Update 1 (01/13/2020 @ 4:10 AM ET): OnePlus has shared further details for its 120Hz refresh rate display tech. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on January 13, 2020, is preserved as below.
At the CES 2020 trade show last week, OnePlus showcased a prototype device with cameras that can turn invisible. The Concept One made use of electrochromic glass to turn the glass over the camera module from transparent to opaque by changing the current and voltage. While electrochromic glass isn't new, OnePlus is the first company to use it to hide camera lenses on a smartphone. OnePlus's argument behind this new technology was that the smartphone industry will eventually figure out under-screen camera technology, eliminating visible cameras on the front of a device. The disappearing cameras on the back, therefore, are complementary to the under-screen camera technology with the end goal to hide all cameras on a device from view. While we may not see these disappearing cameras in OnePlus' next flagship, we now have reason to believe that it might include a 120Hz display.
OnePlus' CEO Pete Lau recently took to Weibo to reveal that the company has completed the research and development of a high refresh rate 120Hz display. The company will be holding an event at 2 PM China Standard Time today to talk about its latest display technology. As of now, the company hasn't revealed any more information about the new display tech, but we'll update this post as and when we receive more information from the upcoming event. It is worth noting, however, that since OnePlus doesn't manufacture displays itself, it's quite likely that the company is sourcing the display from a major supplier like Samsung Display.
Source: Weibo
Update: OnePlus details its 120Hz refresh rate display tech
Following up on the event, OnePlus has shared key details about the 120Hz Fluid Display on its upcoming smartphones.
Keep in mind that the information was shared on Weibo in Chinese, and has been machine-translated to English. While our efforts are on maintaining accuracy, keep in mind that context and information can get distorted when translating.
OnePlus claims to have completed in-depth R&D for 120Hz display adoption on its upcoming smartphones. The use of 120Hz OLED display sets the foundation for the next generation of "premium screen experience" in smoothness, accuracy, and comfort. OnePlus's 120Hz display claims to refresh 120 times per second, obviously, along with a "screen sample rate" of 240Hz, which we believe is referring to the touch sampling rate.
OnePlus is also calling their comprehensive adoption as "Smooth Chain" as it targets touch as well as display responsiveness. Smooth Chain optimizations allow OnePlus to claim improvements in accuracy, click response and slide response.
OnePlus is also adopting MEMC (Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation) frame insertion technique through an "independent chip" on its 120Hz display, allowing the phone to convert low frame rate videos to 120fps, which will ultimately lead to smoother videos.
OnePlus is also claiming high quality as far as color accuracy is concerned. Each 120Hz display should have a JNCD (Just Noticeable Color Difference) value lower than 0.8. JNCD values lower than 1 indicate that color differences are visually indistinguishable. OnePlus also claims to adopt a 10-bit color mode, allowing color variations across a spectrum of 1.07 billion colors as opposed to the 16.7 million colors possible through 8-bit color mode.
OnePlus has also increased the brightness adjustment levels from 1024 levels to 4096 levels. The latest ambient sensor adopted in conjunction with these displays allows for finer brightness manipulation, as well as better adjustment of color temperature for better comfort.
OnePlus will detail more about its display technology as we inch closer to the unveiling of its next generation of smartphones.
Source: Weibo