Are you floored by X OLED screen?

[dazz87]

Do the colours pop? I keep hearing this on reviews.

Yeah when I watched a movie last night. I was just testing Plex app on the X and threw on 300 (bluray) At the beginning of the movie when 300 logo comes on against the blackground I couldnt believe how the logo pop from the screen in the dark. It looked like it was 3d... Watched the first 5 mins and thought it looked great. Jump on my ipad mini 4 (which has one of the best lcd out there) and it was dull (black were dark gray) compare to the OLED display on the X.

IF you are talking about just normal usage like home screen, safari it doesnt look any better than what i see on my ipad mini.

 

[parajba]

Went to the Apple Store to check it out. Had a 'meh' feeling. Of course, it's super fluid etc but the screen to put it simply is not miles ahead of the Plus.

 

[TrueBlou]

Yeah when I watched a movie last night. I was just testing Plex app on the X and threw on 300 (bluray) At the beginning of the movie when 300 logo comes on against the blackground I couldnt believe how the logo pop from the screen in the dark. It looked like it was 3d... Watched the first 5 mins and thought it looked great. Jump on my ipad mini 4 (which has one of the best lcd out there) and it was dull (black were dark gray) compare to the OLED display on the X.

IF you are talking about just normal usage like home screen, safari it doesnt look any better than what i see on my ipad mini.

Totally, video and especially HDR video is where the X really shines. It’s also great with HDR photos, I was surprised at the difference in them doing a side by side with the 7.

 

[Nozuka]

Since the LCD screens were already so good, the jump is not as big as one might expect.

Unless of course they add an oversaturated color mode.

 

[TrueBlou]

Since the LCD screens were already so good, the jump is not as big as one might expect.

Unless of course they add an oversaturated color mode.

Again, it depends on what you’re viewing. There’s no doubt the deep blacks, well balanced colour, brightness and HDR support make a difference.

I’m not dissing the LCD screens, I’ve said many a time Apple make the best in the business. But for some things you really do see a difference. Especially if you calibrate it.

 

[LSUstang05]

If you really like the + model I would wait for the + version to be released. This version is more of a replacement to the regular sized iPhone. Really reminds me of the 5 tall & skinny. Personally I love it. After a year with the 7+ I couldn’t get rid of it fast enough. The thing was just to bulky to carry around for me.

This 100%. I got the 7+ only because of the camera's. I don't watch movies on my phone - no screen is going to be large enough to make even a 10 minute YouTube video enjoyable for me. Getting the best camera's on a form factor that fits in slacks and isn't obtrusive is a massive win for me. Having a slightly larger screen than the regular 8 is just a nice touch.

 

[TrueBlou]

This 100%. I got the 7+ only because of the camera's. I don't watch movies on my phone - no screen is going to be large enough to make even a 10 minute YouTube video enjoyable for me. Getting the best camera's on a form factor that fits in slacks and isn't obtrusive is a massive win for me. Having a slightly larger screen than the regular 8 is just a nice touch.

Yeah it does feel more like a step up from the 8 than a step down from the 8 Plus if that makes sense.
Really pleased with the camera though, having the OIS on the second lens has definitely made a difference.

 

[840quadra]

No it doesn’t. Played natively everything is definitely less immersive. Zoom to full screen and the cropping and loss of content is definitely noticeable.

Cropping and loss of content is noticeable on all devices, not just the X. You are essentially putting the device into the modern equivalent of pan and scan mode. I would say the rounded corners make things a bit worse, but the X is not the only device with that issue. Pixel 2 XL and V30 for instance do this. The “Notch” clearly does impact movies, so I will agree with you there though.

In the dark, an OLED screen watching video content in native form is fully more immersive as you don’t have a partially lit letterbox due to LCD bleed through. You also aren’t cutting off part of people’s heads, or other portions of the image when “zoomed in” to fill up your screen.

 

[parajba]

I also don't like the rounded corners. I much prefer the squared ones.

 

[anticipate]

This 100%. I got the 7+ only because of the camera's. I don't watch movies on my phone - no screen is going to be large enough to make even a 10 minute YouTube video enjoyable for me. Getting the best camera's on a form factor that fits in slacks and isn't obtrusive is a massive win for me. Having a slightly larger screen than the regular 8 is just a nice touch.

This is a good point. I watch longer videos on my iPad Pro. Or my ATV on a huge screen. Or on my MacBook Pro. (Most times it’s the iPad). While my old plus is clearly a better phone for watching (non cropped) 16x9 video, the X is fine for quick takes. It suffers a little more vs a plus for viewing and editing photos (they only fill the middle of the screen zoomed out), but then an IPad is still better for that too.

The main use case of the iphone is portrait. Most people use their phones in portrait. Reading websites, scrolling through email, news feeds, messages, etc. And in those cases I find the X incredibly immersive.

Back to the OP topic though. 🙂 The X screen seems sharper and more like it’s painted on than any other screen I’ve used from Apple. But Apple’s LCDs are very very good. So the difference isn’t super pronounced. They both are very very nice.

 

[Ortiz7983]

No it doesn’t. Played natively everything is definitely less immersive. Zoom to full screen and the cropping and loss of content is definitely noticeable.


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That screen protector on both phones are hideous! Ugly outline.

 

[Gryzor]

Problem is, if people keep putting their phones side-by-side and "prefer" the unnatural, brighter, more vivid colours, they are never going to be happy. It's like when you get a new TV and start to fiddle with the settings to get it just so. Stop. Just get it ballpark and leave it - after a few days it becomes the norm and you wonder what they fretting was about. At the end of the day, objectively the iPhone X screen is one of the best OLEDs out there. Subjectively, that's your opinion, but if all you are going to do is sit and compare, you'll never be happy with anything. In a year's time most people on here will be swapping it for another phone that costs over a grand at base price and no doubt whining about something else instead, like how the lack of notch results in selfies that don't look as sharp or whatever.

 

[The Game 161]

Clear difference to me

 

[notabadname]

^^^This

I looked at one last night at BB. Wasn't even anyone around it. . . . .

Of course there wasn’t (Pssssst - you were at BestBuy ).

 

[redman042]

Totally, video and especially HDR video is where the X really shines. It’s also great with HDR photos, I was surprised at the difference in them doing a side by side with the 7.

Agreed. This is where you see the “pop” on the X display. I watched a phaser battle scene from Star Trek Into Darkness which is a Dolby Vision HDR movie on iTunes. The dynamic range was incredible. Definitely a bit improvement. Same with photos or videos shot on the iPhone (this gen or last).

When you are just looking at the home screen or a web page, Apple has tuned it for accuracy. It’s not supposed to pop. But it is super sharp and looks painted on the glass. I still see plenty of improvement. Also the display is more responsive during gestures and animations.

 

[TrueBlou]

Agreed. This is where you see the “pop” on the X display. I watched a phaser battle scene from Star Trek Into Darkness which is a Dolby Vision HDR movie on iTunes. The dynamic range was incredible. Definitely a bit improvement. Same with photos or videos shot on the iPhone (this gen or last).

When you are just looking at the home screen or a web page, Apple has tuned it for accuracy. It’s not supposed to pop. But it is super sharp and looks painted on the glass. I still see plenty of improvement. Also the display is more responsive during gestures and animations.

You know that’s something I’ve not mentioned yet and maybe it’s just me, I could be suffering from some sort of placebo effect.

But have you noticed that the screen just seems to be, on top, for want of a better description.

When I look at it and even tilt it around it’s almost as if there’s no glass at all, it’s like I’m directly touching the display and not some glass between me and the display.

I’m sure it’s closer to the surface than any iPhone I’ve had before.

 

[TH3D4RKKN1GH7]

No it doesn’t. Played natively everything is definitely less immersive. Zoom to full screen and the cropping and loss of content is definitely noticeable.


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This is so trash. I hate that my only choices are pillarboxing or cropping. There has to be a better way to do this. Watching videos on your phone isn't some niche activity too, so I'm surprised this was what they settled on.

 

[iapplelove]

I have yet to find anything that doesn’t look good. It really is a treat.

 

[torana355]

Essentially an OLED and LCD screen both calibrated to the same standard should look near idectical except for the contrast ratio. The main visual difference will be the blacks. If you were expecting everything else to look better you will be underwhelmed. Once you have been using your iPhone X for a few weeks go back to an LCD screen and the grey blacks will really stand out.

 

[spooky23]

Yeah when I watched a movie last night. I was just testing Plex app on the X and threw on 300 (bluray) At the beginning of the movie when 300 logo comes on against the blackground I couldnt believe how the logo pop from the screen in the dark. It looked like it was 3d... Watched the first 5 mins and thought it looked great. Jump on my ipad mini 4 (which has one of the best lcd out there) and it was dull (black were dark gray) compare to the OLED display on the X.

IF you are talking about just normal usage like home screen, safari it doesnt look any better than what i see on my ipad mini.

Yeah, makes sense. Fair few people talking about how they can't tell the difference but the difference maker is far more likely to showcase during photos or video.

 

[thadoggfather]

Some wallpapers give OLED that EXTRA pop

 

[Jimmy James]

The benefits of OLED are there but Apple definitely went a different route than I expected.

I was expecting, and to some extent hoping for a Samsung like eye melting experience with blissful colors, and cool calibration. Apple instead has opted for more “natural and accurate” white levels and colors, which is way more subtle and is harder to appreciate when you first turn it on.

However, don’t use your LCD iPhone for 48hrs, just use the X. Once you go back to your LCD model you’ll notice it’s a bit fuzzier and hazier, with video definitely looking softer.

When I first saw the Samsung colours you reference, someone was using their phone to take a picture and I thought it was a live cartoon effect.

 

[tripleh3lix]

I think there’s a reason why it’s “natural”. You take a picture on the galaxy or note 8 and it’s very vivid on the overly Vivid display.

I would view the photos from my iphone and they’d be washed out and had less color than the ones I took on my iphone. I think if they turned the color up a few notches — it would make pictures appear overly saturated. Unless they made the pictures less colorful to fit a more vivid display.

Then people on an iPhone plus would see washed out pictures and others not using an oled would have issues with seeing as much color.

 

[Faelan]

No it doesn’t. Played natively everything is definitely less immersive. Zoom to full screen and the cropping and loss of content is definitely noticeable.


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I guess learning Japanese is now mandatory if you plan on watching full screen anime on the X. The subtitles get clipped in half and that’s just a single line lol

Yeah, my 8+ is great for anime which tends to be 16:9 or even 4:3 for older shows. Great for let’s plays on YouTube as well, unless it’s something like Europa Universalis 4. Game UI is sooo tiny in that game that you can’t read things on a 5.5” display without planting your face in the screen.

That white bezel on the + is just as distracting, if not more so, as the notch on the X. I always go for black bezels because of that.

 

[iregret]

I don’t understand why people say this. The oled has worse viewing angles. When you turn it the slightest bit up, down, left or right, you immediately see a tint of blue. It’s expected and it doesn’t bother me. It just raises an eyebrow everytime someone says it has better viewing angles. It doesn’t.

That’s strange because all I see is red.