AMOLED And TFT Smart Watch Displays Compared

How the two panels differ

An AMOLED pixel emits its own light, so black pixels are off and draw nothing. A TFT panel is lit from behind by a backlight that stays on whatever the image. That single difference explains almost every trade-off that follows.

Why always on display needs AMOLED

The 1.508 inch GPS calling watch runs a 466x466 AMOLED with a low power always on mode. On a TFT that mode would keep the backlight lit continuously, which is why no TFT model in this range offers it.

Resolution across the range

AMOLED models here run at 466x466 on the 1.508 inch flagship, 454x454 on the round 4G watch, 368x448 on the square 4G watch and 126x294 on the 1.1 inch trackers. The TFT models run 240x280 on the 1.7 inch band and the air pump blood pressure watch, 240x284 on the 1.85 inch calling watch and 240x240 on the ECG watch.

Battery consequences

The 1.1 inch AMOLED trackers deliver 7 to 10 days from a 90mAh cell, because most of a tracker interface is black. The 1.7 inch TFT band needs 330mAh for a comparable experience with a much larger lit area.

Which to specify

Specify AMOLED for outdoor readability, always on display and dark interfaces on small cells. Specify TFT when a large display is needed at the lowest bill of materials and the interface is mostly light coloured anyway.