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The Flagship 2017 OLED Smartphones

Samsung Galaxy  –  Google Pixel  –  Apple iPhone

 

Dr. Raymond M. Soneira

President, DisplayMate Technologies Corporation

 

Copyright © 1990-2017 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

 

 

 

Introduction

Up until just a few years ago all Smartphones came with LCD displays. But starting in 2010 Samsung began manufacturing displays using a new and very different technology called OLED (for Organic Light Emitting Diodes). It takes many years to refine and improve any new display technology, so the first notable OLED Smartphone, the Google Nexus One (made for Google by HTC using Samsung OLEDs) came in decidedly last place in our 2010 Smartphone Display Shoot-Out. Samsung then introduced its own OLED series of Galaxy S and Galaxy Note Smartphones, producing a new OLED generation almost every six months since 2010. The new Galaxy S8 will launch in March or April of 2017.

 

Samsung has been busy systematically improving OLED display performance twice a year with each new Galaxy Smartphone generation since 2010, when we started tracking OLED displays. Every new OLED generation has provided significant enhancements, so they have improved rapidly, and regularly leapfrog each other in display performance. As a result, OLEDs have evolved into excellent Smartphone displays. The detailed lab tests and measurements in our in-depth Display Technology Shoot-Out article series quantitatively document the series of systematic display performance improvements, with each new generation breaking existing display performance records and then earning our up-to-that-date Best Smartphone Display Award. That is exactly how technologies should improve...

 

As a result, in a span of just seven years OLED display technology is now exceeding the performance of the best LCDs for Smartphones. There is no better confirmation of the OLED lead in performance than a series of well founded rumors from a number of prominent publications that Apple will be switching the top-of-the-line iPhone to OLED displays in 2017. Many other Smartphone manufacturers have already switched or will soon be switching to OLED displays...

 

The Switch to OLED from LCD Smartphones

LCDs are a great cutting edge high performance display technology for Tablets to TVs, but for small handheld Smartphones, OLED displays provide a number of significant advantages over LCDs including: being much thinner, much lighter, with a much smaller bezel providing a near rimless edge-to-edge design. They can be made flexible and into curved screens, plus they have a very fast response time, better viewing angles, and an always-on display mode.

 

Many of the OLED performance advantages result from the fact that all Smartphone LCDs are dependent on transmitting the varying characteristics of their always-on full screen White LED backlight – but for OLEDs each individual sub-pixel is independently directly electrically powered to emit light, which can provide better color accuracy, image contrast accuracy, and screen uniformity, in addition to incredibly flexible display power management since only the active image sub-pixels draw power based on their individual brightness levels.

 

Because of their versatile power management capabilities, OLEDs are not only more power efficient than LCDs for most image content, but they now deliver much higher peak Brightness than LCDs because the maximum power can delivered to just the sub-pixels that are needed for producing the current image. However, for mostly all white screen content LCDs are likely to remain brighter and more power efficient for a while.

 

The Switch to Flexible OLED Displays

Up until recently OLED displays were only made on rigid flat glass substrates just like LCDs. But in 2013 Samsung introduced the Galaxy Round, the first curved screen OLED display made using a flexible plastic substrate that can bend. This allowed a number of innovative new screen geometries. The most popular one is expanding the front main screen so that it extends around to both the right and left sides of the phone by bending around the corners. That provides two additional configurable display areas that can be viewed from both the front or the sides, and even when the phone is placed face down.

 

Starting in 2014, both the Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Note have come in both flat screen models and curved screen Edge models – but the latest Galaxy Note7 only came with a curved screen. It seems likely that the Galaxy S8 will also only come with a curved screen, so the flexible curve screen OLEDs have now become the new Flagship displays.

 

While the OLED display itself is flexible, the screen remains rigid under an outer hard cover glass that is hot formed into a rigid curved screen. In the near future some Smartphones will offer bendable screens by switching to a protective flexible plastic cover over the flexible OLED display.

 

The OLED Display Manufacturers

Samsung Display right now has well over 95 percent market share for all in production Smartphones that have OLED displays. There are now about two dozen Smartphone manufacturers using OLED displays, so if you have a Smartphone with either a flat or curved screen OLED display, it was almost certainly made by Samsung Display. OLED-info has a list of all current OLED Smartphones, which in addition to Samsung includes well known brands like Google, HP, HTC, Huawei, and Lenovo/Motorola. LG Display also currently produces smaller flexible OLED displays, but only for watch displays like the Apple Watch rather than for Smartphones.

 

With the rapidly increasing demand for OLED Smartphone displays, a number of LCD display manufacturers are starting OLED production lines for Smartphone displays, and some could be shipping in significant volumes as soon as 2018. The interesting question is which companies will be manufacturing OLED displays in sufficient volume by then? Right now only Samsung and LG are manufacturing production OLED displays in significant quantities. According to OLED-info and OLED Association, which track developments in the OLED industry, the new OLED manufacturers include AU Optronics, BOE Display, Everdisplay, Foxconn, JDI, Sharp, Truly, and Visionox.

 

A crucial issue is the long learning curve involved in being able to produce very high quality OLED displays, particularly in very high volumes. Samsung and LG have been perfecting their OLED technology for well over 5 years, so it remains to be seen which of the new OLED manufacturers will be capable of supplying sufficiently high quality OLED Smartphone displays by 2018.

 

The Flagship 2017 OLED Smartphones

So at least for 2017, the high-end top-tier OLED Smartphones will all be using similar OLED Smartphone displays made by Samsung Display. However, that refers to just the OLED display hardware – there is a tremendous amount of critical system software and firmware that must be supplied in order to produce a versatile high function and high performance and high quality Smartphone display.

 

It will be particularly interesting to see how all of the Smartphone manufacturers will differentiate their similar OLED display hardware with differing and innovative software and firmware, including multiple display modes, high color accuracy, additional calibration settings and parameters, unique display functions and features, and particularly their display user interfaces to nicely integrate all of these display functions together. In the next section below we will examine some of these important display functions.

 

For this article we are going to focus on the next generation of 2017 OLED Smartphones from Samsung, Google, and Apple, making some predictions and educated guesses based on their 2016 displays and the latest OLED technology. Follow DisplayMate on Twitter to learn about these developments and our upcoming display technology coverage.

 

Samsung Galaxy

The new Galaxy S8 will launch in March or April of 2017. While it will be the next generation of the Galaxy S7 that we lab tested in February 2016, based on the trends over the last several years its OLED display will almost certainly be an evolution and enhancement of the outstanding Galaxy Note7 display the we that we lab tested in August 2016. The Note7 suffered a fatal battery flaw, but its OLED display was outstanding and received our Best Smartphone Display Award.

 

The Galaxy Note7 was only available with a flexible OLED curved screen, and it appears likely that the Galaxy S8 will also only come in a curved screen model, so the flexible curve screen OLEDs have become the new Flagship displays.

 

While the Galaxy S7 Color Gamut is based on the Adobe RGB Color Gamut, the most recent Galaxy Note7 Color Gamut has a wider native DCI-P3 Color Gamut, which is also used in 4K TVs. So it seems fairly certain that the Galaxy S8 will also have a DCI-P3 Color Gamut. This is a major and important enhancement that all of the other top tier manufacturers will need to match.

 

All of the recent Galaxy OLED Smartphones have supported multiple Color Gamut Standards, including DCI-P3, Adobe RGB, and sRGB. In order to obtain high Color Accuracy the Display Setting for the Screen Mode needs to match the Color Gamut for the content that is being viewed. All of the reviewers that continue to rant about the poor Color Accuracy of the Galaxy S7 have failed to set the proper Screen mode for the content, which is very accurate as shown in our detailed Galaxy S7 Absolute Color Accuracy lab measurements.

 

It appears likely that the curved screen Galaxy S8 will be bezel and border free to the outside edges, and fill all or almost all of the entire front view edge-to-edge, with rumors predicting that the home button, fingerprint sensor, and navigations buttons will all be incorporated within the display.

 

For a borderless edge-to-edge screen on the Galaxy S8, both the screen shape and the screen resolution will need to change in order to maintain the same or similar overall outer geometric form factor as the Galaxy S7, which has an Aspect Ratio of 2.05, while its display has a resolution of 2560x1440 and an Aspect Ratio of 1.78. So an educated guess is that the Galaxy S8 will have a display Aspect Ratio of 2.0, with a resolution somewhere between 2880x1440 and possibly as high as 3840x1920 or 4,320x2160, which would be 4K. A major advantage of OLEDs is that their resolution and Pixels Per Inch PPI can be increased relatively easily, unlike LCDs which suffer major performance penalties.

 

The Peak Brightness for the OLED Galaxy Smartphones have been steadily increasing, to over 1,000 nits for the Galaxy Note7, which is used in implementing the new HDR High Dynamic Range modes and content, and for improved display performance in ambient lighting.

 

In the next section below we will examine some of the more important display functions that improve the overall performance of the OLED display hardware.

 

Google Pixel

While Google has had OLED displays on many of their previous Nexus models, they were all based on Smartphones from HTC, Samsung, Motorola Mobility and Huawei. The Pixel is the first Google branded Smartphone designed and made by Google, but it is manufactured by HTC for Google in the same way that Foxconn manufacturers iPhones for Apple. We have not lab tested the display on the Google Pixel.

 

The current Google Pixel has a rigid OLED display that is similar to the flat screen Galaxy S7 OLED, but with resolutions of 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 for the larger XL model. It seems likely that the next Google Pixel 2 will stick with a flat OLED display because of the large effort needed to implement all of the custom software and content for the curved side screens.

 

The current Google Pixel has a Color Gamut similar to the Galaxy S7 Color Gamut, which is based on the Adobe RGB Gamut. Google originally listed the Pixel Color Gamut Specs as “100% NTSC” which is not only technically incorrect, but the NTSC Gamut has also been obsolete for over 30 years and is very different from the current Color Gamuts, so it is not a useful metric for current displays. Google recently updated the Pixel Color Gamut Specs to “95% of DCI-P3” and while that is technically correct, it is a bit misleading because the Pixel Gamut is actually an OLED Adobe RGB Gamut that is missing the most important and more saturated Red Primary portion of the DCI-P3 Gamut. The next Google Pixel 2 will presumably have a true DCI-P3 Gamut like the Galaxy Note7 (and most likely the Galaxy S8).

 

It will be interesting to see how the Pixel 2 will incorporate and utilize the very high Peak Brightness of greater than 1,000 nits that the latest OLED displays can produce, particularly for the new HDR High Dynamic Range content, and for improved display performance in ambient lighting.

 

Most of the Google Pixel 2 OLED hardware display specs will be undoubtedly be very similar to the OLED displays on Galaxy Note7 and particularly the upcoming Galaxy S8. In the next section below we will examine some of the more important display functions that improve the overall performance of the OLED display hardware.

 

Apple iPhone

Up until now all of the iPhones have had LCD displays, including the latest and best performing iPhone 7 that we lab tested in September 2016. So, for the OLED iPhone 8 Apple will need to merge the best of the iPhone and OLED technologies. Because OLEDs perform very differently from LCDs, it will be very interesting to see how Apple modifies, improves and adds new display functions for the OLED iPhone 8.

 

Most of the iPhone 8 OLED hardware display specs will undoubtedly be very similar to the OLED displays on Galaxy Note7, and particularly the upcoming Galaxy S8. In the next section below we will examine some of the more important display functions that improve the overall performance of the OLED display hardware.

 

It seems close to certain that the OLED iPhone 8 will have a curved screen flexible OLED that will be similar to the most recent curved screen Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy Note7 displays. Not only does Apple have a reputation for including high-end displays on their iPhones, but they also have a patent for curved screen displays. The most interesting question are the functions and content they will implement for the curved side screens, including an Always On mode.

 

With a curved screen OLED, the iPhone display will almost certainly be bezel and border free to the outside edges, and fill all or almost all of the entire front view edge-to-edge, with rumors predicting that the home button, fingerprint sensor, ambient light and proximity sensors will be incorporated within the display. The ear speaker could also be behind the display, but it would be surprising to do that with the front facing camera for many optical reasons.

 

The iPhone 7 Color Gamut has the latest DCI-P3 wide Color Gamut that is also used in 4K TVs, so it seems certain that the iPhone 8 will also have a DCI-P3 Color Gamut like the Galaxy Note7 (and most likely the Galaxy S8). The iPhone 7 has automatic Color Management that accurately reproduces content from any smaller Color Gamuts like sRGB, and that will definitely continue on the iPhone 8.

 

In terms of pixel resolution, Apple has not strayed far from their 326 PPI Pixels Per Inch Retina Display introduced for the iPhone 4. The highest iPhone PPI is for the recent Plus models, which have 401 PPI. For the iPhone 8 the PPI is unlikely to decrease below 326 PPI, so if the iPhone 8 maintains roughly the same overall size as the iPhone 7, its edge-to-edge screen size will be larger and the resolution will need to increase. The display Aspect Ratio is then likely to increase to 2.0 from the current 1.78 in order to maintain the same overall outer geometric form factor as the iPhone 7, so an educated guess for the iPhone 8 resolution is somewhere between 2160x1080 and 2880x1440 pixels. The left and right side screens could add up to another 250 pixels to the total display width.

 

It will be interesting to see how the iPhone 8 will incorporate and utilize the very high Peak Brightness of greater than 1,000 nits that the latest OLED displays can produce, particularly for the new HDR High Dynamic Range content, and for improved display performance in ambient lighting. In the next section we will examine some of the more important display functions that improve the overall performance of the OLED display hardware.

 

Advanced Display Functions and Features on OLED Smartphones

So far we have been discussing the OLED display hardware, but there is a tremendous amount of critical system software and firmware that must be supplied in order to produce a versatile high function and high performance and high quality Smartphone display.

 

It will be particularly interesting to see how all the Smartphone manufacturers will differentiate their similar OLED display hardware with differing and innovative software and firmware, including display modes, high color accuracy, additional calibration settings and parameters, unique display functions and features, and particularly their display user interfaces to nicely integrate all of these display functions together.

 

In this section we will review some of the important display functions that improve the overall performance of the OLED display hardware that we have previously discussed in our public Display Technology Shoot-Out article series. The links below provide some additional details:

 

● Display User Interface and API Optimized for OLEDs – they are currently all based on LCDs.

 

● Display Power Management Optimized specifically for OLEDs.

 

● Support for Multiple Color Gamuts including sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3.

 

● Reducing the display’s Blue Light for Watching Displays at Night. Current implementations are primitive.

 

Always On Display functions and content.

 

● Support for 4K TV content and HDR High Dynamic Range content.

 

● Improved Absolute Color Accuracy for all the Smartphone Picture Mode Color Gamuts.

● Improved Absolute Luminance Accuracy.

● Improved Absolute Image Contrast Accuracy.

 

● Accurate and adjustable White Points.

● Accurate and adjustable Image Contrast and adjustable Vividness.

● Accurate and adjustable Color Saturation and adjustable Vividness.

 

● Improved Adaptive Automatic Brightness with dual front and back Ambient Light Sensors.

● Improved Performance in High Ambient Light with Dynamic Color Management and Intensity Scales.

 

● Follow DisplayMate on Twitter to learn about these developments and our upcoming display technology coverage.

 

About the Author

Dr. Raymond Soneira is President of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation of Amherst, New Hampshire, which produces display 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 proprietary very 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, testing displays to meet contract specifications, and production quality control so that they don’t make mistakes similar to those that are exposed in our public Display Technology Shoot-Out series for consumers. This article is a lite version of our advanced 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 advanced 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 Smartphone and Tablets, and all display technologies including OLED, LCD, 3D, LED, LCoS, Plasma, DLP and CRT. This article is a lite version of our intensive scientific analysis of Smartphone and Tablet 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:  Galaxy Note7 OLED Display Technology Shoot-Out

Article Links:  Galaxy S7 OLED Display Technology Shoot-Out

Article Links:  iPhone 7 LCD Display Technology Shoot-Out

 

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

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

 

 

Copyright © 1990-2017 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

 


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
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