Zune Thoughts: Zune HD's AMOLED Screen Is A Bright Idea

“Aside from the differentiating core technologies and software that the Zune HD and the Samsung Omnia PRO, the real differentiator--at least at first glance--will be the devices' gorgeous AMOLED displays. The displays will have the ability to render truer and darker blacks, vivid colors, and be more useable even under direct sunlight.”

OLEDs are a technology that we’ve been hearing about for quite some time now. It’s taken a while (far too long by my estimation!) but they are finally beginning to show up in more and more consumer devices. Of course, the one we care most about here is the forthcoming Zune HD. The one feature I’ve asked for time and again is a better display than what the current Zunes have had. The AMOLED will certainly deliver on that mark.

A side benefit that you may notice as you read about this technology is how it affects power consumption. Because the screen is not backlit, only the pixels that are active will draw power. While this could mean that if you decide to have an all black background you’ll use less power, the more practical consideration is that much of the time there are large parts of the display that are displaying nothing. Since the backlight is such a drain on the battery, this alone should significantly benefit the battery life.