" The main drawback of e-IPS in comparison with S-IPS is that the viewing angles are smaller. When you take a look at an e-IPS matrix from a side, the image will lose its contrast as black turns into gray. On the other hand, there is no tonal shift (as with TN and cPVA matrixes) and the viewing angles, especially vertical ones, are still much larger than with TN. By the way, the contrast drop occurring when the screen is viewed from a side can be compensated by means of special correcting film (A-TW polarizer), but as e-IPS matrices are meant for midrange monitors and this film costs money, most products come without it. Some are actually 6-bit + AFRC modules in fact (as opposed to true 8-bit) which might explain how the costs are kept very low in some cases.

Although it's unknown what the "e" stands for here, it's likely that it means "economic" or similar, since these new panels are all about trying to keep production and retail costs low. With lower retail costs there is of course an added risk of inter panel variance, which may lead to some quality control issues in some models.

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