Power Consumption of Various Displays: TFT, OLED, and Glass Displays
When working on low-power embedded or IoT applications, managing power consumption is crucial to ensure your device operates for as long as possible. Among the components that can significantly impact power usage, displays are often one of the most power-hungry.
Understanding the power consumption of different types of displays — TFT, OLED, and Glass — can help you make informed choices for your projects.
What is TFT Displays?
TFT (Thin Film Transistor) displays use TN (Twisted Nematic) type LCD technology, which allows selective pixel activation, minimizing energy consumption. These displays consist of capacitors and transistors that ensure efficient operation by using minimal energy. TFT displays are known for their wider viewing angles and better contrast ratios compared to standard TN displays. They are widely used in devices such as computer monitors, laptops, medical monitors, industrial displays, ATMs, and point-of-sale systems.
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The power consumption of TFT displays is primarily due to the LED backlight, which accounts for over 90% of the total energy used by the display, especially in high-brightness modules.
What is OLED Displays?
OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) displays are an emissive display technology, meaning each pixel generates its own light. This results in high contrast and vibrant colors, making OLEDs ideal for high-end applications such as advanced TVs and smartphones. OLED displays, particularly AMOLED (Active Matrix OLED), offer superior color reproduction and image quality compared to LCDs.
OLED displays use less power when displaying darker images, as fewer pixels are illuminated. Each pixel consists of three tiny LEDs (or four in some LG TVs) that emit light independently. Consequently, when more pixels are lit, power consumption increases, but with all pixels off, only the control circuitry consumes power.
What is Glass Displays?
Glass displays are a type of TFT display with thin film transistors for each pixel, offering superior contrast, wide viewing angles, and excellent color reproduction. These displays are commonly used in high-end IoT and embedded applications, such as in manufacturing industries, cars, mobile phones, and electric vehicles.
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Both TFT and Glass displays / TFT LCD Display are active-matrix and require an RGB color filter layer to produce colors, with LED backlights serving as the light source. However, Glass displays generally have lower transmittance than TFT screens, which translates to lower power requirements.
Conclusion
For the lowest power consumption, OLED and Glass LCDs are typically the best choices. Additionally, implementing power gating mechanisms can further reduce power usage when the display is not in use. Understanding the power consumption characteristics of TFT, OLED, and Glass displays is essential for selecting the right display for your project. Balancing energy efficiency and visual quality can enhance user experience while minimizing environmental impact.
For those building IoT or embedded devices and seeking power-efficient displays, Campus Component — Electronics Components Supplier in India offers a range of displays from popular brands like Sinda, Nextion, and DWIN. These options can help you optimize your project’s power consumption and performance.
