Samsung has released details of a prototype laptop based on AMOLED (active matrix organic light-emitting diode), the technology expected to feature in the next generation of computer displays.

On the face of it, the demonstration laptop’s 12 inch AMOLED display, which can run up to a resolution of 1280×768, is much the same as on any other laptop, but a closer look reveals features that make today’s designs look stone age by comparison.

AMOLEDs don’t require back-lighting, which means they can not only be wafer thin, which saves on weight, but consumer a fraction of the power of a conventional LCD. They also achieve this while being claimed to be much brighter, having better contrast levels, and with a greater angle of view — LCDs fade when viewed from oblique angles.

Samsung’s prototype has other cool touches, including a touch-sensitive keyboard that allows the laptop to be extremely thin. This raises all sorts of questions, though: will resting your fingers on the keys cause the laptop to go ballistic? Will it have some kind of pressure sensitivity? Will it have any tactile feedback such as vibration? Is this an effective, or even feasible, substitute for real keys?

It’s unlikely we’ll see this particular model reach the market, but if the cost can be reduced, the screen technology will almost inevitably make an appearance on future Samsung laptops, and on the laptops of Samsung’s competitorsThe Samsung concept also ditches the old button keyboard in favor of a touch-based equivalent, reducing weight to levels that could finally the idea of portable computing ubiquitous.