Is Samsung lowering the quality of its mobiles? It already sells more devices with LCD than with AMOLED

The latest report from Omdia is going around the world and Samsung is at the center of the controversy. The study reveals that Samsung could be lowering the quality of its devices due to the global component shortage. How would I be doing this? In 2021, Samsung sold more phones with LCD screens than with AMOLED . The worrying thing is that the figure increased considerably compared to 2020, which is setting off alarm bells. Is it really true that Samsung is lowering the quality of its devices?

Is an LCD screen worse than an AMOLED?

Samsung Galaxy j5 2017 frontal

In today’s market it is celebrated that a device gets an OLED or AMOLED screen and not an LCD . They are different technologies that have their advantages and disadvantages. But is an AMOLED panel better ?

Our experience tells us that it is, although there are many nuances within this statement. By contrast, colors, quality, brightness and technology, AMOLED is a step above LCD screens. But not of all.

This is not to say that all AMOLED screens are better than LCD screens . In the same price and quality range an AMOLED screen is usually of higher quality and gets more positive reviews.

Of course, there are high quality LCD panels that are above other AMOLED panels. There are very improvable screens in AMOLED technology and others that achieve true wonders in LCD technology.

Usually, when two panels of the same budget go up against each other, AMOLED tends to come out on top . AMOLED is not synonymous with quality, but it is a technology that is doing very well for smartphones and has gained supporters all over the world.

Samsung now uses more LCD than AMOLED

frontal del galaxy s8

Samsung is the creator of AMOLED technology. If you see a smartphone from another brand with this technology, it means that Samsung Displays has sold the panel. It is curious that the study we are talking about states that 50.3% of the smartphones that Samsung sold in 2021 had an LCD panel.

This confirms that Samsung used more LCD panels than AMOLED in 2021. But how was it in 2020? According to this same study, the figures were the opposite the previous year. Samsung increased sales of LCD panels by 41% and sales of AMOLED decreased by 15%.

Samsung could be trying to cut costs

One of the conclusions reached by the study is that Samsung would be trying to reduce costs. The increase in the price of processors could be leaving the company without its precious margin. One of the solutions could be to include more LCD panels, which have a much lower production cost than AMOLED .

Samsung would be trying to have more LCD panels in its smartphones in order to reduce the cost of manufacturing and alleviate the high cost of processors and silicon-based components.

Can it be said that Samsung is lowering the quality?

The easy answer would be yes , but it’s a pretty broad question. The study does not reveal in what type of smartphones the change is being made nor what difference in ranges there is. If Samsung is replacing these panels in the same price range, we could say that the quality is going down.

It is also possible that Samsung has sold more low-cost terminals in 2021 , which are usually those with LCD panels. Still, the differences from 2020 are quite considerable, so there could be a bit of both.

If you want a Samsung smartphone today, you should take a look at the type of panel it includes, as AMOLEDs are usually above LCDs in terms of performance and experience. Of course, you should not be obsessed, as there are great devices on the market that include LCD panels.