VAIO SE 15.5-inch...Is it really an IPS screen, or what?

I've finally had a chance to view the VAIO SE 15.5 in person, and my experience concurs with the Notebookcheck results, that the colors do not invert and therefore the viewing angles are excellent, nearly if not exactly IPS quality. But neither the Notebookcheck review nor the Sony website mentions IPS or even any reference to the 1080p screen having wide viewing angles or special production quality. Anandtech and LaptopReviews.com quote the Sony CES booth as calling the screen IPS with better viewing angles, and a Sony blog post corroborates it, but it's not made clear if the 1080p screen on the VAIO SE was always IPS, or if the IPS is an upgrade that's rolling out only now--which makes buying one tricky, because how would I know if I'm getting the newest screen?

So, is it an IPS screen or not? Do we know for sure at all?

 

no its not. its a good 6 bit TN, the one i checked a week ago the panel ID on was an LG

 

It is an IPS.

I have a link to the Sony Korea brochure which states that it has an IPS screen.

You can never achieve such vertical bottom viewing angles with a TN.

(The link/image is in the Sony SE owner's lounge)

 

It seems that it is indeed an IPS screen, but i remember reading somewhere that it may have a low quality LED backlighting. it would make sense as it has good viewing angles (IPS tech) and high brightness (LED) but it lacks a good color gamut reproduction.

 

I don't think it matters if the SE has an IPS screen because it depends on why you want that feature. Calling it an IPS or TN panel doesn't really change the fact that:

Colour accuracy is lacking.

Viewing angles are great.

 

It is an IPS screen and has the red/orange problems like other recent mobile IPS screens. @KCETech1 - LG owns the IPS trademark and technology, so no surprise it has an LG ID

 

samsung and AUO also makes IPS but in external screens. the screen ID from the unit I checked certantly did NOT have IPS so there must be a couple models that are different. I shall now go look at the threads on it as IPS panels WITH proper colors interest me greatly.

 

Samsung does not make IPS to my knowledge. They make an equivalent called PVA or something like that. AUO is licensed by LG to produce, but IPS is an LG technology. All SE's have IPS.

 

you were right it is not Samsung, they do AMOLED , but Panasonic who took over from Hitachi who origionally developed the tech

TFT LCD - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Im going to have to go look at that SA again and verify.

 

To my knowledge, there are quite a few technologies that do "in-plane switching" including, IPS, PVA, MVA, AFFS. Someone said it right: it doesn't matter what the technology is called, especially if it is just an acronym that they trademarked or purchased. What matters are:

1) Brightness, contrast, black levels
2) Color gamut, color accuracy
3) Viewing angles - many, many TNs have excellent horizontal angles, it takes one of these other, functionally identical, designs to achieve wide vertical angles. Personally, I don't see the value of more than 20 degree vertical angles except with tablets.

Lately there have been a raft of really low quality "IPS" screens: Sony SE, Lenovo X220, HP Envy 15, with very narrow color gamut and horribly inaccurate colors, especially reds, and tons of backlight bleed.

I'll take the Sony Z's TN over any of these IPS screens. But that's just me...

 

I routinely use my laptops as second televisions in the kitchen, streaming Netflix or something. The strong horizontal viewing angles of TN screens are sometimes enough, but it's too easy to dip below or above the vertical sweet spot and the whole video turns black and blue.

And when working, I prefer to push the lid far back so it seems like I'm looking up at the screen. I couldn't do that before getting my X220.

 

Makes perfect sense. I've been using my Galaxy Tab 10.1 for that exact purpose. Bigger screen would be nice, but none of my laptops have enough vertical angle!