Your phone screen is something that you need to get just right. Have you ever walked outside and had to cup your hand around your screen just so you could see what direction that restaurant you looked up is on your Google Maps? Have you dropped your cell, heard a crack, prayed to the heavens it wasn’t smashed, and yet there it is, and thought with a sinking heart that you should’ve bought that phone case that you were looking at on eBay just last week?
We’ve all been there.
You should be aware that when you’re choosing a phone that different types of screens matter – they aren’t all made the same. Some are tougher, some better under glare conditions, some more vibrant… and the list goes on.
When you have an Apple product, you don’t get a choice in the screen that it comes with. All iPhones come with the same screen, even though they may upgrade them from model to model.
However, when you’re choosing an Android phone, you have a choice in what sort of screen you’re going to go with. Screen types vary from manufacturer from manufacturer, and they also vary within models from the same manufacturer.
That means that you have a choice when it comes to your Android screen. When you’ve got your choice open you want to make just the right one! So today we are going to have a look at what OLED screens are and then why they are the best when it comes to your Android devices.
What exactly is an OLED screen?
OLED is actually an acronym for a far more technical name, as you may have gathered from those capital letters right there. OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. If you take the O off the OLED name, you’ll get LED – and we’ve all heard of LED lights before. LEDs are practically everywhere these days, from lightbulbs to those flashing lights on your cable box.
You will be surprised to know that OLED has been around for quite a long time by Kodak in 1987. So we hope they have perfected the technology by now.
The type of magic (ok, not magic, science) that lights up LEDs is called electroluminescence. LEDs allow the light to travel outwards in all directions, lighting up an entire area.
So, what’s with that Organic part of the OLED then? That means that there’s a layer within the LED that is made up of organic matter. This organic matter also can light up when sparked by a battery or electrical force. This material lets it light up a very tiny area instead of that larger area like an LED can – in fact it can light up just a pixel.
Why shouldn’t I get an LCD screen?
You may have noticed that you can get a cheaper Android device that’s fitted out with an LCD screen instead of an OLED. Sure, it’s cheaper – that’s because LCD screens are cheaper to make than OLED screens. But how do the two compare? Just because it’s cheaper doesn’t always have to mean that it’s an inferior product – however, in this case it’s true.
LCD screens are brighter than OLED screens because they’re lit up by a backlight, which makes them attractive choice for some. However, this is the only area in which LCD outshines (ha!) an OLED screen.
OLEDs are able to give you higher contrast, and because they’re not backlit, this means they’re able to show “blacker” blacks. They give you a more accurate representation of color, so you can view everything on your phone in its true glory – just like the view in real life. This is particularly useful if you like to take a lot of pictures on your phone.
This type of screen also is faster to respond, plus they chew less battery than an LCD screen. This is great for those that find they’re running out of battery all the time and having to charge their phone multiple times in a day.
Should I get AMOLED, PMOLED, or Super AMOLED?
There are various different types of OLED screens getting about. PMOLED is the cheaper kind of AMOLED screen. This type of OLED turns pixels on and off sequentially, in each line of the screen. The AMOLED is the superior choice here, as it can switch any pixel on or off at any time. This makes it a faster screen than the PMOLED.
The next one, the Super AMOLED is a Samsung invention and is to do with how you touch your phone to interact with it. Whereas regular AMOLED screens have an extra layer over the top to get your fingertip input, the Super AMOLED screens have this touch responsiveness actually within the screen itself. This makes it better out in the daylight, as extra layers on your phone screen can cause more glare, so you aren’t able to see your screen as well as you should be able to. HD Super AMOLED is their HD version of the Super AMOLED, naturally.
Super AMOLED screens are known in the market as the best performing screens. It’s a top of the line screen and with brilliant color, less glare, and faster display, they really are a dream to use. Even tried and tested gaming sites with amazing graphics perform well.
There’s also another Samsung AMOLED screen that you might be familiar with too – the flexible AMOLED that’s used on the Samsung Galaxy Edge range. This allows the screen to bend around the edges of the phone. Some people love it, others think it’s a waste – however, it’s really a personal choice.
Which manufacturers use AMOLED?
While Samsung really do lead the way when it comes to AMOLED displays, there are plenty of other manufacturers who also have AMOLED screens. Manufacturers who use AMOLED screens include Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, Nokia, and more. Not all their phones will come with AMOLED or Super AMOLED, so make sure to check your specs if you’ve decided that it’s a must-have for your new phone.
You can now get Super AMOLED screens in mid-range phones, as well as high-end ones still, which means it can be an affordable choice, even if you’re not prepared to shell out for a top of the line phone.
Where to from here?
Now that you know the beauty of OLED screens for Android devices, you should bone up more about the other specs that you’re going to want in a new phone. The amount of memory that your phone has is an important one. If you think that you’re going to want to store lots of video or music files, then you should look for a phone with lots of memory and that has an SD slot so that you can add more if necessary.
Another important one is whether you want a dual SIM phone. Dual SIM phones come in very hand, especially if you have one number for work and one for personal, or you travel often and get new SIM cards in different countries. Research battery life and make sure that the phone you’re looking at has enough mAh in its battery – the higher the better when you’re purchasing a phone.
If you’re in the market for a new phone, then make sure to take a look at OLED screens in store before making your purchase decision. That way you will be able to see the difference for yourself and not just take our word for it!