What Is the Difference Between LCD and TFT LCD?
Making LCDs Work in Sunlight: What You Need to Know
If your product is designed to be used outdoors whether it’s a smart meter, handheld monitor, or field equipment the display needs to perform under direct sunlight. But standard LCDs? They tend to fall short. Washed-out screens, low contrast, and poor readability are common complaints when LCDs aren’t designed for real-world lighting conditions.
So, how do you make sure your display works outdoors? Here’s what to consider:
But what exactly is it?
1. Choose a High-Brightness LCD
Brightness is measured in nits, and most indoor displays range between 250–350 nits. For outdoor use, you need a minimum of 800–1000 nits, depending on ambient light and glare. 4D LCD offers high-brightness options across multiple screen sizes from compact 0.9” to large-format 21.5” displays.
This simple process has a big impact on performance especially in rugged, industrial, or outdoor applications.
2. Use Optical Bonding for Enhanced Clarity
One of the biggest culprits in poor outdoor readability is internal reflection caused by the air gap between the LCD and the cover glass. Optical bonding removes this gap by bonding the layers together, reducing glare and increasing contrast. Bonus? It also improves durability and moisture resistance.
4. Choose the Right Viewing Angle
Standard TN LCDs have narrow viewing angles that worsen under sunlight. If visibility from multiple angles is key like in kiosks, transport systems, or wearable tech IPS technology offers a better solution, with consistent brightness and colour fidelity.
5. Tailor the Display to Your Environment
At 4D LCD, we work closely with customers to customise displays not just by size, but by usage conditions. Whether it’s for agriculture, logistics, energy, or industrial control we offer touchscreen options, brightness tuning, and mounting choices tailored to your product.
Outdoor readability isn’t a nice-to-have it’s essential for devices that are exposed to changing environments, direct sun, and glare. With the right display configuration, you can deliver a product that’s reliable, clear, and built for the real world.
Building an outdoor-facing device? Don’t compromise on clarity.
Talk to 4D LCD today about custom high-brightness, sunlight-readable displays that perform—no matter the environment.
