Super AMOLED: introduction and market status
OLED displays use organic materials that emit light when electricity is applied. OLEDs enable emissive, bright, thin, flexible and efficient displays. OLEDs are replacing LCDs in most display applications - from smartphones and wearables to monitors and TVs.
Samsung's Super AMOLED displays, announced in 2010, are AMOLED displays for mobile devices (such as smartphones, wearables and tablets) with an integrated touch function. The thickness of the touch sensor is just 0.001 mm and this allows the screen to provide better images and to have great visibility even in direct sunlight compared with regular AMOLED displays with an external touch layer.
Samsung is producing hundreds of millions of Super AMOLED displays today, used mostly in smartphones, but also in other devices. These are considered to be some of the best displays on the market.
Super AMOLED and the Pentile matrix
Samsung's Super AMOLED displays use a Pentile matrix sub-pixel design. That means that the green sub-pixel is shared by two pixels and the display has only 2 sub-pixels per real 'pixel' compared to the classic RGB matrix design (or Real-Stripe). You can see a PenTile matrix vs a Real-Stripe one on the images below (the PenTile is on the right). Newer Super AMOLED displays use a different PenTile matrix (Diamond Pixel pattern).
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Super AMOLED vs Dynamic AMOLED
In 2019 Samsung introduced its next-generation mobile display technology, which it calls Dynamic AMOLED. Basically a Dynamic AMOLED is similar to a Super AMOLED display, but it adds HDR support. Samsung's highest end smartphones adopt the company's Dynamic AMOLED 2X LTPO AMOLED displays.
Further reading
- Introduction to OLEDs
- Samsung's OLED displays
- Pentile Technology explained
- Flexible OLEDs
- OLED mobile phones
- The OLED Toolbox: a one-stop-shop for OLED information, insights, analysis and guides
New Samsung Tablet rumors: 7" and 10", but both will use LCD displays
The Samsung-Tab (or Galaxy Tab) tablet computer rumors continue. Today a Korean site claimed that Samsung will announce their tablet computer at IFA 2010 (September 3rd). It will come in two versions: 7" and 10". Both will be using an LCD display, not a Super-AMOLED.
Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab
I guess we'll have to wait for official news from Samsung. But we know that they are facing a shortage of AMOLED displays and they won't be able to make a large number of 7" AMOLED panels - so going with an LCD display, at least for now makes sense.
Samsung to release a new AMOLED display called 'AMOLED Plus'?
Update: Samsung has released another AMOLED-Plus phone, we're pretty sure this is simply a Super-AMOLED...
There are reports that Samsung plans to release a new phone soon, called Galaxy U. This is an Android phone for the Korean market (CDMA network). Interestingly, the display (3.7", 480x800) is an "AMOLED Plus". So this might be just a bad translation of a "Super-AMOLED" (or the local branding in Korea?). Or maybe Samsung has actually a new AMOLED type?
Back in July, Samsung said they will soon double their AMOLED efficiency, lifetime and power consumption. It's not likely that those displays are ready, but maybe that's what the 'plus' is all about...
Sprint's Epic 4G (4" Super-AMOLED) to launch on August 31st
Sprint's Epic 4G, will launch on August 31st for $299 with a contract. The Epic 4G is a 1Ghz Android (v2.1) Sprint's WiMax network.
It has a large (4") Super-AMOLED, 5mp camera (capable of 720p video recording), 802.11b/g/n WiFi and a six-axis accelerometer.
AT&T's Samsung Captivate (Galaxy-S) now available for only $49.99!
Amazon are now selling the Samsung Captivate (Galaxy-S) for only $49.99, with a new service plan. It is now AT&T's best selling phone in Amazon!. The Galaxy-S, Samsung's latest Android phone, has a 1 Ghz processor and a large 4" Super-AMOLED display.
Samsung Galaxy S
Samsung to introduce the Super-AMOLED 7" tablet next month?
There are reports that Samsung plans to introduce their Super-AMOLED 7" tablet computer (the S-Tab, or the Galaxy-Tab, we don't know yet) next month at IFA 2010, which will take begin on September 3rd, in Berlin.
Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab
Samsung's upcoming Super-AMOLED media player to launch soon
Back in June we reported about a rumored new Samsung portable media player (YP-MB2) with a large (4") Super-AMOLED touch display. Now there are new rumors about this device, saying it'll be launched in a few days. The YP-MB2 will support Wi-Fi, GPS, DivX, XviD, OGG and FLAC support. It runs the Android OS on a 1Ghz processor. There's also a video of the YP-MB2:
Reuters say that Samsung is set to launch their 7" tablet in this quarter
It's been a while since we heard some new rumors about Samsung's upcoming tablet computer. According to a story on Reuters today, Samsung will launch the tablet during this quarter - and it will have a 7" display (no word whether it's a Super-AMOLED or LCD) and will run Google's Android OS. According to the story, LG also plans to introduce Android tablets devices this year.
Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab
Super-LCD compared to an AMOLED, Super-AMOLED display
Here's a nice comparison between Sony's Super-LCD (as used in the HTC desire now) and Samsung's AMOLED and Super-AMOLED displays.
The conclusion: "all the displays were really good, they all had decent color and respectable viewing angles. The super AMOLED was noticeably less reflective than the others and was blacker with the best viewing angles. Super LCD had similar detail in the rock face video and had a superior horizontal viewing angle compared to a regular AMOLED display. The AMOLED had slightly better blacks (you can't tell from the video - sorry) and slightly better vertical viewing angles. Both Super LCD and AMOLED were very reflective."
Samsung to release a new Android Galaxy Q QWERTY slider with a 3" Super-AMOLED?
There are reports that Samsung is set to release a new phone called Galaxy Q. This is an Android 2.2 QWERTY slider with a 3" Super-AMOLED. Other features will include a 1Ghz processor, 8mp camera that can record HD video, 16GB of internal memory (and a microSD slot), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and a mini HDMI port.
Samsung offers free Galaxy S phones to frustrated iPhone 4 users
Samsung is doing some interested marketing activity: they are offering free Galaxy S phones to iPhone 4 users that has reception problems. Samsung's twitter account (@samsungukmobile) is contacting people who've tweeted about their difficulties with the iPhone 4.
Samsung Galaxy S
The Galaxy S is an Android phone with a 4" WVGA 800 X 480 Super-AMOLED display. Samsung has already sold more than a million such phones globally, in just 3 weeks. If Samsung didn't contact you for a freeby, you can buy the Galaxy S unlocked for $599.
