Phones How do you feel about 4K on a Samrtphone

[TheRealAlex]

Rumors point to 4K resolution on the upcoming Note 8.

What does 4K resolution bring to the table and how does that help the customer ?

Better battery life no it makes it worse.
Improved speed again no it slows a fast CPU way down
Better use if RAM nope makes RAM management worse
Optimized Apps ? Nope horrible scaling since Zero Aps are 4K natively.

In short I'd bet anything that No one can tell the difference ever ever. Using a 1440p resolution at 5.7" size 12 inches from their face vs. a 4K 5.8" size display 12 inches from their face. You just humanly can't.

So we go back to how does this benefit the customer ?

No doubt much hype will be made about 4K and HDR on the Note 8 but that mainly is marketing trying to sell customers a worse experience and in turn sell more TVs because customers will think if my phone has 4K then I need a 4K TV as well.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

VR, and that's about it. But I can understand the push for it, personally. Wouldn't care about it in an iPhone though.

 

[lugworm]

It'll soon be the norm. 5 years after that Apple will adopt it as "i4k" !

 

[Klyster]

Yep VR would be better.

 

[Tsepz]

Rumors point to 4K resolution on the upcoming Note 8.

What does 4K resolution bring to the table and how does that help the customer ?

Better battery life no it makes it worse.
Improved speed again no it slows a fast CPU way down
Better use if RAM nope makes RAM management worse
Optimized Apps ? Nope horrible scaling since Zero Aps are 4K natively.

In short I'd bet anything that No one can tell the difference ever ever. Using a 1440p resolution at 5.7" size 12 inches from their face vs. a 4K 5.8" size display 12 inches from their face. You just humanly can't.

So we go back to how does this benefit the customer ?

No doubt much hype will be made about 4K and HDR on the Note 8 but that mainly is marketing trying to sell customers a worse experience and in turn sell more TVs because customers will think if my phone has 4K then I need a 4K TV as well.

I remember posts like this with regards to 2K Display on phones, and here we are with our 2K display phones running just fine.

Main use for 4K Display is VR.

If you don't like advancement of Screen tech you can always get an iPhone.

 

[grkm3]

I remember seeing posts that 1080p is a waste and 4g LTE is not needed

the max resolution the human eye can see is over 2190ppi. at 4 inches away from a screen.

a person with 20/20 vision can see 876ppi at 4 inches away from a screen.

bottom line is you will see a difference going to 4k but anything after that is a waste.

 

[MRU]

Actually this year there has been less push on QHD - with a lot more phones in the 5"+ (and often 5.5"+ range) sporting 1080p and there has been little whinging. If anything there seems more acceptance from reviewers that for the vast majority of tasks what we have is fine.

The only benefit seems to be VR focussed, and I wonder if in another year VR may have simply disappeared into the recesses of generally not cared about by the masses, much like 3D ..

 

[The Game 161]

VR for sure but to me VR seems like a gimmick that many have no interest in using on a regular basics.

 

[Brian Y]

Actually this year there has been less push on QHD - with a lot more phones in the 5"+ (and often 5.5"+ range) sporting 1080p and there has been little whinging. If anything there seems more acceptance from reviewers that for the vast majority of tasks what we have is fine.

The only benefit seems to be VR focussed, and I wonder if in another year VR may have simply disappeared into the recesses of generally not cared about by the masses, much like 3D ..

IMO, VR headsets which use your phone are dumb. They're never very good.

I have a PSVR, however, and yes, the graphics are terrible, but the experience is something else. It's fantastic. I think the future of VR is in high end gaming, not phones, personally.

 

[sunking101]

1080p LCD for me. I like the battery life, I like the lack of burn-in, I like the increased speeds due to less processor/GPU activity, and I'm perfectly happy with the visual representation. In two or three years when CPU, GPU and hopefully battery life have all improved then by all means hit me with 4K.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I've experienced better on-screen battery life at full brightness on the S7 Edge, Note 7, and LG V20 than on the iPhone 7 Plus. So I don't think battery life will be an issue with 4K. As long as the the device has an adequate sized battery and optimization.

Although portable VR has a long way to go, my experience with the Gear VR using the S6/S7 Edge and Note7 has been great, to the point that I watch entire movies and play certain games for hours on it. So I embrace an upcoming 4K display.

The Note 7 was one of the snappiest devices I've ever owned, near equivalent to vanilla Android and snappier than the iPhone. Grace UX is getting a lot of praise for that. So I expect the S8 or Note 8 with 4K to be the same or better.

I see zero visual user experience differences for the worst, with Android apps on my devices ranging from 720p, 1080p, and 2K displays.

As far as being able to tell the difference. I can easily point out a mobile 2K display from a 1080p just by how crisp it looks. Being that 4K from 2K will be the biggest jump in resolution on mobile displays, I'm positive there will be a noticeable difference.

 

[Klyster]

Yeah I wont go backwards from 2k.
The difference is between 1080 and 2k is obvious after using 2k for years.

I dont care to much for 4k but that said, they need to keep pushing the boundaries, and VR would look sweet.
I like my phone VR. The stuff of dreams a few decades ago.

 

[IowaLynn]

Can we assume pushing pixels = asking more memory and from GPU, which puts strain on battery and increased heat.

 

[nviz22]

I can't wait to see a AMOLED 4K HDR quality screen on Samsung's Galaxy S8. It has VR benefits, but the fact it can make the display shaper, brighter, and stunning will be something to behold. I know the naked eye doesn't distinguish past 1080p, but it doesn't make screens look discernibly different. The Note 7 screen is the best screen I have seen to date. The iPhone 7+ has a good one, but paled in comparison to the Note 7.

 

[MRU]

I can't wait to see a AMOLED 4K HDR quality screen on Samsung's Galaxy S8. It has VR benefits, but the fact it can make the display shaper, brighter, and stunning will be something to behold. I know the naked eye doesn't distinguish past 1080p, but it doesn't make screens look discernibly different. The Note 7 screen is the best screen I have seen to date. The iPhone 7+ has a good one, but paled in comparison to the Note 7.

That's the crux.

The quality of the screen is more important than the resolution alone.

There are many subpar QHD screens which despite theoretically offering better ppi than a 1080p panel, they end up being pretty mediocre in reality (ask LG G5, Moto X Force etc...)

Samsung use fantastic panels in their flagship line since the Galaxy S5. Yet they also supply some pretty mediocre ones to other OEM's such as the Nexus 6 and 6P.

So yeah, quality of the panel will impact you far more than resolution / ppi.

It's a similar fallacy that is often used that an AMOLED panel automatically is better than an LCD screen, which simply isn't true. It's very dependent on numerous factors.

 

[Makayla]

It would be of better use on a laptop. I have heard good feedback from people who have it.

 

[Oohara]

That's the crux.

The quality of the screen is more important than the resolution alone.

There are many subpar QHD screens which despite theoretically offering better ppi than a 1080p panel, they end up being pretty mediocre in reality (ask LG G5, Moto X Force etc...)

Samsung use fantastic panels in their flagship line since the Galaxy S5. Yet they also supply some pretty mediocre ones to other OEM's such as the Nexus 6 and 6P.

So yeah, quality of the panel will impact you far more than resolution / ppi.

It's a similar fallacy that is often used that an AMOLED panel automatically is better than an LCD screen, which simply isn't true. It's very dependent on numerous factors.

I've only heard praise for the 6P screen. What makes it mediocre, compared to say the 7+ screen? Color inaccuracy?

(Asking because I just got a 7+ but am considering selling it and going for a new in box 6P for far less money.)

 

[Hastings101]

VR is the only positive I see coming from 4K, and it's not exactly taken off yet

Besides VR, I don't see a point at the cost of a slower phone with faster draining battery. I guess it all depends on what trade-offs one would rather make

 

[mi7chy]

That's why it's nice having a choice. 4K for VR or non-4K for longer battery life. Even better if 4K is offered with longish battery life for the best of both worlds.

 

[nviz22]

VR is the only positive I see coming from 4K, and it's not exactly taken off yet

Besides VR, I don't see a point at the cost of a slower phone with faster draining battery. I guess it all depends on what trade-offs one would rather make

Well, the last mainstream 4K screen I know about is Sony Xperia's. I think the 835 is much better equipped to handle 4K than Sony's phone.

 

[tbayrgs]

I've only heard praise for the 6P screen. What makes it mediocre, compared to say the 7+ screen? Color inaccuracy?

(Asking because I just got a 7+ but am considering selling it and going for a new in box 6P for far less money.)

FWIW, I've owned the 6P, Pixel XL, 6s+ and 7+ and the 6P was easily the worst display--color accuracy and brightness were terrible comparatively. I had always thought it was decent until I saw it next to the others--then of course, I couldn't 'unsee' the difference.

 

[MRU]

I've only heard praise for the 6P screen. What makes it mediocre, compared to say the 7+ screen? Color inaccuracy?

(Asking because I just got a 7+ but am considering selling it and going for a new in box 6P for far less money.)

The 6P is dimmer, has poorer outdoor visibility and has issues with both yellow and red casts especially on lower brightness. Eve. Using SRGB in developer settings it's course accuracy is not great either.

 

[MRU]

FWIW, I've owned the 6P, Pixel XL, 6s+ and 7+ and the 6P was easily the worst display--color accuracy and brightness were terrible comparatively. I had always thought it was decent until I saw it next to the others--then of course, I couldn't 'unsee' the difference.

Yep. This

 

[Channan]

As others have said, VR is really the only reason. Well, that and mirroring your screen on a 4K TV.

Otherwise, I'm fine still using an iPhone 7 with its barely greater than 720p display. No problems switching back and forth between that and my Galaxy S7 Edge.

 

[5105973]

Definitely eager to see 4K displays for an improved VR experience. I notice a slight improvement even between my S7 with its slightly higher pixel density over my S7 Edge. However, I'm not sure I will necessarily invest in a 4K phone just to do VR. I'd like to try demo units, though.

For my day to day utility, I find less eye strain using any iOS device I own. I don't know why. With my odd migraine issues I get the oddest results.

One day I was having nausea and seizure migraines so I said what the hell, can't get any worse, so I strapped on the Samsung VR goggles and toured some houses and reefs and flew over New York City in 3D and had a grand old time until my phone overheated. I felt great in VR and then my migraine and nausea came back when I came back to actual reality but not as bad. I have a neurologist. I give HER headaches trying to make sense of my brain. So go figure.

I find I prefer to reserve my two Galaxy phones for VR use. I'm back to using an iPhone for my "daily driver" especially for iMessage utility. My HTC 10 still has the best sound and phone connectivity so in a few days I'll be putting my secondary phone sim back into it so I can go back to using it to actually talk to people. Which isn't that often, lol.

I'm not saying my Galaxy phones are only good for VR. But VR is heating them up and taking a toll on battery lifespan, I'm sure. I can never predict which VR app will give me the dreaded shut down notice. So I'm reserving my free S7 Edge and relatively inexpensive S7 for the life killing VR use. Plus my other two phones aren't made for VR use and have only 1080p.

Given my experience with phones and VR, I think VR is super fun and I'm all in for it, but I think if I had only one phone to depend on, I would not do this to that one and only phone. And 2016 was a year to experiment. I do not intend to keep up four smart phones after this bunch does on me. In the future it's going to be two at most. Ideally I'd like to get back to one.

So at some point just before my Galaxy phones start to die, I'll also be looking into dedicated VR systems that don't need a whole room to set up in and that don't cost a fortune.

Because I'm just not sure if the future of VR is optimally entwined with smart phones. I don't know if the average consumer would be willing to fry their phones on a regular basis and therefore keep the manufacturers willing to invest in keeping their phones optimized for VR.