Which is better, IPS LCD screen or TN LCD screen?
There is no absolute "better " between IPS and TN LCD screens, depending on your usage scenario TN screens are "e-sports specific ", while IPS screens are "versatile and practical ",
There is no absolute "better" between IPS and TN LCD screens, the core depends on your usage scenario - TN screens excel in high refresh rates and low latency, making them suitable for esports/gaming; IPS screens excel in wide viewing angles and accurate colors, making them suitable for office/design/audiovisual/daily use. Below is a detailed analysis from three aspects: core differences, target audience, and purchasing suggestions, to help you make accurate choices:
I. Comparison of Core Differences (One Table to Understand Key Differences)
Comparative dimension | TN LCD screen (Twisted Nematic) | IPS LCD screen（In-Plane Switching） |
Viewing angle | Poor (color cast/severe brightness attenuation when viewed from the side, only clear from the front) | Excellent (consistent color from all angles, no distortion when viewed from the side) |
Color expression | General (narrow color gamut, average color accuracy, only entry-level models support low color gamut) | Excellent (high color gamut ratio, good color accuracy, professional version supports 100% sRGB/Adobe RGB) |
Response speed | Fast (native response time 1-5ms, no ghosting) | Medium (native 5-8ms, some high-end models support "overclocking/fast mode" up to 1-2ms) |
Refresh rate potential | High (easy to achieve 144Hz/240Hz/360Hz, or even higher) | Mid to high end can reach high refresh rate (144Hz/240Hz is common, 360Hz and above are rare and expensive) |
Delayed performance | Low (no additional image quality processing, low input latency) | Medium to low (native latency slightly higher than TN, high refresh rate can basically meet esports needs) |
Contrast | Normal (typical 1000:1, some low-end models have lower ratios) | Medium to high (typical 1000:1 to 2000:1, some "IPS Pro" or HDR models can reach even higher) |
Power consumption | Low (simple structure, low power consumption) | Slightly higher (backlight control is more complex, and consumes more electricity than TN at the same brightness) |
Price | Cheap (with the highest cost performance ratio for the same size/refresh rate) | On the high side (entry-level models are more expensive than TN models, and the price difference between high-end/professional models is even greater) |
Leakage control | Better (less prone to edge light leakage) | General (some low-end IPS have slight edge light leakage, while high-end models have excellent control) |
II. Who should choose TN screen? Who should choose IPS screen?
1. Core audience for TN screen selection:
Esports players/heavy gamers: especially those who need "quick response" games, pursuing high refresh rate and low latency above 144Hz, with low requirements for color and perspective (mainly viewed from the front during gameplay);
Users with limited budgets, such as student party monitors and temporary transitional monitors, only need to meet the requirements of "being able to display and not dragging shadows in games", and have no high requirements for image quality;
Single use scenario (only for frontal viewing): For example, shared displays in computer rooms and internet cafes do not need to consider situations where multiple people share a viewing angle.
2. Core audience for selecting IPS screens:
Office/study users: need to read documents, tables for a long time, or share monitors with multiple people (such as looking sideways during meetings). A wide viewing angle can avoid color cast and reduce visual fatigue;
Design/retouching/video creators: High requirements for color accuracy (such as graphic design, photography retouching, video editing), IPS's wide color gamut and color accuracy are essential, and some professional models also support hardware color calibration;
Audiovisual entertainment users: enjoy watching movies and watching TV shows, IPS color reproduction and full view can enhance the viewing experience, and HDR effect is even better when paired;
Daily multi scenario use: such as home monitors, which require both office work and watching TV shows, occasionally playing games, pursuing "all-around balance", and not accepting TN screen's perspective and color shortcomings;
High refresh rate esports and image quality balance: For example, for 3A games with exquisite graphics, if you want 144Hz high refresh rate and care about color performance, you can choose a high-end high refresh rate IPS screen (such as 240Hz+100% sRGB).
III. Choosing to avoid pitfalls: key points to note
TN screen avoidance:
Avoid "low refresh TN screens" (60Hz): The core advantage of TN screens is high refresh rate and low latency. A 60Hz TN screen has neither image quality nor high refresh rate, which is completely inferior to IPS screens of the same price range;
Pay attention to color gamut: entry-level TN screens often have a "45% NTSC low color gamut" with gray colors. If you have slight color requirements, you can choose TN screens with "72% NTSC/99% sRGB" (less common and need to be filtered).
IPS screen avoidance:
Distinguish between "regular IPS" and "high-end IPS": Low end IPS (such as within a thousand yuan) may have issues with light leakage and slow response speed (over 8ms). If playing games, you need to choose panels such as "fast IPS", "Nano IPS", "Fast VA (IPS like wide viewing angle)", etc., with a response speed of up to 1-5ms;
High refresh rate IPS requires "overdrive mode": Some IPS screens are labeled with 144Hz, but the default response speed is slow. To achieve low latency, the "overdrive" mode needs to be turned on. When purchasing, you can refer to the actual response speed in the review;
Professional use depends on "color accuracy parameters": For design purposes, it is necessary to choose an IPS screen with "Δ E<2" (small color accuracy error), "100% Adobe RGB" (wide color gamut), and support for "hardware color calibration". Avoid choosing a regular office model with "100% sRGB".
IV. Summary: One sentence decision
If you are a pure esports player pursuing ultimate refresh rate and low latency, with limited budget, choose TN screen;
If you are for office/design/audio/video/daily use, or want to balance high refresh rate and image quality, select IPS screen (choose 60-144Hz normal IPS for regular needs, 144Hz+fast IPS for gaming+image quality needs).
Simply put, TN screens are "e-sports specific", while IPS screens are "versatile and practical". Choose according to your core needs without making mistakes.
