DISPLAYS
Today's screen terminology can confuse even people who work with the phones on the daily basis, not to mention the confusion when it comes to understand the technology itself.
How do you understand for example Sony's “Triluminous Display with X-Reality”, “OptiContrast Panel” and “Mobile Bravia Engine 2” to describe the Sony Z Ultra’s display?
The smartphone industry tosses around a whole bucket of names and numbers to describe the viewing experience on your smartphone screen: ClearBlack, 1080p, Retina, AMOLED, super-sensitive..... the list goes on and on.
Some designations like flashy Apple's Retina Display are marketing monikers cooked up to give one company an edge. Sometimes however like in case of Nokia's Clear Black Display technology the trademarked name masks a unique process too technical to quickly explain.
How do you understand for example Sony's “Triluminous Display with X-Reality”, “OptiContrast Panel” and “Mobile Bravia Engine 2” to describe the Sony Z Ultra’s display?
The smartphone industry tosses around a whole bucket of names and numbers to describe the viewing experience on your smartphone screen: ClearBlack, 1080p, Retina, AMOLED, super-sensitive..... the list goes on and on.
Some designations like flashy Apple's Retina Display are marketing monikers cooked up to give one company an edge. Sometimes however like in case of Nokia's Clear Black Display technology the trademarked name masks a unique process too technical to quickly explain.
The anatomy of a smartphone screen
Before we dive in, it's helpful to understand the layout of a smartphone screen. The oversimplified version is that displays are composed of several layers of material, starting backing material and including a lighting element (like the backlight for LCD screens), which is then topped with a TFT (thin-film transistor) layer, which uses voltage-sipping transistors to keep the display's pixels shining until you refresh or change the image.
There's also the touch-sensitive panel; various films and filters that might reduce glare, for instance; and the cover glass, which is often bonded to the touch layer like Gorilla Glass. And there are also sensitive digitizer screens found on Samsung Note family..... ..... enough
There's also the touch-sensitive panel; various films and filters that might reduce glare, for instance; and the cover glass, which is often bonded to the touch layer like Gorilla Glass. And there are also sensitive digitizer screens found on Samsung Note family..... ..... enough
Ok, we've covered the essentials.
I still remember the days when my phone had a narrow monochromatic screen to display a phone number. Then we started to use texts and emails, therefore we needed a bit more space to see what we'd written. Next we added the colour to give the screen a bit more interest. When we started adding cameras to the phones, we wanted the screens to be sharper, so we could see the terrible, pixelated VGA photos we'd taken.
Once the ability to store video arrived, we needed them to be smooth, with good refresh rates.
I still remember the days when my phone had a narrow monochromatic screen to display a phone number. Then we started to use texts and emails, therefore we needed a bit more space to see what we'd written. Next we added the colour to give the screen a bit more interest. When we started adding cameras to the phones, we wanted the screens to be sharper, so we could see the terrible, pixelated VGA photos we'd taken.
Once the ability to store video arrived, we needed them to be smooth, with good refresh rates.
Now we expect from the mobile screens to be better than our computer screens. They need to offer super crisp text, super vibrant images, blur-free video and enough brightness to see outdoors, all under a super responsive touch layer.
Mobile phone screens have progressed dramatically since old days. Predictably, several different options have arisen, especially when it comes to high-end smartphones. As a result, it can be hard to know exactly what manufacturers are talking about when they boast about their screens. So here you have the most important information about the technologies used in today's mobile screens. |
TFT - LCD
There are many different ways of manufacturing LCD screens, so knowing that a phone's screen is LCD doesn't tell you much about its quality.
In practice, cheap phone screens will often display dull colours, and have narrow viewing angles, which means that if you look at them from off-centre, it becomes hard to see what's on-screen.
High quality LCD screens on the other hand, have bright, accurate colours and with visibility from just about any angle.
The LCD screens are the most common technology used on mobile phones and they range from the budget smartphones like the HTC desire C to high-end tablets, like the Google Nexus 7. Two types of LCDs are primarily found in mobile phones: TFT and IPS technology.
In practice, cheap phone screens will often display dull colours, and have narrow viewing angles, which means that if you look at them from off-centre, it becomes hard to see what's on-screen.
High quality LCD screens on the other hand, have bright, accurate colours and with visibility from just about any angle.
The LCD screens are the most common technology used on mobile phones and they range from the budget smartphones like the HTC desire C to high-end tablets, like the Google Nexus 7. Two types of LCDs are primarily found in mobile phones: TFT and IPS technology.
TFT-LCD stands for thin-film transistor - liquid crystal display and use the thin-film transistor technology to improve image quality. They are often just referred to as LCD, since TFT-based LCD screens are the only type used in practice. Each pixel on a TFT-LCD has its own transistor on the glass itself, which offers more control over the images and colors that it renders.
While TFT-LCDs can deliver sharp images, they also tend to offer relatively poor viewing angles. TFT are found on more low-end smartphones or feature phones, and on basic cell phones.
While TFT-LCDs can deliver sharp images, they also tend to offer relatively poor viewing angles. TFT are found on more low-end smartphones or feature phones, and on basic cell phones.
IPS stands for in-plane switching. It involves arranging and switching the molecules of the liquid crystal (LC) layer between the glass substrates. This is done in a plane parallel to these glass plates. It features two transistors for each pixel, where TFT use just one. Requires a more powerful back-light (up to 15% comparing to TFT screens) but resolves the TFT's weaknesses related to relatively high response time (lower is better), strong viewing angle dependence and low-quality color reproduction.
IPS are more expensive in production and typically are found on high-end mobile phones and portable devices. Apple's iPhone, iPad, HTC One X and Nokia 920 are a good example of high quality IPS-LCDs screens.
IPS are more expensive in production and typically are found on high-end mobile phones and portable devices. Apple's iPhone, iPad, HTC One X and Nokia 920 are a good example of high quality IPS-LCDs screens.
The liquid crystals do no emit light themselves, so LCDs require a backlight. That means that LCD requires more power, and could potentially be more taxing on your phone’s battery.
The LCDs however produce some of the most realistic colors you can find on a screen, but might not offer as wide of a contrast ratio (darker darks and brighter brights) as AMOLED or OLED.
The LCDs however produce some of the most realistic colors you can find on a screen, but might not offer as wide of a contrast ratio (darker darks and brighter brights) as AMOLED or OLED.
OLED
OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode, and an OLED display consists of organic polymer which lights up when charged with electricity.
The most popular type of OLED panels on mobile devices is AMOLED technology. AMOLED stands for Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode and is even more power efficient than standard OLED displays.
Due to this simple construction, AMOLED offers many advantages over LCD displays as it is thinner, brighter, more power efficient and provides wider viewing angles. They also provide much better contrast and response times.
Mostly those advantages are down to the fact that AMOLED technology doesn't require a back-light. The black colour stays truly black without producing an energy (unlike on many LCDs where the black is rather grey and its being artificially made), which also leads to expanding battery life as long as the background of your phone is close to black.
The most popular type of OLED panels on mobile devices is AMOLED technology. AMOLED stands for Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode and is even more power efficient than standard OLED displays.
Due to this simple construction, AMOLED offers many advantages over LCD displays as it is thinner, brighter, more power efficient and provides wider viewing angles. They also provide much better contrast and response times.
Mostly those advantages are down to the fact that AMOLED technology doesn't require a back-light. The black colour stays truly black without producing an energy (unlike on many LCDs where the black is rather grey and its being artificially made), which also leads to expanding battery life as long as the background of your phone is close to black.
However AMOLED screens have proved costly and difficult to produce in the same numbers as LCD, a fact that forced HTC company to replace AMOLED screen in their HTC Desire for Super-LCD halfway through its manufacturing life. A decision that led HTC to stick with LCD screens onward. Often those screens were also criticized to have lower visibility in the direct light than their LCDs counterparts and having over-saturated colours, until Samsung introduced the next generation of Super AMOLED technology, which solved the above issues.
Super AMOLED display technology is an advanced version of AMOLED display. Developed by Samsung, it is said to be the thinnest display technology in the market. Super AMOLED display is also much more responsive than an AMOLED display.
Notable Devices with AMOLED screens are Samsung Galaxy S series and Nokia Lumia's 928 and 1020.
Super AMOLED display technology is an advanced version of AMOLED display. Developed by Samsung, it is said to be the thinnest display technology in the market. Super AMOLED display is also much more responsive than an AMOLED display.
Notable Devices with AMOLED screens are Samsung Galaxy S series and Nokia Lumia's 928 and 1020.
LCD versus OLED
There are warring schools of thought between the two types of display technologies: LCDs or AMOLEDs.
In a nutshell, you can think about LCDs and AMOLEDs as follows:
LCD screens start with an always-on backlight; this technology requires light to create black, white, and colors. High-end LCDs produce the most accurate colors, though their manufacturers sometimes intentionally calibrate LCDs to produce weaker red, blue, and purple shades in order to reduce the device's power consumption.
LCDs generally age slower, with their brightness and color balance holding up fairly well over thousands of hours of use.
There are warring schools of thought between the two types of display technologies: LCDs or AMOLEDs.
In a nutshell, you can think about LCDs and AMOLEDs as follows:
LCD screens start with an always-on backlight; this technology requires light to create black, white, and colors. High-end LCDs produce the most accurate colors, though their manufacturers sometimes intentionally calibrate LCDs to produce weaker red, blue, and purple shades in order to reduce the device's power consumption.
LCDs generally age slower, with their brightness and color balance holding up fairly well over thousands of hours of use.
AMOLED, on the other hand, doesn't require any light to produce black, only white and colors. Therefore, it's considered battery-saving and can produce inky blacks. AMOLEDs are often considered brighter as well, creating punchy hues. As a side effect, these screens tend to oversaturate the color green.
AMOLEDs also age more rapidly than LCD's. Using an organic polymers, means that the red and blue colors deteriorate faster than green. Samsung used Super AMOLED plus screens in their Galaxy S II phones, but reverted back to Super AMOLED screens for the Galaxy S III citing screen life as the reason for the switch. |
Both display technologies offer advantages and disadvantages. AMOLED screens have higher contrasts and deeper, true blacks, but LCD’s tend to offer more accurate colors. While AMOLED displays are brighter when viewed off-center, LCD panels can be viewed more easily under direct sunlight.
AMOLED displays tend to be more power efficient overall however, LCD panels are more power efficient when it comes to displaying web pages. AMOLED screens have better viewing angles, but LCD panels tend to be sharper on lower resolution panels thanks to the use of the RGB structure instead of PenTile/RGBG.
AMOLED displays tend to be more power efficient overall however, LCD panels are more power efficient when it comes to displaying web pages. AMOLED screens have better viewing angles, but LCD panels tend to be sharper on lower resolution panels thanks to the use of the RGB structure instead of PenTile/RGBG.
Pixel density
The next thing you have to take under consideration is pixel density. Generally speaking, the more pixels you have per inch (ppi), the better your picture. That said, Apple claims that the human eye can't really distinguish more than 326 pixels per inch, which is really true. While pixel density is an important factor in the smoothness of the overall picture, there is no point to drill down in this subject having screens 1080p HD resolutions delivering pixel densities over 300 ppi. There are absolutely crisp and smooth without visible distinction. When you listen to people bragging about density of their mobile screens, I can assure you, they don't really know what they talking about, being purely sold by marketing jargon.
A quick comparison of the three leading flagships.
SCREEN SIZE
RESOLUTION
PIXEL DENSITY
|
iPhone 5
4 in
1,136 x 640
326 ppi
|
Samsung Galaxy S4
5 in
1,920 x 1,080
441 ppi
|
HTC one
4,7 in
1,920 x 1,080
468 ppi
|
Despite of their differences in the screen sizes and pixel density, is virtually impossible to notice any flaws in crispness and smoothness of any of those screens .
Type of the screens by the phones
Let's now explain the screen technology and terminology based on the specific phones.
Nokia 920
One of the problems with existing LCD displays used on smartphones is that they can’t keep up. While the internal hardware and operating system are fast enough to deliver a full 60 frames-per-second (FPS), the screens themselves lag behind, leading to pixelated video and ghost images appearing as your screen moves.
PureMotion HD+ uses an IPS type LCD display that is also given a higher voltage difference when changing states to produce a clean transition from frame to frame, even when operating at top speeds. This allows the display to deliver a steady 60FPS without any blurring. Nokia claims it lights up twice as fast on 920 than on any competing LCDs smartphones.
PureMotion HD+ also adds a high-luminescence mode that works automatically from the phone’s ambient light sensor, improving contrast and brightness outdoors considerably.
Ever take your phone outside and squint to read the screen? Phones with high reflectance can be a real setback, but some manufacturers are good at getting on top of it. ClearBlack is Nokia's name for an anti-glare filters applied to the screen above the touch layer (but below the glass) on its high-end phones. It works on both AMOLED and LCD screens.
The technology involves a pair of filters which help to reduce the amount of ambient light that the screen reflects. The filters polarize the light, changing its direction before it reflects off the screen behind. When the light travels back it is unable to pass through the filter and is blocked. The end result is reduced reflectance overall, and improved legibility both indoors and outdoors. If you interested in deep explanation of how the Clear Black technology works click on this link.
Nokia screens are a masterpiece among LCD IPS displays.
PureMotion HD+ uses an IPS type LCD display that is also given a higher voltage difference when changing states to produce a clean transition from frame to frame, even when operating at top speeds. This allows the display to deliver a steady 60FPS without any blurring. Nokia claims it lights up twice as fast on 920 than on any competing LCDs smartphones.
PureMotion HD+ also adds a high-luminescence mode that works automatically from the phone’s ambient light sensor, improving contrast and brightness outdoors considerably.
Ever take your phone outside and squint to read the screen? Phones with high reflectance can be a real setback, but some manufacturers are good at getting on top of it. ClearBlack is Nokia's name for an anti-glare filters applied to the screen above the touch layer (but below the glass) on its high-end phones. It works on both AMOLED and LCD screens.
The technology involves a pair of filters which help to reduce the amount of ambient light that the screen reflects. The filters polarize the light, changing its direction before it reflects off the screen behind. When the light travels back it is unable to pass through the filter and is blocked. The end result is reduced reflectance overall, and improved legibility both indoors and outdoors. If you interested in deep explanation of how the Clear Black technology works click on this link.
Nokia screens are a masterpiece among LCD IPS displays.
Screen specs:
- IPS LSD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colours
- 768 x 1280 pixels, 4,5 inches, 332 ppi pixel density
- Gorilla Glass 2 - PureMotion HD+ - ClearBlack filter
Samsung Galaxy S4
Super AMOLED screen on Samsung Galaxy S4 is a dream come through for many users, myself included. Samsung bumped the screen resolution to a full High definition with a pixel density of 441 ppi which is more than enough for everyone's needs (if you have read this blog so far). I don't wanna talk about the weaknesses of PenTile matrix and its "cross-hath pattern" visible under microscope in the previous Galaxy S3, as it doesn't exists anymore on this screen.
S4 offers image quality, contrast and almost perfect viewing angles regardless of your viewpoint, like no other smartphone on the market.
The color saturation is beyond the reach of any LCD out there, which make even the dullest image appear remarkably vibrant. Still, if you are not a fan of the oversaturated look of AMOLEDs, Samsung gives you the option to tune down the saturation to more natural levels and enjoy the best of both worlds. There's a dedicated Adobe RGB setting that gets this done.
Screen specs:
S4 offers image quality, contrast and almost perfect viewing angles regardless of your viewpoint, like no other smartphone on the market.
The color saturation is beyond the reach of any LCD out there, which make even the dullest image appear remarkably vibrant. Still, if you are not a fan of the oversaturated look of AMOLEDs, Samsung gives you the option to tune down the saturation to more natural levels and enjoy the best of both worlds. There's a dedicated Adobe RGB setting that gets this done.
Screen specs:
- Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
- 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inches, 441 ppi pixel density
- Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Sony Xperia Z1
The TFT displays on the Xperia Z and ZL devices from Sony have been criticized for their washed out colors and poor viewing angles.
But the Xperia Z1 is making full use of Sony's so-called Triluminos screen technology, which means adopting display technologies originally created for TV displays, such as the Bravia engine, and now Triluminos and X-Reality. Now that we have a little background, let’s see what Triluminos and X-Reality actually are and how they work. It is pretty fascinating, at least for me.
Triluminos is a technology that enables LCD TFT displays to show a wider range of colors, therefore the images are richer and more vivid. It’s all down to intelligent backlight technology, a Triluminos display reproduces more tones and textures than standard LED backlighting. Sony says that it boasts a color gamut that is 50 percent larger than that of a conventional LCD panel.
How is this possible?
By using quantum dots.
Quantum dots are best described as light-emitting nano-particles. Basically, they are very small (2-10 nano-meters) particles of a material that emits light. Depending on the size of the particle, which can be precisely controlled, quantum dots emit light in a specific wavelength, which the human eye perceives as a specific color.
Conventional LCD displays use a white backlight that passes through red, blue, and green filters to form the color that the user perceives. The problem with this approach is that filters are not very selective – in other words, it’s hard to form very specific colors, and the end result might be a washed out colors (LCD needs very careful calibration to work perfectly). With Triluminos, the white backlight is replaced by a blue LED, which emits a blue light that causes a film of quantum dots to produce pure green and pure red. The different wavelength light is combined to form the color on the screen. This way the display can show more pure, unadulterated colors.
But the Xperia Z1 is making full use of Sony's so-called Triluminos screen technology, which means adopting display technologies originally created for TV displays, such as the Bravia engine, and now Triluminos and X-Reality. Now that we have a little background, let’s see what Triluminos and X-Reality actually are and how they work. It is pretty fascinating, at least for me.
Triluminos is a technology that enables LCD TFT displays to show a wider range of colors, therefore the images are richer and more vivid. It’s all down to intelligent backlight technology, a Triluminos display reproduces more tones and textures than standard LED backlighting. Sony says that it boasts a color gamut that is 50 percent larger than that of a conventional LCD panel.
How is this possible?
By using quantum dots.
Quantum dots are best described as light-emitting nano-particles. Basically, they are very small (2-10 nano-meters) particles of a material that emits light. Depending on the size of the particle, which can be precisely controlled, quantum dots emit light in a specific wavelength, which the human eye perceives as a specific color.
Conventional LCD displays use a white backlight that passes through red, blue, and green filters to form the color that the user perceives. The problem with this approach is that filters are not very selective – in other words, it’s hard to form very specific colors, and the end result might be a washed out colors (LCD needs very careful calibration to work perfectly). With Triluminos, the white backlight is replaced by a blue LED, which emits a blue light that causes a film of quantum dots to produce pure green and pure red. The different wavelength light is combined to form the color on the screen. This way the display can show more pure, unadulterated colors.
X-Reality EngineX-Reality is an image processing technology that enhances the images and videos displayed on the screen. It makes pictures look sharper, reduces noise, improves contrast, and fine tunes saturation.
Sony has been using the X-Reality and X-Reality Pro image processors on its high-end TVs for a while now, though it’s not clear if X-Reality for mobile is the same thing.
So, how does it work? According to Sony, the software breaks down the signal sent to the display into several components – texture, outline, contrast, and color. Each one is separately analyzed and processed, to ensure the clearest, sharpest, most attractive final image.
According to Sony, Triluminos and X-Reality should allow the Sony screens to compete with the Super AMOLED displays on Samsung flagships, which are recognized for their rich colors. But that’s the theory. In practice Xperia's Z1 screen is a huge improvement in image quality since the Xperia Z and the images are truly coming to live (also the viewing angles has been greatly improved) but still cannot compete fully not only with super AMOLED screens, but also with the top IPS LCD panels.
Saying that this technology is superior to conventional LCD's, and most likely will become dominant in the next couple of years. The very first example of implementing it into LCD IPS screen is a new Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, that surpasses every panel on the market related to intensity and accuracy of the colours produced. Here are some of the key findings from DisplayMate's regarding Nexus 7 vs Fire HDX vs new iPad Mini display shootout
And below Sony prepared a cool video to explain what the whole hype is abut.
Sony has been using the X-Reality and X-Reality Pro image processors on its high-end TVs for a while now, though it’s not clear if X-Reality for mobile is the same thing.
So, how does it work? According to Sony, the software breaks down the signal sent to the display into several components – texture, outline, contrast, and color. Each one is separately analyzed and processed, to ensure the clearest, sharpest, most attractive final image.
According to Sony, Triluminos and X-Reality should allow the Sony screens to compete with the Super AMOLED displays on Samsung flagships, which are recognized for their rich colors. But that’s the theory. In practice Xperia's Z1 screen is a huge improvement in image quality since the Xperia Z and the images are truly coming to live (also the viewing angles has been greatly improved) but still cannot compete fully not only with super AMOLED screens, but also with the top IPS LCD panels.
Saying that this technology is superior to conventional LCD's, and most likely will become dominant in the next couple of years. The very first example of implementing it into LCD IPS screen is a new Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, that surpasses every panel on the market related to intensity and accuracy of the colours produced. Here are some of the key findings from DisplayMate's regarding Nexus 7 vs Fire HDX vs new iPad Mini display shootout
And below Sony prepared a cool video to explain what the whole hype is abut.
Screen specs:
- TFT capacitive touchscreen, Triluminous display with X-Reality and OptiContrast, 16M colors
- 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inches, 441 ppi pixel density
- Proof and scratch-resistant glass
Iphone 5
Now we're coming to a retina display. What's that?
Retina Display is a brand name used by Apple for their IPS LCD screens (Technically those screens are not being made by Apple).
The technology on offer from Apple with regards to the new 4-inch display is impressive – but only on a scale that matches that seen with the launch of the Retina Display in 2010.
There's such a temptation with new technology to bash it for not always innovating and pushing things further, especially when Apple's announcements are so full of hyperbole that it's often hard to tell what's actually exciting.
However when Steve Jobs took to the stage to announce the Retina Display, he said it was sharper than the human eye could discern – and he was right, and despite other far-reaching efforts to up the sharpness nothing has really made me squint at a display in awe than that first shown on the iPhone 4.
When Apple rolled out the iPhone 5, they announced that it had a full sRGB gamut, and would be a substantial improvement over the 4 and 4S displays. They also had done away with layers of technology below the screen to bring the display as close to the glass as possible, something they said would bring increased brightness and sharpness to the user's eye. In practice however, compering the quality and brightness, Iphone 4S has still upper hand.
All and all the Iphone 5's screen is still a serious competitor among the increasing number of high quality HD panels from leading manufacturers.
The technology on offer from Apple with regards to the new 4-inch display is impressive – but only on a scale that matches that seen with the launch of the Retina Display in 2010.
There's such a temptation with new technology to bash it for not always innovating and pushing things further, especially when Apple's announcements are so full of hyperbole that it's often hard to tell what's actually exciting.
However when Steve Jobs took to the stage to announce the Retina Display, he said it was sharper than the human eye could discern – and he was right, and despite other far-reaching efforts to up the sharpness nothing has really made me squint at a display in awe than that first shown on the iPhone 4.
When Apple rolled out the iPhone 5, they announced that it had a full sRGB gamut, and would be a substantial improvement over the 4 and 4S displays. They also had done away with layers of technology below the screen to bring the display as close to the glass as possible, something they said would bring increased brightness and sharpness to the user's eye. In practice however, compering the quality and brightness, Iphone 4S has still upper hand.
All and all the Iphone 5's screen is still a serious competitor among the increasing number of high quality HD panels from leading manufacturers.
Screen specs:
- LED-backlit IPS LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
- 1136 x 640 pixels, 4.0 inches, 326 ppi pixel density
- Corning Gorilla Glass, oleophobic coating.
Technical vocabulary
- HD Super AMOLED - Samsung's name for its high-definition smartphone displays, which use the OLED screen technology and goes up to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels in phones
- PureMotion HD+ - Nokia's name for its display with 1,280x768-pixel resolution and various properties.
- ClearBlack - Nokia's name for an antiglare filter applied to the screen.
- Retina Display - Apple's proprietary name for its LCD screen, which serves up a 1,136x640 pixel resolution in mobile phones.
- 1080p - The highest common high-definition screen resolution, measuring 1,920 pixels by 1,080 pixels. Also called "full HD."
- 720p - The lower high-definition designation, 1,280 by 720 pixels.
- Super LCD - Manufactured by Samsung, but used mostly by HTC, Super LCD is a display technology which removes the air gap between the outer glass and the display elements. This reduces the glare, and also consumes less power and has better outdoor visibility than regular LCD screens.
- IPS - A type of LCD screen technology known for producing clearer image quality and wider viewing angles, among other traits. It's used in many smartphones.
- TFT - Short for thin film transistor, a type of LCD flat-panel display screen,
- Supersensitive or ultrasensitive: A new technology that lets you operate a touch screen with your fingernail or glove.