LG AH-IPS 4.5-inch display (1280×720 )

LG’s Advanced High Performance In-Plane Switching (IPS) LCD display could be powering the next generation of “superphones” from a number of handset makers. LG has recently received props about its color accuracy from Intertek, a company that specializes in certifying the quality of various technologies and products.

I’m not familiar with Intertek’s tests, but according to LG, their conclusion pretty much says what we already knew: just like IPS, AH-IPS, has a better color accuracy than its arch-rival AMOLED, which is a Samsung technology.LG will also be quick to point out that IPS consumes the same power regardless of whether or not, it is displaying a bright or dark image. AMOLED power consumption fluctuates depending of the nature of the content, but LG’s point was that in the worst case scenario, AH-IPS still beats AMOLED in power consumption. Although we have not run these tests ourselves, I’ve brought this up a few times with Samsung, and no-one has ever contested LG’s claim.

That said, despite the inferior color accuracy and power consumption, Samsung’s display have a large following as users love the exceptional contrast and “over the top” color saturation that AMOLED displays can provide. So far, battery life has not been a critical issue, but in a mobile, it’s fair to say that everything counts.

With a 1280×720 resolution on a 4.5″ surface, the LG AH-IPS display has a pixel density of 329ppi, which is impressive. Such level of detail could take smartphones to a new level, especially in terms of readability and graphics details. In case you don’t know, the iPhone 4 and iPad use IPS displays.

Now, we will have to see if LG can produce enough to satisfy customer demands. In the past, supply has always been an issue, and the industry is expected to have tight display supply for the next decade.