The new generation of mobile OLED panels from Samsung Display is the first to achieve 10000 nits peak brightness, but only in very small areas of the picture.
The M16 OLED material stack was formally introduced this week by the display maker who supplies many brands with OLED panels. It claimed that M16 is 30% more efficient than M14 OLED – M15 was skipped.
M16 incorporates Samsung Display's latest generation of OLED materials and it also uses the display maker's 2nd-generation polarizer-free design (Lead 2.0). The lack of a polarizer significantly improves energy and luminance efficiency, but can affect black levels and contrast in bright environments.
The 10000-nit milestone
At the presentation, Samsung Display unveiled a 6.9-inch panel featuring M16 OLED technology, with 2560x1440 pixels, 1-165Hz variable refresh rate, larger color volume and higher 3300Hz PWM dimming for reduced flicker.
It was claimed to be the world's first OLED panel to reach 10000 nits peak brightness in a 1% window – the maximum brightness level defined under current HDR standards – or 2800 nits in full-screen mode.
The M-series stacks are used for smartphone panels, whereas Samsung Display's OLED panels for tablets and laptops typically use a different panel design, but still may benefit from the advancements in M16. For monitors and TVs, Samsung Display produces a different panel type known as QD-OLED – OLED with quantum dot converters for green and red.
Still, it shows that OLED panels continue to improve at a rapid pace, reaching the 10000-nit milestone for the first time, even if limited to a 1% window. The 5000-nit milestone was reached in early 2025 so the industry is moving very fast.
Photo: Ice Universe, X
Used in Vivo iQOO and new iPhones
At the event, Samsung Display confirmed that the 6.9-inch panel will be used in Vivo's new iQOO 16 gaming smartphone.
Earlier this year, Korean newspaper The Elec reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models will use the M16 OLED stack, which makes sense as Samsung Display has historically developed even-numbered M-stacks for Apple and odd-numbered M-stacks for other customers. However, M15 was skipped, with its advancements being folded into M16.
Apple quotes 3000 nits maximum full-screen brightness for the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, but has not revealed peak brightness for smaller areas of the screen.
The upcoming iPhone Duo as well as Samsung's Galaxy S27 Pro and Ultra models are also believed to use the M16 OLED stack.
- Source: Samsung Display, ETNews, X
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