Samsung adopts IPS for Nexus 10

Samsung announced that it adopted a 300ppi Plane-to-Line Switching (PLS) panel, instead of an AMOLED panel, for Google’s reference tablet PC, the Nexus 10 it released recently.

PLS LCD panels use virtually the same technology as In-Plane Switching (IPS) LCD panels in which LG Electronics is focused on.

IPS technology is a technology to expand viewing angles of LCD displays. The technology arranges the molecules of the liquid crystal layer horizontally, which is opposite to Vertical Alignment (VA) technology which arranges the molecules vertically.   

Samsung used to focus on VA technology but began to manufacture LCD panels using IPS technology at the request of Apple, as it supplied LCD panels to the U.S. manufacturer. Although it changed the name of the technology to PLS, it is virtually the same technology as IPS technology.   
In fact, Samsung explained the PLS panel as an IPS type panel at the Mobile World Congress last year.

The fact that Apple uses both LG Display’s IPS panels and Samsung’s PLS panels for its iPad shows there is not much difference between the two technologies.

“Samsung has not stuck only to AMOLED displays but adopted LCD displays instead of AMOLED displays for its large-screen tablet PCs prior to the Nexus 10,” said a Samsung official. “We do not use AMOLED displays for large-screen products because of production efficiency and costs.”

Consumers are welcoming Samsung’s change in choice. On Nov. 8, many comments welcoming Samsung’s decision were posted on the electronics user communities and online clubs, such as TODAYSPPC, Cetizen and Ppomppu.

“(Nexus 10) is more anticipated since Samsung chose the IPS type over AMOLED,” said user name IT Yungyung. “Combining the Nexus 10 with an IPS display is a work of God,” said user name Smartphone~.

User name xa24nl said: “I hope (Samsung) continues to use IPS panels going forward like it did for the Nexus 10.”