First released in mobile devices in 2008, Active Matrix of Organic LEDs, or AMOLED, screens have been powering some of the nicest devices available as the technology has matured. With Super AMOLED and Super AMOLED Plus the technology has become bright enough to be usable outdoors and in well lit locations as well, making it a viable, albeit costly, option for manufacturers.
Found in most of Samsung's Galaxy line, as well as some Lumia devices and a few of Motorola's Droid series, AMOLED screens have largely considered to be the nicer looking displays with their bright colours and high contrast ratios for generally less power when compared to similar LCD displays. LCDs have always had colour accuracy and cost working in their favour, with AMOLEDs adding much more to a device's bill of materials than a comparable LCD.
Since last year, Samsung Display has been quickly expanding their production of small and medium sized AMOLED screens, and this has resulted in bringing the price of a low end 5" 1080p screen down to below the cost of a similar LCD display. These cost savings have been achieved largely by optimizing their factory operations and stabilizing yields, which is impressive as last year similar LCD displays were 15% cheaper than Samsung's AMOLED competition.
Although this does not guarantee that low end devices will switch over from LCD to AMOLED screens, it does suggest that OEMs looking to shave a few cents from their bill of materials will begin seriously considering what is arguably the nicer looking technology.
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