Do you know the difference between AMOLED vs. Retina Displays?
With so many technological advancements and branding terms, it gets challenging for a common user to distinguish between the technologies like AMOLED vs. retina. Don’t worry; you will get to know everything about AMOLED vs. retina throughout the article.
We have seen immense growth in the smartphone industry past decade. Smartphone displays are no exception. Whether you look at a smartphone display, tablet, or PC, the quality is much better now than in the past.
There are many types of displays available. Amoled, Retina, and IPS are the most used ones. That’s why it is essential to know which is better for you. This article will give you a complete guide on Amoled vs. Retina.
Retina Displays
The Retina is Apple’s brand name for its displays. This covers all the most used display technologies. These displays have more pixel density than regular displays. In technological terms, it is called PPI(pixels per inch). Apple launched this technology with the debut of the iPhone 4. After that, every Apple product started using this technology.
Often people need clarification on these display terms. But in reality, the retina isn’t a display technology at all. It is a brand name that Apple uses to distinguish itself from the industry.
To clarify this topic, I want to give you an example. Let’s go a few years back; before the iPhone X series launch, no iPhone had the Oled technology. Think about it since iPhone 13 launch, apple used to provide the Oled panel only in the pro models. Still, all the iPhones had a retina display.
Now everything is clear to you. Do you know what’s interesting? They were all retina displays.
Pros of Retina Displays
I have mentioned the best features of Retina displays below.
1. Accurate Colors
Retina displays are known to produce accurate colors. The colors are true to life with normal contrast. The colors aren’t boosted to make them look vibrant.
2. Higher Resolution
Retina displays have a higher resolution as compared to OLED displays. However, this can’t be true always. But in general, they are likely to have higher resolution.
3. Better for Creators and Designers
As you know already know retina displays produce accurate colors. For this reason, they are better for creators and designers. That’s the reason you see fewer OLED displays as compared to IPS displays.
Cons
Now you know the good things about it, it’s time to discuss the drawbacks.
1. Less Power Efficient
These displays are less power efficient. The reason behind this is it doesn’t have individual pixels like OLED displays. So it has to use more power to produce colors.
2. Not great for Binge Watchers
Another drawback is it’s not considered the best option for media consumption. However, this is not a big concern. It depends on what a person prefers. Talking about those who love vibrant colors this may not be the best option.
AMOLED Display
Amoled is one of the best display technologies existing in the world. Moreover, many people prefer Amoled as the best display technology. AMOLED stands for active matrix organic light emitting diode. What makes Amoled unique is it has individual pixels for each color.
It means its bulbs will only light up when needed, unlike other display technologies where pixels don’t have individual light. In addition, it produces more vibrant colors than IPS and other display technologies.
You can feel the difference between colors while watching content. This is not all; the best thing about AMOLED display is the rich black color. What does it mean? It means it doesn’t have black pixels for color.
Think about it, how will a thing look when it doesn’t have colors? Black right? That’s what happens here.
Whenever there is an image or clip where black color is needed, it shuts off that area. As a result, that area looks black.
Pros Of an AMOLED Display
Amoled screens have some unique features. I will mention the essential ones below.
Better Contrast
AMOLED displays have a better contrast ratio than the retina and IPS LCD displays. In Amoled colors look more punchy and vibrant. For those who love watching movies and shows it is much better than retina.
Better Viewing Angles
Another thing that gives AMOLED screens an edge over the retina is the viewing angles. It doesn’t matter where you see it, you will not find any issues.
Deeper Blacks
Amoled screens have individual pixels for every color, unlike other display technologies. For this reason, whenever it had to show black color it shuts off the screen in that area, resulting in deeper blacks.
Power Efficient
These screens are more power efficient than the Retina. As you already know it doesn’t have black pixels. So it saves all the power it needs to produce black color, resulting in a more battery. You can improve this even more if you use dark and black wallpaper.
Cons
Although these are considered as best screen technologies in some areas there are some concerns. So I have mentioned them below.
It Doesn’t Produce Accurate Colors
If you ask people what display they want in a smartphone most of them will answer an AMOLED display. This is because it produces eye-pleasing color. However, you will enjoy watching content more. But the thing is, the colors aren’t natural. For this reason, anyone who needs a display with true-to-life colors will not like it. For instance, designers, have to analyze colors deeply.
Screen Burning issues
The biggest concern about these displays is the screen burning issue. If you keep the same wallpaper on your screen for a long time, it might leave it spark on the place. In some cases even using it in the sunlight for a long time can cause this issue. That’s the issue why tv brands have issues using AMOLED displays.
Final Verdict on Amoled vs Retina
Now you know the difference between retina and Amoled. A display can be retina and Amoled simultaneously and vice versa. As a user, you don’t have to confuse yourself. Next time while purchasing an iPhone or iPad, remember to check which technologies the company uses. And take your time with retina term; almost everything phone these days has that pixel density(not talking about those cheap phones).
If you want vibrant colors, especially those deep blacks, go for Amoled displays. On the other hand, if you wish to have better realistic colors, go for a Retina display. This goes the same for all displays, whether it is a retina or not.
