LG unveils 10,000-nit micro-OLED displays for next generation VR headsets
SID Display Week 2024 saw LG unveil 4K micro-OLED displays with a whopping 10,000 nits of brightness. Current smartphones go up to 1,300-2,600 nits of peak brightness under direct sunlight, so what exactly do we need 10,000 nits for? Well, there’s actually a pretty good reason.
Displays in VR headsets work very differently to regular displays. And though only a few headsets currently use micro-OLED — like the Apple Vision Pro — it is poised to be the preferred VR display technology of the future.
Displays in VR headsets work very differently to regular displays. And though only a few headsets currently use micro-OLED — like the Apple Vision Pro — it is poised to be the preferred VR display technology of the future.
The displays of the Vision Pro are its most expensive parts, and for good reason.
Displays in modern XR headsets like the Meta Quest 3 use pancake lenses. These lenses, crucial for slimmer headsets and magnifying the small displays, lose a lot of the light from the displays. VR headset displays also don’t remain on for the entire duration of each frame to reduce motion blur.
Both these factors combine to make VR headsets need extra brightness to produce an acceptable result. Those fantastic Vision Pro displays? Very inefficient.
Both these factors combine to make VR headsets need extra brightness to produce an acceptable result. Those fantastic Vision Pro displays? Very inefficient.
When the poor optical efficiency of pancake lenses and intentional low duty cycle of the displays are both taken into account, the viewed brightness of Apple Vision Pro is only around 100 nits, despite having 5000 nit displays.
— UploadVR, May 2024
Thus LG’s 10,000-nit micro-OLED displays make sense. The company also claims its displays have a higher resolution and a more impressive color gamut than Sony’s displays which are used in Apple’s headset.
These displays could be used in more expensive VR headsets going forward. LG and Meta announced a partnership earlier this year and said they would make a next-generation XR device. This device is one example of where LG’s new displays could be used.
However, there are also reports from South Korean outlet Sedaily that this partnership has been canceled. Apparently LG said the two companies didn’t have “synergy”.
LG-Meta headset or no, LG’s displays are sure to get adopted into XR headsets soon. And we could see some amazing new VR and AR headsets.
These displays could be used in more expensive VR headsets going forward. LG and Meta announced a partnership earlier this year and said they would make a next-generation XR device. This device is one example of where LG’s new displays could be used.
LG-Meta headset or no, LG’s displays are sure to get adopted into XR headsets soon. And we could see some amazing new VR and AR headsets.
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