While infotainment screens continue to grow ever larger, Mercedes-Benz has skipped the slow expansion and gone all the way to hyper. The MBUX Hyperscreen is a new curved glass screen that spans the vehicle from pillar to pillar adding a new sense of awe to the upcoming luxury EQS model. Mercedes-Benz says that more than just that massive size, it will offer "unprecedented ease of use" as well as simplicity.
The scratch-resistant aluminum silicate glass panel spans 141 cm and curves around the vehicle interior. It's not one solid screen underneath; instead, there are multiple displays, and Mercedes-Benz says that the curve of the panel means distortion-free viewing from across the width of the vehicle. 12 actuators under the gargantuan display give haptic feedback for users and the brightness changes automatically for conditions using a light sensor and camera.
Mercedes calls this latest implementation of the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) interface "zero layer," because it claims the system stops drivers from needing to scroll down through submenus or giving voice commands to access features. It also removes physical analogue buttons completely. Benz says the most important commands are offered at top-level based on the situation and context. Mercedes analyzed the use of the first-gen MBUX system and through insights gleaned from that information, picked what features are used most often. Mercedes says that the most used were navigation, radio/media, and phone, so navigation is always front and centre while the others are not far away. It also learns user behaviours and suggests those functions to drivers, like showing contact information for the person someone normally calls on the way home from work, for example. If someone else is driving, it won't make that recommendation. It can remember to raise the suspension for a garage or speed bumps, and if drivers often use, say, the hot stone massage when it's cold out, it will suggest that feature when it's chilly outside.
A separate display is offered for the passenger that lets them help control navigation and audio, and in some countries will even let them watch media on the screen. If there's nobody in that seat, the display turns into a digital decoration, though thanks to the OLED screen, pixels that are not part of the image stay turned off and look black rather than the lit-up look of more traditional screens.
Hyperscreen launches later this year on the all-electric EQS flagship sedan. Will it trickle down to the other Mercedes models? We'll have to wait and see as Mercedes-Benz reveals four EVs this year starting with the EQA compact electric.
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