The innovations that have occurred in the last few years with OLED have been fantastic, covering everything from explosive image quality to bending screens like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold smartphone. Ultimately showing that the near future is going to have many of the technologies we have grown to love in fictional movies and stories.
Of these innovations, transparent displays have only recently really started to make waves in their development within the consumer categories, and Xiaomi has joined this effort with their new Mi TV LUX transparent OLED display.
This is something that takes us back to a discussion we had with LG back at CES 2018, where they unveiled their Transparent OLED Signage for digital signage in the commercial industry. Then Sharp, this year, with their 90″ see-through display that is also designed for the commercial industry. The technology can be used in so many ways, and now, you will have the chance to take advantage of it at home with Xiaomi (with likely others to follow shortly).
So the technology isn’t new, but it is when it comes to products for your home. It will look similar to a sheet of glass held up by a stand and a thin bezel running around the edges. It will be as clear as looking through a slightly tinted window of a home. Then, when you turn it on, everything will begin to float around the screen as colors form to create a crisp/clear image, which may take some getting used to for some.
Thankfully, most images/video will contain a full background, so it shouldn’t take too much adjustment for your brain until you turn it off and it goes back to being an invisible sheet of glass.
If you think this is something you are going to have to wait on, think again. It begins shipping this month (Aug 16th). The only issue is it will only be available in China at first and Xiaomi has not commented on if or when it will break out any further into the world. That doesn’t mean you can’t try to sneak it over one way or another. However, you then have to take in the cost, which will be around $7,200 USD (49,999 Chinese Yuan). So this is definitely going to be a conversation/bragging piece for those that can afford it.
Thankfully, by the end of the year, you will have multiple options for transparent displays in the home. So patience is a virtue (as everyone keeps claiming).
