When phone maker HTC launched the Droid Incredible, one of its selling points was the device’s 3.7-inch AMOLED display. However, display supplier Samsung has been unable to keep up with demand for the Droid Incredible, so HTC has hit upon an ingenious solution: swap out the display. HTC has announced that, going forward, some HTC devices with 3.7-inch displays (presumably including the Droid Incredible, HTC Desire, and any Google Nexus Ones that get built from here on out) will feature Sony Super LCD (SLCD) displays, which incorporate Sony VSPEC III technology.
Of course, the display quality of Samsung’s AMOLED displays was one of the key selling points of the Incredible and the Desire. HTC is looking to mitigate any perception of a reduction in display quality by characterizing the SLCD displays as “a comparable visual experience to HTC’s current 3.7-inch displays,” offering “exceptional natural balanced color, clear contrast, broad viewing angles” and other benefits. HTC is also saying the SLCD displays will give its devices better battery performance.
One of the reasons HTC isn’t able to set its hands on enough 3.7-inch AMOLED displays from Samsung is that Samsung is busy launching its own Galaxy S line of Android-powered smartphones—which will appear on all major U.S. carriers under different monikers. Samsung’s Galaxy S series bear AMOLED displays.