Monitor panel types
How IPS, VA, TN and OLED desktop monitors differ, and current prices for each in the US.
Prices are for in-stock monitors, excluding portable monitors. Updated
Panel types compared
How each panel type works
IPS
An LCD whose liquid crystals turn parallel to the screen to let the backlight through.
Some backlight leaks through black areas, so they glow slightly in a dark room. Colour and contrast hold when the screen is viewed from the side.
VA
An LCD whose upright liquid crystals block most of the backlight until they tilt.
Black areas are darker than on IPS or TN. Pixels change slowly from dark shades, so dark objects can leave a trail as they move. Colour and contrast shift when the screen is viewed from an angle.
TN
An LCD whose twisted liquid crystals straighten to block the backlight.
Pixels change faster than on IPS or VA. Colour and contrast shift the most of the four types, above all from above or below, and black areas glow slightly in a dark room.
OLED
Each pixel makes its own light, with no backlight.
Pixels turn off to show black and change almost instantly. Pixels dim with use, so a static image shown for long periods, such as a taskbar, can wear some pixels more than others and leave a permanent mark.
Prices by size and resolution
Panel types in stock in common sizes and resolutions, at any refresh rate. Each line runs from the lowest price to the median price, on one price scale for every size.
Lowest price Median price
24–25″ class · 1920 × 1080
27″ class · 2560 × 1440
27″ class · 3840 × 2160
32″ class · 3840 × 2160
34″ class · 3440 × 1440
Questions
Which panel type has the darkest blacks?
OLED. Each pixel makes its own light and turns off to show black. Of the LCD types, VA panels block the most backlight, so black areas look darker on VA than on IPS or TN.
Are TN monitors fast?
TN pixels change faster than IPS or VA pixels, though TN has the narrowest viewing angles of the four panel types. Of the 7 TN monitors in stock, 5 run at 240 Hz or more.
Do OLED monitors burn in?
They can. A static image, such as a taskbar, shown for long periods can leave a permanent mark. IPS, VA and TN monitors are LCDs and do not burn in.
Panel comparisons
- OLED vs IPS monitors How OLED and IPS monitors differ, and current prices for each by screen size and resolution, with refresh rates and the cheapest 27-inch 1440p monitors.
- IPS vs VA monitors How IPS and VA monitors differ, and current prices for each by screen size and resolution, with refresh rates and the cheapest 34-inch ultrawide monitors.