Samsung is known for using AMOLED displays on every device they make, the Super AMOLED technology gives bright colors and rich blacks to Samsung phones and tablets but it’s getting some tough competition from LCD panels, most notably the ones used by HTC and LG. HTC had the best display last year with the HTC One X and this year wins the prize again with the HTC One, a 4.7 full HD IPS LCD display while LG is also making great displays as shown in the Optimus G, the Nexus 4 (which has a much better screen and color reproduction than the Galaxy Nexus before it) and for the leaks we’ve seen, the upcoming LG G2.
Now Samsung appears to be eyeing Novaled, a German company that develops PIN OLED technology which gives the displays a longer life and lower power consumption, two much desired qualities in smartphones. Bloomberg is reporting that Samsung wants to incorporate Novaled to its own Super AMOLED brand and to be honest, it wouldn’t make sense for Samsung to have two different AMOLED divisions.
Lee Tae Hun, a spokesman for Samsung’s chemical and electronic materials unit Cheil Industries, said:
“We are internally reviewing plans to acquire Novaled, but no details have been set yet,”
Novaled is a very innovative company with a lot of potential and IP strength and recently announced breakthroughs that could help the process of printable OLED materials as well as laser processing to customize OLED panels. All of this gives Samsung a lot of material to work with, but also makes the acquisition a little expensive with the rumored price of around $200 million. The Wall Street Journal says that the deal may be closed soon, while a person, who asked to remain anonymous, said that it might be finished as early as this week.
It’s worth noting that Samsung already owns 10 percent of Novaled and accounted for 53 percent of the sales made by the German company in 2011.
Will this help Samsung make the best displays once again or will LCD panels remain as the king? Only time will tell, but one thing’s certain here, whatever happens, we’ll get some amazing displays in the coming years.