New trends of laptop brands

Acer Swift Edge 16 with OLED display. Photo: Trusted Reviews

OLED screen laptops are the highlight of the Computex 2023 computer exhibition. According to Bloomberg, this is a new strategy of manufacturers in the hope of recovering the market after a long period of decline.

OLED panels provide brighter colors and higher contrast than LCD screens, but they also consume more energy. After many years appearing on smartphones, OLED is gradually becoming a notable technology on laptops.

“At Asus, we believe OLED panels are the future of laptops,” Samson Hu, co-CEO of Asus, told Bloomberg.

Two years after launching its first laptop with an OLED display, the Taiwanese company owns 55% of the global OLED laptop market share. However, OLED laptop sales account for only 3% of the total market.

According to IDC analyst Annabelle Hsu, the reason OLED laptops are not popular is because of the cost. Specifically, a 15.6-inch OLED screen costs 2.5-3 times more than an equivalent LCD screen. On the market, laptop versions using OLED are all $150-200 more expensive than the standard model.

Part of the reason is monopoly. Samsung Display accounts for more than 99% of OLED screen production for laptops. According to Asus representatives, the participation of some companies such as BOE or LG Display will make screen prices more competitive.

LG Display is planning to sell OLED panels for laptops to meet demand, an IDC analyst said, amid speculation that Apple will switch to OLED displays for MacBooks.

“There are some technological hurdles,” Hsu said. The most modern OLED panels use LTPS (low-temperature polycrystalline silicon) technology because of its faster response times and better color, but it’s difficult to mass produce for screens 15 inches or larger.

Most manufacturers now only equip OLED screens for high-end laptops, some models are even Pantone certified for good color representation.

At Computex 2023, MSI introduced a laptop with a 16-inch OLED screen, a limited edition called Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. Another model is the Acer Swift Edge 16 Acer, which stands out with an OLED screen but starts at just $1,300.

Gigabyte's Aero series also features OLED panels, which are thin and light but have limited battery life. The self-illuminating properties of OLED pixels give manufacturers a headache in optimizing laptop battery life.

Besides Asus or Acer, Samsung Display is also cooperating with Dell, HP, Razer, Lenovo and Samsung Electronics to provide OLED screens for laptops.

“I expect to see more laptops with OLED and Mini LED panels as manufacturers try to recover demand post-pandemic with more exciting products. OLED offers high contrast and rich colors, which are great for creating and consuming content,” said consumer technology analyst Avi Greengart.

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