How to Choose an LED Digital Display DIP vs SMD?

Before choosing any digital display, you must know where you’ll put it. What is “best” in display design often depends on how it will be used.

Outdoor displays need to be visible from long distances and stand up to the demands of the weather. Getting closer to a display can actually mean it’s harder to see if you have the wrong type of LEDs, so indoor displays are selected based on resolution and viewing angles.

One of the areas where this knowledge applies most is selecting between DIP and SMD displays. These terms refer to how the LEDs are soldered onto the circuit board, also known as pixel composition.

Direct In-Line Package (DIP)

In DIP, the pixels consist of three or four bulbs either soldered to the circuit board or affixed with sockets.

Pros

This design makes DIP LEDs easy to manufacture. This is also the original LED technology, so that combined with easy manufacturing makes DIP LEDs less expensive than SMD LEDs.

DIP also has the advantage of being easier to waterproof and the individual bulbs last longer than SMD LEDs.

Cons

Because the bulbs are attached individually, DIP displays tend to be thicker and heavier. Resolution tends to be lower, especially in the four-bulb pixel composition.

Another negative point to the four-bulb composition is that the extra bulb is red. This adds a slight pink hue in lower-quality displays.

Best Use

The inexpensive initial costs, simple weatherproofing, and lower resolution make DIP LED pixel composition perfect for outdoor applications, such as billboards and sport stadium scoreboards.

Surface-Mounted Diode (SMD)

Unlike DIP LEDs, SMD LEDs are placed on chips soldered directly to the circuit board.

Pros

Being directly on the board allows manufacturers to place the LEDs closer together, which results in higher resolution, as well as a thinner, lighter, more energy-efficient design.

SMD LEDs also tend to provide better viewing angles and are brighter.

Cons

SMD LEDs are a newer technology and more difficult to manufacture than DIP LEDs, so are more expensive. Displays made with SMD LEDs are not as easy to waterproof as DIP LEDs.

Best Use

As SMD LED displays tend to be thinner and lighter, and provide better resolution and viewing angles, SMD LEDs are recommended for use in indoor applications, such as in-store signage.

Choose Best for You

A display may be the most technologically advanced on the market, but if it doesn’t fit your needs, it’s not going to help you accomplish your business goals. Consider the pluses and minuses of both SMD and DIP LEDs for your project before your make your investment.