Screen technology has seen huge changes over the past decade – but, what’s next? Let’s take a look at some of the innovations anticipated in 2024.
Flexible Displays
Over the past decade, we’ve seen a number of innovative smartphone displays. Flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays have been at the forefront of many of these innovations. Samsung’s own AMOLED flexible display was first showcased in 2011, which was used to create the groundbreaking beveled screen of the Galaxy Note Edge, before being rolled out in the Galaxy S series. This flexible display technology was then key in creating Samsung’s foldable smartphones.
Foldable smartphones can either fold along the Y axis to create a screen the size of a tablet, or along the X axis akin to flip phones of yonder. Though Samsung has largely paved the way for this technology, other smartphone giants said to be interested in, developing, or already selling their own include LG, Microsoft, Xiaomi, Huawei, Motorola, and Vivo. Of course, these screens only flex in a specific place to create a hinge. For 2024, the next step is thought to be fully flexible rollable displays that could truly transform the industry.
Immersive Displays
Immersive displays utilize both advanced image processing and virtual projections to create a 3D virtual environment. These displays have been used in art exhibitions to provide an immersive and interactive experience, coupled with elements of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Perhaps the most recognizable of these is the Van Gogh Experience – a 360-degree digital art exhibit which allows visitors to step into the world of the artist.
With this in mind, bright, high-quality, and immersive screens can play a large role in making the user feel like they are there, making experiences even more immersive. This could have a huge impact on immersive entertainment – just take something like online casinos. Players can enjoy online live casino games from any device, and play with a real host and real opponents in real time. These games are supposed to emulate sitting around a real table for an authentic casino experience.
Elsewhere, immersive screens are already being used behind the scenes, too. Immersive displays are a key aspect of virtual production, which uses AR, CGI, and a range of technologies to create realistic virtual environments on TV and film sets – content that viewers can enjoy from any device, including their smartphone.
Micro LED Displays
Micro LEDs, otherwise known as mLEDs or µLEDs, used tiny LEDs to create colored pixels rather than using LEDs as a backlight for an LCD system. mLEDs are comparable to OLEDs, except they do not boast the same organic structure. mLEDs also have the potential to be more efficient, brighter, make colors pop more, and have a longer lifespan than both OLED and LCD technology.
mLEDs are very much at the beginning of their journey – but many companies are beginning to include tiled, large versions of these LEDs in their premium TV displays. In the future, it is hoped that mLEDs could be used to create small displays, and replace OLED technology in smartphones. However, how long this will take is open for debate!
And there you have it – just a few advancements in screen technology expected in 2024 that could transform the way that we consume and interact with entertainment on our smartphones. All that’s left to do is see what the future holds.