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Sure, next-generation 97-inch OLED TVs are dazzling and gorgeous, but I was blown away by something no larger than a quarter: LG Display’s high-resolution 0.42-inch OLEDoS display.
The company unveiled the tiny OLED on silicon (OLEDoS) microdisplay this week at CES 2023 in Las Vegas. I saw it as part of a behind-the-scenes tour of all of LG Display’s latest OLED innovations, of which there are many. I got a big kick out of the flexible OLED and TVs with motorized moving speakers (opens in new tab). Still, that little OLEDoS overwhelmed me.
It’s so small that from a few feet away, I mistook it for a smudge on the white walls of LG Display’s tour venue. But as I got closer, I noticed that the spot was moving. I could tell it was a small 1024 x 768 screen. In addition to the unadorned screen, LG placed one behind a loupe where I could get up close and see LG Display’s surprising level of detail packed into the small and shockingly bright screen (7,000 nits). The resolution measures up to 3,500 ppi (pixels per inch) and is further enhanced by a smooth 120Hz refresh rate.
I guess the bigger question is what would you do with such a small, bright, relatively high resolution screen? Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality immediately come to mind and LG Display confirmed that this is the target market, but added that there are currently no partners.
The resolution wouldn’t be the highest on the VR market. Meta Quest 2 uses two 1920 x 1832 screens, but they’re now LCD and not OLED, and the 100 nits brightness pales in comparison to LG’s diminutive OLEDoS screen. Meta’s VR screens don’t even match the refresh rate (90Hz vs 120Hz).
TCL has similar “micro-OLED” technology at CES, used in glasses that can replicate a personal screen, as well as a VR headset. But the resolution isn’t as high as LG Display’s – that’s around 1,500 ppi.
It may be a while before we see an AR or VR headset with a pair of OLEDoS screens from LG Display, but when they do arrive it could be a game changer.
Check out our CES 2023 hub for all the latest from the show as it happens. We cover everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets, so stay with us for the big stories.