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
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
Reflections, Brightness
and Contrast, Colors
and Intensities, Viewing
Angles, OLED
Spectra, Display
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.
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
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.
|
|
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.
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