As Samsung announced the Galaxy S III early this month, many were puzzled and some were even disappointed that the South Korean tech giant chose to go with PenTile AMOLED display for its newest flagship smartphone.

It turns out that Samsung has a good reason behind the choice even though PenTile AMOLED is criticized to be not as crisp as traditional RGB panels. Some also complain that there is color fringing with PenTile AMOLED displays.

According to Mobile Burn which cites Samsung marketing executive Philip Berne, PenTile AMOLED will last longer than an RGB AMOLED display.

It all comes down to the blue subpixel of the AMOLED display. According to Berne, they are the most easy subpixel to degrade over time.

PenTile displays have a subpixel arrangement of RGBG which masks the degrading of the blue subpixel as time goes by. This and the massive resolution that the Galaxy S III has (720p HD) ensures that the display will last longer while masking weaknesses like the criticisms mentioned above.

According to Berne, Samsung has to ensure that the screens they put on devices will last longer as their customers tend to hold on to their units for about 18 months before they go out and buy another unit.

Samsung says that PenTile AMOLED units are more reliable than RGB AMOLED units.

RGB vs PenTile

Image from sam_churchill on Flickr (CC)

About Solon Harmony Dolor

A passion for technology and journalism makes this upcoming writer very interested in social media and technology news. Fresh from finishing an English and Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman, he aims to bring interesting news to our readers .