LG may have started with the secondary always-on screen but Samsung also adopted the idea although not as a smaller screen on top of the front panel. Samsung’s Always On Display on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge shows the date and time, message alerts, and missed calls all the time. You can be updated with those information just by looking at the Always On Display.
When phone is locked, you no longer have to unlock it because you’ll see immediately if there are important alerts or messages. It’s “always on” so you know it consumes power but fortunately, Samsung was able to figure out how to decrease power consumption. How? By using AMOLED. The black pixels of the panel are turned off always so they don’t really consume much power.
Samsung also takes advantage of the sleep mode of the Galaxy S7/S7 edge as it uses up less power. To improve performance of the DDI, Samsung applies a Smart Power Saving algorithm. Battery life and performance will still depend on how you use the Always On Display so take note of your usage.
You’ll only see eight colors on the screen displaying quick information. It also makes use of fewer frames per second so the device isn’t too busy. Phone sensors also allow brightness to be controlled automatically. The Always On Display (AOD) can be disabled if you want to save the battery more.
SOURCE: Samsung
