What is a Super-AMOLED screen?

[headbanger51]

Can someone tell me what a super AMOLED screen is? Was reading (can't remember which site) that stated that, based on current rumor specs, the Nexus Prime will have just barely slightly less ppi than the iPhone 4/4S, but that, because it's a super AMOLED screen, it will be a much clearer and crisper image.
Thanks!

 

[jerofld]

There is a lot of info on the web about AMOLED.

 

[novox77]

active matrix organic LED.

each pixel is its own light source, unlike LCD which is powered by a diffused backlight that shines through the pixel.

Organic LED screens are known for very saturated colors and high contrast ratios due to their abilities to create a very dark black (the LED is simply off, so there's no light coming out).

the "Super" part of the name is more marketing than spec, but it encompasses the readability and anti-glare properties of the display.

I wouldn't say that a SAMOLED screen is "crisper" than a screen of alternate technology, unless by crisp, you are referring to the contrast ratio. I interpret "crisp" as how sharp each pixel appears. Typically, pixels are crisp for both LCD and LED technologies. If we're talking "retina" displays, you shouldn't be able to resolve an individual pixel, so "crispness" becomes a non-issue.

It's the extreme saturation of OLED that makes the display "pop." A lot of people like that. Color purists will say the saturation goes overboard, and the screen no longer accurately portrays color, particularly where human skin tone is concerned.

 

[headbanger51]

thanks to both!
so, novox, does a SAMOLED screen not accurately protray skin color to some people?

 

[ardchoille]

Along with what novox77 said, Super AMOLED screens save battery power when displaying black pixels, since the LED is not "on". So a dark theme will provide better battery life than a bright theme will. I loved this "feature" on my Samsung vibrant. Yay for the default Gingerbread and Honeycomb skins

 

[Shocky]

It's the extreme saturation of OLED that makes the display "pop." A lot of people like that. Color purists will say the saturation goes overboard, and the screen no longer accurately portrays color, particularly where human skin tone is concerned.

The Galaxy S II comes with three different display modes, my prefered being movie as it does drop the intensity of the colours

I'm not sure if that makes the colours more accurate or not compared the default mode and the SAMOLED displays though.

 

[Bubsmash]

I was wondering about this and my cousin was saying something about it a long time ago. I was saying about maybe getting a flat screen tv and he said something about waiting on Amoled technology to come out first. He was explaining to me novox77 so thank you for that man your pretty well bang on to what my cousin was explaining. Yes you heard that right LED amoled is and will be hitting the shelves. He was saying regular LED televisions when portraying black images ect every LED Pixel is on but with Amoled when you need black it turns those Pixels off totally portraying the black and also in turn saving actual power.

 

[Bubsmash]

I just cannot wait till it starts really hitting the market with TVs ect. My cousin that is in set design is really looking forward to it saying something about the screens themselves being actually easier on ones eyes because of what it does. He always finds out about things months or even like a good year before most of us know about it due to him being in the film industry.

 

[EarlyMon]

Sony put an OLED TV on sale about two years ago. Small and pricey.

Back to the question in the OP, for headbanger51:

S/AMOLED/+ and LCD are types of displays, I think that's been explained well.

PPI - pixels per inch - is just another way to express resolution.

The two are not related, and colored light is colored light, regardless of source.

Detail in our eye-brain combo is not acquired by raw resolution, it's actually acquired by (in order): color, contrast, saturation, and then finally, resolution (ppi).

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The thing to note about comparisons to the Apple display - they're overdone. Most all smaller displays seem crisper (even on TVs), not so much because of increased ppi, but because of increased saturation AND ppi.

People in the TV biz know - an excellent, calibrated 720p HDTV looks much better and shows more detail than a crappy 1080p HDTV of the same size.

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I'm sure that like all new phone displays, this will spark lots of debate for a while.

Cheers, hope this helps (somehow).