All Three 2017 iPhones Said to Feature True Tone Displays

[BMcCoy]

It's basically an advanced way for the screen to properly adjust both colors and white balance based on ambient light conditions. If having an extremely accurate white balance and color gamut is important to you, then the True Tone display is really the only way to go. It's not like Night Shift, i.e. there's not a noticeable yellow tint.

http://www.displaymate.com/iPad_Pro9_ShootOut_1.htm

Thanks.

That link suggests it "The idea is to make the display behave more like paper reflecting ambient light and taking on its color and brightness." So actually, the colour reproduction is LESS accurate with True Tone, as it is attempting to adjust according to ambient light, like a reflective surface, such as paper. Whereas the goal with colour screens in TVs, monitors, etc, especially for photo work, is colour accuracy regardless of the environment.

So it sounds like True Tone is good at making iPads usable and pleasurable, but at the expense of colour accuracy. Is that fair?

 

[Mac 128]

Quote
For the expected iPhone 7S models, as well as the iPhone 8, we think ams's content increases due to the inclusion of its full spectral sensing ambient light sensor, as already seen in the iPad Pro for that device's True Color screen functionality. We estimate this to be a material step-up in content from the $0.60 range to $1.00.

I bet Tim Cook spat out his coffee when he read that

Too bad they didn't decide to spend that extra buck to make sure the new iPad didn't have better display features than the Air 2 it replaced. The lack of TrueTone and Anti-reflective display, is enough to stop me from upgrading to this model. The unlamented glass I can live with, especially if it makes repairs less expensive, and I can live without wide color gamut on a consumer model, but the lack of modern features which evidently only cost pennies to enhance the user experience is pointless. Taking the device backward from a hardware standpoint is a mistake. Even the SE either remained the same, or took the device forward from the 5s. Imagine if they had instead reverted to some 5 technologies to cut costs ...

 

[BeatCrazy]

Thanks.

That link suggests it "The idea is to make the display behave more like paper reflecting ambient light and taking on its color and brightness." So actually, the colour reproduction is LESS accurate with True Tone, as it is attempting to adjust according to ambient light, like a reflective surface, such as paper. Whereas the goal with colour screens in TVs, monitors, etc, especially for photo work, is colour accuracy regardless of the environment.

So it sounds like True Tone is good at making iPads usable and pleasurable, but at the expense of colour accuracy. Is that fair?

Color accuracy and environment are inseparable. If you were in a completely black room, then you'd just want a 6500K white balance and appropriate color gamuts, no True Tone needed. But since the room light always interacts with the colors on screen, there is some adjustment that can be made to keep things in balance.

Putting the 9.7 Pro next to an Air 2 is noticeable.

 

[DoctorTech]

Good luck artists! I hope Apple's concept of how your stuff should look matches your own concept. This is just stupid.

I love the True Tone feature on my iPad Pro. An artist / photographer can create / capture whatever they want in whatever color they want. However, what it looks like to the viewer is going to depend upon ambient light when and where it is viewed. The statue of Venus would look more orange if it were illuminated by candle light and more blue if it were illuminated by white LEDs.

True Tone is not about "Apple's concept of how your stuff should look" it is about matching the display color temperature to the ambient lighting in the room. It is much more natural looking if I am reading a website on my iPad and the background color behind the text is warmer like the light in my living room. It really does look odd for everything else in the room to be bathed in warm light but my iPad screen to still be stark white. By matching the screen color to the room's ambient light it is more of an experience like reading a piece of paper. I really like the feature but if someone else doesn't, the feature can easily be turned off in settings.

 

[Superrjamz54]

OK but please be OLED. It's 2017 and OLED displays are just simply better technology.

Must be why companies like LG are still using LCD. Samsung has a monopoly on them for another year.

 

[profets]

I really don't understand why they would come out with three phones. A 7s/+ and an 8 or whatever makes zero sense.

How does it make zero sense? You already mentioned it could be called something other than iPhone 8, so you understand it won't be a 7s and 8 launch at the same time.

Between the SE at the low end and likely Edition or Pro (or whatever they call it) at the high end, it looks like they're slowly moving to a line up based on screen sizes and features, instead of one that is just filled with last year's product as well as the product from 2 years prior.

 

[Mac 128]

Color accuracy and environment are inseparable. If you were in a completely black room, then you'd just want a 6500K white balance and appropriate color gamuts, no True Tone needed. But since the room light always interacts with the colors on screen, there is some adjustment that can be made to keep things in balance.

Putting the 9.7 Pro next to an Air 2 is noticeable.

Right, but he's not wrong. For graphic design, true color accuracy is important, regardless of the ambient light. For the typical consumer at home reading a book, or looking at photos, TrueTone is likely better. That's why it's a shame Apple chose not to include it on the new iPad, especially for the additional $1.00 it likely cost.

I'm not sure why this would be valuable for the iPhone however, except to the extent that some people likely use their Plus-sized iPhones, instead of an iPad. I imagine it will be easier on my eyes in the evenings when I check messages, especially before bed.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Right, but he's not wrong. For graphic design, true color accuracy is important. For the typical consumer at home reading a book, or looking at photos, TrueTone is likely better. That's why it's a shame Apple chose not to include it on the new iPad, especially for the additional $1.00 it likely cost.

You can't get "true color accuracy" if you're sitting on your couch. So that's where True Tone "helps". Sure, perfect color accuracy can be achieved in a near-black room, but since that's not our situation, I feel that True Tone gets closer to correct color accuracy that a display (in normal conditions) that doesn't have it.

Also, I'm sure it's much more than $1. You've got 2 (4?) sensors involved, plus the CPU/GPU overhead required.

I calibrate both PC monitors and TV displays with thousands of dollars of software and colorimeter equipment. So, I feel pretty confident in saying that if the average consumer wants the most accurate color/white balance for real-world conditions, a True Tone iPad/iPhone is your best path to get there.

 

[Jakeoster]

Great! A feature that is not only useful but significantly reduces eye strain without you have to do anything.

Who the **** cares about a screen that slightly wraps around the edges of the chassis? Classic Samsung "look at me" hubris.

One only has to look at the reports already that people are putting their finger or the camera instead of the fingerprint reader to see how well thought out their "innovations" are.

 

[ChrisCW11]

This is the first feature I turn off on any device, adaptive brightness or anything that mucks around with color based on brightness or time of day.

I don't want my display to go orange or yellow or become super bright or dark, period. I find this incredibly annoying because in reality this usually all happens unexpectedly and in some situations it can vary frequently if you are not in an environment which constant light intensity, like in a vehicle or outside on a partially cloudy day. And I will be a judge of the quality of sleep I get without someone thinking a yellowing screen in the evening is why I can't fall asleep otherwise.

Stop ****ing around with the color and brightness of my screen. If I wanted to look at a dark yellow-faded image I would go to an book store and buy some dusty tome to struggle to read properly, I don't expect in in a quality device display.

I am all for greater screen color gamut, but just like with equalizers for music I can't stand when some engineer somewhere thinks I need to look at or listen to something differently based on their assumption about what "quality" should look or sound like.

And I can tell you right now there is nothing "pro" about a device that color shifts in incandescent or fluorescent light because no graphic designer or video editor will EVER want "untrue" color representation based on the light quality around their workstation at the time they are creating content. There is a reason why professionals invest in $5000+ monitors that accurately and, more importantly, consistently represent colors without the display randomly shifting color on them.

This is just another marketing gimmick that Apple is trying to use to make it seem like people should dump $1200 in a tablet for posers that think they are pro because they photos change color and that should matter in different situations.

 

[profets]

This is the first feature I turn off on any device, adaptive brightness or anything that mucks around with color based on brightness or time of day.

I don't want my display to go orange or yellow or become super bright or dark, period. I find this incredibly annoying because in reality this usually all happens unexpectedly and in some situations it can vary frequently if you are not in an environment which constant light intensity, like in a vehicle or outside on a partially cloudy day. And I will be a judge of the quality of sleep I get without someone thinking a yellowing screen in the evening is why I can't fall asleep otherwise.

Stop ****ing around with the color and brightness of my screen. If I wanted to look at a dark yellow-faded image I would go to an book store and buy some dusty tome to struggle to read properly, I don't expect in in a quality device display.

I am all for greater screen color gamut, but just like with equalizers for music I can't stand when some engineer somewhere thinks I need to look at or listen to something differently based on their assumption about what "quality" should look or sound like.

And I can tell you right now there is nothing "pro" about a device that color shifts in incandescent or fluorescent light because no graphic designer or video editor will EVER want "untrue" color representation based on the light quality around their workstation at the time they are creating content. There is a reason why professionals invest in $5000+ monitors that accurately and consistently represent colors without the display randomly shifting color on them.

This is just another marketing gimmick that Apple is trying to use to make it seem like people should dump $1200 in a tablet for posers that think they are pro because they photos change color and that should matter in different situations.

Considering that Tru Tone is only available on the 9.7" iPad Pro, I find it hard to believe its the first feature you turn off on any device.

 

[GeneralChang]

This would be pretty cool, gotta admit.

 

[BeatCrazy]

There is a reason why professionals invest in $5000+ monitors that accurately and, more importantly, consistently represent colors without the display randomly shifting color on them.

There is also a reason they sit in light-controlled rooms and calibrate those $5K monitors to take into account the light in those rooms. Since you can't do such a thing with an iPad as you're going from the kitchen to the living room, there is True Tone.

 

[Mac 128]

You can't get "true color accuracy" if you're sitting on your couch. So that's where True Tone "helps". Sure, perfect color accuracy can be achieved in a near-black room, but since that's not our situation, I feel that True Tone gets closer to correct color accuracy that a display (in normal conditions) that doesn't have it.

Also, I'm sure it's much more than $1. You've got 2 (4?) sensors involved, plus the CPU/GPU overhead required.

I calibrate both PC monitors and TV displays with thousands of dollars of software and colorimeter equipment. So, I feel pretty confident in saying that if the average consumer wants the most accurate color/white balance for real-world conditions, a True Tone iPad/iPhone is your best path to get there.

I'm just quoting the article. I also wouldn't underestimate Apple's negotiating power in reducing a sensor for a potential 200 million units to around a $.40 increase per unit.

I think TrueTone serves an important professional purpose in that a designer can expose a project to various ambient lighting conditions and get a broader read as to how his work will be perceived. But I never said anything about needing "true color accuracy" while sitting on your couch. I was referencing a professional in a work environment, where the colors should reflect accurately without being affected by ambient light sources. That's the job of any monitor or display in a professional environment. I want to know what the absolute color values are, regardless of the local conditions. Once I've established that, then I'd love to know how that image is perceived in different light, when the consumer sees it while sitting on their couch. The reality is, thanks to Apple's decision not to include TrueTone on the new iPad, even if I know and incorporate this information as a designer, most iPad owners for many years to come, are going to see it without the same benefit.

 

[Weaselboy]

The 800 lb gorilla that is sitting quietly in the corner is how would Apple handle those on the upgrade program. Assuming Apple would have two levels of new phones for the first time, would they get the 7s or the 8?

You would just get whichever one you want and pay the new monthly payment for that phone. When you are in the iUP program the old contract/loan ends and a new one begins when you trade in your phone after a year.

 

[Appleaker]

No matter if they call it Edition or whatever, it still makes no sense. A four year old design along with a new design. I guess apple feels they can do that.
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Agreed

The design is barely 3 years old, and if we're going to say the design is the same then they've been using the same iPad design for 5 years, and they used the same iPhone design for 3 years from iPhone 2G - 3GS.
Making the lineup complex is a bad thing but this is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. They want to show how far the iPhone has come. They could do that with the regular models, although I suspect they wouldn't like naming it 7S and I don't think they would skip to 8. Not to mention it costs more and they wouldn't want to decrease their margins for all 2017 iPhones sold.

 

[gulyabani]

I wish true tone was tweakable like night shift. I wear glasses that filter blue light and these with true tone make the display too pink. If I could just tune it down a little it would be great. Looks great without my glasses, but then I can't read lol.

You can actually color correct the screen since iOS 10 if i remember right, look for display setting, or maybe it's in the accesability section

 

[teknikal90]

this will be the first white bezel iphone ever for me.
[doublepost=1490983466][/doublepost]

No thanks I will not take bloatware, touchwiz and exploding phones

exploding phones wont happen again. touchwiz is not what it was 3 years ago.
bloatware... you mean like Apple's default apps that cant be uninstalled?

I'm an iOS user. but I'm not naive to think that android (and samsung's galaxy series) is making significant strides and indeed has surpassed apple in a lot of ways.
Design is one. hold even last year's s7 and compare it to the iphone 7. the latter seems CHEAP in comparison and that's shocking coming from me, with regards to apple. never thought i'd ever say that.

 

[The Game 161]

Great news

Love true tone on my 9.7 pro

 

[BMcCoy]

There is also a reason they sit in light-controlled rooms and calibrate those $5K monitors to take into account the light in those rooms. Since you can't do such a thing with an iPad as you're going from the kitchen to the living room, there is True Tone.

Ummm, but I have calibrated monitors too, just like you.
But the professional colorimeters i have used attach to the screen, thereby removing all ambient light, and then adjusting the display colour profile to be as accurate as possible, objectively.

I get what you're saying.. that subjectively, how you view a screen is influenced by the environmental light conditions.. and that for 99% of what you do with an iPad, True Tone adjustment is probably for the best... but I would still argue that what True Tone is doing is sacrificing accuracy, for what is more comfortable/natural/easy on the eye.
And that is fine. I'm happy to trust all the opinions that like this feature.
But I just wanted to get my head around what is happening.. and what is happening is less accuracy, in favour of more comfort.
But if I want the most accurate colour reproduction, i should switch True Tone off.

 

[dewski]

True tone display is a big deal.

 

[snowboarder]

Wonder why its taken as long as it has.

c'mon, 60cents vs $1 - thats 40c difference
for our genius T. Cook. just look at the stock
price, his genius obviously works, right?
Nobody cares there hasnt been a new Mac
in 4 years...

 

[dewski]

Would you mind explaining why, please?
I've not used an iPad Pro, and I'm struggling with understanding why True Tone is beneficial..

Its shockingly easy on the eyes. I set these up at work all the time and at the initial set up you can hit a button to bounce back and forth between true tone and regular. Its crazy how soft it makes the image. I am a big fan of nightshift and this is a step beyond. When you get to the home screen for the first time it almost looks like a physical piece of paper you are holding, it doesnt even look like a screen.
[doublepost=1490984154][/doublepost]

I don't want true tone or night whatever. I want my phone to always have a cooler color temperature. What settings do I need to set or adjust for that? Warm tones look dingy and dirty to me.

Just turn those features off

 

[A MacBook lover]

I really don't understand why they would come out with three phones. A 7s/+ and an 8 or whatever makes zero sense.

MacBook - MacBook Pro
iPad - iPad Pro
iPhone - iPhone Pro

Make sense?
[doublepost=1490984627][/doublepost]

WOOPIE****INGDO. If thats a selling point lol. Everyones moved to HDR. I will take an S8 over anything Apple has to offer this year.

Yes by all means go with the company with a checkered history and not the one who's sustainably been making great products for years.

 

[monty77]

The 800 lb gorilla that is sitting quietly in the corner is how would Apple handle those on the upgrade program. Assuming Apple would have two levels of new phones for the first time, would they get the 7s or the 8?

In the UK at least I had the phone back, they stop taking payments and I start all over again for whatever model I choose. Different elsewhere maybe.