A+ Grade and IPS Panels: What These are and What They Mean for You?

Last updated: October 18th, 2022

While reading TV specifications, you may have come across the terms “A+ grade panel” or “IPS panel.” However, it is not understood by all of us. Technical terms can be rocket science for some of us. You can stumble across multiple articles trying to know your appliance better but still cannot get golf of it. To make it easy, this article has put together in layman terms, all the technical specifications.

A+ Grade and IPS Panels

Panels are graded based on their faults or any imperfections. In the manufacturing process, these panels are checked to locate any mark, scratches, spots, or leakage. Companies put their TVs through quality checks to maintain consumer trust. Panels with low quality are colored or even tinted. With these low-quality panels, the images viewed appear colored too. In the case of a Laptop or TV, transparent panels are considered the best. However, it should be noted that panels cannot be completely transparent.

They tend to carry a shine or a blackish tinge that cannot be gotten rid of. The transparency of a panel is directly proportional to the quality of the color contrast on your screen. Electronic appliances like smartphones, desktops, laptops, TVs, or tablets have LED or LCD technology as the display screen.

Let us dive into the further details of an IPS and A+ panel.

What is an A+ grade?

Like school grades, an A+ is used to denote the best. With the A+ grade, a device is said to have the highest quality among panels. A+ panels are transparent, and they are also devoid of any defects or scratches. A+ grade panels are achromatic. When you buy an A+ grade panel TV, you should consider the following things:

  • Size of the Screen: For every screen size, there is a viewing distance deemed suitable. A few examples are-

32 inches – 4.5 Feet

40 inches – 5.6 Feet

43 inches – 6 Feet

49 inches – 7 Feet

50 inches – 7 Feet

55 inches – 7.7 Feet

65 inches – 9 Feet

  • Resolution of the TV: There are mainly three options for resolutions for flat screens – Ultra HD or 4K (3840 x 2160), HD Ready (1280 x 720), Full HD (1920 x 1080). If you want to stream online with applications like Hotstar, Amazon Prime, Netflix, a TV with a 4K Ultra HD resolution is recommended.

What is an IPS Panel?

If you are someone who enjoys watching action TV without any distortion in the comfort of your couch or bed, IPS Panels serve you with that purpose. Like VA or TN, IPS panel is also a screen technology.

Electronic devices have three types of panels, namely TN (twisted nematic), IPS (In-plane switching), VA (vertical alignment). While TN is obsolete and outdated now, IPS and VA panels are commonly used in TVs or personal computers. As a viewer, your experience is altered based on the panel present on your TV.

If you like to watch your TV in a dark room, VA panels just the right amount of contrast. It also gives you a pretty narrow viewing angle. For the best views with VA panels, it is recommended that you sit in front of the appliance. VA panels are best suited if it comes in a laptop as it mostly has one user at a time.

When it comes to TVs, IPS panels are the best. IPS panels have a pretty high time for a response along with excellent contrasting ability. The variants for IPS panels are namely AHVA or advanced hyper viewing angle and PLS or plane to line switching. Brands like LG, Acer, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony are the most known producers when it comes to IPS panels.

Pros of an IPS panel:

  • Viewing angle that is wide enough
  • Ideal for families with 3-4 members
  • Reproduces shades and colors decently

Cons of an IPS panel:

  • VA panels produce better shades and contrasts.
  • Not ideal for daytime viewing

LCD or Liquid Crystal Display has liquid crystals filled panel. The liquid crystals can block or pass the light pass, and this mechanism is controlled by the electric current running through crystals. Liquid crystals cannot produce their light; thus, a fluorescent lamp is often placed behind the panel.

Types of LCD Panel Types and their Specifications

1) Twisted Nematic (TN)

Performance– it is one of the fastest panels. It has low response times, but the refresh rates are the highest. It comes with motion blur at its minimum.

Display- The colors and viewing angles are highly underwhelming

Pricing- It is the cheapest panel available

Best use- Best suited for gaming

2) Vertical Alignment (VA)

Performance- it has one of the longest response times with a possibly high refresh rate

Display- gives an excellent image depth with the best contrast; better viewing angles than Twisted Nematic

Pricing- Pricier than Twisted Nematic

Best Use- best suited for general use

3) In-plane Switching

Performance- responds slower than Twisted Nematic but faster than Vertical Alignment.

Display- Top-notch viewing angles and color

Pricing- The most expensive of them all

Best use- Best suited for professionals

On the other hand, LED TVs do not have a fluorescent lamp, but Light Emitting Diodes, which has the purpose of illuminating the Liquid Crystal Panel. LED not just gives an improved image quality but allows the TV unit to be compact and slimmer in design.

Advantages of an LED TV

  • Innovation is a constant factor. LED TVs are a common type in households.
  • Traditional fluorescent bulbs have been ditched and replaced by the newer lighting arrangements. These lights produce a brighter-looking image.
  • LED TVs have been consistent with their performance and quality. The color quality rates stay top-notch over the years when compared to Plasma Panel TVs or LCDs.
  • LED TVs have longevity and are also energy-efficient. The sources do not heat up easily, thus requiring very little energy.

One major disadvantage of using LED TVs is that they consume about 100 watts, which are higher than LCD TVs.

Concluding Words

While IPS Panels give a strong dependence in terms of viewing angle, A+ Grade (Achromatic) panel gives improved color transparency. So, in the end, it all comes down to personal preference. Depending on your requirement, you can choose any one of them.

WRITTEN BY Garima Jain

Garima Jain is a product reviewer and blogger who has a passion for all things. She loves testing out new products and sharing her honest opinions with her readers. When she's not blogging, you can find her spending time with her family and friends, or indulging in her other hobbies which include reading and cooking.

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