The beginning of the end for AMOLED?

As is common in technology, when one major manufacturer makes a transition to a different product as part of their device, others soon follow. It appears that handset maker HTC will be bucking the AMOLED trend in favor of Super-LCD (SLCD) screens in the near future.

Though this move has been long-rumored by the media, HTC has unveiled a press release confirming the move, and also releasing some details of the decision. From the release:

“HTC is experiencing high-demand for many of our phones, specifically our phones with 3.7 inch displays.  The new SLCD display technology enables us to ramp up our production capabilities quickly to meet the high-demand,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation.  “The SLCD displays provide consumers with a comparable visual experience to HTC’s current 3.7 inch displays with some additional benefits including battery performance.”

While SLCD does offer a somewhat-better viewing experience in direct light, it is worthy to question the company’s claim about better battery performance. Historically, SLCD has drawn more power than AMOLED, so it will remain to be seen whether the benefits will outweigh the operating cost.