Samsung's Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, to be unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked 2023 on February 1, may feature a next-generation OLED display with touchscreen components integrated into the panel itself. This could pave the way for even slimmer and sleeker laptops. That's because [Samsung Display, the screen manufacturing arm of the South Korean tech giant (opens in new tab) (hat tip to The Verge (opens in new tab)), has announced the world's first "large-area" touch-integrated OLED. [Touch-screen OLED displays are nothing new, but Samsung is using a new technology called On Cell Touch AMOLED (OCTA) to embed a touch sensor in the OLED panel itself. A form of this technology is found in smartphones with OLED touchscreens, but has not yet been scaled up for laptop computers.

Typically, adding touch functionality to an OLED-equipped laptop would require the use of a touch sensor film across the entire screen. According to Samsung, using such a film increases the thickness of the display by 6% to 11%.

However, by using OCTA technology, laptop displays can become noticeably thinner and lighter. Samsung also claims that OCTA is an environmentally friendly measure, since touch film is usually plastic.

The OCTA panels, which are expected to come in 13" and 16" sizes, will also include more conventional performance: a 120 Hz refresh rate and 3K resolution will result in a sharp, smooth display. These specs are consistent with those rumored for the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra, which helps explain the new technology's purportedly impressive lightweight design.

With Samsung Display supplying panels to other brands, it is likely that OCTA technology will become widespread. If that happens, we can expect to see a fresher laptop form factor. ...... Looking at Microsoft's Surface Laptop 5, that design needs a refresh.

The Galaxy Book 3 Ultra is rumored to be at Samsung's first Unpacked event of 2023, and we may see the Galaxy S23 series.

We will bring you the latest news from Samsung's showcase. But if you want to see it live, check out our guide on how to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2023 online.