Sony's White Magic screens stuck at 4 inches

Sony's White Magic screens stuck at 4 inches
Sony planning bigger White Magic screens

Sony has explained to TechRadar why its flagship White Magic screen technology was not used on the high end Sony Xperia S device.

The new display (found on the Sony Xperia P) uses a new method of pixel powering to allow much greater visibility in direct sunlight, and questions were raised over why the technology wasn't used in the flagship device.


A Sony spokesperson told us it was simply a limitation of size and the company's desire to preserve the user experience:

"We're always looking at how we can take our technology to the next level, but we can't use White Magic in a bigger screen just yet.

"We could physically use it [on the Xperia S], but basically the pixels too far apart [to offer the correct level of picture quality on a larger device]."

Beyond brightness

"We don't want to say we just have the brighter screen; we want to offer great pictures and great contrast to make content look great, and that's the thing were playing about with.

"However, we are investigating ways to improve the technology, as we always want to optimise for future products."

So it seems that while the likes of the Xperia S won't ever get the next generation of screen capabilities from the development team, we might be seeing HD versions of White Magic displays in the near future.

TOPICS
Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grew with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.

Latest in Phones
Apple iPhone 16 Pro REVIEW
The iPhone 17 Air looks impressively slim in this new comparison image, but that just makes me more worried about the specs
Two Android phones on a green and blue background showing Google Messages
Google Messages just added a fun upgrade to one of its best chat features
Samsung Galaxy S25 on a blue deals background
Bored with your iPhone? The ‘incredible’ Samsung Galaxy S25 just hit a record-low price in the Amazon Spring Sale
Samsung Galaxy S25 from the front
The Now Bar on Samsung One UI 7 is about to get a lot more useful – and could soon match Live Activities on iOS
An iPhone running iOS 18 on a purple and blue background
iOS 18.4 could launch soon with a major upgrade to your iPhone’s notifications
Google Pixel 9a being held, from the back
The Google Pixel 9a’s mysterious delay may have just been explained
Latest in News
A young woman is working on a laptop in a relaxed office space.
I’ll admit, Microsoft’s new Windows 11 update surprised me with its usefulness, providing accessibility fixes, a gamepad keyboard layout, and PC spec cards
inZOI promotional material.
inZOI has become the most wishlisted game on Steam, but I wouldn't get too caught up in the hype
Xbox Series X and Xbox wireless controller set to a green background
Xbox Insiders are currently testing a new Game Hub feature that looks useful, but I've got mixed feelings about it
A stylized depiction of a padlocked WiFi symbol sitting in the centre of an interlocking vault.
Broadcom warns of worrying security flaws affecting VMware tools
Nespresso Vertuo Pop machine in Candy Pink with coffee drinks and capsules
My favorite Nespresso coffee maker just got a fresh new makeover, and now I love it even more
Microsoft Surface Laptop and Surface Pro devices on a table.
Hate Windows 11’s search? Microsoft is fixing it with AI, and that almost makes me want to buy a Copilot+ PC