LED vs LCD – Difference between LED and LCD

When the topic is all about LED vs LCD video wall debate, it really would be very hard to pick one. Don’t worry, we are here to help you with that. In this post, I’ll cover the difference between LCD vs LED.

An LED TV is a type of LCD TV that uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as its source of light instead of an internal backlight. This means that it does not use a traditional light bulb or a plasma panel to illuminate the screen, but instead uses a series of small LEDs.

The two most common types of display technologies used in monitors and TVs are LED and LCD. The major difference between them is that LED displays have a longer lifespan and better quality than LCDs. However, in terms of LCD vs LED monitors, the LCDs are cheaper to manufacture, require less power, and are easier to install.


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What is an LED Monitor?

led backlight

An LED monitor uses LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes) to light up the screen, which are tiny little lights that look like Christmas lights. There are two ways to arrange the LEDs in a monitor – some have full-array LED backlighting while others have edge-lit panels.

The newer, more sophisticated monitors are equipped with LED backlights, allowing for finer control over the lights, including color temperature and light intensity.

Some monitors have a light source called mini-LED, which is useful for very precise control of the brightness of the display. These modern monitors are often referred to as LED monitors.

The best way to make sure that the light is evenly distributed across the entire screen is to use monitors with full-array lighting, which have diodes evenly distributed behind the monitor.

If your monitor is dark on the top and sides, it means the LED edge lighting system didn’t work correctly.

Most computer monitors feature local LED dimming. Some computer monitors, known as LCD HDR (high dynamic range) displays, feature local LED dimming.

With this capability, you can dim parts of the screen depending on what’s being shown.

These small LED monitors use much less power than conventional LCDs. With mini-LED displays, this ability is enhanced. These diodes are smaller, and using less power makes it easy to turn off these lights when you leave your workspace.

Full-array screens have diodes evenly distributed behind the screen, providing even lighting across the entire screen.

Edge-lit monitors only have LED lighting around the perimeter of the screen and the light is distributed evenly across the panel with a sheet of plastic. They save money for the manufacturer and ultimately for you.

Pros and Cons of LED Monitors

Pros
–         Energy-efficient
–         Thin and lightweight
–         No heat generated
–         Short/fast response time
–         High contrast
–         Superior picture quality
–         Cheaper maintenance
–         Slimmer and lighter
–         Better viewing angle
–         Value for money
–         Consistent brightness
–         Long life span
–         Backlight dimming option for some LED monitors allows for optimal contrast/color quality
–         No mercury is used
Cons
–         Some edge-lit LED monitors can be hard to see at certain viewing angles
–         Very expensive

Some LED TVs


What is an LCD Monitor?

lcd backlight

An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor, also called a flat-screen TV, is the most common type of monitor. Liquid crystal display monitors are usually made of a layer of liquid held between two pieces of polarized glass.

The LCD monitor is not a light source. It produces no light. When a crystal is aligned by an electric current, it displays a particular color.

In another word, the electric current aligns the crystals in the liquid layer, which determines the color of the display should be.

Pros and Cons of LCD Monitors

Pros
–         Pictures are not as crispy as LED monitors
–         Bulky design in compared to LED or OLED TV
–         Viewing angle is not satisfactory
–         Affordable price
–         Shorter response time
–         Saves energy
–         High contrast
–         Lighter than LED
–         Millions of colors
–         Superior picture quality
Cons
–         Old Technology
–         Costlier maintenance
–         Shorter Lifespan

Some LCD TVs


Difference between LED and LCD

What is the difference between LED and LCD? The difference between LED and LCD is that LCD is a type of liquid crystal display (LCD) whereas LED is a light emitting diode. LED lights are used to illuminate a flat-screen display and they can be used in televisions, computers, cameras, mobile phones, and other electronic products. LEDs have a number of advantages over LCD displays. They provide better visibility, higher contrast, better color, longer life, and are thinner than LCD displays. However, LED displays also have their drawbacks.

Comparison Table of LED vs LCD

Comparison ParametersLEDLCD
Response TimeLED has a better response time than LCD.LCD is slower than LED in terms of response time.
Power ConsumptionLED consumes more power in comparison to LCD.Whereas it consumes less power in comparison to LED.
Picture QualityLED delivers good picture quality in comparison to the LCD display.LCD also delivers good picture quality but less than LED.
CostLED is costlier than LCD.While it is less costly than LED.
Black Level and ContrastLED has a better black level and contrast in comparison to LCD.While it has not good black level and contrast as LED.
Color AccuracyLED delivers better color accuracy in comparison to the LCD.While it also delivers good color accuracy, we can notice the difference if we compare these two.
MechanismBacklight covered by a layer of liquid crystalsLight emitting diodes
Viewing AngleLED has a wider viewing angle than the LCD.While in LCD, the wide-angle decreases with 30 degrees from the center in the image then the contrast ratio.
Screen SizeLED TVs can be up to 90 inches and they are much similar to LCD TVs.LCD Screen size comes in the range of 13-57 inches.
Usage of MercuryLEDs use no mercury and are therefore environmentally friendly.LCDs require mercury for their products causing harm to the environment.
Building ElementLED uses gallium arsenide phosphide. LCD uses liquid crystals and glass electrodes.
BacklightYesYes

Is LED or LCD Better?

You need to evaluate LED and LCD displays according to which factors make a display better or worse.

Let’s look at each of these criteria one by one and see which technology wins.

Energy Efficiency

Light-emitting diode (LED) TVs are more energy-efficient than liquid crystal displays (LCDs).LEDs are a good alternative to fluorescent lighting. With a 32-inch LED TV screen, the power consumption is 10 watts less than an equivalent-size LCD. The power consumption increases as the size of the display increases. The amount of electricity used by the larger displays is much higher than that used by the smaller screens.

Viewing Angle

Edge-lit LEDs have a disadvantage compared to LCDs because they don’t produce uniform light distribution. However, direct-view LEDs offer a better view than LCDs as the light source is evenly spread on the screen. While LEDs can provide a 54° angle with a better view, LCDs don’t have a better viewing angle. 

Response Time

You’ve got to choose the best color, take the time to make sure it. Every color transition happens in 3-5 minutes. This is generally measured in milliseconds (ms) or microseconds (μs). The faster you can take and send in your images, the higher the quality of the results you will get.

However, typically, LED TVs have shorter (better) response times than LCD screens.

Contrast

LED TVs use backlighting with full-array technology, and therefore offer superior contrast compared to traditional LCD TVs.

LCD displays are monochrome and produce a single color, but LED displays can emit all colors, which allows for more color and contrast than LCD displays. In addition, LCD displays use backlighting technology that emits only black and white. However, LED displays can emit all the colors of the rainbow, and they’re brighter and sharper than LCD displays.

Maintenance

An LED display uses many smaller diodes. If one of these diodes is damaged, it can be replaced. An LCD projector only needs to be replaced in case of damage to the bulb.

An LED display is easier and cheaper to maintain than an LCD because it doesn’t have the same amount of moving parts.

Price

As LED technology becomes more popular, displays made from this technology are now a better and more cost-effective choice than LCD displays. In another word, because LEDs are a better and newer technology, the price of an LED display is higher than an LCD.

You need to look at factors such as lifespan, maintenance, and cost. In the long run, an LED display is much cheaper than an LCD display.


Which has better picture quality – LED or LCD?

LED pixels

It’s much better to use an LED display than an LCD because LED displays offer higher resolution, better contrast, and brighter colors.

Due to the use of LEDs in display screens, an LED screen will have better control over the contrast, producing a clear picture.

Besides, An LED provides true RGB color, which means the colors look true to their name. This is great for movies and games where color matters most.

Additionally, LED backlit displays have better brightness than regular LCD displays and can be controlled by an RGB color wheel.

Both of these factors have resulted in LED displays having better picture quality than LCD displays.


Why LED is better than LCD?

It’s obvious that LED wins the battle over LCD because of its many advantages. You should definitely choose LED for all your computer needs.

However, to answer the question of – is LED better than LCD? Well, the best answer to this question is that LED wins the battle with LCD without any doubt. 

LED displays have an advantage in all the factors that matter when considering a purchase, except price.

You will find the prices of LED lighting are higher than the ones for regular bulbs, but LED bulbs are far superior for any environment, so you’ll find

These are the reasons why LED screens are much better than regular computer screens.

If you are considering buying a display for your home or business, then an LED display without a doubt is the best choice for you.


Frequently Asked Questions (LED vs LCD)

1. Is LED or LCD better for gaming?

There are many reasons to choose a gaming monitor; image quality, quality of the display, response time, and refresh rate. LCD monitors will give you the best image quality in price and brightness. So, if you are deciding to have a monitor for gaming, LED monitors would be the perfect choice for you.

2. Does LED use less electricity than LCD?

LED monitors use considerably less electricity than conventional LCD monitors. In fact, the latest LED technology shows outstanding performance. LED monitors need less electricity because it replaces one big fluorescent bulb with many tiny diodes which use negligible energy.

3. Which is heavier, LCD or LED? 

In addition to being considerably thinner, LED displays weigh considerably less than LCD displays. An LED screen weighs about half of an LCD screen of the same size.

4. Which Monitor Type is Better Overall?

LED LCD monitors are better than CCFL LCD monitors, because they have higher contrast, more accurate colors, and are much less expensive.

However, they tend to have an average lifespan of around 5-7 years so you might end up getting a better deal on an LED LCD monitor.

5. Are LED and LCD the same thing?

All LCD monitors are LED monitors. But not all LED monitors are LCDs. “LED” and “LCD” describe different aspects of monitor technology. 

Monitors with LED backlight use LCD technology, but not every LCD has LED backlighting.

While the names of the different monitors might seem confusing at first glance, once you break them down, it becomes a lot easier than you think.

In terms of color, brightness, image quality, resolution, building quality, electricity consumption, and other factors, LED is better than LCD.  

6. Which lasts longer: LED or LCD?

LEDs will last for more than 100,000 hours if you take good care of them. On the other hand, LCDs have a longer lifespan of around 100,000.


Final Words

A good monitor should have high resolution, high brightness, great contrast ratio, wide viewing angles, low input lag, and accurate color. In the battle of LED vs LCD, at the end of the day, you have to choose one of them.

If you want to watch movies or play games, you will find that an LED monitor holds the advantage, due to its longer lifespan, better picture quality, thinner design, faster response time, and more environmentally friendly construction.

If you need something a little cheaper to keep at your desk or at your home office so you can get through your workday, the LCD screen is probably what you want. But if you want to spend some money on a monitor that is worth it, an LED monitor is the best option to save the day. So, the choice is yours.


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