Screen types for gaming monitors
We explain the characteristics of the panel types TN, VA, IPS, PLS, AMOLED, OLED and QLED
Surely when you have gone to buy a monitor for your computer you have seen that they indicated in the type of panel that they were TN, VA, IPS, AMOLED ... All these acronyms refer to different types of LCD panels and LED panels for display screens of data. In this guide we are going to explain them to you and we will tell you which are the best panels for gaming monitors.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Currently on the market we can find two types of panel construction: LCD and LED. Within each of these panels we have a variety of construction typologies. When we buy a monitor, it will always tell us what kind of screens do you use.
LCD panels have evolved a lot and offer variants of very good image quality. On the other hand, LED screens are currently more used for professional televisions or monitors.
Here we will see the characteristics of each of the types of screens that we can find in the market.
What are LCD panels
They are the most common type of screen, especially in monitors intended for video games. Internally these panels are based on a large number of colored pixels in front of a light source. The pixels will modify the light source to obtain the different colors.
The TN, VA, IPS and PLS screen types are based on this type of panel. Depending on the construction technology, we will get better image quality. LCDs typically have problems with blacks, which may not be very strong. In addition, they have the counterpart that energy consumption is higher than LED panels
Types of LCD screens
TN (Twisted Nematic)
This type of panel is the most economical and is usually used in multimedia, office and gaming monitors. They are characterized by having been on the market since 1980 and offering a good quality / price ratio.
- Good contrast
- Low response time
- High refresh rates
- Very economical
- Bad viewing angles
- Low color accuracy
- Light leakage
- Low image quality compared to other panel types
IPS (In-Pane Switching)
Considered one of the best panels on the market, they are common on smartphones, televisions, tablets and monitors. They are a variation of LCD panels with horizontally aligned liquid crystal cells. This type of panel offers us a viewing angle of up to 178º.
They were introduced to the market by Hitachi in the early 2000s, although LG has been the one who has developed this type of screen the most. LG offers the AH-IPS (Advanced Hight Performance IPS) panels launched in 2011 and used in monitors for the professional segment. In addition, LG offers the Nano IPS, which are very well valued in the gaming segment.
- Viewing angle up to 178º
- Very good contrast
- High color accuracy with a very rich palette
- Refresh rates up to 144Hz
- Response times up to 1ms
- Blacks have grays
- They are much more expensive than TN and VA panels
- They have a higher consumption than other LCD panels
VA (Vertical Alignment)
This type of panel arises as an alternative to the other two types of panel, combining some of the best features of the IPS and TN panels.
They are based on vertically aligned liquid crystal cells. VA displays offer very good color reproduction, have better blacks than IPS, and have similar viewing angles.
Currently they are being integrated into gaming monitors because they support very high refresh rates, almost the same as TN
- They offer very good colors
- Better blacks than IPS
- Viewing angles similar to IPS
- They support high refresh rates
- Somewhat high refresh rates
- They are less accurate than IPS
- They are usually quite expensive too
PLS (Plane to Line Switching)
Panel type only manufactured by Samsung, although there are brands that use it. There are few models that use it, since it is intended for the professional segment.
- Viewing angles similar to IPS
- They offer very good shine
- They have great precision and color gamut
- Lower consumption compared to IPS
- Cheaper than IPS
- 5ms refresh rates
- Intended for the professional segment
Comparative viewing angle LCD panels
Finally we leave you a color comparison (approximate) of how the color looks according to the angle in the different panels.
What are LED panels
They are a type of screens based on a LED-based backlighting system. This makes these displays highly energy efficient and they are quite thin.
Within the LED screens we can find the Edge LED, which offer a lighting system only on the edges. Then we have the Full LEDs, which cover the entire panel. The latter are the ones that offer the best brightness and contrast thanks to their very uniform illumination.
LED display types
AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) and Super AMOLED
It is a kind of upgraded backlit LED panel that outperforms conventional LED panels. AMOLED should be noted that it is an exclusive Samsung technology, used in the company's monitors, smartphones and televisions.
They are characterized by offering much better contrast than IPS panels. It has the downside that some colors can become saturated. Seeks to offer images that are as realistic as possible.
Intended for the multimedia segment, not being interesting for gaming or professional uses. They tend to have better consumption than equivalent models. The downside is that the refresh rate is usually lower.
Then we have the Super AMOLED panels that offer more brightness, lower power consumption and less light reflection. It is mainly used in smartphone.
- Very high contrast
- Provides fairly realistic color images
- They have very low consumption
- Less light reflection (Super AMOLED)
- Low refresh rate
- Degrade earlier than LCD panels
- They are not suitable for gaming or professional segment
- They can saturate some colors
QLED (Quantum dot display)
This panel is based on nanocrystal semiconductors that can produce red, green and blue monochromatic light. The 'dot quantum' particles are used in QD layers that convert the backlight to pure colors.
They are very abundant in Samsung televisions and are making the leap to monitors.
The QLED designation used by Samsung as marketing to have a similar designation to LG's OLED. They were introduced to the market in 2017 as a revolutionary technology, but in the end they were a metal-coated Edge LED solution that limits color enhancement to 5% or less. Also, QLED technology has been seen in terms of image below OLED.
- They offer a very high shine
- Very wide color gamut
- Reduced loss of light
- They are lower in terms of image than OLED panels
- Uncommon still on monitors
OLED (Organic Light-emitting diode)
Created and developed by LG and can be viewed on Panasonic, Phillips and Sony televisions, among others.
This type of panel does not need backlighting, independent lighting is obtained in each pixel. It usually requires fewer layers than a conventional LED panel. There is no contrast and color degradation due to the viewing angle.
The pixels operate independently to display “very pure blacks.” Samsung offers more nits, but does not achieve blacks similar to OLED.
In addition, LG has included technologies such as G-Sync to bring its panels closer to video games. These panels support very good refresh rates.
- Panels are thinner requiring fewer layers
- No color and contrast degradation due to viewing angle
- Very pure blacks
- Supports G-Sync technology
- Withstands very high cool frequencies
- Still Image Burning
- Service life is shorter than LCD
- They are not optimal for outdoors
- High consumption
Best gaming monitors
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