If the input voltage magnitude is lower than the magnitude of the nominal output voltage plus the specified dropout voltage, but all other conditions are met for normal operation, the device operates in dropout mode. In this condition, the output voltage is the same as the input voltage minus the dropout voltage. The transient performance of the device is significantly degraded because the pass device (as a bipolar junction transistor, or BJT) is in saturation and no longer controls the current through the LDO. Line or load transients in dropout can result in large output voltage deviations.