Samsung Display Announces Polarizer-less OLED With 25% Less Power
by Andrei Frumusanu on August 16, 2021 12:01 PM EST- Posted in
- Mobile
- Smartphones
- OLED
- Samsung Display
Today Samsung Display Company (SDC) is announcing the introduction and mass production of a new generation of OLED panel called “Eco²OLED”. While the news here is rather short, it’s actually a massive technically undertaking and shift from past generation OLED panel technologies, as the new panel type is making due without the classical polarizer layer in-between the actual panel and cover glass.
In a traditional OLED panel, the actual panel itself is of a copper colour, which of course doesn’t work very well for displaying black. To create a reflective black, displays use polariser layers which block light from entering and reflecting off the display, only allowing light generated by the display itself to go through the glass.
Cover Glass and Polarizer on Galaxy S7
The problem with such layers is that they are of a reduced transmittance, and the polarizer itself is eating some of the light emitted by the panel. The above picture for example is the cover glass and polarizer of an old Galaxy S7, which appears notably darker than the lit background.
Samsung is explaining that they’ve managed to get rid of this polarizing layer, and are able to have non-reflective OLED panels which display as black. This is a major change in the display stack, and Samsung is quoting that they’re able to improve transmittance by a massive 33%, meaning 33% brighter screens, or at the same brightness, reduce power consumption by 25%.
These figures are massive, and should represent one of the largest jumps in power efficiency in OLEDs since their inception.
Samsung Display states that the Eco²OLED is already being used in Samsung Mobile’s Galaxy Z Fold3, meaning this should be the first phone to be able to take advantage of the technology. Along with this year’s widespread adoption of LTPO panels which massively improved power efficiency, this could signal a new large jump in smartphone power efficiency and help improve battery life of devices adopting the technology.
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Thatsamdude - Monday, August 16, 2021 - link
Samsung is already manufacturing QD-OledsAnd the future is undisputably MicroLED
wr3zzz - Monday, August 16, 2021 - link
I thought QD-OLED volume production was cancelled or significantly delayed by Samsung Display because Samsung Electronics (the one making the TV) didn't want it. Samsung Electronics either is very close to microLED TV or there is some serious flaw still with QD-OLED.Oxford Guy - Tuesday, September 7, 2021 - link
OLED is likely to be a dead end for many use cases (like monitors) because blue phosphor life just isn't good and very likely never will be. White pixels can only do so much.dontlistentome - Tuesday, August 17, 2021 - link
Fab. I have prescription sunglasses and the biggest pain is that my Pixel 5 is polarised the correct way for them, but My S10 is polarised so I can only use it in landscape. Nice side-effect of this.DougMcC - Thursday, August 26, 2021 - link
Sure ... but who uses their phone in portrait orientation these days? Is it 2010 again?RSAUser - Tuesday, August 31, 2021 - link
I think I put my phone in landscape maybe once a week, rest of the time web browsing, messaging, e-mail, etc. it's in portrait...DougMcC - Friday, September 3, 2021 - link
Web browsing? Email? Is this the dawn of the internet? It's all VR these days. If you aren't using fortnite as your messaging app are you still relevant?Tomatotech - Friday, September 10, 2021 - link
Fortnite? When do you get your bus pass? Only old people play fortnite nowadays. It came out over 4 years ago so the first generation of fortnite players are having kids now and changing nappies and comparing pension plans and other things that only old people do.Igor_Kavinski - Tuesday, August 17, 2021 - link
Widespread adoption of LTPO displays? Isn't that technology owned by Apple? Samsung's version is called HOP and presumably that's the one that other manufacturers can use in their products if their display partner is Samsung Display.melgross - Wednesday, September 1, 2021 - link
Apple invented it, but Samsung has now copied it. We’ll see it in iPhones this year.