Antireflection displays with ambient contrast enhancement for extended device battery lifetime and reduced energy consumption

Antireflection (AR) coatings can improve the viewing experience of a display, including mobile electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops that are typically operated on battery power and protected with chemically strengthened glass. In this work, we discuss the trade‐offs between optimal user viewing experience in brightly lit environments and battery lifetime for an AR versus a non‐AR mobile display. We show that under 400–1,000 lux ambient illumination, an AR‐based display can be operated at >30% lower luminance than a non‐AR display with similar human perception of contrast based on a perceptual contrast length model, resulting in a potential improvement of >15% in device battery lifetime and a similar proportion of energy savings. This work analyzes the trade‐offs between display luminance output and battery lifetime for an antireflection (AR) versus non‐AR mobile display under ambient lighting. We show that under 400–1,000 lux ambient illumination, an AR‐based display can have similar viewing quality when set to >30% lower luminance than a non‐AR display, potentially saving >15% in device battery lifetime and energy consumption.