LG Display has begun mass-producing LCD screens for laptops that adjust refresh rates from 1 Hz to 120 Hz based on on-screen content. Dubbed Oxide 1Hz, the technology aims to extend battery life significantly. Dell's 2026 XPS laptops will be the first to feature these displays as a base option.
LG Display announced this week that it is the first company to mass-produce laptop LCD screens capable of variable refresh rates from 1 Hz to 120 Hz. The technology, named Oxide 1Hz, automatically detects static images and operates at 1 Hz for tasks like checking emails, reading e-books, or research papers. For dynamic content such as movies, sports, or games, it switches to up to 120 Hz. The company credits proprietary circuit algorithms, panel design technology, new materials, and low-power-leakage oxide thin-film transistors for this performance. LG claims these screens provide 48 percent more battery life on a single charge compared to existing solutions, though real-world results depend on usage patterns. Dell's upcoming 2026 XPS laptops include Oxide 1Hz displays as standard. This brings low-refresh-rate capabilities, similar to LTPO technology in OLED smartphones and smartwatches since 2018, to LCD laptop panels. It differs from dual-mode gaming displays introduced in 2024, which require manual switching via a button between high-refresh low-resolution and low-refresh high-resolution modes—also produced by LG Display. Separately, BOE and Intel revealed a comparable 1 Hz laptop display in November, integrated with Windows and Intel GPUs, but without a launch timeline. LG plans to start mass production of an OLED version of Oxide 1Hz in 2027.
