LG Tandem OLED display hits mass production — Dell XPS 13 is the super vibrant display's first design win

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LG's new Tandem OLED display
(Image credit: LG Display)

LG has begun mass production of its new Tandem OLED laptop display, according to a press release published earlier today. The panel tech represents a generational step forward in display panels, and LG's new variant will see its first use in the Dell XPS 13 2024 laptop. 

Tandem OLED is a panel design that stacks two layers of organic light-emitting diodes on top of one another, creating tandem operation. The pair together can reach higher brightness than traditional OLED panels for much less power draw. LG's new laptop panel specifically is advertised as offering double the lifespan of traditional OLED panels, due to its 40% lower power draw. It can also go three times as bright as a standard panel, and supposedly even offers superior durability. The durability boon is a welcome surprise, especially considering an LG Tandem OLED panel is 40% thinner and 28% lighter than existing OLED laptop screens, making it seem potentially weaker on paper.

We've first seen Tandem OLED displays in the new M4 iPad Pros from Apple, which offer 1,000 nits full-screen brightness and 1,600 nits peak HDR brightness. Before this, Tandem OLED displays have seen use in automotive applications; cars have much higher standards for displays used inside, so the cutting-edge of display tech will often be seen in cars first. Their optimal use case is for high-end consumer displays, however, especially those that necessitate long use times like laptops or art displays. 

LG's new mass-produced panel has impressive specs, even for a non-Tandem OLED screen. The 13-inch 2880x1800 touchscreen display has great color accuracy and depth, reaching 100% of DCI-P3 color accuracy and a Display HDR True Black 500 rating, the second-highest rating available for HDR. However, it will be 60 Hz and only come with a peak SDR brightness of 400 nits. 

The LG Tandem OLED panel's first commercial application comes as the highest-tier screen available for the newest Dell XPS 13, part of the first wave of Copilot+ PCs. The display is a $300 upgrade from a standard XPS 13, the same price as the upgrade to a non-OLED 2K display (though Dell locks the Tandem display behind its more expensive higher-RAM variant). 

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Dallin Grimm
Dallin Grimm
Contributing Writer

Dallin Grimm is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has been building and breaking computers since 2017, serving as the resident youngster at Tom's. From APUs to RGB, Dallin has a handle on all the latest tech news. 

12 Comments Comment from the forums
  • oofdragon
    While they advance some aspects of panel like brightness, what's the "gain" if you are loosing in motion? "Two times brighter" is worthless for me since I like the display to not strain my vision so I keep the light same as ambient, but going back to 60hz from 120hz is pretty much like from 60hz to 30hz. LG newest OLED TVs have the same problem, while you can use a scan feature in C1 TVs that result in less motion blur just like strobe, C2s and C3s do not have this. What do I do? Keep the C1, and buy it again while it's available instead of C3 or C4 or whatever because brightness and color are already end game while motion is the thing they have to work on. I see these products as downgrades honestly
    Reply
  • Giroro
    I don't think I'll ever quite understand the math behind claims like "40% thinner and 28% lighter" since percentages don't really multiply in that direction.

    ... But mostly I'm just confused how Dell managed mass produce laptops with these screens and ship them to reviewers before the panels themselves were, you know, being manufactured.

    It's a bad press release that needs a bit more scrutiny, is what I'm saying.
    Reply
  • LabRat 891
    Can the layers be operated independently?

    Seems very similar to Glasses-less 3D display technology.

    'Would be neat to see these displays repurposed with some software/driver modifications.
    Reply
  • Sluggotg
    Not bad from the company that started out as Goldstar. In the 80's Goldstar was considered a Lower End, Cheaper brand. They have come a long way. 60hz is not good enough. I am sure they will bring that up in the near future.. (of course, I might be wrong.. But I don't think so... Its a jungle out there.. OOPS, Monk Theme song got in my head).
    Reply
  • Sluggotg
    Giroro said:
    I don't think I'll ever quite understand the math behind claims like "40% thinner and 28% lighter" since percentages don't really multiply in that direction.

    ... But mostly I'm just confused how Dell managed mass produce laptops with these screens and ship them to reviewers before the panels themselves were, you know, being manufactured.

    It's a bad press release that needs a bit more scrutiny, is what I'm saying.
    I am confused here. If something is 10 inches thick and something else is 6 inches thick, the 6 inch one is Not 40% thinner?
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    "Double the lifespan" and "X%" are just vague buzzwords for hype. The warranty period against burn in will tell you all you need to know.
    Reply
  • Ritesh Tripathy
    Giroro said:
    I don't think I'll ever quite understand the math behind claims like "40% thinner and 28% lighter" since percentages don't really multiply in that direction.

    ... But mostly I'm just confused how Dell managed mass produce laptops with these screens and ship them to reviewers before the panels themselves were, you know, being manufactured.

    It's a bad press release that needs a bit more scrutiny, is what I'm saying.
    So, you neither understand simple math, nor how mass production works.

    percentages don't really multiply in that direction.
    What does this sentence even mean? 5 mm is 50% thinner than 10 mm. Does someone really need to explain this to you?

    LG has begun mass production of the panels and customers have started mass producing their products based on this panel. It's just standard supply chain stuff, it always runs in parallel. What exactly are you unable to grasp?
    Reply
  • Ritesh Tripathy
    Sluggotg said:
    Not bad from the company that started out as Goldstar. In the 80's Goldstar was considered a Lower End, Cheaper brand. They have come a long way. 60hz is not good enough. I am sure they will bring that up in the near future.. (of course, I might be wrong.. But I don't think so... Its a jungle out there.. OOPS, Monk Theme song got in my head).
    Samsung started out as a noodle and dry fish trading company. Nokia started as a paper mill. AmEx was a parcel delivery company on horseback.

    Your point was?
    Reply
  • Mpablo87
    Impressive Specs or quality ! ? ?
    Reply
  • Tim_124
    Giroro said:
    I don't think I'll ever quite understand the math behind claims like "40% thinner and 28% lighter" since percentages don't really multiply in that direction.

    ... But mostly I'm just confused how Dell managed mass produce laptops with these screens and ship them to reviewers before the panels themselves were, you know, being manufactured.

    It's a bad press release that needs a bit more scrutiny, is what I'm saying.
    Yeah they do. 40% thinner than 100 units is 60 units.

    28% thinner than 100 units is 72 units.

    You can’t then multiply by the same number to get back to the original, but that’s a different conversation.

    A 50% loss requires a 100% gain to even out.
    Reply