How LCD Displays Work on the iPhone
While Apple has largely moved to OLED screens in its flagship lineups, it still uses LCD screens in lower-cost models. One such model is the iPhone SE, and according to Ross Young from Display Supply Chain Consultants, Apple is expected to release a new version of this model in 2023.
Colors
There are a variety of colors available on an iPhone screen, from the traditional white and black to vibrant reds and greens. This is because LCDs use pixels, or groups of tiny dots that display images. These pixels contain three subpixels-one red, one green, and one blue-and can change their intensity to create different colors.
Apple is expected to release a new iPhone X successor this year along with a larger Plus model and a cheaper version that uses an LCD screen instead of OLED. The company may have to differentiate the cheaper model from its higher-end offerings by using a brighter display color. Apple’s mother board IC is supplied by 3 different companies-TSMC, Samsung, and Korea Hynix-which makes the screen display color differ from model to model.
Contrast
A display’s contrast is the ratio between its peak white brightness and its darkest black luminance. It is an important measure of the screen’s performance, and Apple lists a typical contrast ratio as 1,000 to 1. This patent application credits Jun Jiang, Cheng Chen, Gabriel Marcu and Jiaying Wu as its inventors. Apple has already used OLED displays in its devices, such as the iPhone X and iPad Pro, which have much higher contrast than their LCD counterparts.
Brightness
The maximum brightness available on the iPhone is 428 cd/m2, which is good for most ambient light conditions. The factory calibration is fairly good with excellent color and gray scale tracking, but the display has a shallow intensity scale (Gamma) that reduces image contrast and color saturation for most content. This can be corrected by changing the display’s Look Up Tables to deliver a steeper Gamma closer to 2.2.
Like almost all LCDs the iPhone’s Black Level produces a visible dark grey on-screen instead of true black, which reduces screen readability and image contrast in dim lcd iphone ambient lighting conditions. The display’s Auto-Brightness feature allows the ambient light sensor to automatically adjust the Peak Brightness setting, which can improve visual comfort and increase the battery run time.
Many people experience problems with their iPhone’s display brightness, and the most common reason is that a low quality or matte screen protector is being used. Often this can be fixed by switching to a different screen protector or using a plastic screen lamination that doesn’t reduce the brightness.
Response Time
There are two kinds of displays available on the iPhone–OLED and LCD. OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode, while LCD is short for liquid crystal display. Both technologies have their benefits and drawbacks. However, it’s important to understand the differences between them so that you can choose the right one for your needs.
For example, OLED screens tend to have better viewing angles than LCDs. This is important because many people hold their smartphones at different angles when using them. Moreover, OLED displays are less prone to image retention and other problems caused by prolonged exposure to sunlight.
On the other hand, LCDs have poor color accuracy and lower brightness levels than OLEDs. They also have a slower response time and are more likely to produce artifacts when scrolling lcd iphone or zooming. In addition, some LCDs can suffer from screen burn-in when exposed to static images for long periods of time.
Power Consumption
The LCDs used in previous iPhones and current models rely on a backlight that produces a constant stream of light whenever the screen is on. This technology has been the standard in flat panel displays for decades, but keeping the backlight on all the time draws a lot of power. It also generates heat, which is a major drawback in portable devices.
OLED screens, on the other hand, don’t require a backlight. Instead, each pixel emits its own light, which makes them more energy efficient and creates stunning colors with great contrast. However, OLEDs have a major flaw: they break down much faster than LCDs.
There are a few companies that make the bare LCDs used in Apple’s displays. Those bare LCDs are then bought by countless other companies that add the touch/digitizer and the rest of the components needed to make them into a compatible iPhone screen. Despite the fact that some of these “copy” screens are cheaper than an Apple original, they still have their shortcomings. For example, the digitizer is usually placed on the glass rather than on the LCD itself, and this can cause problems if it gets broken.
