AMOLED Suddently Not So Hot

[redman042]

Apple uses not simple IPS LCD but FFT-IPS LCD with LED backlight. There are some rumors both Apple and LG developed together this panel for 2 years. Samsung's super AMOLED still uses pentile method which is suck. I found this photo on the internet. Left side is LCD and right side is Samsung's AMOLED with the same resolution. PenTile AMOLED is great for viewing photos and videos, but definitely NOT for reading text. ......

In every OLED I've looked at, I've seen something similar to the image you posted: an arrangement of pixels that's not a normal rectangular arrangement. Instead the pixels are "staggered" and the image looks grainier in some way.

I just don't get all the hype over OLED. It's got some nice aspects but it's not a well-balanced solution.

 

[fuzion]

Who the heck wrote that article..


"Super AMOLED offers a better contrast ration then 800:1 OLED does not need a backlight so black is black."


"The Super AMOLED is much more better visibillity in sunlight!"

 

[apfhex]

But dig a little deeper, and lots of issues start to surface. Extremely poor outdoor readability. High battery consumption unless the background is black. Wonky color balance and oversaturation. Banding. This article describes it best: http://www.oled-info.com/nexus-ones-oled-gets-depth-technical-check-turns-out-very-bad

This in-depth look from Arstec is worth looking at too. From what I gather SAMOLED will look like AMOLED but better in sunlight. Meh. I'm glad Apple is going with LED/IPS for now. Really looking forward to the 326 ppi screen - I've been waiting for densities like this to hit mainstream devices for a long time. Text is going to look fantastic. The PenTile layout seems to kill it for AMOLED. At the least, I agree AMOLED in its current state is over-hyped.

But I'm going to have to stop you on one thing...

AMOLED is bright and contrasty, almost like a plasma TV.

Have you owned a plasma TV? It's exactly the opposite of what you say. Plasmas tend to have a softer, more natural picture compared to current LCD TVs which are tuned to be over-bright and vibrant in a fake way. This is as opposed to IPS displays in PC monitors like the ACD and portable devices like the iPad which tend to look fantastic, with the exception of uneven backlighting issues which I think AMOLED avoids. I guess it's a matter of if your primary content is video where Plasma (and maybe OLED) is better, or computery stuff where LCD wins.

 

[kenypowa]

thats no surprise when you show an iphone owner that has been using a 163 ppi screen for 3 years straight. obviously the 326 ppi of the iphone 4 will be much more impressive to that person. to someone that owns a nexus one (252 ppi), moto droid (265 ppi) or an n900 (267 ppi) the screen is still going to be "nice" but won't evoke the same "wow" factor.

LOL some of the Apple fanboys got owned.

 

[chrmjenkins]

I currently have a nexus one. I've also owned a moto droid. Same screen size, almost same resolution. I preferred the droid because the colors were not as saturated and I could actually see it in sunlight. SAMOLED will fix the sunlight issue, but not the saturation. It's a great tech, but it needs to mature more. I have confidence that the new iphone's display will be held as the golden standard.

 

[Sowelu]

I hope this new display in the iPhone 4 has more contrast and saturated colors than the display in the iPad - which has a slight washed out look over it. It's a good display with great viewing angles, but it's lacking in the color and contrast department. Nothing pops or says wow.

If Apple is going for 'realness' when it comes to their displays, then we need more contrast and color vibrancy. My eyes don't see life with a slight washy haze over it, or dull and slightly muted colors.

There needs to be a happy medium between the cartoony contrast of OLED (or whatever they are), and the blah-ish colors displayed on the iPad (and assuming in the iPhone 4 as well - hopefully not).

Nothing was worse than the washed out 3GS display. What were they thinking? Most people don't notice or care, but to me, the display is the most important component. After I realized they all looked like that, I returned mine and decided to wait for the next gen.

For me, a great display is bright, with vibrant colors, deep blacks and clean, smooth crisp whites. I hope Apple achieved this with this new display.

 

[peterdevries]

I agree 100%, Retina display is the new standard for displays. Look for competitors like HTC and Nokia to shamelessly copy this breakthrough technology even though I'm sure Apple has patented it.

It's not breakthrough technology. It's just an evolution of existing technology and nothin more than an increase in resolution. I'm therefore quite sure that apple hasn't patented it, as I don't think you can patent a specific resolution. They might have trademarked the name though.

 

[grahamnp]

OLEDs are self illuminating and they don't need a backlight which is why blacks are so black. I'm guessing that the super AMOLED is just an ordinary AMOLED screen with a backlight.

OLEDs are still a fairly new technology in this segment, maybe not perfect now but I think most phones will be making the switch to AMOLEDs in the future.

 

[chrmjenkins]

I'm guessing that the super AMOLED is just an ordinary AMOLED screen with a backlight.

No, the screen is mated with the display in a different manner. No need to illuminate a self-illuminating display.

 

[PhxBlue]

I currently have a nexus one. I've also owned a moto droid. Same screen size, almost same resolution. I preferred the droid because the colors were not as saturated and I could actually see it in sunlight.

Correct-o. I own both and the N1 I cant see outside even at full brightness. I also prefer the Droid screen as I think its nicer to look at than the N1.

 

[redman042]

Correct-o. I own both and the N1 I cant see outside even at full brightness.

I could never accept that from a cell phone, which is quite often used outside. Especially a phone with apps and books and such. That is inexcusable.

 

[BlizzardBomb]

OLEDs are self illuminating and they don't need a backlight which is why blacks are so black. I'm guessing that the super AMOLED is just an ordinary AMOLED screen with a backlight.

Super AMOLED has the touch-sensitive layer integrated into the screen, rather than having a touch layer pasted on top of the screen, hence the extra visibility and brightness.

Let's face it, the main reason Apple didn't use Super AMOLED is because there's no way to get their hands on that much volume of display.

 

[grahamnp]

Thanks chrmjenkins and BlizzardBomb for the explanation