Sony’s next-generation LCD technology for mobile devices: WhiteMagic

There are an array of different screen technologies out their vying for superiority in a crowded device world. Of course with displays it’s having the right tool for the job; a low power, high legibility e-ink screen suits the Kindle’s purpose, where as a super high-res, high pixel density HAST LCD would feel right at home on the latest entertainment-centric tab.

Now Sony send another contender into the display-fray, their next generation LCD technology announced under the name, WhiteMagic.

Sony’s 3 inch WhiteMagic TFT LCD’s promise 1.23M-dot full VGA resolution, but where they really stand out is their dual-mode design. In “low power mode” the 3 inch WhiteMagic LCD runs at 50% brightness and uses 125mW, this, Sony say, is similar to typical LCD’s of the current generation.

The alternative side to this technology is “outdoors mode”. In this mode the display brightness gets a huge boost from 470 nits up to a blinding 1,000 nits (giving the LG Prada K2‘s NOVA display a run for its money), but power consumption only reaches 300mW which is more on par with current gen displays.

Sony have pushed the power to brightness ratio by adding a white pixel to the typical RGB configuration and then employing a set of algorithms to counter image distortion using the RGBW method. So that means brighter displays, without the battery drain.

Sales of MagicWhite displays look to be kicking off in October this year at the earliest with prices starting from $65. The biggest benefit I can see with this is sunlight legibility, you can have a great looking, super high-res display but if you can’t see it in the sun, it’s not a whole lot of good. With these new MagicWhite’s, digital cameras, phones and tablets that would have suffered otherwise can lay out with you in the sun all day and get some decent use whilst they’re out there too.

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