How Good Is An AMOLED display? How Does It Work? Explained

People have always wondered if AMOLED display is the best display technology that has been there since the early 21st century. 

AMOLED Display

The very first AMOLED
phone

AMOLED stands for Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode. AMOLED technology had gained it's popularity in the years 2008-2009 in sales on smartphones, tablets, monitors etc. In the beginning AMOLED displays were invented in 2006 by Samsung SDI, although this technology was later then developed by other tech brands. The official founders of AMOLED technology are Ching Tang and Steven Van Slyke, and they both also introduced the very first OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology with Eastman Kodak company in 1987. The first ever phone to have an AMOLED display was the BenQ-Siemens S88, which was released in 2006, followed by iriver Clix 2 (2007), and the legendary Nokia N85 (2008).

How It Works

Diagram representing how
  AMOLEDs work

How this type of technology works is by using thin films of organic compounds which is carbon-based and is in the form of tiny molecules. The speciality of this material is that, it can glow when electrician is passed through it and this process is called electroluminescence, quite catchy! So, it is the role of these organic molecules to actually produce light in each and every pixel. These organic materials are chosen because, they are way more lighter than older LCD, LCD screens and are flexible. Because it won't break when we bend it, we were able to develop foldable smartphones like samsung Z Fold and Z Flip etc.

Advantages of AMOLEDs

Unlike other older LCD displays the AMOLED can light up each and every pixel independently when electric current is passed. So, the whole screen is not lit up like LCD and LEDs, giving us true blacks which is a completely turned of pixel. With this advantage we will get less eye strain as the full screen is not lit up and individual pixels can be turned off. Accompanied with true blacks we also get more vibrant, vivid, colour production compared to older LCD displays.

Microscopic image of 
AMOLED display

We also get bigger battery life as AMOLED consumes less power, but this law applies only if you display darker content, as the black or dark spots need to be either turned off or can be adjusted with the brightness of pixels. So, using dark mode in phones can give us a huge leap in battery life. AMOLEDs also have faster refresh rates giving us from 60hz to about 144Hz.

Because of this, we get a smoother motion while playing games or when scrolling. SInce, AMOLED panels are flexible and are able to bend we were able to innovate foldable smartphones and 3D curved display smartphones.