Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, is the first phone to feature Samsung Display’s new power-efficient OLED panels. In a press release, Samsung says that the new screen consumes 16 percent less power thanks to a ‘newly developed organic material’ which means that ‘electrons flow faster and easier across the organic layer of the screen.’
“In other words,” Samsung explains, the technology means that the “OLED panels can create brighter light and consume less power, which improves battery life.” The performance of a smartphone is usually one of the most power-supplying components, so the increase in efficiency here can have a huge impact on the overall battery life of the device. In our review, we noticed that the S21 Ultra has an excellent battery life that lasts ‘longer than a full day’.
Samsung confirms to The edge that the S21 Ultra uses an LTPO (also known as a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) screen, but it’s not the first of Samsung’s phones to do so. Last year, The election reported that Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra also used LTPO display panels, which Samsung calls HOP (hybrid oxide and polycrystalline silicon). However, this week’s announcement states that the S21 Ultra is the ‘first’ to use the more efficient panels, indicating that Samsung Display has further refined the technology compared to the Note 20 Ultra.
Before it appeared on smartphones, LTPO screens were used in smart watches. The election note that the Apple Watch Series 4 includes an LTPO display manufactured by LG, while Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Active 2 used an LTPO display manufactured by Samsung Display.
If reports are accurate, Apple’s next flagship iPhones may soon benefit from Samsung’s power-efficient panel technology. Earlier this year, The election reports that the South Korean company is in line to supply LTPO panels for Apple’s 2021 iPhones. According to the report, Apple will use 120Hz LTPO OLED screens in two of its four iPhones in the second half of the year, while the other two will have more traditional OLED panels.