What is OLED?

Displays over the course of the last decade have innovated massively, with 4K resolution TV panels being commonplace and top end displays capable of displaying 8K resolution. Along with this, there is a term that seems to find its place amongst the titles of all the top display technologies globally, that term being OLED. So, what are OLED displays, and why are they becoming so common in today’s world?

OLED( Organic Light Emitting Diode)

OLED put simply is a flat light-emitting technology that uses a sequence of thin organic sheets sandwiched between two conductors, which when an electrical current is applied produces a bright light. OLEDs are emissive displays that do not require a backlight, making them smaller and more energy efficient than LCDs which do require a white backlight. There are many advantages to using OLED technology over traditional LCD displays, including: 

• They are thinner and lighter
• Vastly improved image quality 
• Flexible allowing more unique and innovative display designs 
• Brighter displays

However, there are some issues with OLED displays at the current time, namely: 

• Expensive to manufacture, resulting in high costs 
• Very susceptible to water damage 

OLED technology also opens the door to incredible innovation opportunities in the future, with the possibility of foldable displays, as well as transparent displays which allow images to be projected in places like car windows and mirrors. There are already examples of this technology being used in amazing ways, such as Samsung’s release of their range of Galaxy Fold Phones with displays that can fold in half, allowing for a seamless transition from a traditional-sized mobile display to a full-sized tablet display simply by unfolding the phone. The future of OLED displays upholds some very exciting possibilities, with the technology continuously innovating in new and effective ways.