OLED Tablets - Introduction and Latest Industry News - Page 22

A few weeks ago we reported that Samsung's Super AMOLED plus packing tablet has arrived at the FCC for testing and approval. We still do not have an official release date or price - but the Tab 7.7 (or P6800) has popped up for pre-order on Negri Electronics - for $668.50 (for the unlocked 3G 16GB version). We're not sure if this is legit, but if so - it probably means that the first OLED tablet will be released soon...

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the world's first tablet with an OLED display, a 7.7" Super AMOLED Plus panel, offering 1280x800 resolution. Other specs include Android v3.2, Dual-core 1.4 Ghz processor, HSPA+ radio, 16GB to 64GB internal storage and a microSD slot, Wi-Fi, GPS and two cameras (3MP and 2MP).

Samsung Mobile Display produced a short Video (in Korean) showing a transparent, flexible 3D AMOLED display based tablet. This is obviously just a concept device, and it'll take years before they'll be able to commercialize something like that, but it's still cool:

Flexible OLEDs are still not available, but Samsung does plan to start producing these in 2012. The first screens will probably not be bendable ones, but Samsung will be able to produce them on curved surfaces. Several other companies (including Sony, AUO, LG, HP, Toshiba, TDK and others) are working towards flexible OLEDs. This technology is exciting device makers, too - check out Nokia's Kinetic prototype - a completely flexible mobile phone. Apple is also interested in such displays.

We haven't heard anything regarding Samsung's Galaxy Tab 7.7 since they announced it back in September - so it's good to hear that the Super AMOLED plus packing Tablet has arrived at the FCC for testing and approval. We still do not have any release date (or price information, for that matter) and hopefully this means that the Tab 7.7 is coming soon.

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the world's first tablet with an OLED display, a 7.7" Super AMOLED Plus panel, offering 1280x800 resolution. Other specs include Android v3.2, Dual-core 1.4 Ghz processor, HSPA+ radio, 16GB to 64GB internal storage and a microSD slot, Wi-Fi, GPS and two cameras (3MP and 2MP).

Samsung Electronics says that it plans to launch products with flexible OLED panels next year, probably starting with mobile phones, then followed by tablets and other portable devices. The company is actually hoping to introduce the products in the "earlier part of 2012".

This was reported before, although up until now Samsung said the plan is to launch flexible OLEDs in 2013 or 2014, so it's good to see they are advancing more quickly than they thought before. Samsung's flexible AMOLEDs will be fabricated on a plastic (Polyimide) substrate and will be able to withstand high temperature (up to 350-400 degrees). The displays can be bendable - but we assume that the first products will use them inside rigid glass cases - so it'll actually be "curved" displays and not flexible ones.

Following yesterday's exciting launch of the 5.3" HD Super AMOLED Galaxy Note phone and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 Super AMOLED tablet, here are a couple of hands on videos showing these two devices:

Samsung launched three OLED products today, two of which are very exciting. The first is the Galaxy Tab 7.7, which has the world's largest mass-production OLED display at 7.7" (1280x800). It's a Super AMOLED Plus display. Other include Android v3.2, Dual-core 1.4Ghz processor, HSPA+ radio, 16GB to 64GB internal storage and a microSD slot, Wi-Fi, GPS and two cameras (3MP and 2MP).

The second exciting product is the Galaxy Note, a 5.3" Super AMOLED phone, offering the same resolution as the Tab - 1280x800. Samsung is using PenTile here. They are not using the Super AMOLED HD brand we thought they'd use, istead they simply call it a HD Super AMOLED display. It seems that Samsung will use Super AMOLED for PenTile displays and Super AMOLED Plus for non-pentile display, regardless of pixel density.

I just had an interesting talk with two industry insiders (one of them is a Samsung supplier) - about Samsung's upcoming Super AMOLED HD display. It turns out that these displays are indeed real - and will be unveiled soon. We can expect 5" to 6" smartphones in fall 2011 (the first will probably be the GT-I9220 with a 5.3" display) and 7" tablets by the end of 2011.

A 7-inch Super AMOLED prototype

According to my sources, Samsung managed to achieve HD resolution on these small displays by using PenTile matrix again (like in the original Super AMOLED displays). They have also developed a new manufacturing process and are using new materials. It might be that they have finally started to use Universal Display's green PHOLED (we reported that Samsung is using a green phosphorescent in their new 5.5-Gen plant, but perhaps they will only start using it in the HD displays).

There are rumors that Samsung is set to release a new Galaxy S II variant (code named Celox) with LTE. The interesting bit is that it is said that this phone will sport Samsung's new Super AMOLED HD display rather than the Super AMOLED Plus used in regular S II phones - and that Super AMOLED HD will use PenTile matrix again.

Galaxy S II

So if Samsung goes back to PenTile, this might explain the resolution increase, although it will still be unrealistic to expect an HD (1280x800) resolution on a 4" display - even with PenTile, as Samsung will not be able to move beyond 200ppi using their current FMM technology. In any case, it seems rather unlikely for Samsung to go back to this technology after telling us that normal matrix is better in Super AMOLED Plus displays...

There are reports that Samsung plans to introduce new 7" AMOLED displays later this year. According to these reports Samsung's new AMOLED displays will feature 1024x768 - and be used by Samsung Electronics in new Tablets, released towards the end of 2011.

A 7-inch Super AMOLED prototype

But in the same article they say that Samsung aims to introduce Full-HD tablets as well. Perhaps the new 7" panels will offer 720P HD resolution (1280×720)? This makes sense as the pixel density for such a display is about 180ppi - which is achievable in Super AMOLED Plus displays. In fact this may be the Super AMOLED HD display we keep hearing about lately...

Earlier today we learned that LG Display decided to stop investing in small and medium sized OLEDs. Now we hear that LG Display's CEO commented that Samsung is misleading the market - because OLED displays are not suitable for smartphones and tablets - "OLED displays are not suitable in terms of picture quality, response time, energy consumption and contrast ratios".

Samsung Super-AMOLED display

That is a very strange comments by LG - as we know that people love OLED displays. In fact recent reviews of Samsung's Super AMOLED Plus displays were raving - Engadget for example says that the Super AMOLED Plus is spectacular, and is on-par with Apple's Retina display. If the recent reports about Samsung's Super AMOLED HD displays are true - then this display will beat an IPS-LCD display hands down.