The company’s new 2.04-inch display can reproduce moving pictures in full color (260,000 different color tones). Samsung has applied reflection TFT-LCD technology, which makes use of external light to reduce power consumption; thus it uses only one-fifth the power that conventional models require. A front light has also been installed on the screen so that the product can be used in dark surroundings.
Importantly, Samsung Electronics has become the world’s first to apply low-temperature poly-silicon TFT-LCD technology to a display for a mobile handset. The product consists of 240 pixels horizontally and vertically, resulting in the best resolution of any 2 TFT-LCD on the market today.
Currently, most displays for mobile phones support black-and-white images. However, the demand for high-resolution color displays is expected to surge as IMT-2000 services become available and the mobile phone takes on more diverse functions.
The types of color displays for mobile phones being developed and commercialized today include color super-twisted nematic (STN), low-temperature poly-silicon thin-film-transistor, and organic electro-luminescence (EL). The color STN products cost less to make but the response time is so slow that moving picture quality is very poor. Some companies are developing organic EL displays currently, but more time is needed before this technology becomes commercially viable.
By contrast, low-temperature poly-silicon TFT-LCDs can reproduce precise images on a small screen and the number of driver circuits is far less than other types of displays. These displays also offer the best definition available today, and they are expected to lead the future color display market.
Samsung Electronics has remained the world’s top producer of large-screen TFT-LCDs for the past three years. In addition, the company hopes its success in large-screen LCDs will spill-over to its mid-size TFT-LCD business as it looks to sell at least 1 million TFT-LCDs for PDAs and mobile phones this year.
The TFT-LCD market for mobile phones will reach 400 million units this year and increase to 700 million units in the year 2003.
