A new screen from LG Display promises to extend a laptop’s battery life by dropping to refresh rates as low as one frame per second.
The company is now mass-producing a “1 to 120Hz” LCD for laptops that detects how you’re using your PC and calibrates the refresh rate accordingly to save power.
(Credit: LG Display)
“It automatically switches the refresh rate down to 1Hz when the screen is static and up to 120Hz when needed,” the Korean manufacturer says. “For example, when performing tasks involving primarily still images—such as checking emails or reading e-books and research papers—the panel operates at the lowest refresh rate of 1Hz.” The screen can then crank up to 120Hz if you’re gaming on a laptop or streaming a movie.
The company uses a technology called Oxide 1Hz, a reference to metal oxide-based thin-film transistors (TFTs) used in LCD panels. The technology comprises both “proprietary circuit algorithms and panel design technologies,” LG Display said in a video.
“The result is dramatically improved battery efficiency, including 48% more use on a single charge compared to existing solutions,” the company adds, removing the need for a laptop screen to beam frames at a fixed rate.
LG Display operates as a separate business from LG Electronics and sells its panels to various TV and laptop brands. So there’s a chance various PC makers will adopt the technology. For now, LG says the Oxide 1Hz panel will first launch in Dell’s premium XPS lineup.
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Sometime next year, LG will also bring its 1Hz tech to higher-quality OLED screens, known for their pure blacks and color contrasts.
In October, Intel and Chinese manufacturer BOE touted their own work on a 1Hz display, saying it could reduce power consumption by up to 65%. However, BOE said its own solution was set to arrive in late 2026, so it looks like LG is trying to beat them to the punch.
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Michael Kan
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I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
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