Laminated vs Non-Laminated Display: Which is Better for Drawing and Reading?

Laminated display is the big invention in screen technology. Whether it’s a smartphone, pen disply monitor, tablet or laptop, they all offer laminated displays.

Most people know that the higher-end iPads (ipad pro and ipad pro) have fully laminated displays while budget standard ipads (ipad 9th and 10th) comes with a non-laminated display.

why is the display laminated? Do you know the difference between a non-laminated display and a fully laminated display? Do you know the pros and cons of each? And which one will be better for what you need?

Today, we’re going to talk about the differences, look at how those differences impact real-life use, discuss the pros and cons of both types of display, and then choose which one is right for you.

What is a laminated display and non-laminated display?

A display screen typically has three basic layers: the display panel, touch layer, and top glass.

In a laminated display, these three layers are boded or glued together with optical glue as a single piece of display and glass.

In a non-laminated display, these three layers are separated, So there will be a noticeable air gap between the glass and the screen.

What are the advantages of a laminated display? Compared to a nonlaminated display

1.Better Display Effect

The laminated display is most significant if you plan to read outside. The non-laminated displays have a tiny gap between the layers, and in-coming light will bounce around inside the screen causing glare.

The full lamination technology cancels the air gap between the screens. It can greatly reduce light reflection and reduce the loss of transmitted light.

This enhances the display effect of the screen. You could get a clearer, more vibrant image. It feels like you’re interacting more directly with the content.

2. Insulated from Dust and Water Vapor

The air layer of the ordinary bonding method is easily polluted by dust and water vapor in the environment. It affects the use of the machine.

Since layer gaps are fully filled by glue, The laminated screen will no longer gather dust and water vapor, keeping the screen Cleanliness. which also can enhance the service life of the product.

3. Reduce Noise

Because of the air gap between the panel and the top glass in non-laminated screen. When you tap the screen with the stylus, it also sounds a bit hollow – because that is what it is.

Laminated display does not completely eliminate the tapping sound but it significantly reduces the hollow sound.

4. Make The Screen Body Thinner

The fully laminated screen has a thinner body. The touch screen and the display are bonded with optical glue. It only increases the thickness of 25-50μm. It is 0.1-0.7mm thinner than the ordinary bonding method.

The thinner module thickness provides greater flexibility for the design of the whole machine structure. And the thinner body improves the product grade and highlights the technical content.

5. Reduce parallax

Non-laminated display have a parallax issue in which the line on the screen appears several millimeters away from where the stylus touches the surface.

This parallax issue can be very disruptive when you’re drawing because you don’t exactly get to draw where the pen is, there’s an offset.

Calibrating the screen can help you get the lowest amount of parallax from your pen device, but that doesn’t totally eliminate it.

Fortuately, The laminated screen tech helps reduce the parallax to the lowest so your cursor is where you expect to be. The pen input would feel more precise due to the lack of air gap.

What are the disadvantages of a laminated display? Compared to a nonlaminated display

1. More Expensive

Devices with laminated displays are more expensive than their non-laminated counterparts.

This is mainly because Laminating the display layers is complicated, thus requiring a different manufacturing process.

2. Costly to Repair

When the front glass of non-laminated screen is broken, you can pull the glass off and replace it without having to replace the panel. The front glass generally costs little and is fairly easy to find online.

In contrast, Laminated display is more expensive to repair when the top glass breaks because the panel also needs to be replaced.

Conclusion

Laminated displays are more expensive, but they offer a thinner screen, better image visual quality and durability. Non-laminated displays are less expensive, but they has a shorter lifetime, less picture quality and more glare.

The advantages of laminated displays may be negligible for average users. In use-case scenarios that involve typical office productivity or distanced viewing, especially when used in computers and televisions, the laminated screen may not provide significantly better usability and user experience.

For an artist, this is a critical aspect to consider. With a laminated display, you’re able to enjoy a device without any touch register lagging. Your strokes have minimal lag as you draw along with no parallax error, giving you a natural pen-to-paper experience.

High end Devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab (Android), Surface Pro (Windows), and iPad Pro (iPad OS) tend to have laminated display with less parallax, Portable and easy to use, and offers decent drawing experience.

Devices like the XP-Pen Artist 12 (2nd Gen), Wacom Cintiq Pro 16, Huion Kamvas 13 have laminted displays, and offer some of the best drawing experience on Windows & Mac, so you may want to check them out too.

However, if you’re a school or business or just a frugal person wanting a solid tablet, I recommend the non-laminated iPad model, Wacom one 13, Wacom Cintiq 16 or XP-Pen Artist 12. which is also a high-quality device that’s affordable to purchase and much less expensive to fix when the screen cracks.