and Pixel 3 Displays Compared

We’re always looking to improve how we evaluate different products, and for 2019 we’re adding a whole new category of tests to our phone reviews: Screen performance. While we’ve closely eyeballed all the LCD, AMOLED, Super AMOLED, Retina, and other screens to cross our desks in the past, we coque iphone xs kwmobile are now incorporating full color and brightness measurements in our phone reviews.

We have developed a new screen evaluation process, based on the protection coque samsung j5 coque iphone xs folio 2016 tests we perform on monitors and TVs. coque iphone It involves using a colorimeter, image measurement and test pattern software, and analysis based on Imaging Science Foundation calibration techniques.

Our screen testing is built around the Klein K 80 colorimeter, a device that precisely measures light and color. It’s similar to the Klein K10 A colorimeter we use for testing TVs with one important difference: aperture size. Its frontmost lens is half the coque samsung fun diameter of the K10 A’s, which makes it small enough to place against the screen of any smartphone or tablet. The K10 A, while fast and accurate, is a bit too big to measure small screens accurately.

The K 80 connects to a Razer Blade Pro laptop with SpectraCal’s CalMAN coque iphone xs max survivor coque coque iphone xs pompier samsung s7 edge uag 5 software. This software analyzes the data the coque samsung galaxy tab 4 7 pouces silicone colorimeter measures coque samsung galaxy express 2 amazon and turns it into usable coque samsung s5 gel numbers and charts. CalMAN 5 translates the coque samsung galaxy trend aliexpress luminance information into a phone’s peak brightness in cd/m2 (nits), and the chromaticity information into X and Y levels for positioning on coque samsung galaxy grand prime oreille de mickey a color chart. We use the software to produce the color wheels included in our reviews. bracelet bijoux We also set the software to measure the levels properly based on the screen type; measurements can be slightly different depending on whether an LCD or an OLED is being metered, so we make sure the right mode is set.

Besides connecting to the K 80, the CalMAN 5 software connects to coque samsung galaxy j3 6 refermable another piece of software on the phones themselves: SpectraCal’s MobileForge app. This is a test pattern generator that produces the lights, colors, and patterns needed to measure each phone’s screen. The app displays the necessary pattern as the K 80 measures peak brightness and various color levels on each phone screen.

We start with peak brightness, which involves measuring how bright the phone screen can get when it’s displaying a full field of pure white. If different display modes are available, we check with each mode to determine the brightest. We then record that peak brightness coque iphone xs pack level in nits and compare it with other phones. coque samsung Then we move on to color.

The below charts shows all visible color as a range, defined by X and Y values. coque iphone xs che guevara The triangle inside the charts is the DCI P3 color space, one of several color space standards that determine the ideal range and levels of colors based on different signal formats and methods. DCI P3 is currently our standard color space for testing TVs and phone screens, standing as a reachable range that significantly exceeds the Rec.709 standards for broadcast video (which most modern displays can easily reach), but doesn’t hit the Rec.2020 ideal standards for 4K and 8K video (which consumer displays simply can’t reach at all yet).

We record seven measurements for every phone based on the DCI P3 color coque samsung j2 prime space: blue, green, red (primary colors), cyan, magenta, yellow (secondary colors), and the D65 white point (white as viewed under natural, clear daylight). If a phone has a DCI P3 display mode, we use that. coque huawei Otherwise, we test any display modes available and determine the most accurate mode with the widest color gamut.

With a color wheel and peak brightness level, we can look at how accurate the phone’s colors are, how wide its color range is, and how bright it can get. We then compare it with coque samsung galaxy a5 20016 similar phones to determine where it stands in its category.

With that explained, let’s look at some of the biggest phones on the market and how they fare in testing.

Here’s a surprise: The Apple iPhone XR is brighter and has slightly more accurate colors than the higher end iPhone XS Max. Yes, the less powerful, less expensive iPhone has a better screen with the “color improving” feature disabled. Greens are still undersaturated, but reds come much closer to their ideal levels, and cyans and yellows are very balanced with magentas running only slightly cool. The most impressive aspect is the phone’s whites, which come within reach of the D65 white point. It’s the best performance we’ve seen from Apple’s Liquid Retina display yet, though some of the Android phones below have superior coque samsung galaxy j5 2015 citation colors.

On top of all of that, the iPhone XR shows a peak brightness of 592 cd/m2. It’s by far coque samsung j7 caoutchouc the brightest phone screen we’ve seen yet, with some of the most well balanced, if not widest, color. Curiously, TrueTone on the iPhone XR skews whites and yellows warmer than ideal, and shows a peak brightness of 556 cd/m2 (which is still brighter than the iPhone XS Max).

The Liquid Retina display on the iPhone coque samsung a8 antichoc XS Max looks good and is very bright, but it isn’t particularly impressive in terms of color. Even with TrueTone turned on, the screen doesn’t reach DCI P3 color levels. coque huawei Greens and coque samsung s8 swarovski reds are undersaturated, and both cyans and whites lean toward green. Interestingly, cyans appear perfect with TrueTone disabled, but it results in slightly less saturated greens and a generally cooler look due to the shifting of whites and magentas toward blue.

The iPhone XS Max outright excels at brightness, though. At 544 cd/m2, it’s the second brightest phone coque samsung galaxy express 2 g3815 we’ve tested so far.

The photographer/videographer focused RED Hydrogen One is a small disappointment in screen quality. It comes close to, but doesn’t quite reach, DCI P3 levels, with greens and reds that fall laterally outside the color space to indicate it can show certain greens not in the space but trimming away the coque samsung j3 2016 alice au pays des merveilles edges of the space itself. Yellows are also slightly undersaturated but accurate. Whites are the biggest disappointment, pulling markedly cool and dragging every other color toward blue with it. The phone also shows a peak brightness of 416 cd/m2, settling between the Pixel 3 and the OnePlus 6T, but not coming close to the Razer Phone or the iPhones. coque samsung Perhaps the phone’s glasses free 3D screen affects its color and brightness.

Finally, there’s the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. For color, it performs similarly to the Pixel 3 and OnePlus 6T, with a remarkably wide reach into greens, tempered by overly cool whites and slightly undersaturated reds. That significant extra green range is notable, because it greatly expands the total number of available colors and lengthens the triangle as a whole. And, while yellow is slightly green, cyan is perfect, so that extra green isn’t skewing too much in any direction.

Its peak brightness, however, is a bit of a letdown. At 311 cd/m2, it’s the dimmest screen of the flagships we tested. It’s still comfortably bright, but as it could be much brighter.

The Best Phone Display

Of the phones tested here, the Razer Phone 2 has the best screen in terms of accuracy. It hits the D65 white point spot on, and while it doesn’t reach the full DCI P3 color space, its colors are also remarkably accurate.

For sheer range, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and the Google Pixel 3 have the widest reach, but their colors lean toward the cooler side. We tend to prefer accuracy over range, but both approaches have their own merits depending on the content you want to consume.

Screen testing is just part of the suite of tests we run on smartphones. We also look into performance, battery life, and other factors, each with their own separate testing methods and benchmarks. If you’d like to know more about our phone review process, our guide to how we test phones explains the rest of the story. He currently covers consumer electronics in the PC Labs as the in house home entertainment expert, reviewing TVs, media hubs, speakers, headphones, and gaming accessories.