Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
No, thank you Accept
X
Apple Vision Pro Hands-OnBest Meal Delivery ServicesCNET CouponsEssential Summer GearBest Solar CompaniesAdobe Express Gets Generative AIBest Satellite Internet ProvidersMortgage Rates

Samsung shows retail-ready transparent, mirrored OLED

The new technology utilizes reflective, see-through OLED panels that can be combined with augmented reality overlays powered by 3D cameras. You know, for shopping.

David_Katzmaier.jpg
David_Katzmaier.jpg
David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
See full bio
David Katzmaier

samsung-display-mirrored-transparent-oled.jpg
Samsung Display

We're through the looking glass here, shopaholics.

Samsung Display has introduced what it's calling the first mirrored and transparent OLED display panels for commercial use. They were unveiled as part of an exhibit built around personalized shopping at the Hong Kong Convention Centre.

The idea is to make the "consumer purchasing experience more visually engaging," according to the press release. It mentions fitting rooms where customers can model clothing and jewelry before purchase, all with the help of Intel Real Sense, a technology that utilizes enhanced 3D cameras, voice and gesture control, and an automated library of stored "perceptions."

It's primarily a commercial technology for now, but reflective augmented reality in the home is also a possibility. Samsung envisions the displays replacing traditional mirrors, with "digital information services" appearing therein.

samsung-display-mirrored-transparent-oled-2.jpg
Samsung Display

In the future, your mirror will act as a makeup consultant and tell you when it's time to shave. Who's the fairest of them all?

Samsung touts improved picture quality over extant mirrored LCD displays. Meanwhile, in the non-commercial TV world, Samsung has ditched OLED for this year and continued to go exclusively with LCD technology for mainstream flat panels (and yes, SUHD is LCD).

Archrival LG is the only company making OLED televisions for sale in the home, and from what we've seen they do indeed offer improved picture quality over LCD .

Maybe next year Samsung will see fit to move its own OLED TV technology out of dressing rooms and into living rooms.