Which display is better visible in the sun? Doubling the operating time of a smartphone: optimal parameters for the display

The display is the most important component of a smartphone. Obviously, when choosing a device, the buyer is often guided by this parameter. In our review today, we will try to select the top 10 smartphones of 2017, which will feature both hi-end devices and mid-budget models.

In our review we will present two parameters that clearly characterize the display matrix. The first is solar clarity, which measures how clearly the image is visible in bright sunlight. The bigger it is, the better. The second is color deviation, which shows how far colors are from ideal color rendering. A lower value corresponds to better color rendering. The remaining parameters speak for themselves. Let us clarify that the smartphones are located in random order.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Sun Clarity: 4.15
Color deviation: 3.1
Diagonal: 6.3 inches
Resolution: 1440p+
Brightness: 647
Contrast: infinite

Firstly, this is the largest screen on the top smartphone market, which is very comfortable to work with. The smartphone also has excellent performance in direct sunlight and color accuracy, which is typical for Super AMOLED matrices. The S Pen stylus is unique and allows you to write and sketch. Its convenience is appreciated by many users. The smartphone can also be connected to a DeX station, which allows you to work with it like a regular desktop PC, which will appeal to some travelers. Of course, you also need a monitor, but it can easily be replaced by a TV in a hotel. The Always On option is another nice feature of the smartphone: with it you can view notifications without touching the device.

Apple iPhone X

Sun Clarity: 5.01
Color deviation: 1.9
Diagonal: 5.8 inches
Resolution: 1125p+
Brightness: 679
Contrast: infinite

OnePlus 5T

Sun Clarity: 4.79
Color deviation: 2.3
Diagonal: 6.0 inches
Resolution: 1080p+
Brightness: 437
Contrast: infinite

OnePlus captivated its customers with a reasonable price and excellent specifications. In OnePlus 5T, the company decided to move away from the standard 5.5-inch screen and enlarged it, stretching it at the same time: the aspect ratio is now 18:9. The smartphone has become taller, but it has not increased in width. Despite its accessibility, the screen of this device is quite good. Its visibility in the sun is better than the Galaxy Note 8 and the same as the Galaxy S8. The screen is not as bright, but the low degree of light reflection does the job. OnePlus has also added support for DCI-P3, and now the color rendering of the smartphone is comparable to that of top-end devices from Samsung. It should be noted that the smartphone has a resolution of 1080p+, but despite this, there are no problems with sharpness.

Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro

Sun Clarity: 3.99
Color deviation: 1.4
Diagonal: 5.5 inches
Resolution: 1080p
Brightness: 539
Contrast: infinite

The Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro has a very good screen. The smartphone is our favorite in its price range. Its Super AMOLED matrix has excellent color reproduction - one of the best among all smartphones, not just on this list. Visibility in the sun is also one of the best. The J7 Pro is a regional model, but there is an alternative: the Galaxy J7 has similar visibility in the sun and slightly worse color reproduction.

Motorola Moto Z2 Force

Sun Clarity: 3.88
Color deviation: 3.8
Diagonal: 5.5 inches
Resolution: 1440p
Brightness: 559
Contrast: infinite

Most smartphones use tempered glass as screen protection, but Motorola decided to use all the advantages of plastic - it will not crack if the smartphone is dropped. Of course, the display is more susceptible to scratches, but this can easily be solved by installing the cheapest protective film or glass. The smartphone is also protected from splashes of water. You shouldn't submerge it, but it will withstand most water incidents (Motorola is known for being conservative with its ratings).

Razer Phone

Sun Clarity: 2.328
Color deviation: 2.0
Diagonal: 5.7 inches
Resolution: 1440p
Brightness: 300
Contrast: 1195:1

There is a popular genre of reaction games - any game in which success or failure depends on how quickly you react. These are mainly third-person shooters and fighting games, which are the most popular games at the moment. Most avid gamers will tell you that a 60Hz screen doesn't suit their needs. The Razer Phone has a unique 120Hz screen (unique if you don't take into account the iPad Pro tablet). The screen also supports a wide color gamut. Streaming mobile games on Twitch is gaining popularity, so this smartphone will be useful for those who cannot imagine their life without mobile gaming and broadcasting games online.

Meizu Pro 7 Plus

Sun Clarity: 4.15
Color deviation: 4.2
Diagonal: 5.7 inches
Resolution: 1440p
Brightness: 453
Contrast: infinite

We want to include something strange in our list, because our hero is equipped with a second screen. We are talking about the second screen on the back that the Meizu Pro 7 Plus is equipped with. This small AMOLED screen under the dual rear cameras can be used to take selfies with the main camera. Many smartphones have a good selfie camera, but none of them compares in quality to the main dual 12-megapixel camera of this device. This display can also be used as a notification screen, a display for music control buttons and a step counter.

Tests of flagship smartphone displays 2016-2017. We evaluate brightness, contrast, black depth, readability in the sun and correct color rendering.

Today we choose the best smartphone screens of 2016 and 2017. When comparing displays, we will not rely on passport data, although we will definitely talk about them, but on test results. Let's check the brightness and depth of black color, contrast, correct color rendering and readability in the sun. Based on real numbers, we will determine the best smartphone display among the flagships of 2016 and 2017.

Flagship displays 2017: characteristics

Let's start with the characteristics. The 2017 flagships came out mainly with large screens. Diagonal 5.7 inches we see in LG G6 and . and Xperia XZ Premium received screens with a diagonal 5.5 . The largest were the displays of the new Galaxies.

Fans of compact phones who want to buy a 2017 flagship are still forced to choose from three models: Xperia XZs, Xiaomi Mi 6 and Huawei P10. The display diagonal of these gadgets does not exceed 5.2 inches, which by today's standards fits well into the compact category. It’s time to classify smartphones with a screen smaller than 5 inches as “super-compact”.

Flagship smartphones 2017: display characteristics

	Diagonal	Permission	PPI	Screen type
Galaxy S8+	6.2	1440 x 2960	529	AMOLED
Galaxy S8	5.8	1440 x 2960	571	AMOLED
LG G6	5.7	1440 x 2880	564	LCD
HTC U Ultra	5.7	1440 x 2560	513	LCD
Huawei P10 Plus	5.5	1440 x 2560	540	LCD
Xperia XZ Premium	5.5	2160 x 3840	807	LCD
Huawei P10	5.2	1080 x 1920	432	LCD
Xperia XZs	5.2	1080 x 1920	424	LCD
Xiaomi Mi 6	5.15	1080 x 1920	428	LCD

The gradual departure from the standard aspect ratio also deserves attention. If previously a display with a 16:9 ratio was the only option, today we are offered 18:9 , and even 18.5: 9 . Time will tell how popular and convenient the elongated screen will be. There is still a lot of talk about a content shortage, but this is unlikely to become a serious problem.

Along with aspect ratios, resolution standards are gradually changing. We see an increase in the vertical layout to 2880 pixels. The number of vertical pixels increased to 2960 . This means that at maximum screen resolution, the graphics accelerator will have to calculate an additional 576,000 pixels. On the other hand, in normal mode, the Galaxy S8/S8+ operates at FHD+ resolution (2200 x 1080 pixels), so the load on the super powerful chipset is not that great.

Of the 2017 flagships, only compact smartphones Xperia XZs, Xiaomi Mi 6 and Huawei P10 received Full HD resolution. All others have screen resolutions of QHD, QHD+ and higher. The record holder, of course, was the Xperia XZ Premium phone with Ultra HD display resolution. This is the only flagship presented to date with UHD resolution.

The best smartphone screens: brightness and contrast tests

Now that we're done with the passport data, let's move on to the most interesting part - the results of testing the best smartphone screens of 2017. The first indicators that will come into focus are display brightness, black depth and contrast. To complete the picture, let’s compare the test results of new products with the performance of smartphone screens released in 2016.

The best smartphone displays in terms of black color depth are a priori screens based on an Amoled matrix. Of all the new products presented this year, only the Galaxy S8/S8+ received this type of matrix, and therefore they have no competitors in this category. Absolute black is only available in galactic supernovas. The best black color among LCD screens produces LG G6. HTC U Ultra and Xperia XZs have noticeable problems with black depth.

Flagships 2017: display tests

	Black, cd/m2	Brightness, cd/m2	Contrast
Galaxy S8+	0.00	442	~
Galaxy S8+ max auto	0.00	647	~
Galaxy S8	0.00	440	~
Galaxy S8 max auto	0.00	618	~
HTC U Ultra	0.539	428	794
HTC U Ultra (max auto)	0.564	507	899
Xperia XZs	0.461	564	1223
Huawei P10 Plus	0.335	547	1633
Huawei P10	0.416	592	1423
LG G6	0.228	468	2053
LG G6 (max auto)	0.277	564	2036

The best smartphone displays based on brightness are harder to determine. With automatic settings at maximum, we see the leadership of the Galaxies, but in standard mode many displays can give them worthy competition. High screen brightness Xperia XZs And Huawei P10. The latter is almost as good as the Galaxy S8 screen in maximum brightness mode.

Maximum contrast is a total indicator depending on the brightness and depth of black. For Amoled displays, the indicator is not determined, since from a mathematical point of view it is equal to infinity. Simply put, their maximum contrast is almost ideal (or perfect).

The best smartphone screen for maximum contrast in the IPS LCD league is the display LG G6. The contrast ratio of the LG G6 has exceeded the grandmaster mark of 2000:1, and this is a record figure for the entire existence of the smartsphere. The HTC U Ultra has the greatest problems with contrast. As for the flagships of Sony and Huawei, the screen contrast is above average.

All that remains is to compare the performance of the new products with the test results of the best smartphones of 2016. The results are in the table, and immediately below the table is a short summary with key points.

Flagships 2016: display tests

	Black, cd/m2	Brightness, cd/m2	Contrast
Galaxy S7	0.00	391	~
Galaxy S7 max auto	0.00	563	~
Galaxy S7 edge	0.00	392	~
Galaxy S7 edge max auto	0.00	610	~
LG V20	0.43	475	1097
LG V20 max auto	0.59	628	1064
Google Pixel	0.00	445	~
Google Pixel XL	0.00	432	~
iPhone 7	0.35	561	1603
iPhone 7 (max auto)	0.40	656	1640
iPhone 6s	0.36	536	1481
Huawei P9	0.46	500	1094
Huawei Mate 9	0.41	665	1622
HTC 10	0.29	428	1543
OnePlus 3T	0.00	447	~
Xperia XZ	0.37	502	1223
Xiaomi Mi 5	0.51	628	1227
Xiaomi Mi 5s	0.51	660	1294
Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus	0.44	637	1448

In terms of brightness, the screens of the Galaxy S8/S8+ surpassed the displays of last year's Galaxy, but met strong competitors in the form of the iPhone 7, Huawei Mate 9, LG V20 and all versions of Xiaomi Mi 5. The brightness indicator of each of the listed phones exceeded the mark 600 nits, and the best were Xiaomi Mi5s(660 nits) and iPhone 7(656 nits).

In terms of black color depth, none of the 2016 smartphones (on an IPS matrix) reached the performance of the LG G6, which becomes the winner in this category. The best smartphone screens of 2017 for maximum contrast are: iPhone 7(1600:1) and Huawei Mate 9 (1622:1).

Best smartphone display: readability in sunlight

Readability in the sun is assessed by a coefficient, which is an integral indicator. In a sense, the test sums up the results of testing in terms of the previously discussed parameters (especially contrast), but there is no point in drawing a direct parallel between contrast and readability in the sun. The results are on the diagrams. Note. Charts do not display correctly in the Samsung Internet browser, older browsers, and some built-in browsers on mobile platforms. We recommend opening the publication in the current builds of Google Chrome, Opera or Firefox.

Sun contrast ratio

The clear leaders and trendsetters in this category are Samsung Galaxy screens. New items take first place S8/S8+, followed them by S6 edge+ And S7 edge. Next in the group of leaders are smartphones with Amoled screens: OnePlus 3T, Pixel XL, ZTE Axon 7.

The best LCD smartphone displays in the league are screens iPhone 7, Xperia XZs And LG G6. The high-ranking Huawei P9 Plus is not on this list because the phone comes with a Super Amoled screen. Xiaomi Mi5s Plus has the worst readability in the sun among flagships.

The best screens for color accuracy

The correctness of color rendering is assessed by the color accuracy coefficient (DeltaE). The color accuracy coefficient characterizes the degree of deviation of the color gamut displayed by the phone display from the reference scale. The smaller the deviation (smaller DeltaE), the better.

When testing smartphone screens, the average and maximum color accuracy are assessed. Average DeltaE shows the overall deviation from the standard across the entire spectrum, maximum - the largest deviation in some part of the color scale.

Flagships 2016-2017: color accuracy

	Average DeltaE	Maximum DeltaE
Galaxy S8+	3	5.6
Galaxy S8	2	3.2
Galaxy S7	1.7	2.3
Galaxy S7 edge	0.8	1.5
HTC U Ultra	6.1	10.7
Xperia XZs	6.2
Huawei P10 Plus	4.1	5.8
Huawei P10	6.5
Huawei Mate 9	5.2	9.5
LG G6	4	9
iPhone 7	1.7	4
Google Pixel	4.9	11.6
Xiaomi Mi 5	3.2	6.9
Xiaomi Mi 5s	3.5	4.5

The representatives of the seventh generation of the Galaxy have the best DeltaE coefficient. Record numbers for Galaxy S7 edge. The Galaxy S8 has an excellent result, although in light of the news about the pinkish tint of some samples, the numbers are taken a little skeptically. Very accurate color rendition iPhone 7. The rest of the 2016-2017 phones show good, but not outstanding results. We note (with a minus sign) a significant deviation in the color gamut of HTC U Ultra and Google Pixel.

Best smartphone display: results

Best smartphone display of 2017 - screen Galaxy S8, and specifically models without the “Plus” index. It has record readability in the sun, very accurate color rendition, and high brightness.

Among the samples with LCD panels, the display is the best LG G6, which, among other things, supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 standards. Its strengths: record contrast, the deepest blacks among IPS screens, accurate color reproduction, albeit with slight deviations. Readability in the sun is also high, so the phone rightfully receives the award in the “best LCD smartphone screen” category.

The best smartphone displays of 2016 - screens Galaxy S7 edge And iPhone 7. The latter did not fail a single test and was among the leaders everywhere. As for the Galaxy S7 edge, its performance is close to the standard.

One of the best phone displays is the Huawei Mate 9, which is good in everything except color accuracy. The color problems are even more pronounced with the Google Pixel display, which otherwise raises no complaints. Xiaomi Mi 5 has another problem - blacks are not deep enough, due to which contrast and readability in the sun drop, but color accuracy is in perfect order.

All that remains is to choose the best smartphone display of 2016-2017. In principle, we are against an unambiguous distribution of medals, because there are enough worthy contenders. But if you have to choose, then Galaxy S7 edge. An excellent display in all respects, the only one, and then only conditionally, the disadvantage of which is the excessive color saturation, according to many.

Thank you for your attention, we hope you found the material useful. If you find typos, inaccuracies or errors, write in the comments, we will correct them. We also recommend reading the article in which AndroidAuthority resource experts presented their screen ratings.

The screen is the face of a smartphone; it occupies most of the front surface and is necessary to control the gadget and perceive all information. It would probably be redundant to list all the functions of the display, since each of us perfectly understands how important this element is in a smartphone. Manufacturers spend millions of dollars on improving displays, delighting users with increasing resolution, improved color reproduction, new technologies and ever-expanding viewing angles. If among more or less expensive smartphones it is not difficult to find a model with a decent display, then in the budget segment, as a rule, screens with the minimum parameters necessary for modern times are presented (IPS technology, HD resolution). We don’t argue - this will be enough for many, but our goal today is to find interesting inexpensive smartphones with a good screen, preferably Full HD.

Let's start by declaring variables, i.e. let's figure it out What display parameters should you pay attention to:

screen diagonal, i.e. its size. A large display makes reading and watching videos more comfortable, but too large will turn your smartphone into a shovel. Screen diagonals of modern smartphones start at 4.7 inches, and even those are difficult to find. The most popular format is no longer even 5 inches, but 5.5 dm. There are smartphones with a diagonal of 6 dm and even 6.5 dm. Here everyone chooses for themselves, but before buying it doesn’t hurt to hold the device in your hand to understand how convenient it will be to use. In the budget sector, smartphones with a wide variety of diagonals are presented;
screen resolution– the number of pixels that form the image. The more there are, the higher quality and integrity the picture will be, and the smaller the individual image points will be. Manufacturers indicate the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in the form 320*480. Resolution has become the standard for budget smartphones HD – 720*1280 , and it is quite enough if the screen diagonal is 4.7 inches or less. Screens with a resolution of 540*960 are still found in the budget sector, but with a diagonal of 4.7-5.5 inches, individual pixels are very clearly visible, so we don’t even consider such models. If the diagonal is 5 inches or more, it is better to look to the side FullHDscreens, their resolution 1920*1080 . They allow you to create an ideal high-quality picture;
pixel density– this is an indicator depending on the diagonal and resolution. It determines how many image pixels there are per inch of screen. It has been proven that at density 300ppiand above, our eye cannot distinguish the individual components of the picture(pixels) and perceives the picture as a whole. Apple, for example, is precisely why it does not use a resolution higher in its smartphones than what can provide 300 ppi at a certain diagonal. Other manufacturers have taken a different path, offering a pixel density of 500 ppi or more, which is achieved by using high-resolution screens (2K or QHD - 1440 * 2560, 4K or UHD - 3840 * 2160). It’s up to you to decide what this is, a publicity stunt or concern for the user, but we advise you to pay attention first of all to the pixel density indicator, and not to the resolution: if it is 300 ppi or more, we can safely take it. True, with the rapid growth of screen diagonals, it is not easy to find an inexpensive smartphone with such an indicator. Simple rule: if the diagonal is less than 4.7 dm, the resolution may beHD, if more – desirableFull HD, and they are already available in budget devices;
screen type. We will not go into the details of how each type of screen constructs an image and will go straight to the facts. TN-matrices– the cheapest, not very contrasting, have poor color rendering and small viewing angles, but they are cheap. Today they are practically not used. IPS-matrices– standard for many smartphones. This screen provides good color reproduction, viewing angles and contrast, but consumes more energy than AMOLED-matrix. The latter, due to their structural features, do not require additional illumination; they provide the deepest black color, excellent color rendition, and consume a minimum of energy. Previously, AMOLED was installed only in the most expensive smartphones, but today everything has changed somewhat.

It is better to take a smartphone with a screen made according to OGS technologies, which provides no air gap between the sensor and the display. This allows you to achieve better color reproduction, wider viewing angles and a compact screen. However, if the glass breaks, you will have to replace the entire screen unit. Today, most smartphone screens are manufactured using OGS technology.

Wouldn't be amiss in a smartphone protective glass and oleophobic coating. The latter makes it much easier to keep the screen clean. This year's fashion trend is frameless screens– also suitable for budget smartphones. It’s unusual to use such devices, but with standard smartphone sizes you can get a screen with a larger diagonal.

Now let's get to the fun part and arrange the smartphones from the cheapest to the slightly less cheap. All of them will cost you up to $130-150.

The smartphone was released in 2015 and at that time was premium. Today it is still on sale and in demand, and if you get a discount, you can buy the device for $85-90. Got the gadget metal body, fingerprint scanner and medium filling, memory can be expanded. The shooting quality is satisfactory, but in the dark it leaves much to be desired. The pride of the model is the screen, large, with good resolution and wide viewing angles, processing 10 simultaneous touches. At the minimum brightness level, the display allows you to comfortably use it at night, but if you examine the device in detail, you can find fault with the color rendering and the lack of an oleophobic coating. Otherwise, the gadget is not bad for its price.

OUKITEL U20 Plus

When purchased in Russia, the device will cost $110-120, you can even find it for $100, but when ordering from China you can save a couple of tens of dollars. The minimum price for it is $88. The smartphone itself began selling this year, and it immediately surprised us with its flagship aspirations. The manufacturer packaged the device in a nice case with 2,5 D-screen, supplied fingerprint scanner and dual camera, which is still rare in the budget segment. The large screen with Full HD resolution turned out to be very, very successful: color rendition is close to the most natural, brightness is adjustable within a wide range, and even in direct sunlight, the information on the display remains readable, viewing angles are wide, the screen processes up to 5 simultaneous touches. It is possible to customize color rendering and other display parameters to suit your needs. In other respects, this is an ordinary smartphone, the capabilities of which, however, are sufficient for the average user.

Leagoo KIICAA Mix

The device came out just the other day and became one of the first budget frameless smartphones. Previously, similar devices were already presented in the inexpensive segment, but the screens left much to be desired. The company offers an excellent frameless frame for $105-120, and this is a modern trend. The screen occupies almost the entire front panel - a small space remains only at the bottom, where it is located Fingerprint's scanner. The quality of the screen is excellent: the brightness is adjustable over a wide range, making it convenient to use the device both at night and in bright light. Let's add here excellent performance, decent memory, dual camera with good photo quality, and you can get probably the most interesting offer in this price category, but there are some nuances.

To expand the boundaries of the screen, designers had to abandon the light and proximity sensor, move the front camera eye to the very bottom, and the earpiece to the top end. This solution causes a lot of inconvenience, at least at first. But the earpiece turns on along with the normal one during sound playback and it turns out something like stereo. Another unpleasant feature is that the USB Type-C port is used to connect headphones. But the device is lightweight, cheap, has a large screen and small size, fits comfortably in your hands and flies in most applications.

Xiaomi Mi4

The screen of this smartphone received Gorilla Glass III protective glass and oleophobic coating, on which the finger glides more easily, and all dirt is erased more easily. With a 5-inch diagonal Full HD resolution allows you to create incredibly clear images. By the way, the very fact that the device uses a 5-inch screen is an obvious plus for those who are looking for a more or less compact smartphone. The display recognizes up to 10 touches, has decent viewing angles, an impressive reserve of brightness and anti-reflective coating. This is one of the best screens in the segment, so you can forgive the device for the fact that it was released in 2014 and then, by the way, was a flagship. The model is still actively sold in stores. The smartphone is productive, the camera module from Sony allows you to take excellent pictures. There is fast charging function. The downside is the lack of a slot for memory cards.

Prestigio Grace

Although this is not the most powerful smartphone in our rating, it can boast AMOLED-matrix, so the image quality is very high. The seemingly small battery capacity will be enough for average work of 1-1.5 days, since the screen here is economical.

Alcatel POP 4S 5095K

An interesting inexpensive device that will be of interest to those who are guided by the name of the manufacturer when choosing. The company is well-known, regularly releases new models, and this time it presented a good budget device with a decent screen and average hardware. Device feature – availability fingerprint scanner. The reserve of technical capabilities will be more than enough for most users.

Leagoo T5

The device surprises, first of all, with its memory capacity, and then with its display parameters. Considering the price, we get a very decent device. Among the advantages metal body, dual camera, fingerprint scanner. As a result, we get a very solid device at an indecently low price for it, however, it will have to be ordered from the Middle Kingdom.

LeEco Le S3 X522

The smartphone is made in metal case, equipped with an excellent screen with protective glass. It’s difficult for even the most pedantic user to find fault with the picture the device produces. Many experts say that only flagship devices can compete with this screen, so the device can be called the best inexpensive smartphone with a good screen.

In other respects, this is a very decent smartphone. It's fast, has very good cameras and sound, though The usual headphone jack was abandoned here, replacing it with USB Type-C. During various promotions, the device can be purchased for $120.

Meizu M5 Note

Cute all metal smartphone completes our rating. Outwardly, it resembles a device of a much higher price category. The screen has become the pride of the device; it is juicy, bright and has extremely wide viewing angles. Eat oleophobic coating. We praise the device for its high performance, good battery life and functional shell. The camera is average, as in many Meizu, but otherwise everything is very good. If you get a promotion, you can buy the device a little cheaper.

Recently entered the market LG G3, the first smartphone with Quad HD screen resolution (2560x1440 pixels). LG's newest creation will have to face off against other flagship smartphones whose screens are also considered exceptionally good in one aspect or another - Sony Xperia Z2, HTC One (M8), iPhone 5S and, of course, Samsung Galaxy S5.

We will compare the displays of these smartphones according to a number of parameters (brightness, readability in sunlight, resolution, color rendering, etc.) and try to determine the best one based on a combination of ratings.

Brightness and readability in the sun

The first key area we will focus on will be brightness and visibility in the sun. We'll find out how well smartphone displays perform outdoors, where there's a lot of bright light.

A high level of maximum brightness is of paramount importance for any smartphone. After all, what's the use of a big screen if you can't comfortably use it outside? Recently, cell phone manufacturers have managed to achieve decent results in this area, although we are still far from ideal. Most top Android smartphones have a maximum brightness level of around 450 nits. This is enough to understand the information on the screen, but not for comfortable work, especially in direct sunlight. The LG G3 and Xperia Z2's screens can reach around 450 nits of maximum brightness, while the HTC One M8's figures are slightly higher at 490 nits.

To be honest, when viewed outdoors, you're unlikely to notice any difference between the screens of the HTC One M8 and the Xperia Z2. As for the LG G3, it looks a little dimmer. In addition, the smartphone tends to overheat - it automatically reduces the brightness level to 90% and does not allow you to return it back to maximum. No other smartphone on our list exhibits this behavior. The Galaxy S5, on the other hand, can easily outshine all three, provided the Adapt Display option is activated. The GS5's maximum screen brightness varies depending on the content being displayed. On average, it is almost the same as that of the iPhone 5S screen, which in the sun can raise its maximum brightness to 580 nits. Thus, the favorites here are the flagships from Apple and Samsung, but they are still very far from ideal, as you can see in the images below.

Another important factor that we must consider is the minimum brightness. This indicator will be important for those who often use a smartphone at night in bed. You have to greatly reduce the brightness of the display in order to comfortably use it in complete darkness. Therefore, the lower the minimum display brightness value, the better. Some companies have done a good job in this direction - for example, Samsung claims that the Galaxy S5 can reduce the brightness to a record 2 nits! By measuring the minimum brightness level when displaying white, we confirmed that the GS5 is indeed the best in this category, although the second-place iPhone 5s came very close with a score of 5 nits. The LG G3 comes in a respectable third place (9 nits), which is a little brighter but also very good. Finally, the HTC One (M8) and Sony Xperia Z2 tied for last place with 16 nits of minimum brightness. Chances are, in complete darkness, you won't want to spend much time in front of their screens. The final grades were distributed as follows:

Color rendition

Color reproduction is a very difficult area to research, but it is extremely important because it determines how beautiful and accurate the image on the screen will be. It's safe to say that achieving accurate color reproduction is the most difficult task for screen manufacturers today. Screen size, brightness and resolution are no longer an issue. But finding a perfectly calibrated display is rare.

Color temperature is one of the most important parameters. It reflects the balance between red and blue and determines whether the image on the screen has a cool or warm tint. Color temperature is measured in Kelvin, and the reference value is 6500 K. Smartphones tend to gravitate slightly towards cool (blueish) tones, and none of the participants in our comparison were an exception to this rule. The Xperia Z2 performed the best: a color temperature of 6900 K, which is quite good. The iPhone 5S and HTC One (M8) follow with a slight lag with a result of approximately 7150 K, slightly pushing aside the LG G3 (7300 K). The Galaxy S5 is the worst in this regard. In standard mode, color temperature hovers around the 8100K mark, although you can switch to Professional Photography or Cinema mode to lower this figure. But, despite the fact that you can get a value relatively close to the reference value, the image begins to suffer from another problem - an overabundance of green color, which greatly spoils the picture. The other smartphones on the list do not have such problems.




Click to enlarge

The gamma curve (the dependence of brightness on hue) is another important indicator that demonstrates how correctly the screen displays different colors. The reference value is 2.2, but some manufacturers deliberately raise the gamma, as this makes the picture more contrasty. The iPhone 5S wins this category with an average gamma of 2.21. The Galaxy S5 is very close (2.25), while the Xperia Z2 is noticeably far from ideal (2.59). The LG G3 has a gamma of 2.32 - a pretty decent result, although a little more contrasty than necessary. Finally, the HTC One (M8) is the only one to have a lower-than-normal gamma (2.11), meaning certain areas will appear a little brighter than necessary.

We also measured color error (Delta E) and a number of other metrics. The measurement results are shown in the table:

Permission

In the mobile industry, we have long ago overcome problems such as pixelation and other image flaws due to low detail. After the iPhone 4 with its revolutionary Retina display with a pixel density of 326 ppi, as well as the HTC DROID DNA (the first smartphone with a FullHD display), another milestone has recently been set - the LG G3 screen has Quad HD resolution (2560x1440) and pixel density 538 dpi. Thus, we find ourselves in a situation where the screen resolution is not only sufficient, but even excessive. Going from 720p to 1080p brought a small but still noticeable difference in image clarity. However, now that LG is giving a push to QHD (2560x1440) displays, we're starting to question whether anything more than Full HD (1920x1080) is really needed, even for such huge 5.5-inch screens. As we said in our LG G3 review, the differences between QHD and Full HD are quite subtle to the naked human eye, so if you're expecting the LG G3's QHD resolution to noticeably improve picture quality and make it appear much sharper and more detailed, you'll you will be disappointed.

The rest of the participants in our comparison, with the exception of the iPhone 5S, have Full HD screens with a diagonal of about 5 inches. This results in a pixel density of over 400 dpi - a very high value that guarantees extremely sharp images. It's quite difficult to rank smartphone screens in this category, as most of them have roughly the same level of detail. The iPhone 5S, with its Retina display, also has a very good viewing experience, but with a resolution of 1136x640 and a pixel density of 326 ppi, you can still make out individual pixels if you look closely. However, this is not a problem at all.

Conclusion

The LG G3 is a wonderful smartphone in many ways, and its screen is definitely one of its most notable features. The giant 5.5-inch display is not only impressive in size, but also with stunning image clarity, which is sure to attract a lot of attention from tech-savvy people and lovers of innovation. That's why we conducted a detailed comparison of its display with the screens of its main competitors.

Having carefully examined all the displays, we have concluded that they are all largely good, with a few minor nuances.

If you look at the final score (the arithmetic average of all scores), the screens of the LG G3 and Galaxy S5 are slightly inferior to their opponents. The LG G3's main problem is its comparatively poorer visibility in the sun, while the Galaxy S5 suffers from inaccurate color balance. The screens of the three other smartphones (iPhone 5S, HTC One M8 and Xperia Z2) cannot be called fundamentally better, they just turned out to be slightly more balanced in general. The iPhone 5S boasts better color reproduction and brightness, but in the end it was on par with the HTC One M8 and Xperia Z2, as the latter have slightly sharper images.

Finally, we have to draw some conclusions regarding the newcomer in this comparison, the LG G3. The company has done a very good job and created an excellent base for further developments. However, the matter is not limited to resolution alone; in some respects, the G3 display is far from perfect. Sometimes it is better to be a solid student than an excellent student in one single discipline.

The display is the largest consumer of energy, so every milliwatt saved significantly extends the overall operating time. And the larger the display, the stronger this is felt. Three variable factors affect display power consumption: the amount of time the display remains on, the brightness of the display, and, depending on the technology, whether the image is light or dark.

Turning off the display by time

When the display is turned off, it consumes no power. It should be turned off immediately after you have looked at the information you need, but not too quickly. Timed display locking options are located in the Settings | Screen | Auto-lock." The most convenient period is 30 seconds.

Moderate display brightness

In harsh daylight conditions, the screen may not be bright enough, but in room lighting, the same brightness is blinding and wastes battery power (see diagram at right). Many devices have automatic brightness adjustment enabled by default. If this is not the case on your device, enable this option and check if you can lower the brightness level using the slider (Settings | Display | Brightness).

On various devices tested by CHIP, the comfortable brightness was around 33%. To adjust the brightness, you can quickly bring up a menu with options for quick access by swiping from the top edge of the display to the middle.

Another recommendation for (AM)OLED displays, such as those used on Samsung Galaxy smartphones and many other high-end smartphones: OLED creates images using individual pixels that emit light, so dark areas of the image use less power.

Advice: Set your wallpaper to a black or dark image and set your apps to a dark background color. For example, the Firefox browser add-on - Dark Background and Light Text - displays sites with light font on a dark background.

OLED displays consume less power when displaying dark images. Browser add-ons that display website content in light font on a dark background are useful.

Many devices have automatic brightness adjustment enabled by default. Otherwise, turn it on and see if you can lower the brightness level.

Liquid crystal displays behave in the opposite way: depending on the brightness parameters, the backlight always requires a lot of energy, but dimming individual subpixels requires a little additional power. That is, a purely white or very light picture saves energy - although much less than a black or dark background on an OLED display.

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