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Galaxy Note 3 Display Technology Shoot-Out

Samsung Galaxy Note 3    Samsung Galaxy Note II

 

Dr. Raymond M. Soneira

President, DisplayMate Technologies Corporation

 

Copyright © 1990-2013 by DisplayMate Technologies Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

This article, or any part thereof, may not be copied, reproduced, mirrored, distributed or incorporated

into any other work without the prior written permission of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation

 

 

Galaxy Note 3

 

Introduction

The Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy S Smartphones are flagship products for Samsung to show off its latest and greatest OLED display technology. The Galaxy Note 3 has the newest generation of OLED display technology. The Lab tests show that it is better than the Note II in every measurement category, and also comparable or better than the display on the Galaxy S4. It has double the resolution of the Note II, which is a major improvement, but the most impressive advancement for the Note 3 is its significantly brighter screen. We’ll cover these issues and much more, with in-depth comprehensive display tests, measurements and analysis that you will find nowhere else.

 

OLED Displays

While most mobile displays are still LCD based, OLEDs have been capturing a rapidly increasing share of the mobile display market. The technology is still very new, with the Google Nexus One Smartphone, launched in January 2010, as the first OLED display product that received widespread notoriety. In a span of just a few years this new display technology has improved at a very impressive rate, now challenging and even exceeding  the performance of the best LCDs. Virtually all of the OLED displays in current mobile devices are produced by Samsung Display. We have provided an in-depth analysis on the evolution of OLEDs in our Galaxy S I,II,III OLED Display Technology Shoot-Out and Galaxy S4 Display Technology Shoot-Out articles.

 

Samsung provided DisplayMate Technologies with a pre-release production unit to test and analyze for this Display Technology Shoot-Out article.

 

The Shoot-Out

To examine the performance of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 we ran our in-depth series of Mobile Display Technology Shoot-Out Lab tests and included the Galaxy Note II in order to determine how OLED displays have improved. We take display quality very seriously and provide in-depth objective analysis side-by-side comparisons based on detailed laboratory measurements and extensive viewing tests with both test patterns and test images. To see how far mobile displays have progressed in just three years see our 2010 Smartphone Display Shoot-Out, and for a real history lesson see our original 2006 Smartphone Display Shoot-Out.

 

Results Highlights

In this Results section we provide Highlights of the comprehensive Lab measurements and extensive side-by-side visual comparisons using test photos, test images and test patterns that are presented below. The Comparison Table section summarizes the Lab measurements in the following categories:  Screen ReflectionsBrightness and ContrastColors and IntensitiesViewing AnglesOLED SpectraDisplay Power. You can also skip the Highlights and go directly to the Conclusions.

 

The Galaxy Note 3 has the newest generation of Samsung OLED displays since the Galaxy S4 Smartphone, which launched in April. The Lab tests below show that it is better than the Note II in every measurement category, and also comparable or better than the Galaxy S4. It has double the resolution of the Note II, which is a major improvement, but the most important advancement for the Note 3 is its significantly brighter screen…

 

Impressive Brightness

Up until the Galaxy Note 3, OLED displays have been somewhat to significantly dimmer than competing LCD displays. The Note 3 has changed that in a big way…it’s an impressive 55 percent brighter than the Note II and a solid 25 percent brighter than the Galaxy S4. For most image content it provides over 400 cd/m2, comparable or higher than most LCD displays in this size class. Even more impressive is that when Automatic Brightness is turned on, the Note 3 hits an incredible 660 cd/m2 in high ambient light, where it’s needed (85 percent brighter than the Note II and 40 percent brighter than the Galaxy S4 with Automatic Brightness) – the brightest mobile display we have ever tested in the Shoot-Out series. An impressive achievement for OLEDs!

 

Multiple Screen Modes and Color Management

Most Smartphones and Tablets only provide a single fixed factory set display calibration, with no way for the user to alter it based on personal preference, the running application, or the ambient light level. An important capability provided by the more recent Galaxy Note and Galaxy S Smartphones is the inclusion of a number of Screen Modes that provide different levels of user selectable color saturation and display calibration based on user and application preferences. The Galaxy Note 3 has 5 user selectable Screen Modes: Adapt Display, Dynamic, Standard, Professional Photo, and Movie, which we discuss below and include measurements for several Modes. The Screen Modes require the implementation of Color Management to adjust the native Color Gamut of the display plus additional factory calibration for each Mode.

 

Color Gamut and Absolute Color Accuracy

The Note 3 Movie Mode delivers the most accurate Color and White Point calibration for the Standard sRGB/Rec.709 consumer content that is used for virtually all digital camera, HDTV, internet, and computer content, including photos and videos. Use the Movie Mode for the best color and image accuracy. The measured Absolute Color Accuracy for the Movie Mode is an excellent 3.1 JNCD. See this Figure for an explanation of JNCD. The Adapt Display Mode is the default mode for the Galaxy Note 3 – it provides adaptive image processing and delivers higher color saturation, which appeals to some, and is also a better choice for high ambient light viewing conditions, which wash out image colors and contrast. This mode is very similar to the Professional Photo Mode, but has a more bluish White Point. Compare the Color Gamuts in this Figure and below.

 

Professional Photo Mode

Most high-end digital cameras have an option to use the Adobe RGB Gamut, which is 17 percent larger than the Standard sRGB/Rec.709 Gamut used in consumer cameras. The Professional Photo Mode on the Note 3 provides a fairly accurate calibration to the Adobe RGB standard, which is rarely available in consumers displays, and is very useful for high-end digital photography applications. The measured Absolute Color Accuracy of the Professional Photo Mode is 4.4 JNCD, which is Very Good. See this Figure for an explanation of JNCD.

 

Performance in High Ambient Lighting

Mobile displays are often used under relatively bright ambient lighting, which washes out image colors and contrast, reducing picture quality and making it harder to read the screen. To be usable in high ambient light a display needs high screen Brightness and low screen Reflectance – the Note 3 has both. In fact, with Automatic Brightness turned on, the Note 3 has the highest Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light we have ever measured, which quantitatively measures screen visibility under bright ambient lighting – the higher the better. This article has screen shots that show how screen images degrade in High Ambient Lighting. On the Note 3 the Brightness can be set much higher for Automatic Brightness so that users can’t permanently set the Manual Brightness slider to very high values, which would run down the battery quickly. This extra high level of Brightness is only needed for high Ambient Light. In addition, the Adapt Display, Standard and Dynamic Modes also have much higher Color Saturation, which also improves screen visibility in high Ambient Light.

 

Viewing Angle Performance

While the Note 3 is primarily a single viewer device, the variation in display performance with viewing angle is still very important because single viewers frequently hold the display at a variety of viewing angles. The angle is often up to 30 degrees, more if it’s resting on a table or desk. While LCDs typically experience a 55 percent or greater decrease in brightness at a 30 degree Viewing Angle, the Note 3 shows a much smaller 22 percent decrease in brightness at 30 degrees. This also applies to multiple side-by-side viewers as well, and is a significant advantage for OLED displays.

 

A Full HD 1920x1080 Display

The Galaxy Note II (like the Galaxy S III) has a 1280x720 display. The Galaxy Note 3 (like the Galaxy S4)

provides a full High Definition 1920x1080 display, with more than double the number of pixels – the same pixel resolution as your 50 inch living room HDTV – that’s very impressive! First of all, this is a benchmark spec with tremendous marketing power for driving consumer sales. But there are other important reasons for going to Full HD – there is a tremendous amount of 1920x1080 content available. Displaying that content at its native resolution (without the need to rescale up or down) results in the best possible image quality, plus rescaling requires processing overhead that uses (wastes) precious battery power.

 

Image Sharpness and Pixels Per Inch

The Galaxy Note 3 has a pixel density of 388 Pixels Per Inch PPI, which is very high, but lower than the 441 PPI for the Galaxy S4 and other Full HD Smartphone displays. It’s important to recognize that this is not a decrease in visual image sharpness because the display still appears perfectly sharp for 20/20 Vision at typical viewing distances of 13 inches or more because the Pixels and Sub-Pixels are below normal visual acuity. (The Galaxy Note is 14 percent larger than the Galaxy S4 so it is typically held further away). The Galaxy Note 3 also has a PenTile Sub-Pixel arrangement like the Galaxy S4, with only 2 Sub-Pixels per Pixel instead of the usual 3. But at these very high PPIs, it’s not visually noticeable because of the use of Sub-Pixel Rendering and the Diamond Sub-Pixel arrangement discussed below. For more information on visual image sharpness see High PPI PenTile Displays and Visual Sharpness and Resolution.

 

Diamond Pixels

A high resolution screen shot of the Galaxy Note 3 (provided by Samsung) shows an interesting design and sub-pixel arrangement, which Samsung calls Diamond Pixels. First of all, the Red, Green, and Blue sub-pixels have very different sizes – Blue is by far the largest because it has the lowest efficiency, and Green is by far the smallest because it has the highest efficiency. The alternating Red and Blue sub-pixel PenTile arrangement discussed above leads to a 45 degree diagonal symmetry in the sub-pixel layout. Then, in order to maximize the sub-pixel packing and achieve the highest possible PPI, that leads to diamond rather than square or stripe shaped Red and Blue sub-pixels. But not for the Green sub-pixels, which are oval shaped because they are squeezed between two much larger and different sized Red and Blue sub-pixels. It’s display art…

 

Power Efficiency

We measured an impressive 26 percent improvement in power efficiency between the Galaxy Note 3 and Note II. While LCDs remain more power efficient for images with mostly white content (like text screens, for example), OLEDs are more efficient for darker content because they are emissive rather than transmissive like LCDs. In fact, the Galaxy Note 3 is 31 percent more power efficient than the Full HD LCD Smartphones we recently tested for mixed image content (that includes photos and videos, for example) with a 50 percent Average Picture Level, APL.

 

Screen Uniformity

One subtle but important advantage of OLEDs is their excellent screen uniformity compared to LCDs, which often show hot spots and shadows from edge LED lighting.

 

Viewing Tests

The Galaxy Note 3 Movie Mode provides very nice, pleasing, and accurate colors and picture quality. The Movie Mode is recommended for indoor and low ambient light viewing. The Adapt Display and Standard Modes have significantly more vibrant and saturated colors. Some people like that. They are recommended for medium levels of ambient light viewing because it offsets some of the reflected glare that washes out the images. The Dynamic Mode provides incredibly powerful colors that are overwhelming in low ambient lighting. The Dynamic Mode is recommended for high ambient light viewing, for some games and cartoons, and possibly for persons with visual impairments.

 

Comparison with the Galaxy Note II

The Galaxy Note 3 display is a major enhancement and improvement over the Galaxy Note II – a good reason to consider trading up. The Full HD 1920x1080 display on the Galaxy Note 3 has more than double the number of pixels and is noticeably sharper then the lower resolution HD 1280x720 display on the Note II, particularly with text and graphics. But the most striking difference is the 55 percent brighter display on the Note 3 (and 85 percent brighter with Automatic Brightness). Consistent with the differences in their Color Gamuts and Intensity Scales, the Movie Mode was slightly more vivid on the Note 3 and the Standard Mode slightly more vivid on the Note II.

 

Galaxy Note 3 Conclusions:   An Impressive OLED Display…

The Galaxy Note 3 continues the rapid and impressive improvement in OLED displays and technology. The first notable OLED Smartphone, the Google Nexus One, came in decidedly last place in our 2010 Smartphone Display Shoot-Out. In a span of just a few years OLED display technology is now challenging and even exceeding the performance of the best LCDs across the board in brightness, contrast, color accuracy, color management, picture quality, screen uniformity, and viewing angles. OLEDs are also considerably thinner than LCDs but still cost considerably more to manufacture.

 

The Galaxy Note 3 has the newest generation of OLED display technology. The Lab tests show that it is better than the Note II in every measurement category, and also comparable or better than the display on the Galaxy S4. It has double the resolution of the Note II, which is a major improvement, but the most impressive advancement for the Note 3 is its significantly brighter screen, which hits an incredible 660 cd/m2 in high ambient light, the brightest mobile display we have ever tested in the Shoot-Out series. An impressive achievement for OLEDs!

 

OLEDs need to continue improving their power efficiency, which is critically important for mobile displays. We measured an impressive 26 percent improvement in power efficiency between the Galaxy Note 3 and Note II. While LCDs remain more power efficient for images with mostly white content (like text screens, for example), OLEDs are more efficient for darker content because they are emissive rather than transmissive like LCDs. In fact, Galaxy Note 3 is already 31 percent more power efficient than the Full HD LCD Smartphones we recently tested for mixed image content (that includes photos and videos, for example) with a 50 percent Average Picture Level, APL. If this keeps up then OLEDs may pull ahead of LCDs in total power efficiency in the near future…

 

What’s Next… The most important developments for the upcoming generations of both OLED and LCD mobile displays will come from improvements in their image and picture quality in ambient light, which washes out screen images, resulting in reduced readability, image contrast, and color saturation and accuracy. The key will be in dynamically changing the display’s color management and intensity scales in order to automatically compensate for reflected glare and image wash out from ambient light. See this article on display performance in ambient light. The displays and technologies that succeed in implementing this new strategy will take the lead in the next generations of mobile displays…

 

DisplayMate Display Optimization Technology

All Smartphone and Tablets displays can be significantly improved using DisplayMate’s advanced scientific analysis and mathematical display modeling and optimization of the display hardware, factory calibration, and driver parameters. We help manufacturers with expert display procurement, prototype development, and production quality control so they don’t make mistakes similar to those that are exposed in our Display Technology Shoot-Out series. We can also improve the performance of any specified set of display parameters. This article is a lite version of our intensive scientific analysis – before the benefits of our DisplayMate Display Optimization Technology, which can correct or improve all of these issues. If you are a display or product manufacturer and want to significantly improve display performance for a competitive advantage then Contact DisplayMate Technologies.

 

Galaxy Note 3

 

Display Shoot-Out Comparison Table

Below we compare the display on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with the Galaxy Note II based on objective Lab measurement data and criteria. For additional background and information see the Galaxy S4 Display Technology Shoot-Out that compares the Galaxy S4 with the iPhone 5, and the Galaxy SI,II,III Display Technology Shoot-Out that compares and analyzes the evolution of the OLED displays on the Galaxy S I, II, and III.

 

Categories

Samsung

Galaxy Note II

Samsung

Galaxy Note 3

Comments

Display Technology

5.5 inch

RGB Stripe OLED

5.7 inch

PenTile Diamond Pixels OLED

Organic Light Emitting Diode

Screen Shape

16:9 = 1.78

Aspect Ratio

16:9 = 1.78

Aspect Ratio

The Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note II screens have the

same shape as widescreen HDTV video content.

Screen Area

13.1 Square Inches

13.8 Square Inches

A better measure of size than the diagonal length.

Relative Screen Area

95 percent

100 percent

Screen Area relative to the Galaxy Note 3.

Display Resolution

1280 x 720 pixels

1920 x 1080 pixels

Screen Pixel Resolution.

Total Number of Pixels

0.92 Mega Pixels

2.1 Mega Pixels

Total Number of Pixels.

Pixels Per Inch

265 PPI

Very Good

388 PPI PenTile

Excellent

Sharpness depends on the viewing distance and PPI.

See this on the visual acuity for a true Retina Display

Sub-Pixels Per Inch

   Red 265 SPPI

Green 265 SPPI

  Blue 265 SPPI

   Red 274 SPPI

Green 388 SPPI

  Blue 274 SPPI

PenTile displays have only half the number of Red

and Blue Sub-Pixels as standard RGB displays.

Total Number of Sub-Pixels

   Red 922 KSP

Green 922 KSP

  Blue 922 KSP

   Red 1,037 KSP

Green 2,074 KSP

  Blue 1,037 KSP

Number of Kilo Sub-Pixels KSP for Red, Green, Blue.

PenTile displays have only half the number of Red

and Blue Sub-Pixels as standard RGB displays.

20/20 Vision Distance

where Pixels or Sub-Pixels

are Not Resolved

13.0 inches White / Green

13.0 inches Red / Blue

       8.9 inches for White and Green

12.5 inches for Red and Blue

For 20/20 Vision the minimum Viewing Distance

where the screen appears perfectly sharp to the eye.

At 14 inches from the screen 20/20 Vision is 246 PPI.

Photo Viewer Color Depth

Full 24-bit color

No Dithering Visible

256 Intensity Levels

Full 24-bit color

No Dithering Visible

256 Intensity Levels

Many Android Smartphones and Tablets still have some

form of 16-bit color depth in the Gallery Photo Viewer.

The Samsung Galaxy Notes do not have this issue.

 

Overall Assessments

This section summarizes the results of all of the extensive Lab measurements and viewing tests performed on the displays.

 

 

Galaxy Note II

Standard & Movie Modes

Galaxy Note 3

Comments

Adapt Display Mode

Movie Mode

Viewing Tests

in Subdued Ambient Lighting

Standard Mode

Intentionally Vivid

 

Movie Mode

Accurate Mode

Good Images

Photos and Videos

have too much color

and accurate contrast

 

Intentionally Vivid

Very Good Images

Photos and Videos

have very good color

and accurate contrast

 

Accurate Mode

The Viewing Tests examined the accuracy of

photographic images by comparing the displays

to a calibrated studio monitor and HDTV.

Variation with Viewing Angle

Small Color Shifts

with Viewing Angle

 

Small Brightness Shift

with Viewing Angle

Small Color Shifts

with Viewing Angle

 

Small Brightness Shift

with Viewing Angle

Small Color Shifts

with Viewing Angle

 

Small Brightness Shift

with Viewing Angle

The OLED Galaxy Notes have a relatively small

Brightness decrease with Viewing Angle and

relatively small Color Shifts with Viewing Angle.

Overall Display Assessment

Lab Tests and Measurements

Good OLED Display

Excellent OLED Display

Excellent OLED Display

The Galaxy Note 3 is significantly brighter,

better calibrated, and much higher resolution

than the Galaxy Note II.

Overall Display Calibration

Lab Tests and Viewing Tests

Standard Mode

Good Calibration

Intentionally Vivid

 

Movie Mode

Very Good Calibration

Accurate Mode

Good Calibration

Intentionally Vivid

Very Good Calibration

Accurate Mode

Both Galaxy Notes have multiple Screen Modes

that deliver accurately calibrated images and

also Vivid Modes preferred by some users and

that also perform better in high Ambient Light.

Overall Display Grade

B+

A

The Galaxy Note 3 delivers excellent image

quality, has both Accurate and Vivid modes,

has high Brightness and low Reflectance,

and is an all around top performance display.

 

Screen Reflections

All of these screens are large mirrors good enough to use for personal grooming – but it’s actually a very bad feature…

We measured the light reflected from all directions and also direct mirror (specular) reflections, which are much more

distracting and cause more eye strain. Many Smartphones still have greater than 10 percent reflections that make the

screen much harder to read even in moderate ambient light levels, requiring ever higher brightness settings that waste

precious battery power. Hopefully manufacturers will reduce the mirror reflections with anti-reflection coatings and

matte or haze surface finishes.

 

 

Galaxy Note II

Galaxy Note 3

Comments

Average Screen Reflection

Light From All Directions

Reflects 4.9 percent

Excellent

Reflects 4.8 percent

Excellent

Measured using an Integrating Hemisphere.

The best value we have measured is 4.4 percent

and the current worst is 14.8 percent.

Mirror Reflections

Percentage of Light Reflected

 6.4 percent

Very Good

 6.7 percent

Very Good

These are the most annoying types of reflections.

Measured using a narrow collimated pencil beam

of light reflected off the screen.

 

Brightness and Contrast

The Contrast Ratio is the specification that gets the most attention, but it only applies for low ambient light, which is seldom

the case for mobile displays. Much more important is the Contrast Rating, which indicates how easy it is to read the screen

under high ambient lighting and depends on both the Maximum Brightness and the Screen Reflectance.

 

 

Galaxy Note II

 

Standard Mode

Galaxy Note 3

Comments

Adapt Display Mode

Movie Mode

Measured Average Brightness

50% Average Picture Level

Brightness 250 cd/m2

Good

Brightness 394 cd/m2

Very Good

Brightness 376 cd/m2

Very Good

This is the Brightness for typical screen content

that has a 50% Average Picture Level.

Measured Brightness

100% Full Screen White

Brightness 225 cd/m2

Poor

Brightness 341 cd/m2

Very Good

Brightness 329 cd/m2

Very Good

This is the Brightness for a screen that is entirely

all white with 100% Average Picture Level.

Measured Peak Brightness

1% Full Screen White

Brightness 289 cd/m2

Good

Brightness 447 cd/m2

Very Good

Brightness 420 cd/m2

Very Good

This is the Peak Brightness for a screen that

has only a tiny 1% Average Picture Level.

Measured Peak Brightness

with Automatic Brightness

Brightness 353 cd/m2

Very Good

Brightness 660 cd/m2

Excellent

Brightness 628 cd/m2

Excellent

Some displays including the Galaxy Note 3 have

higher Brightness in Automatic Brightness Mode.

 

Black Level

at Maximum Brightness

0 cd/m2

Outstanding

0 cd/m2

Outstanding

0 cd/m2

Outstanding

Black brightness is important for low ambient light,

which is seldom the case for mobile devices.

Contrast Ratio

Relevant for Low Ambient Light

Infinite

Outstanding

Infinite

Outstanding

Infinite

Outstanding

Only relevant for low ambient light,

which is seldom the case for mobile devices.

Contrast Rating

for High Ambient Light

46 – 59

Very Good

 

 72 Auto Brightness

Very Good

71 – 93

Very Good

 

138 Auto Brightness

Excellent

69 – 88

Very Good

 

131 Auto Brightness

Excellent

Depends on the Screen Reflectance and Brightness.

Defined as Maximum Brightness / Average Reflectance.

Screen Readability

in High Ambient Light

Very Good  A–

 

Very Good  A

for Auto Brightness

 

High Color Saturation

Very Good  A

 

Excellent  A+

for Auto Brightness

 

High Color Saturation

Very Good  A

 

Excellent  A+

for Auto Brightness

 

 

Indicates how easy it is to read the screen

under high ambient lighting. Depends on

both the Screen Reflectance and Brightness.

See High Ambient Light Screen Shots

 

High Color Saturation improves screen readability

in High Ambient Light.

 

Colors and Intensities

    

Figure 1

Color Gamuts

Click to Enlarge

 

Figure 2

Color Accuracy

Click to Enlarge

 

Figure 3

Intensity Scale

Click to Enlarge

 

The Color Gamut, Intensity Scale, and White Point determine the quality and accuracy of all displayed images and all

the image colors. Bigger is definitely Not Better because the display needs to match all the standards that were used

when the content was produced. For LCDs a wider Color Gamut reduces the power efficiency and the Intensity Scale

affects both image brightness and color mixture accuracy.

 

 

Galaxy Note II

Standard & Movie Modes

Galaxy Note 3

Comments

Adapt Display Mode

Movie Mode

White Color Temperature

Degrees Kelvin

See Figure 1

7,675 K Standard Mode

Somewhat Too Blue

Intentionally Bluish Mode

7,560 K

Somewhat Too Blue

Intentionally Bluish Mode

 

 

See Figure 1

6,612 K

Close to Standard

Accurate Mode

For Photos & Videos

 

See Figure 1

D6500 is the standard color of White for most

Content and needed for accurate color reproduction.

See Figure 1 for the plotted White Points.

6,597 Movie Mode

Close to Standard

For Photos & Videos

Color Gamut

Measured in the dark at 0 lux

See Figure 1

134 percent Standard Mode

Somewhat Large

Intentionally Vivid

130 percent

Somewhat Large

Intentionally Vivid

 

See Figure 1

113 percent

Close to Standard

Accurate Mode

 

See Figure 1

sRGB / Rec.709 is the color standard for most

content and needed for accurate color reproduction.

 

Note that Too Large a Color Gamut can be visually

worse than Too Small.

106 percent Movie Mode

Accurate Mode

Close to Standard

Absolute Color Accuracy

Average Color Error

for 11 Reference Colors

See Figure 2

8.4 JNCD Standard Mode

Intentionally Vivid

7.0 JNCD

Good

Intentionally Vivid

 

See Figure 2

3.1 JNCD

Very Good

Accurate Mode

 

See Figure 2

JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.

 

See Figure 2 for the definition of JNCD.

3.7 JNCD Movie Mode

Accurate Mode

 

Dynamic Brightness

Luminance Reduction with

Average Picture Level APL

22 percent

Good

24 percent

Good

22 percent

Good

This is the percent Brightness reduction with APL

Average Picture Level. Ideally should be 0 percent.

Intensity Scale and

Image Contrast

See Figure 3

Very Smooth But

Contrast is Too High

 

Very Smooth

Contrast is Very Good

See Figure 3

Very Smooth

Contrast is Very Good

See Figure 3

The Intensity Scale controls image contrast needed

for accurate image reproduction. See Figure 3.

Gamma for the Intensity Scale

Larger has more Image Contrast

See Figure 3

Good  2.58

Straight and Constant

Gamma Too High

Very Good  2.44

Straight and Constant

Slightly Too High

 Very Good  2.42

Straight and Constant

Slightly Too High

Gamma is the slope of the Intensity Scale.

Gamma of 2.20 is the standard and needed for

accurate image reproduction. See Figure 3

 

Viewing Angles

The variation of Brightness, Contrast, and Color with Viewing Angle is especially important for Smartphones because

of their large screen and multiple viewers. The typical manufacturer 176+ degree specification for LCD Viewing Angle

is nonsense because that is where the Contrast Ratio falls to a miniscule 10. For most LCDs there are substantial

degradations at less than ±30 degrees, which is not an atypical Viewing Angle for Smartphones and Tablets.

 

Note that the Viewing Angle performance is also very important for a single viewer because the Viewing Angle varies

based on how the display is held. The angle can be very large if resting on a table or desk.

 

 

Galaxy Note II

Galaxy Note 3

Comments

Brightness Decrease

at a 30 degree Viewing Angle

 22 percent Decrease

Small Decrease

 22 percent Decrease

Small Decrease

Most screens become less bright when tilted.

OLED decrease is due to optical absorption..

LCD decrease is generally greater than 50 percent.

Contrast Ratio

at a 30 degree Viewing Angle

Infinite

Outstanding

Infinite

Outstanding

A measure of screen readability when the screen

is tilted under low ambient lighting.

White Point Color Shift

at a 30 degree Viewing Angle

Small Color Shift

Δ(u’v’) = 0.0122

3.1 times JNCD

Small Color Shift

Δ(u’v’) = 0.0046

1.1 times JNCD

JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.

See Figure 3 for the definition of JNCD.

Primary Color Shifts

Largest Shift for R,G,B

at a 30 degree Viewing Angle

Medium Color Shift

Δ(u’v’) = 0.0313 for Red

7.8 times JNCD

Medium Color Shift

Δ(u’v’) = 0.0304 for Red

7.6 times JNCD

JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.

See Figure 3 for the definition of JNCD.

Color Shifts for Color Mixtures

at a 30 degree Viewing Angle

Reference Brown (255, 128, 0)

Medium Color Shift

Δ(u’v’) = 0.0202

5.0 times JNCD

Small Color Shift

Δ(u’v’) = 0.0123

3.1 times JNCD

JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.

Color Shifts for non-IPS LCDs are about 10 JNCD.

 

Reference Brown is a good indicator of color shifts

with angle because of unequal drive levels and

roughly equal luminance contributions from Red

and Green. See Figure 3 for the definition of JNCD.

 

 

 

Figure 4

Display Spectra

Click to Enlarge

 

Display Power Consumption

The display power was measured using a Linear Regression between Luminance and AC Power with a fully charged battery.

 

Since the displays have different screen sizes and maximum brightness, the values were also scaled to the

same screen brightness (Luminance) and screen area in order to compare their relative Power Efficiencies.

 

The Galaxy Note 3 is 26 percent more Power Efficient than the Galaxy Note II.

 

Galaxy Note II

Standard Mode

Galaxy Note 3

Adapt Display Mode

Comments

Photo and Video Display Power

Maximum Brightness at

20% Average Picture Level

0.40 watts

0.30 watts

This measures the average display power for

typical photo and video content.

Average Display Power

Maximum Brightness at

50% Average Picture Level

1.00 watts

0.90 watts

This measures the average display power for

a wide range of image content.

Maximum Display Power

Full White Screen

at Maximum Brightness

1.70 watts

2.00 watts

This measures the display power for a screen

that is entirely Peak White.

Display Power Efficiency

same Luminance 341 cd/m2

same 5.7 inch screen area

2.71 watts

2.00 watts

This compares the Maximum Power Efficiency

by scaling to the same screen brightness and

same screen area.


 

About the Author

Dr. Raymond Soneira is President of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation of Amherst, New Hampshire, which produces video calibration, evaluation, and diagnostic products for consumers, technicians, and manufacturers. See www.displaymate.com. He is a research scientist with a career that spans physics, computer science, and television system design. Dr. Soneira obtained his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Princeton University, spent 5 years as a Long-Term Member of the world famous Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, another 5 years as a Principal Investigator in the Computer Systems Research Laboratory at AT&T Bell Laboratories, and has also designed, tested, and installed color television broadcast equipment for the CBS Television Network Engineering and Development Department. He has authored over 35 research articles in scientific journals in physics and computer science, including Scientific American. If you have any comments or questions about the article, you can contact him at dtso.info@displaymate.com.

 

DisplayMate Display Optimization Technology

All Smartphone and Tablet displays can be significantly improved using DisplayMate’s advanced scientific analysis and mathematical display modeling and optimization of the display hardware, factory calibration, and driver parameters. We help manufacturers with expert display procurement, prototype development, and production quality control so they don’t make mistakes similar to those that are exposed in our Display Technology Shoot-Out series. We can also improve the performance of any specified set of display parameters. This article is a lite version of our intensive scientific analysis – before the benefits of our DisplayMate Display Optimization Technology, which can correct or improve all of these issues. If you are a display or product manufacturer and want to significantly improve display performance for a competitive advantage then Contact DisplayMate Technologies.

 

About DisplayMate Technologies

DisplayMate Technologies specializes in proprietary sophisticated scientific display calibration and mathematical display optimization to deliver unsurpassed objective performance, picture quality and accuracy for all types of displays including video and computer monitors, projectors, HDTVs, mobile displays such as smartphones and tablets, and all display technologies including LCD, OLED, 3D, LED, LCoS, Plasma, DLP and CRT. This article is a lite version of our intensive scientific analysis of Smartphone and Smartphone mobile displays – before the benefits of our advanced mathematical DisplayMate Display Optimization Technology, which can correct or improve many of the display deficiencies. We offer DisplayMate display calibration software for consumers and advanced DisplayMate display diagnostic and calibration software for technicians and test labs.

 

For manufacturers we offer Consulting Services that include advanced Lab testing and evaluations, confidential Shoot-Outs with competing products, calibration and optimization for displays, cameras and their User Interface, plus on-site and factory visits. We help manufacturers with expert display procurement, prototype development, and production quality control so they don’t make mistakes similar to those that are exposed in our Display Technology Shoot-Out series. See our world renown Display Technology Shoot-Out public article series for an introduction and preview. DisplayMate’s advanced scientific optimizations can make lower cost panels look as good or better than more expensive higher performance displays. If you are a display or product manufacturer and want to turn your display into a spectacular one to surpass your competition then Contact DisplayMate Technologies to learn more.

 

 

Article Links:  Samsung Galaxy S4 Display Technology Shoot-Out

Article Links:  Samsung Galaxy S I II III OLED Display Technology Shoot-Out

 

Article Links:  Smartphone Displays Under High Ambient Lighting Shoot-Out

Article Links:  Automatic Brightness Controls and Light Sensors

 

Article Links:  Mobile Display Shoot-Out Article Series Overview and Home Page

Article Links:  Display Technology Shoot-Out Article Series Overview and Home Page

 

 

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