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Home > Blog > Why AMOLED Display on Android Phones Are a Game Changer

POSTED: 19 September, 2024

Why AMOLED Display on Android Phones Are a Game Changer

In today’s competitive world of smartphones, display technology has taken centre stage as one of the most crucial factors for users to make buying decisions. Among the range of available panel technologies, the Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) display stands out as a transformative innovation, especially for Android smartphones. From crispy colours and deep blacks to energy efficiency and sleek designs, AMOLED screens provide an array of benefits that have completely changed the smartphone landscape.

This blog delves into why AMOLED panels are a game-changer for Android smartphones and how they are enhancing overall user experience.

The Transformation of Display Technology

To understand the significance of AMOLED, it’s helpful to look at the evolution of display technology:

  1. Cathode Ray Tube (CRT): The original display technology used in TVs and monitors.

  2. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD): Introduced thinner, more energy-efficient displays.

  3. LED-backlit LCD: Enhanced version of traditional LCD with improved brightness and energy efficiency.

  4. Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED): Brought self-emissive pixels for better contrast and colour.

  5. Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED): Took the OLED technology to the next level with smart controls and enhanced performance.

What is AMOLED?

AMOLED is the newest innovation in display technology which uses organic compounds to produce light when an electric current is passed. Each pixel in an AMOLED display consists of three sub-pixels red, green and blue that emit light independently.

The active matrix part is known as the thin film transistor (TFT) backplane that controls each pixel, providing robust refresh rates and better control over individual pixels as compared to passive matrix OLED panels.

The Science Behind AMOLED

AMOLED displays work on the principle of electroluminescence. Here’s a breakdown of the main components:

  1. Organic Layers: These contain the light-emitting materials.

  2. Cathode and Anode: Electrodes that provide the electric current.

  3. TFT Layer: Controls each pixel individually.

  4. Substrate: Usually made of plastic or glass, providing the base for the display.

When the electric current is passed through the organic layer, light is emitted, producing different lights depending on the specific organic compound used during the light emission.

How Does AMOLED Work?

Whilst the name may sound complicated, it simply refers to the technology that is used to light up the smartphone screen. The OLED in the AMOLED means that the display consists of millions of microscopic LED lights to maximise the quality and grading of colours users experience on their smartphones. AMOLED displays are capable of lighting up each pixel whilst offering them sensational realistic colours and the highest level of clarity. This is far better than an LCD screen which is backlit, which means the screen is only capable of offering low contrast ratios and less natural images as compared to the results rendered by AMOLED displays.

What are Super AMOLED Displays?

The first generation of AMOLED displays has a touch screen layer that is placed separately at the top of the AMOLED display whereas in the Super AMOLED displays, the touch screen layer is perfectly embedded into the display layers, making it more sophisticated than the older generation display.

As the Super AMOLED displays are designed more innovatively, they offer an impressive 100,000:1 contrast ratio, ensuring a more pleasing viewing experience with an enhanced vivid display, sleek design and highly responsive screen. This newer version of AMOLED display is capable of automatically adapting to different environments to consistently offer outclass image quality, whether the user is browsing the web, playing games or streaming videos from YouTube.

AMOLED Displays:  Taking the Smartphone Game to the Next Level

What makes AMOLED appealing for smartphones? Here are some key advantages that are driving smartphones’ success:

Vibrant Colours and Contrast

AMOLED displays can reproduce incredibly crispy, rich and saturated colours and deep blacks. With no backlight, each pixel can be completely switched off to ensure perfect black, offering a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 or higher. This outclassed contrast makes videos and images pop perfectly, making AMOLED display perfect for entertainment applications.

Better Viewing Angles

As the individual pixel is capable of emitting its light, the AMOLED screen offers a far wider viewing angle than any other panel technology which comes in smartphones. The smart AMOLED display ensures that the brightness and colours remain consistent even at wide angles of up to 160 degrees. Thus, the flexibility in AMOLED displays makes them well-suited for collaborative or designing applications where content needs to be viewed from multiple angles.

Faster Refresh Rates

AMOLED displays offer a really fast response time, with an Android screen refresh rate reaching 120HZ or even higher. Due to this reason, smartphones with AMOLED screens provide smooth, sharp motion for videos, gaming uses and animations, ultimately making them competitive. Additionally, the fast response rate allows amplifying the touch sample rates up to 240HZ, which means users will experience more responsiveness in touch interactions.

Low Power Consumption

Unlike the LCD displays which require constant backlighting, the pixels in AMOLED display only use power when the smartphone is switched on, while displaying black uses minimal power ensuring great battery timing. Additionally, this also reduces energy consumption, specifically for always-on displays or those with night modes.

Lower power consumption means your smartphone’s battery will last longer.

Ultrathin and Lightweight Design

Eliminating the backlights enables the manufacturers to pack the pixels in AMOLED panels with less than 1mm of thickness, making them extremely thin. The lightweight and thin profiles result in building ultrathin mobile phones that not only look classy but are also less heavy than the models with LCD panels. Additionally, thanks to AMOLED panels, it has become possible to produce innovative rollable or foldable displays, allowing smartphone companies to bring innovation to their devices.

High Durability

AMOLED displays come up with unmatched durability, with zero risk of broken backlights. Moreover, these panels work quite well in very high temperatures, and can also survive significant bending. This is ideal for smartphones, as many people use their devices roughly. Having AMOLED displays can allow them to save hundreds of pounds in fixing panels.

Conclusion

AMOLED screens have undoubtedly transformed the smartphone users' experience, especially in the Android ecosystem. Their superior colour grading, faster refresh rates, exceptional contrast ratio, power efficiency, maximising Android touch sensitivity and adaptability to new form factors like foldable phones make them a critical component in modern mobile technology.

As AMOLED technology continues to evolve, it promises to bring even more innovation to the table, further enhancing the ways we interact with our devices. Whether you want to entertain, seek gaming performance, or simply want a more comfortable viewing experience, you must go for the new Android phones with AMOLED displays, as they are the game changer that delivers on all fronts.