If the newly announced Galaxy Fold 3 still has a folding screen, this new iteration of OLED panel called Eco² OLED offers a unique improvement: it gets rid of its polarizing film. Far from being a detail, this new structure allows it to save 25% of energy at constant brightness compared to a conventional OLED panel.
Traditional OLED panels have a natural orange tint that distorts colors and blacks. To remedy this, the manufacturers apply a film incorporating polarized filters on the surface of the panel which will block the wavelengths in question.
However, photographers who use polarizing filters in front of their optics – for example to photograph darker skies or remove reflections from water – know it well: such a filter greatly limits the amount of light that passes through. In the case of photographers, it will be necessary to increase the exposure time or increase the sensitivity a little. But in the case of smartphones, to reach satisfactory levels of brightness, it will be necessary to increase the intensity and therefore consume more energy.
By integrating a polarizer directly into the OLED cells, the Samsung Eco² OLED screen therefore dispenses with an additional filter under the screen. A withdrawal that has, on paper, only advantages. We can highlight the energy saving at equivalent brightness (-25%), but also, at equivalent energy, a transmission factor (therefore brightness) of + 33%, which allows the screen to be read. even under the Sahara sun.
The removal of a chemical film also makes it possible to reduce the raw materials used, as well as to reduce the complexity of the overall panel and gain in fineness. However, it is difficult to comment on the cost, since we do not know the possible additional cost of the new type of polarized OLED cell.
In the case of the Z Fold 3, the Eco² OLED panel has allowed Samsung to integrate a classic 4400 mAh battery, while the screen is much larger than those of normal terminals. If this type of OLED panel turns out to have no technical weaknesses – lifespan, robustness, etc. – no significant additional cost, it is likely that Eco² OLED panels will quickly become the standard. What to offer smartphones that are even more enduring or even thinner.
Source : Anandtech
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