Smartphone display technology hasn't changed for a while. However, with the advent of high refresh rates, we now get a chance to experience a smoother scrolling experience than ever before.

But, your smartphone refreshing 90 times or even 120 times per second can take a hard toll on your battery life. That's where LTPO display technology comes in. Here's everything you need to know about LTPO displays.

What Is LTPO?

LTPO stands for low-temperature polycrystalline oxide. However, the full name doesn't reveal much about the technology. LTPO is a backplane technology for OLED displays that allows displays to change the refresh rate dynamically depending on various conditions. Conditions, in this case, refer to what the user is doing.

For instance, if you're playing a highly intensive game like Call of Duty Mobile, your screen needs to keep up with the rapid motions. In that case, an LTPO display will crank the refresh rate up to meet your needs. When you stop gaming and start doing the usual mundane things like scrolling through social media, you don't need higher refresh rates. The display will therefore reduce the refresh rate.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in Phantom White
Image Credit: Samsung

LTPO technology has become the norm for flagship phones. The OnePlus 9 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra were some of the first smartphones with this technology. To demonstrate how this works, let's use the OnePlus 9 Pro as an example.

Its 120Hz 6.7-inch AMOLED panel dynamically refreshes between 1Hz and 120Hz. It uses the full 120Hz when doing active things and switches to 24Hz while watching videos. And if you're viewing a photo or reading text, the display lowers the refresh rate further to 1Hz.

How Do LTPO Displays Dynamically Adjust Refresh Rates?

Typical AMOLED displays use low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) in the thin film transistors (TFTs), which make up the display's backplane. On the other hand, LTPO AMOLED panels use a combination of LTPS TFTs to take care of switching circuits and a different material for driving the display. This is what enables LTPO panels to vary the refresh rate dynamically.

In the case of Apple, it uses LTPS TFTs in combination with Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) TFTs. Samsung also has its proprietary technology for LTPO AMOLED panels using a combination of LTPS TFTs and Hybrid-oxide and Polycrystalline silicon (HOP).

Sure, LTPO sounds cool, and you might be wondering, why is it important, anyway?

Advantages of LTPO Display Technology

Playing PUBG on an iPhone

After high-refresh-rate smartphone displays became a reality, smartphone companies stumbled across one issue—reduced battery life. While smartphones typically have poor battery life, cranking up the refresh rate to 90Hz, 120Hz, or even 144Hz means that screen time takes a beating.

Companies came up with LTPO technology to solve this problem by variably changing the refresh rate. As you might expect, high refresh rates consume more battery, and lower numbers translate to less battery use. By dynamically changing the refresh rate, OLED displays cut down power consumption.

Is LTPO Better Than AMOLED?

In short, LTPO AMOLED panels are better than AMOLED. When shopping for a flagship phone, you'll notice that some have AMOLED displays while others have LTPO AMOLED displays. It isn't the same thing.

Although AMOLED panels are more power-efficient than their LCD counterparts, slapping a high refresh rate on top takes a toll on their efficiency. LTPO is an improvement to this, and it allows AMOLED panels to use high refresh rates and still be power efficient.

Related: LCD vs. OLED: What Are the Differences?

LTPO Is AMOLED With Some Tweaks

LTPO is a backplane technology for AMOLED which helps the best screen technology unlock a new capability of refreshing your display dynamically. That helps companies incorporate high refresh rate displays without compromising on battery life.

That's all well and good, but it does come at a cost. In 2022, LTPO AMOLED displays still live in the premium segment of the smartphone market. However, as with all other newer technologies, it should trickle down to the rest of the market with time. But LTPO is not just available on smartphones. You'll also find it in Apple's Watch Series 5 and later.