AMOLED Crosses the Threshold: Now Cheaper to Make than LCD

dgstorm

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The last barrier for AMOLED to become the new industry standard for mobile displays has now broken down. For some time, the superior technical merits of AMOLED have been greater than with LCD. AMOLED screens are typically brighter, thinner, and more energy efficient. They frequently have higher contrast and deeper color saturation than LCD as well.

The only reason AMOLED displays haven't dominated their older cousin is simply because they were more expensive to produce. Notice how that sentence was past tense? That's because that paradigm has shifted. According to a new report from the research firm, IHS Technology, AMOLED manufacturing costs have now dropped below that of LCD. In the last quarter of 2015, the cost for a 5-inch Full HD mobile LCD display was roughly $15.70, and an equivalent AMOLED display was $17.10.

The deficit between the two has reversed in the first quarter of this year, with the 5-inch AMOLED HD display clocking in at a manufacturing cost of $14.30, and the same size LCD panel tops that at $14.60. It's not much of a difference, but to the bean counters (accountants), that's all it takes. It's only a matter of time before AMOLED supplants LCDs as the defacto choice for mobile displays in future devices.

Source: etnews
 
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FoxKat

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This is certainly good news indeed. From this paradigm switch we can not only expect AMOLED displays to replace LCD, but we can also expect future phones and other devices to benefit from greater pixel density, increased screen size and perhaps even smaller batteries, though I would hope that instead of reducing battery size the manufacturers would opt for the same size batteries and longer runtimes.

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mountainbikermark

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This is certainly good news indeed. From this paradigm switch we can not only expect AMOLED displays to replace LCD, but we can also expect future phones and other devices to benefit from greater pixel density, increased screen size and perhaps even smaller batteries, though I would hope that instead of reducing battery size the manufacturers would opt for the sand size batteries and longer runtimes.

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Not only phones but other screened devices as well. Amoled tablets (Surface type as well) becoming more prevalent, amoled tv's and monitors becoming the norm. Greater quality screen while costing less.
.30 each might not sound like much but billions of .30 adds up quick to a lot of Benjamins and we know it's all about the Benjamins.

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jbal52

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I think this helps illustrate why Apple cares only for profit rather than their following in spite of Tim Cook's rants about how the company is watching out for them. Apple uses a cheaper LCD display yet charges more for their phones. Recently I heard Apple is considering changing to AMOLED from LCD and now it makes sense....because now it will be cheaper! Of course that won't be reflected in the price of a new iPhone because as Tim Cook will say, it's a NEW superior display from Apple.
 

mountainbikermark

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I think this helps illustrate why Apple cares only for profit rather than their following in spite of Tim Cook's rants about how the company is watching out for them. Apple uses a cheaper LCD display yet charges more for their phones. Recently I heard Apple is considering changing to AMOLED from LCD and now it makes sense....because now it will be cheaper! Of course that won't be reflected in the price of a new iPhone because as Tim Cook will say, it's a NEW superior display from Apple.
Do you blame Apple? Those that pay what they ask are the culprit, not Apple. That's like you refusing to accept a new job because they offer you $1/hr more than those you'll be working beside doing the same job. Besides if the cost of the screen goes down under a buck do you really expect them to lower the price of the phone more than a buck? Now I totally agree with you on the prices they charge for more memory onboard but again I come back to the sheep blindly paying the extra fees they ask without blinking an eye. Same with any other manufacturer. They rip us off yet we happily allow them to do so by buying the product .

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