Samsung Patents Display Technology With Simultaneous Different Refresh Rates Across Multiple Areas

Samsung has patented a new display technology that will simultaneously offer multiple refresh rates in different areas of the screen essentially making it an energy-efficient offering. The details of how the South Korean company wants to do it are not known, but this surely seems to be the next-generation of display technology. Smartphones used with high refresh rate, for example at 120Hz, tend to draw more energy as compared to the ones used with lower refresh rate, say 60Hz or 90Hz.

The patent filed with Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS) by Samsung, first spotted by Galaxy Club, describes a “method of driving display with multiple refresh rates” and an “electronic device that drives a plurality of display areas of a display with different driving frequencies.” In layman's words, this technology will enable different refresh rates in different areas of the screen at the same time.

A display running with 120Hz refresh rate draws more energy as compared to a display running with 90Hz or 60Hz (with 60Hz being the most energy efficient). With energy efficiency comes low smoothness levels that might be a problem for people who prefer a smoother-looking screen.

Samsung wants to offer an energy-efficient solution without having to lower the refresh rate. As per the company, this could be possible by applying different refresh rates on different parts of the screen at the same time. For example, areas near the notification bar could have a lower refresh rate.

It could be possible that we could see the technology mentioned in the patent, filed in 2021 but published earlier this week, in the upcoming Galaxy S23 series of smartphones. Having said that, it is to be noted that patent applications don't always make their way into products. So, it could be possible that we may never see this technology in our devices. Moreover, Samsung hasn't revealed anything in this regard as of now.