Tag: oled

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Mobile Syrup

Check out this OLED touchscreen with pop-up, tactile buttons

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University are pushing the limitations of OLED panels by creating a touchscreen device that you can actually feel.

The technology, called Flat Panel Haptics, has been detailed in a new paper submitted by Carnegie Mellon University. It’s being looked into at the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Hamburg, Germany.

Although similar iterations have been attempted by larger companies, such as Apple’s Taptic engine, this prototype allows users to find virtual buttons solely through touch. A major reason that most laptops still feature fully tactical keyboards despite having the technology widely available for touchscreens comes down to the ability for users to get more done when relying on touch alone.

The video below gives an in-depth look into the electroosmotic pumps being used in the prototype.

This concept has been attempted by other companies before, most notably by Bosch and its automotive touch screen. Often, it works by having bumps coinciding with on-screen buttons temporarily form on touchscreen panels providing tactile feedback to users. The primitive design is noted as being clunky, making pocket accessibility for something like a phone a challenge.

The researchers have managed to get the pop-up buttons to measure almost five millimetres in height, with enough pressure and rigidity to make them feel solid when pressed.

Current OLED panels are not quite flexible enough to allow for structures that large to pop up. However, when layered with new embedded electroosmotic pumps, a bump can still be formed for a user’s finger to differentiate between the on-screen display’s keys.

Although there are still some limitations on how a fully tactile touchscreen would be implemented into tech products if the pop-up buttons are eventually scaled down to fit as pixels on an OLED display, it could be a major breakthrough in everything from phone keyboards to automotive infotainment systems.

Image credit: Future Interfaces Group (Screenshot)

Source: Carnegie Mellon University’s Future Interfaces Group Via: Gizmodo

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Mobile Syrup

Apple reportedly going all-in with OLED for 2024 MacBook Air and iPad Pro

Apple will reportedly bring OLED display technology to its 13-inch MacBook Air, 11-inch iPad Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro in 2024, according to often-reliable display industry consultant Ross Young and first reported by MacRumors.

In a recent tweet, Young said that he expects all three devices to feature OLED displays with support for ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate. Apple’s iPad Pro line has offered Pro Motion since 2017, but this would be the first time the increased refresh rate tech would make its way to the MacBook Air.

Apple’s MacBook Pro and its Liquid Retina XDR already support 120Hz despite not featuring OLED technology. It’s unclear if OLED will also make its way to Apple’s next MacBook Pro, which is expected to feature upgraded versions of its M2 chip.

It’s believed that OLED tech will offer the iPad and MacBook Air improved battery life and a greater contrast ratio. That said, the technology is prone to display burn-in, though the issue isn’t very common with Apple’s iPhone OLED displays.

Source: @DSCCROSS Via: MacRumors

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Mobile Syrup

Base iPhone 14 models to use different grade materials for OLED panels over Pro models

The OLED panels for the upcoming iPhone 14 may see slightly different grade materials used. Depending on the model tiers, supplier Samsung Display is reportedly utilizing varying materials.

Apple has yet to officially announce its new flagship device. However, many expect the new series to be available in four models. As is tradition, Apple is expected to launch four models, two being its base models and two Pro variations. While unconfirmed, many expect the series to include the base iPhone 14, Max, Pro, and Pro Max.

New reports claim that Samsung Display will be using the “latest and most advanced” material sets for the Pro models of iPhone 14. Reports now expect the supplier to use its prior generation materials for the OLED panels of iPhone 14 and Max, however. The reasoning behind this is to save on costs.

Samsung Display is using its M11 material set for the base 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 models. The two higher-tier Pro models are expected to use the supplier’s M12 material set.

The result of this means that there will be a slight difference in pixel quality between the base models and the high-end iPhone 14s. However, for the average user, the differences aren’t likely to be noticeable. Apple has proven to make good use of OLED panels in the past. This news shouldn’t raise any red flags as of yet.

However, this does show yet another example of how the base iPhone 14 models differ from their Pro counterparts. In June, reports came forward stating all models will support 6GB of RAM. However, only the Pro models may support the upgraded LPDDR5 type of RAM.

Another big difference to come from the iPhone 14 series is the departure of a ‘mini’ model. This year, many expect Apple to replace it with the Max model, moving away from a smaller form factor.

We’ll know for certain when Apple reveals the full lineup. Historically, the company hosts a September keynote to announce new products, including the iPhone.

Source: TheElec

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Mobile Syrup

OLED MacBook Air and iPad Pro coming in 2024: report

Apple’s new M2-powered MacBook Air was only revealed last week, but that hasn’t stopped rumours about its successor from swirling.

According to display analyst Ross Young, it’s likely the tech giant will release a MacBook Air and an iPad Pro with an OLED display at some point in 2024.

An excerpt from Young’s report can be found below (via 9to5Mac):

“It is looking increasingly likely that Apple will launch a 13.3″ OLED notebook in 2024 in addition to the 11″ OLED and 12.9″ iPad Pro’s. It is expected to be a MacBook Air, but could potentially become a MacBook, MacBook Pro or new category.”

Young goes on to say that the OLED iPad Pro and MacBook Air will feature “tandem stack” display technology that improves screen brightness, longevity and reduces power consumption by 30 percent. Other features include the same variable refresh rate technology found in several of Apple’s current displays, which should add additional power efficiency.

This would mark a shift from the current mini-LED technology Apple utilizes in its iPad Pro (2021) and MacBook Pro (2021) models. While mini-LED allows for higher overall brightness than OLED, its local dimming isn’t quite as good. On the other hand, OLED screens have the potential to suffer from screen burn-in and consume more power.

9to5Mac says that Apple is investing in new micro-LED technology that aims to combine mini-LED and OLED’s strengths into a new form of screen tech.

Apple is expected to release an iPad Pro refresh later this year.

Source: Ross Young, 9to5Mac

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Mobile Syrup

Researchers create the world’s first entirely 3D-printed OLED display

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (UMTC) has created an entirely 3D printed OLED display, similar to those used in modern televisions, monitors and smartphones, using a customized 3D printer.

The new study might pave the way for future OLED displays that could be mass-produced at home using 3D printers rather than by technicians in microfabrication facilities. Published by the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances and published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the study might lay the groundwork for future DIY at-home screen repairs.

“OLED displays are usually produced in big, expensive, ultra-clean fabrication facilities,” said Michael McAlpine, the senior author of the study and the University of Minnesota Kuhrmeyer family chair professor, department of Mechanical Engineering. “We wanted to see if we could basically condense all of that down and print an OLED display on our table-top 3D printer, which was custom built.”

OLED panels function by converting electricity into light through the use of an organic material layer. According to the university, they attempted to 3D print an OLED screen in the past to no avail because the uniformity of the light-emitting layers caused issues. This time however, the University of Minnesota team created a six device layer using two different 3D printing techniques, resulting in a “fully 3D-printed, flexible organic light-emitting diode display.”

Some components of the display were extrusion printed, whereas some layers were spray printed, as seen in the video above. The result was a flexible OLED display prototype which is about 1.5 inches on each side and had 64  working pixels.

“I thought I would get something, but maybe not a fully working display,” said Ruitao Su, the first author of the study and a 2020 University of Minnesota mechanical engineering Ph.D. graduate. “But then it turns out all the pixels were working, and I can display the text I designed. My first reaction was ‘It is real!’ I was not able to sleep, the whole night.”

Since the current test display is too small (64 pixels), the university’s next objective is to design a higher resolution display with improved brightness. For reference, a regular 1080p display contains millions of pixels, so the team certainly has a long way to go.

Also, don’t expect to be dishing out OLED displays from home any time soon. The 3D printer used by UMTC is a custom one and costs about the same as a Tesla Model S.

Learn more about the study here and or read the research paper here to dive deep into the project.

Image credit: UMTC

Source: UMTC