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BeerCheese

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 29, 2017
8
5
Which one has better-looking screen? iPhone X or Note 8?

My current phones are the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the iPhone 6s Plus. I find myself using the 6s Plus more often because of work, but whenever I'm watching videos, I always go back to the Note 8. (especially 1440p YouTube videos or 4k videos that I shot myself)

I want to get the iPhone X because of the Samsung AMOLED screen.

Thanks!
 
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MarkB786

macrumors 6502a
Sep 20, 2016
755
1,304
USA
My wife is trying out the X, and I have the Note 8. We both agree the Note 8 looks better for photos and movies, and text is generally more sharp on the Note. Hard to describe, but the X looks a little ghosted or 'fake' compared to the Note which looks sharp and realistic.
 

NovemberWhiskey

macrumors 68040
May 18, 2009
3,023
1,272
iPhone X has been a huge disappointment to me, my friends, and my family. Side by side, we all choose not even the Note 8, but the 7 Plus.

IMO, both the Note 8 and 7 Plus have better screens than the X. I am not seeing anything better (whites, colors, brightness, contrast, etc.) except that blacks will be completely black.
 

BeerCheese

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 29, 2017
8
5
iPhone X has been a huge disappointment to me, my friends, and my family. Side by side, we all choose not even the Note 8, but the 7 Plus.

IMO, both the Note 8 and 7 Plus have better screens than the X. I am not seeing anything better (whites, colors, brightness, contrast, etc.) except that blacks will be completely black.


Thanks!

You guys just save me a 104-mile trip(208 miles roundtrip). I was actually considering going to my nearest Apple Store to compare my current Note 8 to the new iPhone X. :)
 

MisterMillz

macrumors 6502a
Mar 12, 2011
671
571
FL, USA
“Better” is subjective. The Note 8 gets the saturation of an expected Samsung screen. A lot of people love that. While the X utilizes a Sammy OLED, it does not use the same amount of punch. Apple went for a more accurate and natural display. I personally like the screen. I could’ve gone for a bit more punch since it is the first OLED model, but I’m a fan of more natural screens. From a numbers point, the Note 8 trumps the X by a mile.
 

sean000

macrumors 68000
Jul 16, 2015
1,628
2,346
Bellingham, WA
I saw a Note 8 in person on Friday and the display was really impressive. The way the display wraps over the edges bugs me a little though. It was brand new, only hours out of the box... so of course the display was nice and clean, but I’d say it was the most brilliant looking display I’ve seen running video on a mobile. Perhaps a better question is how will the displays compare when they are all covered in a typical layer of fingerprint smudges? ;)

Honestly I find the Note 8 or be a very attractive phone, but I’m far too wedded to the Apple Watch to consider anything that won’t run iOS. The most attractive thing about the X to me is to get a dual camera lens in a smaller than plus package. I tend to view photos and watch videos on my iPad Pro or on a larger display. I would be surprised to hear any complaints about the displays on either the 8 or the X unless you are doing side by side comparisons with something like the Note 8.

In other words, I think there are more important reasons beyond pixel peeping the displays to choose one over the other.


Sean
 

ReallyBigFeet

macrumors 68030
Apr 15, 2010
2,956
133
My Note 8 and Galaxy S8+ both have sharper looking text and more vibrant colors than my X. But all three blow any other Retina screen out of the water.
 
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sean000

macrumors 68000
Jul 16, 2015
1,628
2,346
Bellingham, WA
Interesting that this Tom’s Guide review prefers the display of the iPhone X, but they also admit that it comes down to subjective preferences. The Note 8 displays more saturation so that images and video pop with more vivid colors, but the X displays more realistic colors and more shadow detail. The Note 8 and Pixel 2 XL are slightly sharper, but the X is plenty sharp and has better viewing angles.
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/iphone-x-oled-screen-vs-pixel-2-note-8,review-4807.html

As a photographer I already know where I fall in terms of preferences. I tend to prefer more realistic tones and a balanced approach to color and contrast. That said, when I watched a couple of videos on a Note 8, I did not find the display to be distractingly over saturated at all. We really are splitting hairs here.

Sean
 

UseYourIllusion

macrumors newbie
Mar 21, 2012
21
4
Note 8 for sure. It's my work phone and have had it a week after launch. Even the S8 Plus (previous work phone) has a better display than my X. OLED color shift is not nearly as apparent on those two devices. I'll be keeping my X however as I like having the smaller form factor.

Carrying a Note 8 and 7 Plus together in dress pant pockets got really annoying after a while.
 
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cc999

macrumors 6502
Jul 15, 2008
478
191
The Note 8 is huge, very uncomfortable to hold and put in your pants. Screen is a little better.
The X is in second place followed by the 8 Plus. I will say this, the colors look more natural on the X
vs the Note 8.
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,494
Anyone who says the iphone X is either lying, trolling, in denial or delused.

Out of curiosity, the last post in this thread was on November 5 and now it's November 20, why would you resurrect this thread and make this comment? What you're saying is strictly your own opinion and not based on what others perspectives might be.

Also, bare in mind that no one really cares about what the better display is, because they care about the preference of which software do they choose to use, android or iOS. And iOS users are not likely going to strictly migrate over to the Note 8 just because of a display.
 

maka344

macrumors 68020
Nov 4, 2009
2,144
1,316
London, UK
The Note 8 and S8 displays are just better, sadly. I love the pop and deeper colours.

The X isn’t bad by any means but I prefer the Samsung screens.

I was hoping for more saturation with the X.
 
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MissAppleMac

macrumors member
Jun 18, 2010
38
26
North East, UK
My partner just bought the note 8 this weekend and I bought the X. I actually much prefer the screen on the X personally, however my partner is also very happy so I really do think it’s personal preference :)
 
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T'hain Esh Kelch

macrumors 603
Aug 5, 2001
6,396
7,298
Denmark
note 8 screen is 3 generations newer, no way iphone X screen can be better.
You do realize that the iPhone X uses Samsung OLEDs? It does have some technologies implemented that Apple invented, but the core of the technology is the same as that in the Note 8.

Anyone who says the iphone X is either lying, trolling, in denial or delused.
Ars Technica appear to like the iPhone X screen quite a bit: "Even Samsung’s excellent Galaxy S8+ display doesn’t quite match it. By many metrics, both objective and subjective, it is the best smartphone display I have seen." Of course, it doesn't mention the Note 8, but I assume that such a reviewer has at least used it at some point, and know what the screen is like.

Do people like the Note 8 screen more because Samsung has a tendency to over-saturate on their screens, likely to make colors pop more, or is it actually just better? (I've never seen either phones in real life) I look forward to proper analyses on the iPhone Xs color accuracy, since it would be nice for someone to give Samsung
 

Sean76

macrumors 6502a
Feb 10, 2013
665
406
NYC
Note 8 all day...however that's providing you really like the whole touch wiz experience coupled with super saturation.

I've come to like the iPhone X screen, and it beats every other iPhone, but i still would say a note 8 or S8+ would have an edge.
 
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