MacBook Air 2012 - Samsung vs LG display Review

[Update]

Overview
I thought I'd try to put an end to this LG vs Samsung display nonsense once and for all. I recently decided to get a portable Mac and settled on a beautiful top of the line 2012 MacBook Air. 2.0GHz i7, 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD etc.


Research
Before my purchase I spent weeks reading all of the reviews (Anandtech, Ars Technica, Engadget etc.) as well as all of the paranoia-laced threads on MacRumors with the usual component manufacturer worries and inconsistencies.

Based on the general Anandtech and MacRumors consensus I knew I wanted a unit with a Samsung SSD and display. They're the best after all - right?


LG
My first order (roll of the dice) came with a 512GB Samsung SSD (SM512E) and LG/ShengRuihk display (LP133WP1-TJA7). Yes, ShengRuihk manufacture panels for LG.

When I switched it on I noticed it was very bright and fresh looking. Before I ran the terminal 'display manufacturer' command I could have sworn it was a Samsung. Colors were very natural, the stock color profile was very good. This was a winner.

Nope, it was an LG. From everything I had read on MacRumors and Anandtech I really thought that the display would have looked pretty bad, but it looked great. Some could potentially argue that it looked a little bright and thus washed out - but the reality was that the colors were very natural and not overly-saturated. Next to my 2011 iMac the colors looked almost identical. Most importantly, the greys of the Mac OS X interface looked fantastic.

I was really happy with the display, but at the same time I was also gutted that I didn't get a Samsung. Could the Samsung really be better than this with deeper blacks etc?

The scenario played over and over in my mind and the OCD buried inside me finally won. I decided to roll the dice once more and order a second unit.


Samsung
My second order arrived. This time it came with a 512GB Samsung SSD (SM512E) and a Samsung display (LSN133BT01A02).

Jackpot! - or so I thought (keep reading).

I powered it up and could instantly tell that the contrast was a little higher. Everything looked really great. I could see what everyone was on about over at Anandtech and MacRumors. Once I got over my initial elation, I settled down and spent some time with it before powering up my LG unit for comparison.

The first thing I noticed was that the greys of the Mac OS X interface seemed a little 'hot'. There was definitely an incredibly subtle red hue in the grey mix. This bothered me a little. It definitely wasn't as neutral as you'd expect from a r50,g50,b50 value. It felt more like a warm grey. The other thing I noticed was that window drop shadows were more noticeable than usual and stood out when on top of other white windows. I could clearly see a defining edge. I couldn't remember seeing this with the LG.

My initial impression was still great. The general contrast of the display felt really good. A subtle improvement on the LG. I was sure I could fix the slightly 'warmish' tones of the UI with a bit of color calibration.


Profiles
Before I go any further I want to point out that I'm using the stock Color LED profiles for each unit. Another important thing to note is that both stock profiles are actually subtly different.

LG: Color LCD-00000610-0000-9CDF-0000-0000042737C0.icc
Samsung: Color LCD-00000610-0000-9CF0-0000-000004273C00.icc

With this difference I assume that Apple do indeed have separate profiles for each manufacturer. I tried interchanging the profiles and they're definitely different. The LG profile on the Samsung display looked terrible and visa-versa.


Comparison
It was now time to power up both units and do some some real-world side by side comparisons to work out if the Samsung display really was as good as it seemed.

I powered on my LG and instantly noticed that it was a little brighter than the Samsung. I was right, the greys of the Mac OS X interface looked much better on the LG. Totally neutral with no red tint. I also noticed that the window drop shadows looked less pronounced on the LG - possibly due to the greyness of the gradient compared to the slightly warmer Samsung display.

I started thinking about this whole LG 'washed out' thing that's been thrown about at MacRumors. These things are always subjective but to me, I think this comment is a result of the slightly brighter LG display and more accurate greys making the display feel brighter and less saturated. The Samsung display has a touch more contrast resulting in slightly darker blacks but it's also more saturated too. This is probably why most casual users think that the Samsung display is better than the LG.

More contrast and more saturation = better. Right? Maybe not...


Deeper

At first glance, most would assume that the Samsung is the better display. If you use your MacBook Air for reading, browsing, coding and other non-design related work then the extra contrast and saturation might be perfect for you and probably the best rationale for the Samsung praise here at MacRumors.

However, the the Samsung display has once huge caveat that a lot of people have overlooked in their testing - how it deals with gradients.

Let's get one thing straight before I continue. Both displays aren't great with gradients. There's no such thing as a perfectly smooth non-banded gradient on a non-IPS LED display but the LG is much better at rendering gradients than the Samsung. To put it simply. Gradients look ok on the LG and terrible on the Samsung. For some strange reason the Samsung display cannot render consistently toned gradients.

For years I've always used a pixel and vector based gradient test as the benchmark for display quality. For testing, I used monochromatic gradients from 100% black to 0% (white). I tried linear and radial gradients as well as colored tests too and the results were the same. The LG has a consistent and natural tone to the gradients. Banding is visible but the steps are more natural/even and the tone is consistent throughout.

The Samsung display is really bad. Banding is heavily pronounced and wildly inconsistent producing uneven tones with a variety of red, green and blue banded hues creeping into monochromatic gradients. It's the same for radial gradients.

Of course, the majority of users don't spend their time working with pure gradients so the test is a little extreme - but, for me, a great example of the quality of the display.

This test has real-world implications. For example, set your background to the dark grey solid color and log-out. The log-in screen has a dark vignette (dark surrounding) that highlights the gradient issue. Of course, if you don't have an LG or Samsung display to compare it to, it really doesn't matter but it's clear from my testing that the LG display is much better.


Conclusion
The Samsung has all the praise on MacRumors and Anandtech but (as usual) a lot of these opinions come from one or two simple/early observations that end up turning into assumed fact. The Samsung display generally looks great and has good contrast. However, the default profile makes greys look a little red and there's no getting away from the quality of gradients. They look really bad with inconsistent banding. One last observation with the Samsung is that there's a weird hard-to-describe texture behind the display that can sometimes make solid colors look blotchy.

The LG display is very bright and natural. Greys look grey - not warm/red grey. For this reason, some may think that it's 'washed out'. Saturation and contrast is really good with the default profile and gradients render much better than the Samsung display - possibly a true test of the display quality. The display is also really flat with none of the slightly blotchy texture of the Samsung (admittedly, very hard to see).


Final Words
Both displays are really good. If you've got a Samsung - be happy. It's a great vibrant display for everyday use. If you've got an LG - be happy, especially if you're a designer. You can value it's color accuracy and gradient rendering quality.

I ended up returning the Air with the Samsung display. I personally believe the LG is better quality and much more natural with accurate color for print and screen design.

Hope this helps with your own units and any purchasing decisions.

[Johnny Alien]

WOW. The gradient thing is very obvious. As an owner of an LG display this makes me feel good.

Honestly I have never had an issues with the LG. I fixed the profile a bit and now I find it to be very accurate.

[Update]

Thanks Johnny.

After reading the threads on MacRumors I really felt that the whole debate was totally misrepresented by people who were simply regurgitating other people's opinion without having first hand experience with the displays.

I wanted to take the time to do a reality-check review. Both displays are really good but the LG definitely has the edge in my opinion. Of course, it's just my opinion but the photos help back up my points. I am aware, however, that some users would rather have a bit of extra contrast and saturation over accuracy. This is totally fine too.

Be happy

[Dick Whitman]

Wow excellent comparison, thanks! I'm starting to wonder if I should just keep the MBA I received 2 days ago. I was going to exchange it because of a very small chip in the aluminum casing near the back but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't.

[SWPROX]

Great work , and yes as an owner of an Air 2012 with LG screen,I too am absolutely happy with my screen.

[Haifisch]

Thanks for sharing.

[JoelBC]

I am going to be cracking open my MBA later in the day and would appreciate help with the following:

1. What is the string does one need to enter in terminal to determine which screen they have [i.e. SM512E for Samsung or LP133WP1-TJA7 for LG]?

2. To be clear, am I understanding your post correctly in that that the ShengRuihk display (LP133WP1-TJA7) is the LG display and, on this point, are there other LG displays?

Thanks so much,


Joel

[NutsNGum]

Nice post, Update. Nice to see genuinely helpful people posting.

[kage207]

Originally Posted by Update

Profiles
Before I go any further I want to point out that I'm using the stock Color LED profiles for each unit. Another important thing to note is that both stock profiles are actually subtly different.

LG: Color LCD-00000610-0000-9CDF-0000-0000042737C0.icc
Samsung: Color LCD-00000610-0000-9CF0-0000-000004273C00.icc

With this difference I assume that Apple do indeed have separate profiles for each manufacturer. I tried interchanging the profiles and they're definitely different. The LG profile on the Samsung display looked terrible and visa-versa.

The only question I have for you after reading this wonderful review is that have you done any calibration done to your LG display? If so, what calibration have you done? I still have the stocking LG display color for the calibration but would love to be able to have the best gradients possible for the display.

Thanks!

----------

Originally Posted by 3lite

How do I know which screen I have?

The terminal command is on the first page. I think the 3rd reply by the OP.

[krravi]

So I am going to give it one more shot.

I ordered another MBA and a Retina MBP. I am going to open the MBA first and if the screen doesn't flicker badly, I am keeping it and returning the rMBP as it came in the package.

But if I find that this MBA also flickers bad then the MBA goes back for good and am keeping the rMBP.

The acid test for flickering for me is to hold the down arrow key from top of a long page like say macrumors and hold it to see the page scroll. The text shimmers and almost becomes invisible and it does it at such a fast rate than my eyes dont sit well with it.

[Isamilis]

Originally Posted by krravi

So I am going to give it one more shot.

The acid test for flickering for me is to hold the down arrow key from top of a long page like say macrumors and hold it to see the page scroll. The text shimmers and almost becomes invisible and it does it at such a fast rate than my eyes dont sit well with it.

If you mean, holding the down arrow key even after the page has reached the very bottom and see if it flicker, no, I don't see any flickering. Also, during scrolling, the text is not really blur, still readable, with little flickering.

I use this link to test the screen:
http://www.csse.uwa.edu.au/~lucas/background.html

Hope this help. I have 13" LG 2012 release / ML 8.2.

[Purr]

This thread was awesome - my first macbook air was an LG display and I had to replace it due to a faulty key. I was issued a replacement and it had a Samsung screen, and I was able to put them side by side before I returned the LG display Air.

The colors were more true on the LG display, and the shadow/gradient problem described by the OP was spot on.

Also, it seems as if the Samsung display has a 'yellowish' tint that I'm trying to correct with a color profile, but I can't seem to find many around (all the uploaded profiles are mainly for the LG). At the same time, the LG has a higher 'max brightness'. I put both side by side, tuned up the brightness to max, and the LG was definitely brighter - I turned off the lights to double-check.

In any case, I don't really mind anymore. They're both alright. If I had my pick, I wish my replacement came with an LG display instead of Samsung. Hope that helps a bit.

[krravi]

Originally Posted by Isamilis

If you mean, holding the down arrow key even after the page has reached the very bottom and see if it flicker, no, I don't see any flickering. Also, during scrolling, the text is not really blur, still readable, with little flickering.

I use this link to test the screen:
http://www.csse.uwa.edu.au/~lucas/background.html

Hope this help. I have 13" LG 2012 release / ML 8.2.

No Hold they key till the page reaches the bottom and then the up key to scroll up. Just scrolling nothing else.

All LCD's flicker a little bit, but mine was worse. It looked like an army of ants marching up and down the page. Considering that the MBA for its lightness would be used more to read articles than do anything, i couldn't take it.

And i tried the link you posted and yes there is flicker. But those pages are designed to do that and my guess is that 90% of the monitors will flickr using that page.

But regular everyday web pages should not....

[Isamilis]

The test link should not have flicker, unless during zoom-in/out. If you let the screen idle, it should not be any flicker.

I've tested also in apple store, and found that few 11/13" MBA (pre-2011 - not sure exactly year) experienced the problem and few are not. That could be because of the demo machine.

Originally Posted by krravi

No Hold they key till the page reaches the bottom and then the up key to scroll up. Just scrolling nothing else.

All LCD's flicker a little bit, but mine was worse. It looked like an army of ants marching up and down the page. Considering that the MBA for its lightness would be used more to read articles than do anything, i couldn't take it.

And i tried the link you posted and yes there is flicker. But those pages are designed to do that and my guess is that 90% of the monitors will flickr using that page.

But regular everyday web pages should not....