The tech giant has announced two new OLED displays with differing properties.
One of the new displays is transparent, while the second one is a mirror. The displays were revealed at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, where Samsung showed off various uses for the technology.
New displays and concepts revealed
Samsung demonstrated how the mirrored display can be used in retail environments, allowing consumers to “try on” jewelry using the augmented reality capabilities of the display. Users will see a normal reflection of themselves standing facing the display, but it can also add imagery over the top.
Samsung uses Intel’s RealSense 3D camera technology in both of the groundbreaking displays. Retailers could soon be using the technology to offer a virtually enhanced fitting room to customers, speeding up the process of trying and buying clothes and other products.
The transparent display was shown in use as a billboard ad, which shows advertising information on a see-through panel, allowing background scenery to remain visible.
Improved technology paves the way for further innovation
Although no further uses of the transparent display were exhibited, Samsung stressed the improvements that its model offers over industry rivals. The Samsung display provides a sharper and more colorful image, wider viewing angles and improved transparency levels of up to 40%, compared to 10% for transparent LCD displays. Response times are also improved over LCD.
Mirrored OLED displays are unlikely to be seen in consumer devices in the near future, but Samsung envisages widespread uses for the technology in sectors like retail, smart home, automotive and medical. As well as making virtual fitting rooms possible, Samsung predicts that smart mirrors may soon be used to display information in the home, while car showrooms could also benefit from their capabilities.
The Samsung displays are expected to enable a greater number of innovations involving Intel’s RealSense platform, and the development of differentiated and personalized customer experiences. Retailers looking for ways to encourage shoppers to visit physical locations should be encouraged by the advent of technology which provides another reason for customers to shop offline.
