OLED Smartphones - introduction and industry news - Page 45

Samsung introduced the Diamond Pixel display architecture back in 2013 when it launched the Galaxy S4 smartphone, and since then it has adopted this sub-pixel scheme in all of its OLED displays (replacing the previous PenTile scheme).

The 2014 Galaxy S5 introduced a different Diamond Pixel scheme which Samsung uses till today. DisplayMate tested the Apple iPhone X and it turns out that Apple's OLED, even though it is produced by Samsung Display, uses a slightly different Diamond Pixels - the fill factor of Apple's display is higher than in the Galaxy phones. You can see the two different displays in the macro photos above (courtesy of Display Mate). The iPhone X OLED is on the left, while the right shows the Galaxy OLED.

Following the launch of LG's pOLED displays, we had many recent discussions and reports of OLED burn-in and Image-Retention. Apple now released a support document for the iPhone X, its first OLED phones, in which it warns users that image persistence or burn-in is an "expected behavior".

Apple says it engineered the display to be the best in the industry in reducing the effect of OLED burn-in, though. Apple also says that its OLED could have noticeable but slight shifts in color and hue when seen off-angle. The iPhone X has a 5.8" 1125x2436 Samsung-made Super AMOLED display.

Tom's guide posted an interesting review that compares the OLED display of the iPhone X (5.8" 1125x2436) to the OLED displays of the Galaxy Note 8 (6.3" 2960x1440) and the Google Pixel 2 XL (LGD 6" 2960x1440 pOLED). This is Apple's first OLED phone, but Tom's Guide finds it superior to the OLEDs used by the other phones, especially if you want a realistic color reproduction.

The review shows how the iPhone is brighter than the other displays (574 nits, compared to 438 nits no the Pixel 2 XL and 408 nits on the Note 8. This test was performed for full-screen content. The Note 8 can actually achieve 1,240 nits but on specialized conditions and only when a small part of the screen is active.

Apple's OLED iPhone X is an expensive device - the basic model costs $999 - but it won't stop here. Apple announced the costs of repairing the new flagship smartphones, and these are considerable higher compared to Apple's other phones.

Fixing the SDC 5.8" 1125x2436 flexible Super AMOLED outside of the warranty will cost $279, over $100 more than the cost of fixing the display of the iPhone 8 ($149) or iPhone 8 Plus ($169). Apple offers its Care+ plan that extends its initial 90-day coverage to 2 years, which may be a wise option due to the high cost of repairs. The Care+ package costs $199 and a screen repair will then cost $29.

Apple has not started shipping its much anticipated OLED iPhone X, but a reporter at the Wired received an early unit and has posted a review after a week of using this new device. There's a lot to like in Apple's new flagship phones - a great form factor, great cameras, fun animoji's and a large potential. Besides being expensive, the reporter also complains about Face ID problems and says that the phone and it's black "notch" at the top is an "aesthetic setback".

The reviews is very happy with the OLED display - as it covers almost the entire phone, the iPhone X has a large display (5.8" 1125x2436 flexible Super AMOLED) in a relatively compact form factor. It's only slightly bigger than the iPhone 8 while it has a display that's almost the same size as the one in the iPhone 8+. The display quality itself is excellent - "I found the display a noticeable, and greatly pleasurable, advance over my iPhone 7, whether watching The Big Sick, streaming a live football game, or simply swiping through Instagram".

Samsung reported its final financial results for Q3 2017 - this was a great quarter for Samsung as revenues reached 62 trillion Won (around $55 billion) and operation profits rose 15% from last quarter to reach 14.5 trillion Won (around $12.8 billion USD). Samsung expects next year earnings to grow mainly from its component business, with the memory market likely to remain favorable.

Samsung Display reported increased revenues, mostly due to strong sales of flexible OLEDs, but earnings declines as average sale price of its LCD displays declined and the investments in new OLED capacity. Specifically regarding its OLED business, SDC increased its sales of flexible OLEDs, but prices of rigid OLED panels declined.

A few days ago we reported that BOE started to produce flexible OLED displays at its Chengdu B7 fab, and yesterday the company held an official ceremony during which it demonstrated its first batch of flexible OLED panels, and delivered samples to representatives from Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and others Chinese phone makers - although its not clear whether any of these are already acquiring panels.

The first panels produced by BOE are 5.5" in size with a resolution of 1440x2560 (QHD) - these are smartphone panels that will be adopted in an edge-type configuration. BOE says that its production line is highly automated, and BOE's panels come with a touch layer already laminated. The whole panel is just 0.03 mm thick.

Google started shipping its Pixel 2 XL smartphone a few weeks ago, and this is one of the first two phones to adopt LG Display's new 6" 1440x2880 (538 PPI) pOLEDs. While on paper these displays are superb, actual reviews were rather dismal - to the point that some reviewers say that these are simply "bad displays".

Both reviewers and customers complain about bad color reproduction, graininess and problematic viewing angles. In addition many users seem to report serious image retention issues. Google has now posted an update regarding the Pixel 2 XL display.

In September 2017 LG Display started shipping its new 6" 1440x2880 (538 PPI) pOLED displays, which are adopted so far by two smartphones - the LG V30 and Google's Pixel 2 XL. On paper these displays are superb, but actual reviews were rather dismal - to the point that some reviewers say that these are simply "bad displays".

The reviews mentioned bad color reproduction, graininess and problematic viewing angles - and many consumers also reported serious burn-in issues. Samsung has recently started a marketing campaign that says that LG OLED TVs also suffer from image retention problems. In this article we'll explain what is burn-in, the difference between burn-in and temporal image-retention and also try to shed some light on LG's latest OLED problems.

LG display reported its financial results for Q3 2017 - revenues increased 4% over 2016 to reach $6.18 billion and operating profit increased 81% and reached $520 million.

LGD reported that it has increased its OLED TV panel shipments as it increased production capacity, and its wallpaper OLED TVs have received "excellent responses in the market". LGD says it will continue to focus on OLED products as part of its long-term preparation for the future.