AMOLED and OLED displays: What’s the difference?

After months of saving faithfully for a brand-new TV, the time has come to hit the shops. The options are endless, the screens are larger-than-life, and you can’t wait to reward yourself for a job well done. But one thing keeps holding you back: display quality. As much as you have a hint of what to look for in a smart TV, jargon such as AMOLED and OLED keeps popping up everywhere you look. 

How do AMOLED vs OLED compare? Which one lasts longer, AMOLED or OLED? Which is better between the two?

Fret not, the experts at Asurion have you covered. We help millions of customers get the most out of their tech every day, from the initial buying decision to any and all future repairs. Here’s our guide on the difference between OLED and AMOLED and how to choose between the two.

What is OLED?

OLED is short for organic light-emitting diode, and true to the name, this display technology utilizes organic materials to light a screen. OLED displays are innately self-emitting. That means every single pixel emits its own light. The result: superior contrast, precise control, and quicker response times compared to LCDs.

How does OLED work?

At its core, OLED display technology comprises two conductors. Sandwiched between them is a stack of organic materials, all carbon-based. When an electric current passes through, the organic layer gets “excited”. Then, it emits light as it returns to its ground state. 

What makes OLED technology a worthwhile investment?

There’s a reason OLED is such a talked-about screen technology. Several of them, actually.

• True blacks: The beauty of OLED is that it’s possible to control pixels individually. When turned off completely, they yield perfect levels of black.
• Ultra-thin and light: Because OLED panels have no backlight, they are often lighter and thinner than their LCD counterparts.
• Wide viewing angles: The light-emitting pixels inside the OLED ecosystem create a seamless image quality when in full swing, no matter the viewing angle.
• Infinitely high contrast: Again, this is thanks to the self-emitting ability of individual pixels.

The not-so-good side of OLED

Even a technology of OLED’s calibre falls short in some areas.

• The dreaded burn-in: Certain pixels will inevitably get overused over time, causing them to degrade faster. When this happens, a static “ghost” image will appear on your TV or phone, which can be quite annoying.
• Lower brightness under direct sunlight: The reason for this is simple: their brightness levels, while superb indoors, aren’t high enough to overcome intense ambient light. Sunlight is known to wash out colors and minimize contrast, making OLED screens appear dim or faded out

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What is AMOLED?

AMOLED stands for active matrix organic light-emitting. It’s actually a type of OLED, but with an active matrix of thin-film transistors (TFTs) and storage capacitors powering each pixel. This matrix quickly switches pixels on and off, so much so that the picture motion is incredibly smooth.

Several manufacturers, including LG and Samsung, make AMOLED displays, and you’ll find them in nearly all premium devices—including smartphones.

How does AMOLED work?

Every pixel in the AMOLED setup boasts a dedicated TFT that controls it. Beyond that, there’s a storage capacitor that holds charge until it’s refreshed.

What makes AMOLED technology a worthwhile investment?

You’ve probably heard people crown AMOLED as the best display technology out there, and it’s for good reason:

• Excellent refresh rates: The additional components behind each pixel are responsible for this. As such, AMOLED displays are perfect for high-action gaming and video playback.
• Considerable power savings on dark themes: Naturally, AMOLED turns off pixels completely when displaying black. 
• Flexible form factor: In place of rigid glass substrates synonymous with LCD displays, AMOLED utilizes materials such as polyimide films. These components are endlessly agile and can fold, bend, and even roll.

The not-so-good side of AMOLED

AMOLED is hands-down a revolutionary display technology, but it’s not without drawbacks:

• Burn-in risk: AMOLED might be an improved version of OLED, but it’s still prone to burn-in. 
• Costlier to own: AMOLED’s enabling technology is quite intricate, down to the pixel. This makes producing panels a bit costlier compared to conventional OLED displays.

Differences between OLED and AMOLED

One of the reasons the OLED display vs AMOLED debate will always rage on is that the differences between them are as subtle as they come. Still, they’re worth mentioning.

Technical 

• Pixel control: While OLED utilizes a passive matrix, AMOLED makes do with an active matrix complete with TFTs.
• Response time: OLED might be fast enough for a high-quality display, but AMOLED is definitely faster, owing to the fact that it uses thin-film transistors.
• Touch integration: For an OLED display to have touch capabilities, it’ll require adding a separate layer. AMOLED, on the other hand, can accommodate a touch-sensitive layer right within its setup—thanks to the active-matrix design. Samsung’s Super AMOLED screens are a perfect example of this phenomenon in action. That explains why those particular screens are enviably thin.
• Power efficiency: AMOLED displays are generally more power-efficient compared to OLED panels because they can turn off individual pixels. So when displaying content with a lot of black, they can keep power usage at a substantially low level.

Performance 

• Brightness levels: In terms of peak brightness, AMOLED can hit those levels more easily than traditional OLED. For this reason, it’s more suitable for outdoor use.
• Color accuracy: Color sharpness doesn’t vary much between the two. However, AMOLED takes things a notch higher with built-in color calibration and management capabilities. The impact: more saturated, vibrant colors that catch the eye from far out.
• Durability: While both can degrade considerably after a while, major industry players like Samsung are continually investing in software and hardware interactions for AMOLED. On that account, newer AMOLED displays are likely to resist premature degradation.

Real-world examples of OLED and AMOLED: where you’ll see them

Look keenly enough, and you’ll spot OLED and AMOLED displays across a variety of use-cases and devices.

Smart TVs

OLED is the most common display technology for smart TVs, and the rich, deep contrast it offers is second to none. Cinephiles particularly fancy it for its cinematic picture quality that’s rivaled only by commercial theaters. OLED TVs are mostly from LG, Sony, and Panasonic.

In contrast, AMOLED is yet to become a hit in the TV world. This is largely due to its high power consumption over large screen sizes.

Smartphones

Chances are high you’ve interacted with an AMOLED-powered phone at least once before. Almost all high-end Android mobile devices today, from Samsung Galaxy to Google Pixel, utilize AMOLED screens.

What about iPads and iPhones, you ask? Well, Apple uses OLED displays in nearly all of its products. Apple’s panels are typically custom-made to provide stunning color accuracy and brightness.

Wearables

It makes sense why most smartwatches from Samsung and Apple incorporate AMOLED displays and not OLED: they’ve got such high visibility in compact sizes. Plus, they consume very little power.

The most popular AMOLED vs OLED myths, debunked

In your quest to find the right display technology, you’ll stumble upon all sorts of myths. Let’s debunk them so you don’t fall victim.

“AMOLED is just OLED with a fancy name.”

That assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. While AMOLED is a type of OLED, the “AM” in it represents a technical enhancement woven into the display during production called active matrix. So good is this technology that it drastically improves response time and pixel control severalfold.

“OLED screens don’t burn-in.”

Unfortunately, OLED screens do experience burn-in just as much as AMOLED panels. But if you are proactive enough, it’s possible to fix OLED burn-in in both TVs and smartphones. Or, you can avoid it altogether by investing in modern OLEDs that put pixel-shifting and software iterations front and center.

“AMOLED always looks better.”

That’s a stretch. What AMOLED displays do is favor vivid saturation. Sure, they’re eye-catching, but they may stray from color accuracy. OLED displays tuned for accuracy (think: Apple’s Super Retina XDR) can give AMOLED a run for its money. Some say it even looks more “true to life.”

So, which one should you choose: AMOLED or OLED?

Forget about what’s “better.” The real question is: which display is best for you? 

Go for OLED if:

• You value natural color accuracy, minus the fancy exaggerations.
• You’re buying a smart, high-end TV and won’t compromise on having a top-tier cinematic experience.
• You prefer displays whose level of saturation is just enough. Not too much.

Go for AMOLED if:

• You want a TV experience that replicates a smartphone’s deep blacks and wide viewing angles to a tee.
• You’re eyeing a sleek, modern design with ultra-thin bezels and possibly a curved or edge-to-edge screen.
• You want vivid, life-like colors that make your gaming or viewing experience a whole lot more fun.

What’s next for OLED and AMOLED?

Display technology never stagnates. Here’s what you should keep an eye on over the next few years:

MicroLED displays

Pricier, yes, but they promise OLED-level blacks with much higher brightness and without sacrificing contrast.

QD-OLED (quantum dot OLED)

When you combine OLED’s already superior display technology with quantum dot layers, the result is a level of brightness efficiency and color volume you’ll never get enough of. Goodbye burn-in.