More-Efficient Phone Displays

Innovative displays that let more light reach the viewer could double the battery life of handheld devices.

By Kate Greene on Technology Review

The popularity of Apple's iPhone illustrates that large, good-quality screens matter on mobile devices. But the larger the display, the more battery power it uses. Now, a startup called Unipixel, based in Woodlands, TX, claims to have a design for a handheld display that is 60 percent more efficient than traditional displays. The net result, says Tod Cox, vice president of engineering at Unipixel, is that the displays can double the battery life of a cell phone. The company is partnering with a major display manufacturer, says Cox, and expects to have a prototype ready by the end of the year.

Unipixel's design uses many of the components found in existing displays, such as low-power light-emitting diodes (LEDs), but it puts them together in a novel way that provides a high-contrast picture that consumes less power and costs less to manufacture. "Other folks have tried to invent new technologies to bring to market, and they've required new materials and new processes, and that's been problematic," says Cox. "What we're trying to do is learn from the past and use what's available today."