Samsung has announced a new OLED panel that can reach 5,000 nits of peak brightness. This could lead to a paradigm shift in mobile display standards, such as for smartphones, smartwatches, and laptops. The company will exhibit this cutting-edge panel during the MWC 2025 expo in Barcelona, Spain.
The new OLED panel uses On-Cell Film (OCF) technology, a Samsung innovation that eliminates the need for polarizers. Polarizers, which traditionally block ambient light, can reduce OLED brightness by up to 50%. By removing the polarizer, Samsung achieved a brighter, more energy-efficient display.
OLED panels with the OCF II can achieve 5000 nits of peak brightness in a 10% window (10% of the screen area), a significant improvement over competitors’ claims, which are often measured at much smaller windows (1% or 5%).
The panel can reach up to 3,000 nits when watching movies, which is still pretty good and higher than the Galaxy S25 Ultra can achieve.
It’s not all about brightness. Since most devices that use these displays run on batteries, improving power efficiency is more important than enhancing peak brightness. According to Samsung, these brightness levels can be achieved with just 63% of the power consumption of previous panels. As a result, battery life is extended, heat generation is reduced, and display life is extended.
Almost bezel-less display:
Samsung’s OLED panels are also 20% slimmer than conventional designs due to the removal of the polarizer. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 introduced this technology, which is now being extended to bar-shaped smartphones and even rollable laptops.
Even though it may seem like just another iterative improvement in brightness and efficiency, it’s much more than that. Samsung doesn’t just dominate the display industry. BOE, a Chinese display manufacturer, has significantly improved brightness and efficiency in recent years. Samsung Display’s development will benefit end users by increasing competition and motivating competitors to focus more on innovation.
According to Joohyung Lee, head of mobile display business, Samsung Display aims to maintain its leadership in the display industry through continuous innovation.
