At some point of exploring new smartphones, you must have wondered about AMOLED vs OLED display screens that these mobile brands tend to focus on. Having a sharper display with a good balance of vibrancy and colours is a desired feature now. So, comparing the two screen types only makes sense so that you can understand whether it’s worth a shot or not.
Today, we have comprehensively studied the significant display technologies available nowadays. We are talking about the AMOLED and OLED display technologies, their properties and their differences.
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What are OLED displays?
It stands for Natural Light-Emitting Diode, a type of LED technique that utilises LEDs wherein the light is of organic molecules that cause the LEDs to shine brighter. These organic LEDs are used to make what are considered the best display panels in the world.
When you make an OLED display, you put organic films among two conductors to make them. As a result, a bright light comes out when electricity is used—a simple design with many advantages over other ways to show things.
OLEDs can be used to make emissive displays, which implies that each pixel can be controlled and emits its very own light. As a result, OLED displays have excellent picture quality. They have bright colours, fast motion, and, most importantly, very high contrast. Most of all, “real” blacks are the most important. The simple design of OLEDs also makes it easy to create flexible displays that can bend and move.
1. PMOLED (Passive Matrix OLED)
PMOLED stands for Passive Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode. These devices are easy to find and much cheaper than other LEDs, but they cannot last long as their lifespan is very short. Therefore, this type of display is generally for small devices up to 3 inches.
2. AMOLED
AMOLED stands for Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode. This type of display is generally for large platforms. It contains TFT, which further consists of a storage capacitor. It also works on the same principle as OLED displays.
Advantages of OLED displays
There are various advantages of OLED. Some of them are as follows:
- It provides a good-quality display.
- It is cost-effective.
- It is much brighter than LEDs.
- They do not require backlighting.
- It has a much faster response time as compared to traditional LCDs.
Disadvantages of OLED displays
There are very few limitations to OLED. Some of them are as follows:
- OLEDs’ lifespan is much shorter than LCD, LED and PDP display technologies.
- The OLEDs have variations in colour balance.
- It does not provide resistance against water. Water can easily damage the OLED displays.
What are AMOLED displays?
AMOLED offers no restriction on the size of the display. Its power consumption is much less than that of other display technologies. AMOLED provides incredible performance. It is thinner, lighter, and more flexible than any other display technology, such as LED or LCD.
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The AMOLED display is widely used in mobiles, laptops, and televisions because it performs well. Therefore, SAMSUNG has introduced AMOLED displays in almost every product. For example, Full HD Super AMOLED in Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Super AMOLED in Samsung Galaxy S3, HD Super AMOLED in Samsung Galaxy Note, and HD Super AMOLED Plus in Samsung Galaxy S3. Apart from this, it is also used in creating the following:
- Smartwatches
- Tablets
- Portable music players
- Games consoles
- Music production hardware
- Digital cameras
Advantages of AMOLED
There are various advantages of AMOLED. Some of them are as follows:
- It can be easily embedded into a display of any size.
- It has a much faster refresh rate as compared to PMOLED.
- They are also used in industrial applications.
- They offer much better viewing angles as compared to the IPS LCD.
Disadvantages of AMOLED in AMOLED vs OLED
There are very few limitations to AMOLED. Some of them are as follows:
- The quality of the display degraded with time. This is one of the biggest disadvantages of the AMOLED display.
- The AMOLED display is very likely to screen burn-in.
- AMOLED displays are very costly compared to other display technologies.
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So far, we have discussed OLED and AMOLED display technologies. Now, we will look at some of the differences between OLED and AMOLED display technology:
Differences between AMOLED vs OLED Display Technology
Here’s a table to quickly glance over the differences in AMOLED vs OLED:
| Aspect | OLED | AMOLED |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | Comprises thin layers of organic components that emit light when current passes through them. Each pixel transmits its own light. | Consists of OLED pixels with an additional layer of thin-film transistors (TFTs) and storage capacitors to maintain pixel states. |
| Evolution | First developed technology. | Advanced version of OLED with active matrix technology, allowing for curved displays. |
| Display Quality | Displays deeper blacks. | Offers better display quality due to additional TFT layer and backplane technologies. |
| Sunlight Visibility | Limited visibility under direct sunlight. | Poor visibility under direct sunlight. |
| Flexibility | Less flexible. | More flexible, enabling curved and foldable displays. |
| Cost | Generally cheaper. | More costly due to the advanced technology and additional layers. |
| Protection Layers | Organic compounds are present between protective layers of glass or plastic. | Similar protective layers with additional TFT layer for better performance. |
1. Technology – AMOLED vs OLED
OLED comprises thin layers of the organic component, which emits light when the current passes through it. In this technology, each pixel transmits its own light. Conversely, AMOLED consists of an additional layer of thin-film transistors (TFTs). In AMOLED, the storage capacitors are used to maintain the pixel states.
With varying technologies, first came the OLED. While the technology differs among various manufacturers, Samsung’s edge AMOLED displays use plastic substrates with poly-Si TFT technology similar to how LG uses it in their POLED technology. This technology is what makes it possible to build curved displays using an active-matrix OLED panel.
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2. Display – AMOLED vs OLED
OLED displays much deeper blacks than AMOLED displays. You cannot see the screen in an AMOLED display under direct sunlight. However, the AMOLED display quality is much better than that of OLEDs as it contains an additional layer of TFTs and follows backplane technologies.
AMOLED displays are much more flexible as compared to OLED displays. Hence, they are much more costly than OLED displays.
3. Working – AMOLED vs OLED
OLED devices are simple solid-state devices consisting of a thin layer of organic compounds in an emissive electroluminescent layer where electricity is generated.
These organic compounds are present between the protective layers of glass or plastic. Comparatively, AMOLED comprises an active matrix of OLED pixels along with an additional layer of TFTs. This extra layer is responsible for controlling the current flow in each pixel.
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4. Contrast Ratio – AMOLED vs OLED
The OLED display offers a high level of control over pixels. Hence, it can be turned off completely, resulting in an excellent contrast ratio compared to the AMOLED displays and less power consumption. On the other hand, AMOLEDs have faster refresh rates than OLEDs. Also, they offer a tremendous artificial contrast ratio as each pixel transmits light but consumes more power than OLEDs.
5. Display size – AMOLED vs OLED
OLED displays are comparatively much thinner compared to LCDs. Hence, it provides more efficient and bright presentations. In addition, OLED offers support for large display sizes compared to traditional LCDs. AMOLEDs remove the limitation of display sizes. One can fit it into any display size.
Considering all the points mentioned above, the key difference to understand appropriately is that POLED is an OLED display with a plastic substrate. On the other hand, AMOLED is Samsung’s word for its display technology, mainly for marketing. Therefore, most phone manufacturers with AMOLED displays are using Samsung displays. It is as simple as that. Additionally, all the curved display technology is made possible because of the usage of the plastic substrate.
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So, based on the points mentioned above and the difference between OLED and AMOLED displays, you can choose any of the two display technologies at your convenience. Both are good, offer excellent performance, and can be customized according to your requirements.
AMOLED displays are of higher quality than OLEDs since they have an additional layer of TTs and use backplane technologies. Compared to OLED screens, AMOLED displays are far more flexible. As a result, they are substantially more expensive.
Top 3 AMOLED Screen Phones in India (2023)
Window to the digital world, the display is one of the first seen features when selecting a smartphone, so a show must be good, and an AMOLED display offers the same. Offering a great viewing experience, here are the top 3 AMOLED screen smartphones available in the market right now:
1. Realme 10 Pro Plus 5G in AMOLED vs OLED
Realme 10 Pro Plus 5G features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with 394 PPI display. It runs on MediaTek Dimensity 1080. On the rear, the Realme 10 Pro Plus 5G has a triple-camera setup with a 108-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor, and a 2-megapixel sensor.
Coming to the front, it has a 16-megapixel selfie camera housed in the punch-hole display. It comes with a 5000mAh battery that supports 67W smart flash charging. The Realme 10 Pro Plus 5G is among the best segments with an AMOLED FHD display.
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2. Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G in AMOLED vs OLED
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chipset bundled with a Mali-G68 MC4 graphics processor and up to 12GB RAM. The display front features a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with FHD and 395 PPI.
The camera has a triple rear camera setup with a 50-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. In addition, it has a 16-megapixel selfie camera. The battery is 5,000 mAh and has 67W fast charging. The AMOLED display on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G is a treat for all media enthusiasts.
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3. OPPO Reno8 5G in AMOLED vs OLED
OPPO recently launched the OPPO Reno8 5G, which has a MediaTek Dimensity 1300 chipset coupled with an Arm Mali-G77 MC9 GPU and up to 8GB of RAM. It also features a 6.43-inch curved AMOLED display with support for HDR10+.
On the rear, it comes with a triple-camera setup with a 50-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. In addition, it has a 32-megapixel selfie camera integrated inside the punch-hole on display on the front. It comes with a 4,500mAh battery that supports 80W fast charging and can charge the phone 100 per cent in just 15 minutes. Since it comes with a Full HD+ AMOLED display on the display front, it is a treat for gamers and media consumption lovers.
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Conclusion: AMOLED vs OLED
Smartphone displays have advanced significantly in recent years, more so than most people realise in this technological age. Display screens are similar to windows in the mobile world, which has seen a tremendous transformation in innovative products in the last several years. People have gotten more selective when buying a phone in recent years, and although all of the functions are important, the display is always the most noticeable.
Major smartphone manufacturers attempt to provide their consumers with the most delicate devices possible that incorporate the most up-to-date technologies. In AMOLED vs OLED, AMOLED is a type of OLED and a more prominent example of both OLED and POLED, so there’s no debate about which is superior.
FAQs
Is OLED better than AMOLED?
In terms of phone displays, AMOLED is considered an upgrade over traditional OLED. AMOLED integrates active transistors for individual pixel control, resulting in enhanced picture quality and more vibrant colours compared to standard OLED displays.
Which is better, OLED or AMOLED or QLED?
While QLED displays are cost-effective, OLED, WD-OLED, and AMOLED offer superior picture quality, better colour accuracy, and deeper blacks. QLEDs are commonly found in budget-friendly TVs but may lack the consistent picture quality of OLED and AMOLED displays.
Does Samsung use OLED or AMOLED?
Samsung smartphones feature various types of AMOLED displays, including Super AMOLED and Dynamic AMOLED. These displays are known for their vivid colours and deep blacks, providing users with an immersive viewing experience.
Does Apple use OLED or AMOLED?
Apple has embraced OLED technology in its iPhones since the release of the iPhone X. However, other Apple devices like the Apple Watch, iPads, and MacBooks have yet to incorporate OLED displays.
Which screen is better than OLED?
While OLED displays excel in contrast ratio and true blacks, LCD displays offer advantages in brightness and visibility in well-lit environments. OLED may be preferable for low-light viewing, while LCD might be better suited for bright conditions.
Which display is best for eyes?
LCD displays offer adjustable backlighting, allowing for reduced blue light emission, which can help alleviate eye strain. They are also more cost-effective and may be better suited for static content tasks, making them a good choice for those concerned about eye comfort during extended use.
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