Super AMOLED: Advantages and Disadvantages

This article explores the benefits and drawbacks of Super AMOLED technology, providing a comprehensive overview.

Introduction

AMOLED stands for Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode. This technology enhances OLEDs by adding a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) layer, allowing for finer control over light emission. Unlike LCD screens, AMOLED displays emit colors directly from organic diodes, eliminating the need for polarizing filters, crystals, or LED backlights. This leads to power savings and a slimmer display screen.

AMOLED consists of four layers: the anode layer, the organic middle layer, the cathode layer, and the substrate layer. However, standard AMOLED can suffer from glare and poor readability in direct sunlight.

Super AMOLED was developed by Samsung to address these issues by reducing the number of reflective surfaces and minimizing the power required to produce a vivid image. Samsung introduced Super AMOLED in commercial devices like smartphones, offering users a superior viewing experience compared to standard AMOLED.

What is Super AMOLED?

Introduction: Super AMOLED is essentially an AMOLED display with an integrated touchscreen.

Instead of having a separate layer on top of the screen to detect touch, the touch-sensing technology is integrated directly into the display itself. This means the touch sensors and the screen are combined into a single layer.

Image Courtesy: Samsung

Samsung coined the term “Super AMOLED” to refer to this type of AMOLED display with its integrated touchscreen digitizer.

Benefits (Advantages) of Super AMOLED

Here are the key advantages of Super AMOLED technology:

• Greater Resolution and Color Clarity: Supports a wide range of colors with incredible clarity, resulting in higher resolution images.
• High Contrast Ratio and Adaptability: Offers a contrast ratio of 100000:1, automatically adapting to different lighting conditions for optimal viewing.
• Eye Comfort: Easier on the eyes during gaming and multimedia consumption.
• Wider Viewing Angle: Provides a broader viewing angle without significant color distortion.
• Outdoor Readability: Excellent image display even in bright outdoor conditions.
• Longer Battery Life: Contributes to extended battery life due to its efficient design.
• No Motion Blur: Eliminates motion blur during video playback, providing a smoother viewing experience.
• Improved Brightness, Power Efficiency, and Reduced Reflection: Offers a 20% brighter screen, 20% lower power consumption, and 80% less sunlight reflection compared to standard AMOLED.

Drawbacks (Disadvantages) of Super AMOLED

While Super AMOLED offers numerous advantages, it also has some drawbacks:

• Higher Repair Costs: Repairing a Super AMOLED screen can be expensive as the entire display assembly often needs to be replaced if damaged.
• Higher Device Cost: Devices with Super AMOLED displays tend to be more expensive than those with traditional LED/LCD screens.
• Inherited AMOLED Disadvantages: Super AMOLED also shares some of the disadvantages associated with standard AMOLED display screens. (See above regarding Glare and outdoor readability addressed by Super AMOLED)