While Xiaomi is promoting AMOLED technology in its affordable phones, Samsung has been employing super AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) screens in most of their phones since 2013.
So, what is the difference between a regular AMOLED display and a Super AMOLED panel?
Is super AMOLED display any superior to regular AMOLED displays, or is it simply a marketing gimmick?
Let's find out in this brief article.
AMOLED vs sAMOLED
One may be a technology, while the other is merely a Samsung trademark. In a nutshell, a "Super AMOLED" Display is a Samsung-made AMOLED Display with an integrated Touch panel.
Other display makers may use a differently integrated panel in their display, but they'll still referring to it as an AMO LED or OLED Display.
AMOLED and super AMOLED technology are built on top of OLED
technology.
According to samsung.com:
"Super AMOLED is an AMOLED display with an integrated touch feature,"
"Rather than having a layer that identifies touch on the top of the screen, the layer is incorporated into the screen itself."
The industry-backstory:
After Samsung heavily promoted its AMOLED Displays as a unique feature of their Galaxy S smartphone for a short period of time, they were already facing stiff competition from other display manufacturers, most notably LG Display and Sony, who began to offer AMOLED Displays to their customers (smartphone manufacturers).
Until that moment, Samsung had spent a lot of money on promoting the "AMOLED" brand, which they picked over "OLED" in the hopes of trademarking it.
One of the first phones to come with Super AMOLED display from Samsung
The objective was to create a phrase that seems to describe a technology (such as "LCD") but is really a trademark that can only be used by Samsung, giving the appearance that this technology can only be produced by Samsung.
However, their trademark for "AMOLED" was refused in numerous places due to the fact that, although it is a different name from "OLED," it still identifies a technology (as "Active-Matrix" OLED, or "Organic Light-Emitting Diode").
Faced with the challenge of competing on AMOLED, Samsung Display needs a plan B to force out rival display makers.
Samsung's Plan B
At that time, the company was able to integrate the touch panel with the AMOLED Display's glass as part of the panel-production process, thereby replacing the display board's topmost glass with a touch panel (a process called "on-cell touch display").
An "on-cell touch screen" featured on Super AMOLED display.
As a result, Samsung considered that this could be a unique innovation and patented the term "Super AMOLED" (which they filed as an advanced sort of AMOLED, intimately describing the touch panel because of the difference).
They were killing two birds with one stone with their move:
1. They stood out from the crowd (by that they specialized in something very technical with rather minor end-user benefit).
2. They annihilated the word "AMOLED" for the competition, since spending money on marketing using "AMOLED" is pointless if your opponent is advertising "Super AMOLED."
Samsung's Note Series - Samsung.com
Over the years, Samsung's Galaxy series has been a huge success, resulting in Samsung being the most important display manufacturer, securing a high volume of orders for super AMOLED displays each quarters, effectively drying out the competition ( other AMOLED display board manufacturers did not secure similar order volumes to keep up with Samsung's AMOLED investments )
It's still a brand
All of this being said, it's important noting that "Super AMOLED" is still a Trademark, not a technological outline. That is, the owner of the brand must define what it means, much as Apple does with its iPhone display, Sony defines the meaning of their "Bravia" brand, and Coca-Cola defines the meaning of "Coke light."
As a result, Samsung Display is free to call whatever they make with AMOLED "Super" and attach their brand to it
Conclusion
Samsung just coined a marketing phrase to differentiate itself from its competition by tweaking existing AMOLED display technology.
Still, we can't dispute that Samsung produces some of the finest AMOLED panels on the market, and the addition of a super suffix isn't wholly deceptive.
What are your thoughts? Leave your opinions in the comments section below!
super keep it up bro
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