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.