The Evolution of Mobile Screens: Will 2017 be Full of Innovation?

Perceptions and preferences in the digital market are evolving. Mobile is the new master with clear domination in context of the number of devices in the market. At the same time, newer and cheaper launches continue to keep the arena hot. To survive in the competitive crunch, most manufacturers are trying to sustain their buzz by unveiling new devices periodically, while majors like Samsung and Apple are bidding to innovate in order to retain their pole positions. Screens are like windows to the mobile world and have seen a dramatic amount of attention when it comes to innovation and the move is expected to drag further.

Flexible Screens are the future of mobile displays

The most preferred screen sized skyrocketed from the favourite 4.7-inches in 2015 to 5.5-inches in 2016. Further, this is not expected to leap past 5.7” very soon. Without much scope to blatantly increase the screen size, the angle of innovation is shifting towards higher resolutions and power-efficient options. AMOLED displays, as per a recent report from IHS Markit, will witness a rise in 2017 owing to the introduction of devices with flexible display and wearables, while the usage of LCD Thin Film Transistor (TFT) displays will decline.

AMOLED displays are capable of producing high-contrast, wide viewing angle, vivid colors, and blur-less motion pictures. Additionally, they can be flexible, thin and power-efficient. Nokia was the first (noted) company to deploy AMOLED screens with the launch of N85 (August 2008). The dual slider had not only its screen but camera technology ahead of it time with a 5 MP Carl Zeiss lens and Auto-focus. Roumors have faithed Nokia fans that their upcoming launches will sport AMOLED displays, too.

AMOLED can be flexible and power-efficient and can produce high-contrast, wide viewing angle, with blur-less motion pictures.

Samsung has its own series of AMOLEDs, called the Super AMOLEDs or SAMOLEDs, which it uses in phones, mostly flagships, with curved displays such as Edge, as well as peddles to other brands such as Oneplus, modified as per brand’s requirements. (Read: Oneplus’ Optic AMOLED is a modified SAMOLED) 97% of AMOLED are made Samsung. The company has also exhibited curved displays in TV, and price tags of the same are getting leaner. Samsung and this report from Transparency Market Research confides in the fact that curved displays will rise in popularity for their immersive picture and richer 3D capabilities, latter projects a CAGR of 96.7% from 2013 to 2019.

While a lot of ascendant Android companies are moving towards AMOLED, Apple is relentless with its Retina Display boasting DCI-P3 wide color gamut (or Adobe Wide Gamut RGB is a technology which offers pure spectral primary colours and displays a wider range of colours than eRGB).  An LCD which has brighter and one of the most accurate and faithful colour reproduction.

Layers in churn under Apple's 3D touch

To an eye that sees it all, most AMOLED screens, until recently, have been believed to be over saturated and adopting these could be a step backward for the colour-conscious Apple. Oversaturated screens, such as those on Samsung phones, offer warmer views which may seem soothing to the eyes but fail to produce exact colours.

In 2017, AMOLED screens are likely to become a proposition cheaper and more accessible, and like the rise of the fingerprint sensor in 2016, may see a firm upsurge. Rumors suggest Apple may switch to AMOLED screens which could increase the accuracy of Apple’s famed 3D Touch, but Apple’s tendency to set (and resurrect) separate trends makes me believe otherwise. VR technology will gain humongous popularity and this will augment the usage of AMOLED screens for efficient battery consumption and comfort for the eyes. While Samsung has been, a little whacky by flaunting bendable screens, we do not anticipate a lot of launches with flexible displays – not unless Nokia is building something new with a lot of tensile strength.