What is IPS?
IPS is an electronic screen display technology used in LCDs (liquid crystal displays) that changes the behavior of an LCD’s liquid crystals to produce a sharper, more accurate picture. This technique allows IPS displays to deliver a higher quality viewing experience than other screen types like TN or VA. IPS technology easily solves the readability challenges that some customers face depending on location and environment for their end products.
Image 1 - As see in the image above, IPS technology utilizes a unique arrangement of electrodes that generates an electric field parallel to the plate – rather than the more scrambled field of TN displays. This technological improvement is what allows IPS displays to have truer color reproduction, greatly enhanced viewing at all angles, and do not show distortion or "tailing" when touched.
Benefits of IPS Displays
One of the leading advantages that IPS offer is its ability to deliver wide viewing angles while preserving colors and contrast. This means you can view an IPS screen from nearly any angle and get an accurate representation of the image on-screen. TN LCDs often struggle to display accurate images from wide viewing angles. IPS LCDs eliminate nearly all color distortion and fading when viewed from various angles.
In addition to preserving image performance, the powerful technology of In-Plane Switching delivers the most vivid, true colors available on any TFT LCD. Capable of producing over 16 million colors, images on IPS displays won’t get washed out or distorted when viewed at an angle the way they might on a TN or VA LCD screen.
A powerful LED backlight combined with unparalleled viewing angles makes for the best image quality under direct sunlight. IPS display screens and monitors offer the best quality in different environments (direct sunlight, low light, indoors, or outdoors) compared to TNs or VAs.
Image 2 - Consistent color reproduction at various angles is one of the great benefits of an IPS Display. As seen in the image, the top left is the original picture. The top right image is a comparison between a TN (left) and IPS TFT (right). Right away it is noticeable that the IPS display has a better representation of the original picture. As the angle of the display changes (as seen in the bottom left and right images) the IPS display continues to retain that truer color representation.