Smartphones have become more expensive over the years, especially in the high-end segment, due to the quality of their designs and the adoption of new technologies expensive. However, this could be improved in the future.
According to Aroged, one of the technologies that have made smartphone prices more expensive in recent times is OLED, which has been present on many high-end smartphones and Apple’s expensive iPhones since 2017 with the arrival of the iPhone X. A breakthrough in the world of screens could make smartphones more sustainable and especially cheaper.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London (UK) say there is a lot of potential in exchanging precious and rare metals in making OLED screens for cheaper materials. Specifically, the team has been able to produce OLED displays, where the ITO (Indium) anode will be replaced by a single layer of graphene anodes.
It is known that Indium is a rare metal, one of the rarest on the planet. In addition to being a component of some OLED displays, whether smartphones or TVs, it is also an integral part of many other consumer electronics. In the case of graphene, this is something made up of carbon atoms that can be easily manufactured, especially with much better stability than Indium.
Thus, in addition to making OLED screens more sustainable, the new material can also significantly reduce the production costs of many electronic devices such as TVs, laptops, smartphones, etc.