"Improved display technology will be a big focus of new laptops from many companies this year.
Screen display technology has always been the highlight of international electronic consumption. From Samsung, LG to Skyworth and Sharp, from mobile phones, notebooks to TV terminals, cutting-edge new products of various shapes have appeared on the 2023 CES. Major brands are trying to display “black technology” “Competing for consumers’ attention, these innovative technologies have also brought new changes to the consumer electronics market.
As a major player in electronic consumption, PCs, especially notebooks, have attracted much attention. Many related manufacturers have brought the latest products, including upstream suppliers such as Intel, AMD, and Nvidia, as well as ROG, Alienware, and Acer. , Lenovo, Razer and many other equipment manufacturers are full of bright spots. In addition to bringing brand-new choices to consumers, what industry development trends are revealed behind these new products?
- The big screen is coming
Both the Strix G18 and Strix Scar 18 are coming this year. Image: ASUS
This year’s screens are going to be big — both figuratively and literally, large laptops made a big splash at this year’s CES.
Overall, laptops are switching to 16:10 aspect ratios, which allow for extra vertical screen real estate on taller devices. With that came a shift to 18-inch laptops.
In gaming specifically, we expect to see some of the biggest laptops ever released in 2023. Some of these monsters are absolutely massive, like the alien m18, which weighs over 9 pounds. Others, like the Razer Blade 18, are the largest computers Razer has ever made.
Razer is far from the only company making the 18-inch leap this year. Asus, Acer, and Alienware, as well as Dell and Razer will all top the list with 18-inch premium lines. There are also a number of notable 15-inch models, including Asus’ ROG Zephyrus G15 and Razer’s Blade 15, which this year upgraded to 16-inch models with a 16:10 ratio.
- Mini LED becomes mainstream
Razer showed off its Blade 16 alongside a Mini LED panel that mimics the Brightening and Dimming of the Blade LEDs.
In the past few years, Mini LED has been gradually entering the field of notebook computers. But we expect it to explode into the high-end mainstream in 2023, as it debuts in many upcoming notable consoles. One of the big names is Asus’ ROG Zephyrus G14, one of the most anticipated releases in the 14-inch gaming segment. We’ll also see it on the Razer Blade 16, along with other high-end models from Asus and MSI.
Unlike standard LCD screens, which use one set of lights (or multiple large sets) to project an image, Mini LED displays use many tiny diodes (local dimming zones) that can be brightened or dimmed independently. While Mini LED doesn’t offer quite the same contrast ratio and power savings as OLED displays, it can generally produce higher peak brightness and doesn’t suffer from the same burn-in and image retention issues that OLED does. Of course, it is not without disadvantages. One is the high cost, which basically appears in the optional list of some high-end or flagship products; the second is that because more backlight beads are integrated, the heat will be higher.
Speaking of OLEDs, though…
- OLED becomes more affordable
The upcoming Zenbook Pro 14 OLED will include a 120Hz, 2.8K OLED screen.
Image: ASUS
The laptop market has been moving toward affordable OLED for a few years now; 2022 sees some of the cheapest OLED devices ever, from HP’s $819 Pavilion Plus to Asus’ $649 Vivobook Slate. This trend is expected to continue this year.
Asus has been going all-in on OLED for a few years now, and at this year’s CES it unveiled an absolutely dizzying array of OLED devices, spanning nearly every category and price.
LG has brought two concept OLED displays, Virtual Ride and Media Chair, both of which are composed of tens of millions of self-illuminating pixels that support bendable, folding, and curling designs, without the need for a separate backlight. The company also announced a 17-inch foldable OLED display for laptops, and a series of translucent OLED screens with a resolution of 1080P.
The technology will continue to appear in products from other major manufacturers such as Acer and Lenovo. Acer will offer OLED with its new Swift Go line, which starts at under $1,000, as will Lenovo’s Slim 5 (starting at €649 in EMEA). Lenovo’s foldable laptop will have a total of two OLED screens.
- High refresh rate meets high resolution
Acer’s top-of-the-line Predator Helios will include a 250Hz, QHD, Mini LED display.
Image: Acer
In the past, it was common for gamers to have to choose between a high refresh rate 1080p screen or a higher resolution screen capped at 60Hz. This year we’ll see more laptops that reject such compromises.
QHD screens with fairly high refresh rates will abound at the high end. For example, the upcoming Zephyrus G16 combines QHD resolution with a 240Hz refresh rate. Not to be outdone, Acer’s Predator Helios will offer a 250Hz refresh rate and Mini LED, WQXGA screen. Razer’s Mini LED display can even switch between 1920 x 1200 / 240Hz and 4K / 120Hz. It looks like 120Hz will be a low-end spec this year, a luxury not so long ago.
- Glasses-free 3D attempts to make a comeback
This is a demo of spatial vision running on the upcoming ProArt Studiobook.
In fact, in 2011, various companies were trying to make glasses-free 3D on laptops.
ASUS has announced Spatial Vision, its first glasses-free 3D display. Spatial Vision will debut on two upcoming Asus laptops this year, including a Vivobook. The biggest highlight of the product is the use of an OLED display that supports naked-eye 3D, and the realization of eye-tracking technology, which can ensure that the screen image is always in the focus of the user’s sight. Acer also announced an update to its SpatialLabs display, which should create more convincing 3D effects.
Acer’s SpatialLabs is now available on its high-end 4K Predator Helios. ASUS is actually equipped with a 3.2K OLED, 120Hz screen, naked eye 3D OLED screen technology allows users to watch 3D videos and movies, play 3D games and enjoy 3D model visualization or content creation, while also providing SR-based development tools to be able to revolve around 3D technology builds a visionary ecosystem, which will also incubate more notebook products with excellent 3D experience in the future.
- Epilogue
These are just some of the interesting display features we might see this year. With the joint help of several major upstream chip manufacturers, the ultimate performance improvement of notebooks is an inevitable trend, and will further narrow the gap with desktop products.
Larger screen sizes emerged as the times require, bringing consumers a better visual perception. The Mini LED screen will become a new option for flagship products this year and in the next few years. Together with OLED, it will shine in the notebook industry.
We’ll likely see many of these combined in high-end displays, offering a smoother, more aesthetically pleasing experience than we’re used to on laptops.
