Variant on LCD should extend battery life of future smartphones

Researchers have made a variant of current LCDs that should allow a longer battery life or brighter screens. Individual pixels no longer have a color filter, instead the backlight changes color at short intervals.

In the new variant of LCD technology, the backlight has the same three colors that sub-pixels now have in the color filter. Those color backlights burn for 60 microseconds at a time, so that the change of colors is not visible to the naked eye. By burning the three colors in quick succession, the screens can show the colors that are now possible, writes Technology Review.

Because the light does not have to pass through filters that block some light, a screen with the same amount of backlight can glow brighter or manufacturers can make the backlight less bright to allow for the same screen brightness. As a result, batteries of electronics such as smartphones and tablets with this screen technology should last longer.

An American company called Light Polymers is currently trying to sell the technology to screen manufacturers. Because they can make the switch without radically changing production processes, the switch could happen quickly.