Swiss smartwatch maker Garmin is considering a more improved approach to solar charging of its smartwatches as shown from a recent patent connected to the company. There is a growing trend in the smartwatch market that has seen several manufacturers unveil smart wearables with solar charging functionality and improved outdoor visibility. This offers extended battery life for the smartwatches and there are some high-end solar-charging models with record-setting battery lives. Garmin has registered a new smartwatch OLED display patent that points to the direction of longer battery life while improving the OLED display experience.
The patent document indicates that Garmin is pursuing such technology in its OLED display that allows the company to use energy-collecting display modules to charge future Garmin watches. The photovoltaic cells will be scattered around the OLED display subpixels. Garmin has a few smartwatches that deploy solar charging via the memory in pixel (MIP) displays, but the new OLED display solar charging technology should outperform the MIP approach. The new patent technology, when operational, could offer a higher refresh rate and improved visibility in direct sunlight.
There are bright implications when the new OLED display patent transits into a full-blown proprietary technology by Garmin. Current Garmin smartwatches with solar charging could be improved significantly and newer, more efficient models will also be released. However, there are no further details about the stage of the patent and the progress of the development of the technology.
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