Reflective
A reflective display has no backlight, and uses ambient light to self-illuminate. Light passes through the glass and is reflected back out. It is a low-cost display often used in high brightness environments.
Pro:
- Low power consumption.
- Works great in direct sunlight or high brightness environments.
- Low cost.
- Poor readability in low light conditions.
- Does not look like a premium product.
Most TFT displays and negative LCD’s are transmissive meaning they always have a backlight. A negative LCD is where the characters are the colour of the backlight. The backlight is used to illuminate the display, If the backlight is off, the display will generally not be readable. The backlight fights against ambient light, so in direct sun, a backlight that is sunlight rated is required or the display will become washed out, the brighter the backlight, the more visible the display will be in direct sunlight.
Pro:
- High contrast.
- Lots of size and colour options.
- Not ideal for direct sunlight or high brightness environments unless equipped with a sunlight capable backlight.
Transflective
Transflective LCD’s and TFT’s have both reflective and transmissive characteristics. The display will use ambient light as well as a backlight. A very common example is a yellow/green backlit LCD. Very few TFT display are offered in transflective.
Pro:
- Direct sunlight friendly.
- High cost and low availability in TFT displays.