce bright and saturated colors.	LCD displays can produce precise and natural colors.
Contrast ratio	AMOLED displays offer infinite contrast ratio, as they can completely turn off individual pixels.	LCD displays offer lower contrast ratio than AMOLED displays.
Black levels	AMOLED displays can produce true blacks.	LCD displays cannot produce true black, as they cannot completely turn off the pixel.
Screen burn-in problem	In AMOLED displays, if a static image is displayed for long period, then it can leave a permanent ghost image on the screen, causing screen burn-in.	In LCD displays, there is no issues of screen burn-in.
Response time	AMOLED displays have faster response time, allowing them to display fast moving objects without motion blur.	LCD displays have slower response time, causing motion blur while displaying fast moving images.
Refresh rate	AMOLED displays have higher refresh rates.	LCD displays have comparatively lower refresh rates.
Cost	AMOLED displays are comparatively more expensive.	LCD displays are less expensive.
Visibility in bright light	AMOLED displays are less efficient to use in bright lights due to lower brightness levels.	LCD displays have better visibility in bright lights and sunlight due their higher brightness levels.
Design flexibility	AMOLED displays are more flexible in design, and can be curved easily.	LCD displays are rigid in terms of design, and cannot be have curved design.
Lifespan	AMOLED displays have comparatively shorter lifespan, as the organic compounds can degrade over time.	LCD displays have longer lifespan and maintain color accuracy and brightness for long periods.
Applications	AMOLED displays are commonly used in modern electronic devices like smartphones, tablets, monitors, smart TVs, etc.	LCD displays are mainly used in affordable electronic devices such as featured phones, TVs, monitors, digital watches, etc.

Conclusion

Both AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display technologies have their own advantages and disadvantages. Both are used in a variety of electronic devices like smartphones, monitors, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, TVs, etc.

The most significant difference between them is that AMOLED displays use self-illuminating pixels made up of organic compounds to create images on the screen, while LCD displays use liquid crystals and backlighting system to create images on the screen.