Several display technologies—some new, some not—are vying for small slices of the mobile phone market. Yet LCDs still rule the roost, according to ABI Research. The company says that as a mature technology, LCD maintains a cost advantage that ensures leadership for some time to come. But other technologies with advantages in power consumption and readability will find niches in this very large marketplace as their prices drop.

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“Of the challengers,” says research director Kevin Burden, "OLEDs are among leading contenders because of the maturity of their development and their use in other devices, such as televisions, which will strengthen their supply chain.”

ABI Research also cites Qualcomm’s MEMS-based “mirasol” display, which is finding its first role in secondary screens used on clamshell handsets. In 2009, Qualcomm will open a dedicated mirasol display factory in Taiwan, a major step toward ramping up its supply chain.

E-Ink, the “electronic paper” display in Amazon’s Kindle, is also targeting the handset market. Though it is physically robust and boasts very low power consumption, E-Ink’s current lack of color handling and low refresh rate may limit its immediate appeal, though it also has opportunity as a phone’s secondary display.

ABI Research’s Research Brief, “Emerging Displays in Mobile Handsets,” discusses the strengths, weaknesses, and most likely market opportunities for a number of emerging display technologies, as well as the strategies of the companies that make them.

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