New Nintendo Switch: The New OLED Screen vs. LCD, And Why It Matters
Earlier today, Nintendo announced a model refresh of the Nintendo Switch, its hybrid gaming console. While the latest Nintendo Switch model is not the product we were hoping for, it does come with a few significant changes, most notably the newer Switch will include an OLED display.
But what does that mean exactly? Well, previous Nintendo Switch models used an LCD display. While it does not sound like a significant upgrade, there are a few benefits from switching from an LCD to an OLED display.
The differences between OLED and LCD screens
The big difference between LCD and OLED screens are that they use different methods to light up and display an image on the screen. The screen, whether a TV or a tablet, uses display pixels; the image you see on a screen is produced by combining blue, green, and red subpixels to generate colors you see on a screen, but require to be lit up for the color combinations to appear.
LCD or Liquid-crystal displays use one or more backlights which is essentially a panel as large as the actual gadget’s screen, to create a constant white light anytime you power on the screen, thus evenly lighting everything. However, the caveat with LCDs is that it draws a lot of power, which can be a downside for devices like smartphones that use an LCD, such as the original Nintendo Switch, yet LCDs are also inexpensive.
OLEDs (Organic Light Emitting Diodes), however, do not rely on backlights. Instead, it has self-lit pixels. The pixels in OLED display work on a pixel-by-pixel basis, meaning it will only light up where there is an image to display, thus creating a better contrast than an LCD and has a lower power consumption. But the OLED displays are pricier than LCDs and do not get as bright as an LCD.
