P Series vs M Series: Choosing the Right Panel for Your Commercial Project

Two of our most popular lines serve very different budgets and use cases. Understanding the difference between the P Series and M Series helps you avoid overpaying — or under-specifying — your panel.

P Series: commercial interactive

The P Series targets customer-facing and information-rich applications: retail kiosks, retail displays, access control and reception terminals. It supports larger screens up to 21.5-inch and a polished interactive experience with fast touch response. Choose the P Series when the interface is a visible part of the product experience. In stock terms that means the P-S1-070 at 7-inch with a 1024 x 600 panel at 500 nits, 1000 available, the P-H1-101 at 10.1-inch with a 800 x 1280 layout, a 249.3 x 167.9 mm cut-out and PoE as an option, and the P-X1-215 at 21.5-inch with a 1920 x 1080 screen built for rear-embedded installation.

M Series: economical IoT

The M Series is a lean, reliable workhorse for energy metering, smart cabinets and simple machine interfaces where cost and long life matter more than a large, media-rich display. Available in 7-inch and 10.1-inch sizes, Available in 7-inch and 10.1-inch sizes, it keeps the essential HMI functions while trimming the bill of materials. The parts that decide an M Series order are usually the interfaces: the M-S1-070 and M-S1-101 carry two RS232 and two RS485 ports on an aluminum alloy frame, so the panel talks to meters, drives and controllers without extra converters. Where glare is the problem the M-H1-070 takes anti-glare glass at 500 nits, and the M-L1-070 uses a CNC aluminum frame for panels that get knocked about.

Quick comparison

• Customer-facing, rich UI, larger sizes: P Series.
• Cost-sensitive, fixed-function, long life: M Series.
• Both: fanless, low-power, Android-based and ready for wall or cabinet mounting.

Side-by-side specifics

• Sizes: P Series ships in 7, 10.1, 15.6 and 21.5-inch; M Series covers 7 and 10.1-inch.
• Display: P Series goes up to 1920 x 1080 on the larger units, with 250 nits standard and 500 or 1000 available; M Series models run 500 nits.
• Serial ports: M-S1 brings two RS232 and two RS485 ports, which is why the M Series ends up next to meters and controllers more often than the P Series does.
• Power over Ethernet: available as an option on P-H1-101, worth asking for when one cable has to reach a wall-mounted panel.
• Construction: P-X1 and P-X2 are rear and front-embedded builds for the large screens, while the M Series keeps a simple metal frame aimed at fixed-function devices.

Questions buyers ask before choosing a series

Which AOYU series suits a self-service kiosk?

The P Series. Larger sizes, higher resolution and the touch response people expect when they walk up to a screen in public all sit on that line. If the kiosk is outdoors or in daylight, read when optical bonding earns its cost before you fix the budget.

Which HMI series has RS485 for PLC and meter connections?

The M Series. M-S1 models carry two RS232 and two RS485 ports, which removes the converter box most serial installations end up needing. The HMI to PLC and gateway question is worth reading if you are unsure which side of that link the panel should sit on.

Do either of them support PoE?

Yes, as an option on the P-H1-101. Ask for it during specification rather than after the order, since it changes the board configuration.

Which series is cheaper at volume?

The M Series, and the gap widens as quantities climb. It keeps the ports, enclosure and display you need for a fixed-function device and leaves out the large panel and display stack of the P Series. On a rollout of several hundred units, that difference pays for itself quickly.

Can either series be built under our own brand?

Both can. Bezel finish, silk screen, boot logo and interface layout are all adjustable once you hit the minimum order, and the steps are set out in our OEM/ODM process.

Get a recommendation for your volume

Tell us how many units you need, what the operator actually does on the screen, and what the panel has to talk to, whether that is a PLC, a cloud service or nothing at all. We answer with one model per series, pricing breaks at your quantity and current lead times rather than a catalogue dump.

Send an inquiry with those three points, or open the models most often shortlisted: P-S1-070, P-H1-101 and M-S1-101. If the decision is really about screen size, start with our size selection guide, then check what the enclosure allows in mounting methods. Retail projects can see a full worked example on the self-service retail page, and PLC-facing builds usually start from our industrial machine control spec.

Not sure which line fits? Send us your spec and we will recommend the most cost-effective panel for the job.