Low-temperature polycrystalline oxide, or LTPO, is a display technology that delivers several advantages over traditional displays. Let’s take a closer look at how this technology works.
LTPO is a display technology that upgrades battery performance and image smoothness. This technology permits you to adjust the screen’s refresh rate depending on what’s being displayed; you can also reduce battery usage without affecting the original image quality. The LTPO offers a superior and convenient viewing experience while saving energy.
This technology introduced by Apple merges the best parts of slightly older and more reliable technologies in the same field; for instance, LTPS and TGZO. The first LTPO display debuted on the market with the Apple Watch 4 back in 2018, but the efficient benefits of its use only became more evident in the following year’s model, such as the Apple Watch Series 5, which was able to keep the screen always turned on without even destroying the autonomy.
How LTPO displays work:
The LTPO display permits the display to dynamically change its refresh rate without even requiring any extra components. This refers to how often the image on the screen is upgraded per second. Higher refresh rates—for instance, 120 Hz—mean smoother visuals, whereas lower rates, such as 1 Hz, use less power.
While interacting with the device, the refresh rate boosts to deliver a smooth and seamless experience. Conversely, for static images or text, the rate drops efficiently, saving battery life. The LTPO display technology merges two other technologies: LTPS and TFT IGZO. The switching circuits use LTPS, while the driving TFTs use IGZO materials. Simply put, a thin film transistor helps to control individual pixels on screens.
LPTS is an expansion of aSi, which stands for amorphous silicon, an older type of TFT, and its use has made it possible to create screens with high pixel density and higher refresh rates as it features greater electron mobility than the ASI. For LTPO, the original LTPS transistor material was replaced by metal oxides, since they have lower electron mobility as compared to LTPS but are more efficient. This ensures at least 15% lower power consumption.
Apple is the mastermind behind inventing LTPO display technology, but now this technology is no longer exclusive to Apple since several other brands such as Samsung (HOP), Razer, Oppo, OnePlus, and Sharp also use this technology in their products. For instance, the Korean Samsung has used the LTPO display in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (2020).
LTPO combines LTPS and IGZO technologies, both of which are expensive to produce, making it costly to manufacture. Expensive production technique is the key reason LTPO is only available in premium devices.
