The Cons of an LED LCD
LCD monitors, whether used for televisions or laptop screens, don't actually emit any light themselves. Instead, the molecules in an LCD screen move in response to electrical fields, thereby creating a shutter to block whichever backlight that screen uses. Traditionally, television and laptop screens used cold-cathode fluorescent lamps as backlight. However, the use of LED screens in laptops and televisions are growing in popularity. While considerably brighter than fluorescent lamps, LED backlights do have cons.
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Price
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Screens that feature LED screens are always more expensive than LCD screens that utilize cold-cathode fluorescent lamps. Since image quality appears better in screens that use LED technology, the higher price is usually justified for the consumer. Laptop models that are available with either LED or cold-cathode fluorescent lamps make the price comparison easy to distinguish since the screen is the only aspect of the machine that is different.
Exaggerated Size Reduction Claims
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Screens that use LED technology as a backlight are thinner, creating the opportunity for the entire unit to be manufactured thinner as well. As well, LED screens weigh less than the more traditional screens using cold-cathode fluorescent lamps. However, the difference in weight and thinness is quite small, under 1 pound in many instances, such as the Dell M1330 laptop, which is 3.97 lbs and 0.87 inches thick compared to the fluorescent model, which weighs in at 4.28 lbs and is 0.97 inches thick. The claim of smaller screens may not be worth the extra price.
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Power
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Screens that use LED technology draw more power as well as produce more heat than screens that use cold-cathode fluorescent lamps. Increased heat can be an issue, especially with laptop screens that are built close to tightly spaced inner workings of a computer. The amount of power a screen draws depends on the number of LEDs in a screen. The lower the number, the less power a screen will need, however the fewer LEDs a screen uses, the more difficult the diffusion process becomes, therefore increasing the technology and the price of the screen.
Color
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One of the most wide-spread praises of LED-based screens is the fact that they produce brighter and better colors than cold-cathode fluorescent lamp screens. While a LED screen may look brighter and more colorful than the LCD model placed next to it in the store, the advances in cold-cathode fluorescent lamp screens and phosphor technology are quickly making the difference between LCD and LED brightness and range of color minimal.
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References
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