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Other This years screen lottery (17, 17 pro, 17 pro max and air)
- Thread starter Furrr
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This comes to mind when I see people scrutinizing differences between G9N and G9P panels
My iPad Pro 11 M4 256 has a rare G9L panel and, while it has great colors and brightness, you can very easily see the grain/paper texture when looking up close.
My old 12PM Gold 256 has the “famed” G9N. It is a clean and bright display. But there’s a green tint overall and the sharpness (especially around text) is slightly worse.
Meanwhile, my orange 17PM 512 is a GVC display. Not only is there zero paper texture, the panel uniformity is absolutely pristine. It does, however, exhibit more off-axis color shift than my 12PM.
I’d say, if there’s not an outright problem with the device, then just use and enjoy your new purchase. They are all really great, high-tech displays at the end of the day.
My old 12PM Gold 256 has the “famed” G9N. It is a clean and bright display. But there’s a green tint overall and the sharpness (especially around text) is slightly worse.
Meanwhile, my orange 17PM 512 is a GVC display. Not only is there zero paper texture, the panel uniformity is absolutely pristine. It does, however, exhibit more off-axis color shift than my 12PM.
I’d say, if there’s not an outright problem with the device, then just use and enjoy your new purchase. They are all really great, high-tech displays at the end of the day.
I also made the switch from Pro to Pro Max and both had G9N. In settings, is the background gray ever so slightly lighter on the Max on yours? Text also seems a teeny bit less punchy. But again, that could just be the way they intentionally render things on the larger screen. Both are excellent at the end of the day
This is my first post, although I’ve been a long-time reader of MacRumors. I felt the need to address some of the claims being made here.
It’s simply not true that the GH3 is “the worst.” These codes only indicate production lines or assembly locations from LG. The idea that GH3 panels are inferior originated from a 2021 article that has since been debunked. Apple enforces strict quality requirements, and no display that fails to meet those standards would ever ship.
In practice, many GVC and GH3 panels look virtually identical, and even panels from the same production line can show subtle variations.
Are there differences between Samsung and LG panels? Yes, each manufacturer has its own production methods. But ultimately, every panel is calibrated to Apple’s standards, so all of them meet the same baseline of quality. Apple also protects new screens against burn-in more aggressively in the first weeks, and this behavior can vary slightly depending on the manufacturer, which may explain why panels can feel different at first.
OLED panels are most vulnerable to uneven wear in their first hundreds of hours of use. That’s why Apple applies stronger burn-in protection at the beginning, limiting peak brightness a bit more aggressively and shifting pixels more often.
Once the organic layers stabilize, the risk of permanent image retention drops and the panel can run closer to its full potential. This behavior can also vary slightly depending on the manufacturer, since Samsung and LG use different materials and production methods.
If you’ve been used to Samsung panels for years, an LG screen may feel different at first. That doesn’t make it worse, it’s mostly about adjustment and personal preference. Calling GH3 ‘the worst’ doesn’t just spread misinformation, it unnecessarily discourages owners, when in fact they have a fantastic display that fully meets Apple’s high standards.
Let’s put an end to the “GH3 is the worst” myth once and for all.
Enjoy your iPhone.
It’s simply not true that the GH3 is “the worst.” These codes only indicate production lines or assembly locations from LG. The idea that GH3 panels are inferior originated from a 2021 article that has since been debunked. Apple enforces strict quality requirements, and no display that fails to meet those standards would ever ship.
In practice, many GVC and GH3 panels look virtually identical, and even panels from the same production line can show subtle variations.
Are there differences between Samsung and LG panels? Yes, each manufacturer has its own production methods. But ultimately, every panel is calibrated to Apple’s standards, so all of them meet the same baseline of quality. Apple also protects new screens against burn-in more aggressively in the first weeks, and this behavior can vary slightly depending on the manufacturer, which may explain why panels can feel different at first.
OLED panels are most vulnerable to uneven wear in their first hundreds of hours of use. That’s why Apple applies stronger burn-in protection at the beginning, limiting peak brightness a bit more aggressively and shifting pixels more often.
Once the organic layers stabilize, the risk of permanent image retention drops and the panel can run closer to its full potential. This behavior can also vary slightly depending on the manufacturer, since Samsung and LG use different materials and production methods.
If you’ve been used to Samsung panels for years, an LG screen may feel different at first. That doesn’t make it worse, it’s mostly about adjustment and personal preference. Calling GH3 ‘the worst’ doesn’t just spread misinformation, it unnecessarily discourages owners, when in fact they have a fantastic display that fully meets Apple’s high standards.
Let’s put an end to the “GH3 is the worst” myth once and for all.
Enjoy your iPhone.
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It is. And that’s exactly how mine is on 17 pro max. The bottom is yellow. Uniformity kind of sucks. It’s pretty frustrating because my eyes notice it almost immediately. I returned my Air for this.
I’m in an ATT store and could tell if the display was Samsung or LG based off the Apple.com website and shifting off axis across a 17 Pro Max, 17 Pro, Air, 17, and 16. I ran the diagnostic on each device and sure enough.
What makes you say that the G9L on the iPad Pro 11 M4 is rare? Do you have links to forum posts with anecdotal evidence? I'm just curious.
My iPad Pro 11 M4 also has the G9L and it's the best OLED I've ever seen in terms of uniformity, brightness, colour shift, colours etc. When I look super closely I see some of the grain texture but I never notice it in daily use.
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I agree. It's one of the best panels my eyes have seen period and I've seen lots of OLEDs. Also have viewed normal LED displays with TN, VA, IPS, etc. And of course, lest not forget LCD/Plasma and CRT.
I mention "rare" in that I cannot find any more details about our iPads' G9L panel on here, Reddit, or elsewhere really. Perhaps not rare in the sense that we have a unicorn panel. Although that'd be sweet if true, eh?
I wish there was a way to determine display manufacturer or serial number from the phone's serial number. When buying used it is obviously very difficult to play the display lottery, you get what you get. At least when you buy from Apple you have the 14 day return policy.
Depends on whether you go back to the same store & you may have to do walk-in purchases to avoid linking them all to your Apple ID if it exceeds a handful of phones. Nothing bad has happened but I want to avoid any problems.
With the way the exceeding majority of 17 Pros (not Pro Max) are Samsung displays this should not be so much of an issue, just give your preferred model a couple of tries and if it doesn’t work out, nab a 17 Pro.
I think this is better in the long run if you have AppleCare+ because full phone replacements, etc. are most likely going to be a Samsung display. I have a 15 Pro Max now (haven’t had the chance to purchase/upgrade yet) and if I shatter the display I am back playing the lottery again.
I have a 17 pro max and it’s the worse LG screen. I ran a diagnostics, but it’s blatantly green when you tilt it, and you don’t even have to tilted by very much. I’ve been noticing it for days.
I can’t imagine they will allow you to do that indefinitely. I wonder if the 14 day applies to your original purchase and or do you only have 14 days to lottery yourself a good screen? Then it comes down to what they actually have in stock at the store, which may not be the coloring configuration you want. What a mess
Hate that I got mine from ATT, not only they rarely have the phones in stock, they charge $50 for a restocking fee
Even tho I got a perfect G9N screen on the 17 Pro, I still am gravitating towards returning it and keeping the GVC Air despite not having the best screen. It’s just too nice to hold and the 17 Pro feels awful to me in the hand. The Air has spoiled me. Now if only there was a G9N Air, I’d be the happiest. Might try a few more times to get a G9N on the Air.