What is an AMOLED screen?

AMOLED screens are frequently touted as product features on mobile phones and other technology. But what are they and how do they improve your mobile experience?

AMOLED stands for Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode. It is a display technology for use in mobile devices and televisions.

Without getting too technical about how they actually work, the reason for them being a positive feature is they are making progress with regards to lower power, lower cost and larger size.

Active-matrix OLED displays provide higher refresh rates than passive-matrix OLED and consume significantly less power. This makes AMOLED displays ideal for mobile phones where power consumption is critical to battery life.

Samsung have introduced Super AMOLED technology which reduces the size of gaps between layers of the screen. It also has the layer which detects touch integrated into the screen rather than being overlaid on top.

This leads to better visibility in sunlight and a crisper, sharper image. It offers a 20% brighter screen, 80% less sunlight reflection and 20% reduced power consumption in comparison to standard AMOLED.

Samsung phones offering the Super AMOLED displays include the Samsung Wave and i9000 Galaxy S.