Samsung’s AMOLED panels have steadily improved over the years, and while some people tend to prefer an LCD’s more accurate color reproduction, AMOLED admittedly offers that “pop” that some consumers prefer. But it’s one thing to make a 5.0 inch AMOLED panel for a phone and a 5.7 inch AMOLED panel for a phablet, it’s another thing altogether to make a larger AMOLED panel for a tablet.
According to a the Korean publication Naver, this issue has already been addressed. They say that Samsung has begun mass producing 8 inch and 10 inch AMOLED panels, and that we’ll see the first products based on these panels appear at the same time that Samsung announces the Galaxy S5. Rumors say the Galaxy S5 will be announced in April, so that means we’re less than half a year away. How much will an AMOLED tablet cost? That’s the big unknown. It’s new technology, which almost always means high prices in order to recuperate R&D costs. With the Nexus 7 selling for less than $250, will people prefer spending more on a Samsung simply because it has a superior screen? More importantly, and this is a sticking point I’m going to keep on emphasizing until it actually happens, will top-tier Android tablet makers, like Samsung and ASUS, make the switch to 4:3 aspect ratio panels like Apple uses with their iPads? Movie watching is amazing on current 16:9 displays, but when it comes to web browsing, 4:3 really is perfect.
