OLED
(Organic Light-Emitting Diode)
OLED is a display technology that consists of small dots of organic polymer that emit light when charged with electricity.
Compared to LCD displays, OLED displays...
- are thinner
- are lighter weight
- have better viewing angles
- have faster refresh rates
- use less power
- are simpler and cheaper to manufacture
See: LCD
OLED displays used as primary phone displays are all active-matrix, sometimes referred to as AMOLED.
See: AMOLED
OLED displays can be manufactured on a base of glass or plastic (sometimes called pOLED). Plastic permits OLED displays that are more durable, curved, or even flexible, enabling foldable phones.
See: Foldable
The earliest OLED displays were small and often single- or multi-color, but they now come in all sizes, and most are now full-color.
Last updated Dec 2, 2023 by Rich Brome
Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
