DisplayMate: Samsung Galaxy S9 Beats iPhone X With 'Best Performing Smartphone Display'

[DEMinSoCAL]

A brand new phone has better specs than phone 4 months old? Wowser.

Newer technology beats older technology?

It's hilarious how when something is better than iPhone X, it's excuses, excuses, excuses. But there no limit on the comparing of the brand new iPhone X to older Samsung or Pixel or whatever, and that's OK.

No bias here!

 

[DaveOP]

The screen-to-body ratio on iPhone X is about 82.9%. The “all-screen” iPhone is 17.1% not-screen. The screen-to-body ratio on Samsung’s Galaxy S9 is 84.2%.

That includes the unusable side wrap around screen, right?

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Does the screen have anything to do with the ability of the phone to work seamlessly with my other devices?

No? Well then I don't really give a flip whether the S9 screen is marginally better than what I can get on the platform that does work seamlessly with my other devices.

Then, for YOU, the iPhone is better. But for others (ready for this?)...they may not own everything (or anything) Apple don't "give a flip" that the S9 doesn't work with Apple watch or HomePod or any other overpriced Apple device.

 

[cfurlin]

You can slather as much lipstick on the Android pig as you like, it still won't convince me to buy one.

 

[AppleScruff1]

I didn’t read the thread, I’m guessing that DisplayMate is suddenly irrelevant.

 

[dan9700]

Samsung displays are over saturated colour iphones are real colours end off argument

 

[doelcm82]

And the iPhone XI will no doubt beat the S9? That’s the idea of new technology

It doesn’t matter at this point. We’re beyond where the differences are detectable by human eyes.

There will of course be more revolutionary changes in display technology down the road, but for a few generations to come we’ll only have incremental changes that don’t benefit the buyer.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I like the notch! The only stupid things in that photo is side curved glass on S9. No sense, just fun for distortions

Maybe the iPhone 11 will have a notch on the top, bottom, and sides since people like them so much. Maybe they could actually cut a notch out of the casing so you can actually feel and touch the notch!

Or, maybe the iPhone 11 will have a curved infinity display and all the Apple-ites will praise it as awesome and innovative.

 

[Andronicus]

To be fair, they used this exact phrase to describe the iPhone X.

Which begs the question how much closer to perfect can "visually indistinguishable from perfect" be?
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Look how stupid the S9 looks next to the iPhone X with those disgusting bezels.

So do you think the iPhone 8 looks even worse than the S9 since it has an even larger and “disgusting” bezel than the S9?

The notch is dumb and dumb looking and that’s why Apple will move away from it in the future.

 

[BuffaloTF]

The screen-to-body ratio on iPhone X is about 82.9%. The “all-screen” iPhone is 17.1% not-screen. The screen-to-body ratio on Samsung’s Galaxy S9 is 84.2%.

Minuscule differences. I refuse to argue over who is “more correct” in calling something bezel-less.... here’s the definitive answer there - until that’s a 100%, they’re all equally wrong.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

But, but, but it doesn't tell you when you have a new memory with a picture for your new Sims-like album designed and controlled by Apple!

I wonder if the S9 rearranges the order of your text messages like the iOS does? I love trying to solve the puzzle of what order the messages in a conversation really are!

 

[maverick2007]

Whatever whoever wins but good for Consumers! We came along long way and getting better and better technologies day by day.

 

[miric]

I suppose a display is not only the part of a smartphone's design and a smartphone itself. I don't like silly Samsung's rounded corners. Checkmate Samsung ))

 

[democracyrules]

The OLED display on the Samsung Galaxy S9 is the best smartphone display on the market, according to lab analysis by DisplayMate. The screen on Samsung's latest handset showed consistent Top Tier display performance and became the first display to receive All Green ratings in all of DisplayMate's lab test and measurement categories.

Last year, DisplayMate praised the iPhone X as having the "best performing smartphone display" on a smartphone. It also congratulated Samsung - Apple's iPhone X screen supplier - for developing and manufacturing the "outstanding" OLED panel, but said that it was actually the Apple-developed "Precision Display Calibration" that made the biggest difference, since it transformed the OLED hardware "into a superbly accurate, high performance, and gorgeous display".

However, the Galaxy S9 has now knocked iPhone X off the top spot in DisplayMate's rankings, matching or setting new smartphone display records in several categories including highest absolute color accuracy, highest peak display brightness, largest native color gamut, highest contrast ratio, and lowest screen reflectance. Yet despite all that, the 3K 2960x1440 panel in the S9 is said to have the same power efficiency as the one found on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8.

DisplayMate found that the color accuracy of the Galaxy S9's 5.8-inch display is "visually indistinguishable from perfect", thanks to a record-setting high absolute color accuracy of 0.7 JNCD, which is "almost certainly better than your existing smartphone, living room 4K Ultra or HDTV, Tablet, Laptop, and computer monitor". The 2,960 x 1,440 display, with 570 pixels per inch, also set a new reflectance score record with a 4.4 percent reflectance level, which measures display readability in bright conditions.

DisplayMate concluded by emphasizing the "tremendous performance advantages" that OLED displays now have over LCDs, which it said secured OLED as "the definitive premier display technology for Top Tier Smartphones in the foreseeable future over the next 3-5 years". Out of the three new iPhones Apple is rumored to be introducing later this year, two are said to be OLED models measuring in at 5.8 and 6.5 inches, and one is a 6.1-inch lower-cost LCD model. All three are expected to feature Face ID and edge-to-edge displays.

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the 5.8-inch model will have a display with 458 pixels per inch, indicating the same 1,125 x 2,436 resolution of iPhone X, while the larger "Plus size" 6.5-inch model will offer 480 to 500 pixels per inch. Bloomberg has said the larger model will feature a screen resolution of 1,242 x 2,688, which would put it closer to the pixel density of the 5.8-inch display.

Apple is reportedly sourcing the majority of its OLED displays for the 2018 iPhone lineup from Samsung, but LG Display could provide displays for the 6.5-inch OLED iPhone, and Apple could also tap Sharp and Japan Display for extra supply.

Article Link: DisplayMate: Samsung Galaxy S9 Beats iPhone X With 'Best Performing Smartphone Display'

Samsung might beat iPhone X display, but their android OS can never beat iOS security features as iOS and other Apple OS are built in the proprietary environment which is not open to anybody. Android OS open development opens wide exposure to hacking and has a great high risk of hacking.

 

[BruceEBonus]

Some people try to get off Apple and reality syncs in that the OS is the most important part of these phones. You won't get a iOS experience on Android and vice versa.

You are quite correct of course. It’s whethe you think value lies more in the OS or the Phone. If it’s the former and you don’t like the new model you either keep the present one and wait another year. If it’s the latter then your choice is endless (Android at least). For me Apple had come to the end of its run of “innovation” and Samsung was the one showing true spirit. But at a price. Now they’re still leading edge. But not as significantly as when I got the S6 Edge 2 years ago. The Edge feature is a gimmick. And a hefty price to pay for it. I’d like to think people are bored with paying amazing premiums for “premium” phones that don’t justify the price any more. Is a fancy super slow motion mode really worth double. Really? You’re going to delete the stuff I. Two years anyway and nobody really cares. An animated face. Worth coming in to do overtime to pay for? At one time the competition was a poor value choice. But they’ve caught up and aren’t slowing down. And this competition is driving prices down as the choice increases. A silent revolution no longer as the ‘big two’ struggle to demonstrate why we are still paying ludicrously high prices for stuff other folks are churning out for half the cost. And same quality and features too.

 

[nwcs]

Good job, Samsung. Good technology. For one company to do well doesn’t mean the other has to be destroyed. I hope Samsung and Apple play off each other. And now that smartphones are firmly in the maturity phase of the market, it’ll be small differences and fashion that separates the players more than raw specs.

 

[Delgibbons]

To be fair, the S9 doesn't have that much more bezel than the X.

It's also not accurate for people to claim the X doesn't have any bezel, as it still has a fairly thick black border around the entire phone. In fact, the side bezels have remained more or less the same thickness in relation to past models, it's just that the head and chin have been slimmed down.

I just dislike having to choose between either a notch or curved sides now.

I'm glad someone mentions the bezel on the x. Everyone seems to ignore the massively thick black line around its screen!

 

[kazmac]

Every time new tech comes out it bests older technology. Not something I'd consider news since this is updated with every new flagship phone.

I like that purple though (yep, priorities.)

 

[squirrellydw]

S9 has best display and best camera.

And the X is faster, but benchmarks don't matter unless they benefit what you want to be better. Both are great phones use what you like.

 

[Rogifan]

I'm glad someone mentions the bezel on the x. Everyone seems to ignore the massively thick black line around its screen!

View attachment 752846

Samsung also has side bezels as the photo for this story clearly shows. And what’s the bottom bezel for? Symmetry? Everyone hates bezels but for some reason pretends Samsung doesn’t have them.

 

[mrochester]

It's amazing how out of date the S9 looks next to the X with it's massive chin and forehead. Samsung really need to step up their game and get the screen to all the edges.

 

[DaveOP]

I'm glad someone mentions the bezel on the x. Everyone seems to ignore the massively thick black line around its screen!

View attachment 752846

Probably because the top and bottom bezels are both smaller than the S8/S9, and the side bezels really feel more like they wrap around and are a part of the side. "Massively thick black line" is a gross exaggeration.

 

[npmacuser5]

Look how stupid the iPhone X looks next to the S9 with that disgusting notch.

So the notch bothers so many. Carefully look at the top and bottom bezels on each phone. IPhone significantly smaller on the bottom and top. If you look at the notch size the middle the same as the Samsung top bezel. The advantage, the top bezel fully useable on iPhone and a smaller bottom bezel. I would rather have more of the top screen bezel useable and functional as oppose to No value, black on the Samsung.

 

[jonnysods]

Good. Keep pushing each other, way to go Samsung!

 

[macduke]

Unfortunately, people here are actually embracing the 'notch' - like if a smartphone doesn't have a notch, it sucks. This is why people don't respect Apple fans.

Since when does obscuring part of screen is selling point?! Does that mean all prior iPhones were inferior because they didn't have this 'beautiful notch' or can someone please admit it is a compromise and the ideal solution is no notch?

I think it's because there is a certain subset of people who think that the bezel on the Galaxy device is a waste of space. It's essentially a full width notch on the top and bottom obscuring the display. When you use an iPhone X, it's not really obscuring anything most of the time because it's actually just adding an area for the clock and battery so that apps can use the full height of the rest of the display area. When using it in landscape there's nobody holding a gun to your head making you watch video in ultra widescreen mode. It defaults to unzoomed and looks at least as good as any other iPhone aside from the Plus—and to my eyes maybe slightly bigger than the 4.7" display since the UI points are scaled up roughly 7%. However, I will say that browsing the web with the notch is less than ideal. Fortunately with so many mobile optimized sites nowadays, it's not something I need to do very often in landscape.

You see, it's not that we think this is the ideal solution, but we think it's a better solution than what Samsung has provided. And that is rightly our opinion. Many of us would obviously not prefer a notch if we had a choice between a notch and some fantasy world which does not yet exist where you can have a 30,000 IR laser dot projector, proximity sensor, true tone sensor, speaker, and 7MP camera behind an OLED display. But once you use the iPhone X, you hardly ever notice it. And this is coming from someone who is a fairly picky designer. I've been using it since it arrived a few days after launch and the only time I ever think or hear about any notches are when I'm on MacRumors or 9to5Mac. But when the notch inevitably goes away, it's not something I'm going to miss and get all nostalgic about.

TL;DR: Notch > Bezels, Full Display > Notch. It's not that big of a deal when you use the freaking thing.