Display technology continues to advance. OLEDs, QLEDs, and micro LEDs all dramatically improve the quality of both laptops and external displays. However, the old standby IPS is not quiesced. Thanks to LG’s new technology, IPS displays have taken a step forward.
In collaboration with Dell, what is called IPS Black was born. This promises to significantly improve the quality of IPS displays. In particular, IPS Black aims to increase the contrast ratio of technology and provide deeper and more true black.
What is IPS Black?
IPS (In-plane Switching) has some differences from other display technologies such as VA (Vertical Arrangement) and TN (Twisted Nematic). All three are LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) technologies, with different methods of aligning the liquid crystals to display images. In the TN panel, the liquid crystal is twisted at an angle of 90 degrees to block the light, and when electricity is turned on and the light passes through, the liquid crystal is unwound. TN panels are the cheapest and offer the best image quality, while offering fast refresh rates and response times.
The VA panel has a vertically aligned LCD that blocks light until it tilts when electricity is applied. VA panels offer the highest contrast ratio (up to 3,000: 1) and fast refresh rates, but have slower response times and are cheaper than IPS. The IPS panel uses a liquid crystal display that remains dark until it rotates when electricity flows. The most costly of the three technologies, IPS, offers the best colors and viewing angles, provides fast response times and refresh rates, but usually has a low contrast ratio.
That’s where IPS Black comes in. LG has enhanced its standard IPS technology and improved its LCD array by minimizing light leakage during crystal replacement. The result is a 41% deeper black level (less than 0.1 knit for IPS black, 0.2 knit for traditional IPS displays) and a contrast of 2,000: 1 or better compared to a typical 1,000: 1 IPS display. The ratio will be significantly higher. IPS Black also offers 1.2x better color accuracy, especially for gray displays with a Delta-E of 0.6 or less (everything less than 1.0 is considered good). Finally, IPS Black also improves contrast and color shift over wider viewing angles, up to a contrast ratio up to 1.4x higher at a 45 degree viewing angle.
The end result is increased detail on dark backgrounds, thanks to improved grayscale representation and more accurate colors at all viewing angles. In general, the colors are also richer and more accurate. This technology is aimed at designers, photographers, videographers, game developers, and others who appreciate increased detail, deeper blacks, and more dynamic colors.
How does IPS Black work?
So far, IPS Black technology has been implemented on several external Dell displays, especially the U2723QE, U3223QE, and U3223QE. We reviewed the UltraSharp 324K USB-C hub monitor U3223QE with IPS Black and received high marks in a wide range of colors with DeltaE 0.92 with excellent accuracy of 100% sRGB, 89% AdobeRGB and 98% DCI-P3. The contrast ratio of the display is also significantly higher than the IPS average of 2,050: 1, giving it a dark black color and providing extraordinary detail on dark backgrounds.
On this display, at least IPS Black is fulfilling that promise. The U3223QE is an expensive display, but it also includes a comprehensive USB-C hub, which makes it more expensive. Overall, it’s less expensive than other high-end 4K 32-inch displays, but with significantly improved image quality.
Where are you going from here?
Dell and LG have collaborated on some of the first products to use IPS Black, but the technology isn’t limited to displays. It will also be offered to other manufacturers. This means that IPS displays need to remain competitive as other technologies are introduced.
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