These days, there are plenty of lightweight laptops to pick from. We’re talking backpack-friendly, travel-ready, actually-use-on-your-lap-without-going-numb light. Apple’s MacBook Air is one of our favourites, and Acer’s latest is even lighter. But what about the next generation of featherweight computers? Samsung’s newest display tech has given us an early look at a big upgrade that’s in store.
Samsung’s UT One is a new prototype OLED panel. The “UT” stands for ultra-thin, which is exactly what Samsung’s cooked up here by swapping the usual top glass substrate for ultra-thin organic and inorganic films.
UT One is 30% thinner and 30% lighter than your standard dual-glass OLED panel. The weight savings are equivalent to ditching a whole laptop battery cell (about 50g). So next-gen lightweight laptops are going to be even easier to lug around.
But the real kicker? UT One doesn’t just stop at losing some pounds. Samsung’s crammed in support for a 1 Hz variable refresh rate – a first for OLED panels in laptops. That’s the same stuff helping your smartphone save battery and enables Always-On Displays. This could mean actual battery life gains in the real world, especially when you’re doing less demanding tasks. This also helps to avoid flickering at low refresh rates – possible thanks to a low leakage current.
Now, don’t expect to see UT One in your lightweight laptop just yet. Samsung is building out its production line in Asan, Korea, and the production isn’t expected to begin until 2026. So this is more of a glimpse into the near future.
Of course, Samsung is also showing off some other new display tech. Intelligent Color Technology juices up pixel saturation while dimming overall brightness to save power and Edge Luminance Profile tones down the brightness in screen corners you weren’t looking at anyway.
Gamers have been given some attention, too. There’s a new 27-inch UHD QD-OLED monitor with a 160 PPI, plus a prototype boasting 220 PPI for the editing elite. Also on show is a QHD QD-OLED that cranks up to 500Hz. There’s even a 34-inch ultra-wide model with a 360Hz refresh rate.
Samsung’s 2025 OLED TVs are also getting NVIDIA G-SYNC support in a free update. That means buttery-smooth gameplay with no screen tearing, with support for refresh rates up to 165Hz. It’ll first be available on the S95F model, and then other 2025 OLEDs.
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