Microsoft Surface 3 Display Technology Shoot-Out
Dr. Raymond M. Soneira
President, DisplayMate Technologies
Corporation
Copyright © 1990-2015 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 key element for a great Tablet has always been a truly innovative
and top performing display, and the best leading edge Tablets have always
flaunted their beautiful high tech displays.
The Microsoft Surface 3 Tablet is a smaller and lighter version of
Microsoft’s flagship Surface Pro 3, with a 10.8 inch screen instead of 12.0
inches for the Pro. What is particularly interesting about the Surface 3 is
that its display performance is almost identical to the excellent Surface Pro 3
display, including a full sRGB Color Gamut. But in addition, it has a bonus –
the Surface 3 is the first display that has a Color Gamut optimized for typical
300 lux indoor ambient light levels instead of for the dark, like all other
current displays. It provides the best absolute color accuracy on a display for
real-world indoor ambient lighting levels of 300 lux, an important performance
feature that no other display currently provides.
Based on our extensive lab tests and measurements, the Surface 3 has one
of the very best and most accurate displays available on any mobile platform
and OS. It joins near the top of a small set of Tablets that have excellent top
tier displays. We’ll cover these issues and much more, with in-depth
comprehensive display tests, measurements and analysis that you will find
nowhere else.
Microsoft provided
DisplayMate Technologies with a production unit of the Surface 3 so that we
could perform our well known objective and comprehensive display Lab tests,
measurements, and analysis, explaining the in-depth display performance results
for consumers, reviewers, and journalists.
The Display Shoot-Out
To examine the
performance of the Microsoft Surface 3 Display we ran our in-depth series of Mobile Display Technology
Shoot-Out Lab tests and measurements in order to determine how it performs
compared to other leading Tablets. We take display quality very seriously and
provide in-depth objective analysis based on detailed laboratory tests and
measurements and extensive viewing tests with both test patterns, test images
and test photos. To see how far LCD and OLED mobile displays have progressed in
just four 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 DisplayMate Lab tests and measurements and extensive visual
comparisons using test photos, test images, and test patterns that are covered
in the advanced sections. The Display
Shoot-Out Comparison Table summarizes the Lab measurements in the following
categories: Screen
Reflections, Brightness
and Contrast, Colors
and Intensities, Viewing
Angles, LCD Spectra,
Display
Power. You can also skip these Highlights and go directly to the Conclusions.
10.8 inch Display with a 3:2
Aspect Ratio
In terms of display
size based on screen area, the Surface 3 is 19 percent smaller than the Surface
Pro 3 screen, but 19 percent larger than the iPad Air 2 screen. The screen’s
3:2 (1.50) Aspect Ratio is an excellent compromise between the 4:3 (1.33)
Aspect Ratio for most documents (the same as 8.5x11 inch paper with 0.5 inch
borders, and also the iPad’s 4:3 Aspect Ratio) and 16:9 (1.78) Aspect Ratio for
widescreen video content (and similar to Android Tablets that have a 16:10
(1.60) Aspect Ratio).
Display Sharpness and
Sub-Pixel Rendering
The display’s 1920x1280 pixel resolution has 2.5 Mega
Pixels, which is 19 percent more than on 1920x1080 Tablets or HDTVs, but 21
percent less than the Surface Pro 3’s 3.1 Mega Pixels. The screen’s 214 pixels
per inch (ppi) is Very Good, but somewhat lower than on other full size
Tablets, like the Apple iPad Air 2 with 264 ppi. But at typical viewing
distances of 16 inches or more the pixels are not resolved with normal 20/20
Vision, so the display appears perfectly sharp. In addition, the Surface 3 uses
Sub-Pixel Rendering (called ClearType in Microsoft’s implementation) that
significantly improves the visual sharpness of text and graphics over standard
Pixel Rendering that is used in most mobile displays. For black and white and
gray images with sub-pixel rendering, there is up to a factor of 3 improvement
in image sharpness, so the Surface 3 actually delivers sharper text and
graphics than almost all other Tablets.
Color Gamut and Absolute Color Accuracy at 0 lux
Color Accuracy is especially important for many imaging
applications when you must be sure of the on-screen image colors, when viewing
photos from family and friends (because you often know exactly what they
actually should look like), for some TV shows, movies, and sporting events with
image content and colors that you are familiar with, and also for viewing
online merchandise, so you have a very good idea of exactly what colors you are
buying and are less likely to return them.
The Surface 3 has one of the most color accurate screens
of any Tablet or Smartphone display that we have ever measured for the
sRGB/Rec.709 Standard that is used in virtually all current consumer content
for digital cameras, HDTVs, the internet, and computers, including photos,
videos, and movies. Its Color Gamut is 109 percent in 0 lux absolute darkness,
slightly larger than the Standard Gamut as shown in this Figure. The Absolute Color
Accuracy for the Surface 3 is an Excellent 2.2 JNCD, among the most color
accurate displays that we have ever measured for a Tablet or Smartphone. See
this Figure for an
explanation and visual definition of JNCD and
the Color Accuracy Figures
showing the measured Color Errors. See the Color
Accuracy section, the Color
Gamut Figure, and the Color
Accuracy Figures for measurements and details.
Color Accuracy in 300 lux Typical Indoor Ambient Lighting
Displays are almost always calibrated and tested in the
dark (0 lux) in order to prevent ambient light from contaminating the measurements,
but they are almost always used in real world ambient lighting conditions at
higher lux levels. Tablets are most often used indoors, but also outdoors under
protected or subdued lighting. Typical indoor ambient lighting levels for
comfortable workspaces are generally somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 lux,
although in some office and commercial settings it may be higher and closer to
500 lux. Ambient light levels can of course be considerably higher, but most
users will then try to reorient or reposition themselves and/or the display in
order to reduce the amount of light hitting the screen.
Any ambient light reflected off the screen will wash out
the images seen on the display, resulting in reduced image contrast, color
saturation, and color accuracy. So, in principle, the display should have an
appropriately higher color saturation and larger Color Gamut in order to
counterbalance and compensate for the loss of color saturation in ambient
light. And that is exactly what happens on the Surface 3. Its native Color
Gamut triangle is appropriately enlarged so that the on-screen Color Gamut at
300 lux results in an almost perfect sRGB/Rec.709 Standard Color Gamut, which
is shown in Figure 1. We
remeasured the Absolute Color Accuracy in 300 lux ambient light, which is shown
in Figure 2c. It is a
very impressive 1.7 JNCD, more accurate than at 0 lux, and more accurate than
any other display that we have ever measured in real world ambient lighting
conditions at 300 lux. See this Figure for an explanation
and visual definition of JNCD and the Color Accuracy Figures
showing the measured Color Errors. See the Color
Accuracy section, the Color
Gamut and the Color
Accuracy Figures for measurements and details.
Intensity Scale and Accurate
Image Contrast
The
Intensity Scale (sometimes called the Gray Scale) not only controls the
contrast within all displayed images but it also controls how the Red, Green
and Blue primary colors mix to produce all of the on-screen colors. So if the
Intensity Scale doesn't follow the Standard that is used to produce virtually
all consumer content then the colors and intensities will be wrong everywhere
in all images. Unfortunately, many manufacturers are quite sloppy with the
Intensity Scale on their displays because it must be logarithmic. Fortunately,
the Intensity Scale on Surface 3 is very accurate and a close match to the
sRGB/Rec.709 Standard, although it becomes less steep with lower image contrast
at the very dark end for signal levels below 25 percent. See Figure 3 for a plot of the
measured Intensity Scale and the Colors
and Intensities section for measurements and
details.
Display Brightness
Mobile displays are often used under relatively bright
ambient light, which washes out the image colors and contrast, reducing picture
quality and making it harder to view or read the screen. The Surface 3 has a
Peak Brightness of 395 cd/m2 (nits), which is Very Good, slightly
lower than other full size Tablets like the Apple iPad Air 2 with 415 nits, but
much less than some medium size Tablets like the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 with 527
nits. High screen Brightness is only needed when working in High Ambient Light,
but since the Surface 3 is larger it is less likely to be used outdoors in
unshielded high ambient light environments like Smartphones and smaller
Tablets, so its somewhat lower (but still Very Good) Peak Brightness should not
be an issue for most users and applications. See the Brightness
and Contrast section for measurements and details.
Screen Reflectance and Performance in Ambient Lighting
Displays are seldom used in absolute darkness, so their
screen Reflectance and performance in Ambient Lighting is very important. The
Surface 3 adjustable kickstand is particularly useful for adjusting the display
angle in order to minimize reflections.
The screen Reflectance for the Surface 3 is 6.0 percent,
which is Very Good and in the middle of most of the better Tablets, which fall
in the range of 5.0 to 6.5 percent. However, the current record holders for low
Reflectance are the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4, which have 2.5 and 2.0 percent
screen Reflectance by using an anti-reflection coating on the screen. The
display’s Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light
measures the screen’s readability in Ambient Light and depends on both the
screen Reflectance and Maximum Brightness. For the Surface 3 it is 65, which is
again Very Good. It is again in the middle of most of the better Tablets, but
significantly lower than a few Tablets that have values over 100. See the Screen
Reflections and Brightness
and Contrast sections for measurements and details.
Viewing Angle Performance
While Tablets are
primarily single viewer devices, 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, plus they are large enough for
sharing the screen with others. One important advantage of the Surface 3 is its
adjustable kickstand, which makes it possible to adjust the Viewing Angle of
the display in the same way as a Laptop. That is not only convenient but also
reduces any Viewing Angle effects.
The Surface 3 has a high
performance IPS / PLS LCD display, so we expected it to show very small color
shifts with Viewing Angle, and our lab measurements confirmed its excellent
Viewing Angle performance, with no visually noticeable color shifts. However,
all LCDs, do have a strong decrease in Brightness (Luminance) with Viewing
Angle, and the Surface 3 showed (as expected) a 54 percent decrease in
Brightness at a modest 30 degree viewing angle. See the Viewing
Angles section for measurements and details.
Viewing Tests
With its relatively accurate Intensity Scale and very
accurate colors the Surface 3 provides very nice, pleasing and accurate colors,
and picture quality. The very challenging set of DisplayMate Test and
Calibration Photos that we use to evaluate picture quality looked Beautiful, even to my experienced hyper-critical
eyes. However, viewers that like vivid or exaggerated colors and image contrast
may find the color accurate Surface 3 images to appear somewhat subdued.
Display Power Efficiency
While the Surface 3 display is larger in area than most
other Top Tier Tablets and would normally be expected to require more power,
its display is more power efficient and it actually uses less power than many
smaller Tablets. For example, for an equivalent area and display brightness the
Apple iPad Air 2 display uses 76 percent more display power than the Surface 3.
This is due in part to its lower pixels per inch, which affects the display’s
power efficiency, but it is also the result of higher efficiency White LEDs and
optical stack in the Surface 3 display. See the Display
Power section for measurements and details.
Surface 3 Conclusions: An Excellent Top
Tier Display…
The primary goal of this Display Technology Shoot-Out
article series has always been to publicize and promote display excellence
so that consumers, journalists and even manufacturers are aware of and appreciate
the very best in displays and display technology. We point out which
manufactures and display technologies are leading and advancing the
state-of-the-art for displays by performing comprehensive and objective
scientific Lab tests and measurements together with in-depth analysis. We point
out who is leading, who is behind, who is improving, and sometimes
(unfortunately) who is back pedaling… all based solely on the extensive
objective careful Lab measurements that we also publish, so that everyone can judge
the data for themselves as well…
The Conclusions below summarize all the major results.
See the main Display
Shoot-Out Comparison Table for all the DisplayMate Lab measurements and
test details, and see the Results Highlights section
above for a more detailed introduction and overview with expanded discussions
and explanations.
An Excellent Top Tier Display:
Based on our extensive Lab tests and measurements on the display for the
Surface 3, Microsoft has produced an excellent high performance display for
Windows. In fact, the Surface 3 has one of the very best and most accurate
displays available on any mobile platform and OS. It joins near the top of a
small set of Tablets that have excellent top tier displays – ideal for both
professionals that need a very accurate high performance display for their
work, and for consumers that want and appreciate a really nice and beautiful
display.
The Surface 3 delivers uniformly consistent all around Top Tier display
performance: it is only one of a few displays to ever to get all Green
(Very Good to Excellent) Ratings in all test and measurement categories (except
for Brightness variation with Viewing Angle, which is the case for all LCDs)
since we started the Display Technology Shoot-Out article Series in 2006, an
impressive achievement for a display. See the Shoot-Out
Comparison Table for the detailed test and measurement results. Comparisons
with the other leading Tablets are examined below.
The Best Color Accuracy in
Indoor Ambient Lighting:
The Surface 3 has one
of the most color accurate Tablet displays that we have ever measured for all
standard consumer content (sRGB/Rec.709). It is tied for first place with the Surface Pro 3
and the Samsung
Galaxy Tab S 10.5. That is an impressive achievement because everything in
the display has to perform just right in order to produce very accurate colors
– it is the single most challenging and important performance characteristic
for a display. The Absolute Color Accuracy for the Surface 3 is an Excellent
2.2 JNCD.
Displays are almost always calibrated and tested in the
dark (0 lux) in order to prevent ambient light from contaminating the
measurements, and the above test results are for 0 lux. However, displays are
almost always used in real world ambient lighting conditions at higher lux
levels. Typical indoor ambient lighting levels for comfortable workspaces are
generally somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 lux, although in some office and
commercial settings it may be somewhat higher. Any ambient light reflected off
the screen will wash out the images seen on the display, resulting in reduced
image contrast, color saturation, and color accuracy.
As a result, the
display should have an appropriately higher color saturation and Color Gamut in
order to counterbalance and compensate for the loss of color saturation in
ambient light. And that is exactly what happens on the Surface 3. The Absolute
Color Accuracy for the Surface 3 in 300 lux ambient lighting is a very
impressive 1.7 JNCD, better than for 0 lux, and better than any other display
we have ever measured in real world ambient lighting of 300 lux. See the Color Accuracy Highlights and Color Accuracy sections, and the Color Gamut and Color Accuracy figures for
measurements and details.
The Next Generation of Mobile Displays – Better Performance in Ambient
Light:
The
Surface 3 is the first display that has a larger Color Gamut optimized for
typical 300 lux indoor ambient light levels instead of for viewing in total
darkness. It is the first step in getting future displays to fully adjust their
calibration based on the current level of ambient light that it is being
exposed to. Right now most mobile displays and some TVs only raise or lower the
display’s Luminance based on the level of ambient light. The next steps include
also adjusting the Color Gamut and the Intensity Scale.
The most important improvements for both LCD and OLED
mobile displays will come from improving their image and picture quality and
screen readability in real world ambient light, which washes out the screen
images, resulting in reduced image contrast, color saturation, and color
accuracy. The key will be in lowering screen Reflectance and implementing
Dynamic Color Management with automatic real-time modification of the display’s
native Color Gamut and Intensity Scales based the measured Ambient Light level
in order to have them compensate for the reflected light glare and image wash
out from ambient light as discussed in our 2014
Innovative Displays and Display Technology and SID
Display Technology Shoot-Out articles.
The displays, technologies, and manufacturers that
succeed in implementing this new real world high ambient light performance
strategy will take the lead in the next generations of mobile displays… Follow DisplayMate
on Twitter to learn about these developments and our upcoming display
technology coverage.
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.
Display Shoot-Out Comparison Table
Below we
examine in-depth the display on the Microsoft Surface
3 based on objective Lab measurement
data and criteria.
For
comparisons and additional background information see our Surface Pro 3
Display Technology Shoot-Out,
our iPad Air 2 Display
Technology Shoot-Out and our OLED Tablet
Display Technology Shoot-Out articles.
For
comparisons with the other leading Tablet, Smartphone and Smart Watch displays
see our Mobile Display
Technology Shoot-Out series.
Display Specifications
|
Categories
|
Microsoft
Surface 3
|
Comments
|
|
Display Technology
|
10.8 inch
diagonal
IPS / PLS
LCD
|
The diagonal screen size.
In Plane Switching / Plane to Line Switching
|
|
Screen Shape
|
3:2 =
1.50
Aspect
Ratio
|
The 3:2 Aspect Ratio is between 4:3 for
documents
and 16:9 for widescreen video content.
|
|
Screen Area
|
53.8
Square inches
|
A better measure of size than the
diagonal length.
|
|
Display Pixel Resolution
|
1920 x
1280 pixels
|
Screen Pixel Resolution.
|
|
Total Number of Pixels
|
2.5 Mega
Pixels
|
Total Number of Pixels.
|
|
Pixels Per Inch
|
214 ppi
RGB Stripe
Pixels
with
ClearType Sub-Pixel Rendering
Very Good
|
Sharpness depends on the viewing distance
and ppi.
See this on
the visual acuity for a true Retina Display
|
|
20/20 Vision Distance
where Pixels or Sub-Pixels
are Not Resolved
|
16.1
inches
|
For 20/20 Vision the minimum Viewing
Distance
where the screen appears perfectly sharp
to the eye.
|
|
Display Sharpness
at Typical Viewing Distances
|
Display
appears Perfectly Sharp
Pixels are
not Resolved with 20/20 Vision
at Typical
Viewing Distances of
16 inches
or more
The
Sub-Pixel Rendering significantly improves Display Sharpness
|
The Typical Viewing Distances for this
screen size
are 16 inches or more.
|
|
Appears Perfectly Sharp
at Typical Viewing Distances
|
Yes
|
Typical Viewing Distances are 16 inches
or more.
|
|
Photo Viewer Color Depth
|
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 Viewer.
The Surface 3 does not have this issue.
|
|
Overall Assessments
This section summarizes
the results for all of the extensive Lab Measurements and Viewing Tests
performed on the display
See Screen
Reflections, Brightness
and Contrast, Colors
and Intensities, Viewing
Angles, LCD Spectra,
Display
Power.
|
|
|
Surface
3
|
Comments
|
|
Viewing Tests
in Subdued Ambient Lighting
|
Very Good
Images
Photos and
Videos
have very
good color
and
accurate contrast
|
The Viewing Tests examine the accuracy
of
photographic images by comparing the
displays
to a calibrated studio monitor and HDTV.
|
|
Variation with Viewing Angle
Colors and Brightness
See Viewing
Angles
|
Small Color
Shifts
with
Viewing Angle
Large
Brightness Shift
with
Viewing Angle
Typical
for all LCDs
|
The Surface 3 display has small Color
Shifts
with Viewing Angle.
All LCDs show a large Brightness shift
with angle.
See the Viewing
Angles
section for details.
|
|
Overall Display Assessment
Lab Tests and Measurements
|
Excellent
LCD Display
|
The Surface 3 display performed very
well
in the Lab Tests and Measurements.
|
|
|
|
Absolute Color Accuracy
Measured over Entire Gamut
See Figure 2 and Colors
|
Excellent
Color Accuracy at 0 lux Absolute Darkness
Excellent
Color Accuracy at 300 lux Typical Indoor Ambient Lighting
Color
Errors are Small
Very
Accurate Display at 0 lux and at 300 lux
|
Absolute
Color Accuracy is measured with a
Spectroradiometer
for 21 Reference Colors
uniformly
distributed within the entire Color Gamut.
See
Figure 2 and Colors
and Intensities for details.
|
|
Image Contrast Accuracy
See Figure 3 and Contrast
|
Very Good
Accuracy
Image
Contrast
Somewhat
Too Low at the Dim End
|
The
Image Contrast Accuracy is determined by
measuring
the Log Intensity Scale and Gamma.
See
Figure 3 and Brightness
and Contrast for details.
|
|
Performance in Ambient Light
Display Brightness
Screen Reflectance
Contrast Rating
See Brightness
and Contrast
See Screen
Reflections
|
Very Good
Brightness
Low
Reflectance
Very Good
Contrast
Rating
in High
Ambient Light
|
Tablets
are seldom used in the dark.
Screen
Brightness and Reflectance determine
the
Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light.
See
the Brightness
and Contrast section for details.
See
the Screen
Reflections section for details.
|
|
Overall Display Calibration
Image and Picture Quality
Lab Tests and Viewing Tests
|
Excellent
Calibration
|
The Surface 3 factory calibration
delivers
very accurate colors and excellent
overall
image and picture quality.
|
|
|
Overall Display Grade
Overall
Assessment
|
Overall Surface 3 Display Grade
is A
Excellent Top Tier Mobile Display
|
The Surface 3 is an excellent Top Tier
professional grade high performance
display
that has one of the very best and most
accurate
displays available on any mobile platform
and OS.
|
|
|
Surface 3
|
Comments
|
|
Screen Reflections
All display screens are mirrors good enough to use
for personal grooming – but that is 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 Tablets
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.
Our Lab Measurements include Average Reflectance
for Ambient Light from All Directions and for Mirror Reflections.
|
|
|
Surface
3
|
Comments
|
|
Average Screen Reflection
Light From All Directions
|
6.0
percent
Ambient
Light Reflections
Very Good
|
Measured using an Integrating Hemisphere
and
a Spectroradiometer. The lowest value we
have
ever measured for a Tablet is 2.5
percent.
|
|
Mirror Reflections
Percentage of Light Reflected
|
7.9 percent
for Mirror Reflections
Very Good
|
These are the most annoying types of
Reflections.
Measured using a Spectroradiometer and 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. The larger the better.
|
|
|
Surface
3
|
Comments
|
|
Measured Maximum Brightness
100% Full Screen White
|
Brightness
395 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
395 cd/m2
Very Good
|
This is the Peak Brightness for a screen
that
has only a tiny 1% Average Picture
Level.
|
|
Measured Maximum Brightness
with Automatic Brightness On
High Ambient Light
|
Brightness
395 cd/m2
Very Good
|
Some displays have higher Maximum
Brightness
in Automatic Brightness Mode.
|
|
Low Ambient Light
|
|
Lowest Peak Brightness
Brightness Slider to Minimum
|
5 cd/m2
Very Good
for Low Light
|
The Lowest Brightness with the Slider
set to Minimum. This is useful for working in very dark environments.
|
|
Black Brightness at 0 lux
at Maximum Brightness Setting
|
0.41 cd/m2
Very Good
for Mobile
|
Black brightness is important for Low
Ambient Light,
which is seldom the case for mobile
devices.
|
|
Contrast Ratio at 0 lux
Relevant for Low Ambient Light
|
963
Very Good
for Mobile
|
Only relevant for Low Ambient Light,
which is seldom the case for mobile
devices.
|
|
High Ambient Light
|
|
Contrast Rating
for High Ambient Light
The Higher the Better
for Screen Readability
in High Ambient Light
|
66
Very Good
66
With Auto
Brightness
Very Good
|
Depends on the Screen Reflectance and
Brightness.
Defined as Maximum Brightness / Average Reflectance.
Some displays have higher Brightness
in Automatic Brightness Mode.
|
|
Screen Readability
in High Ambient Light
|
Very Good A –
Very Good A –
With 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
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Surface
3
|
Comments
|
|
Color of White
Color Temperature in degrees
Measured in the dark at 0 lux
See Figure 1
|
6,858 K
Close to
Standard
1.1 JNCD
from D65 White
See Figure 1
|
D65 with 6,500 K is the standard color of
White
for most Consumer Content and needed for
accurate color reproduction of all
images.
See Figure 1
for the plotted White Points.
|
|
Color Gamut
Measured in the dark at 0 lux
See Figure 1
|
109
percent at 0 lux
sRGB /
Rec.709
Close to
Standard
See Figure 1
|
sRGB / Rec.709 is the color standard for
most
content and needed for accurate color
reproduction.
|
|
Color Accuracy at 0 lux Absolute Darkness
|
|
Absolute Color Accuracy
Average Color Error at 0 lux
For 21 Reference Colors
Just Noticeable Color Difference
See Figure 2
|
Average
Color Error at 0 lux
From sRGB
/ Rec.709
Δ(u’v’)
= 0.0088
2.2 JNCD
Excellent
Accuracy
See Figure 2
|
JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.
See Figure 2 for the
definition of JNCD and for
Accuracy Plots showing
the measured Color Errors.
Average Errors below 3.5 JNCD are Very
Good.
Average Errors 3.5 to 7.0 JNCD are
Good.
Average Errors above 7.0 JNCD are
Poor.
|
|
Absolute Color Accuracy
Largest Color Error at 0 lux
For 21 Reference Colors
Just Noticeable Color Difference
See Figure 2
|
Largest Color Error at 0 lux
From sRGB
/ Rec.709
Δ(u’v’)
= 0.0181
4.5 JNCD
for Blue – Magenta
Very Good
Accuracy
See Figure 2
|
JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.
See Figure 2 for the
definition of JNCD and for
Accuracy Plots showing
the measured Color Errors.
Largest Errors below 7.0 JNCD are
Very Good.
Largest Errors 7.0 to 14.0 JNCD are
Good.
Largest Errors above 14.0 JNCD are
Poor.
This is twice the limit for the Average
Error.
|
|
Color Accuracy at 300 lux Typical
Indoor Ambient Lighting
|
|
Color Gamut
Measured at 300 lux
See Figure 1
|
96
percent at 300
lux
sRGB /
Rec.709
Close to
Standard
See Figure 1
|
sRGB / Rec.709 is the color standard for
most
content and needed for accurate color
reproduction.
The measurements were made with the
display
in a 300 lux ambient light level.
|
|
Absolute Color Accuracy
Average Color Error at 300 lux
For 21 Reference Colors
Just Noticeable Color Difference
See Figure 2
|
Average
Color Error at 300 lux
From sRGB
/ Rec.709
Δ(u’v’)
= 0.0070
1.7 JNCD
Excellent
Accuracy
See Figure 2
|
JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.
See Figure 2 for the
definition of JNCD and for
Accuracy Plots showing
the measured Color Errors.
Average Errors below 3.5 JNCD are Very
Good.
Average Errors 3.5 to 7.0 JNCD are
Good.
Average Errors above 7.0 JNCD are
Poor.
|
|
Absolute Color Accuracy
Largest Color Error at 300 lux
For 21 Reference Colors
Just Noticeable Color Difference
See Figure 2
|
Largest Color Error at 300 lux
From sRGB
/ Rec.709
Δ(u’v’)
= 0.0132
3.3 JNCD
for Red
Very Good
Accuracy
See Figure 2
|
JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.
See Figure 2 for the
definition of JNCD and for
Accuracy Plots showing
the measured Color Errors.
Largest Errors below 7.0 JNCD are
Very Good.
Largest Errors 7.0 to 14.0 JNCD are
Good.
Largest Errors above 14.0 JNCD are
Poor.
This is twice the limit for the Average
Error.
|
|
Intensity Scale
|
|
Dynamic Brightness
Luminance Decrease with
Average Picture Level APL
|
No
Decrease
Excellent
|
This is the percent Brightness decrease
with APL
Average Picture Level. Ideally should be
0 percent.
|
|
Intensity Scale and
Image Contrast
See Figure 3
|
Smooth and
Accurate except
somewhat
Shallow at the Dim End
See Figure 3
|
The Intensity Scale controls image
contrast needed
for accurate Image Contrast and Color
reproduction.
See Figure 3
|
|
Gamma for the Intensity Scale
Larger has more Image Contrast
See Figure 3
|
Average
2.11
Varies
2.02 to 2.25
Standard
is 2.20
Somewhat
Low below 30% Intensity
|
Gamma is the log slope of the Intensity
Scale.
Gamma of 2.20 is the standard and needed
for
accurate Image Contrast and Color
reproduction.
See Figure 3
|
|
Image Contrast Accuracy
|
Very Good
|
See Figure 3
|
|
Viewing Angles
The variation of
Brightness, Contrast, and Color with Viewing Angle is especially important
for Tablets because
of their larger 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 Tablets and
Smartphones.
Note that the Viewing
Angle performance is also very important for a single viewer because the
Viewing Angle can vary
significantly based on
how the Tablet is held. The Viewing Angle can be very large if resting on a
table or desk.
|
|
|
Surface
3
|
Comments
|
|
Brightness Decrease
at a 30 degree Viewing Angle
|
54
percent Decrease
Large
Decrease
Typical
for all LCDs
|
Most screens become less bright when
tilted.
LCD decrease is generally greater than 50
percent.
|
|
Contrast Ratio at 0 lux
at a 30 degree Viewing Angle
|
701
for Landscape
550 for
Portrait
Very Good
for Mobile
|
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’)
= 0.0047
1.2 JNCD
|
JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.
See Figure 2 for the
definition of JNCD.
|
|
Primary Color Shifts
Largest Color Shift for R,G,B
at a 30 degree Viewing Angle
|
Small Color
Shift
Largest Δ(u’v’) = 0.0082
for Blue
2.0 JNCD
|
JNCD is a Just Noticeable Color Difference.
See Figure 2 for the
definition of JNCD.
|
|
Color Shifts for Color Mixtures
at a 30 degree Viewing Angle
Reference Brown (255, 128, 0)
|
Small Color
Shift
Δ(u’v’)
= 0.0073
1.8 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 2 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 all have different screen sizes
and maximum brightness, the values were also scaled to the
same screen brightness (Luminance) and same screen
area in order to compare their Relative Power Efficiency.
LCDs are typically more power efficient for images with
mostly white content (like text screens, for example), while OLEDs
are more power efficient for mixed image content
because they are emissive displays so their power varies with the
Average Picture Level (average Brightness) of the image
content. For LCDs the display power is independent of image content.
The Surface 3 has display power
efficiency comparable to the Surface Pro 3, but considerably better than the
iPad Air 2.
|
|
|
Microsoft
Surface 3
|
Microsoft
Surface
Pro 3
|
Apple
iPad Air
2
|
Comments
|
|
Maximum Display Power
Full White Screen
at Maximum Brightness
|
3.3 watts
395 cd/m2
53.8 inch2
Screen Area
|
3.5 watts
371 cd/m2
66.5 inch2
Screen Area
|
5.1 watts
415 cd/m2
45.2 inch2
Screen Area
|
This measures the display power for a
screen that
is entirely at Peak White for Maximum
Brightness.
|
|
Relative Power Efficiency
Display Power Scaled to the:
Same Luminance 395 cd/m2 Same
Screen Area 53.8 inch2
|
3.3 watts
|
3.0 watts
|
5.8 watts
|
This compares the Relative Power
Efficiency
by scaling to the same screen brightness
and
same screen area as the Surface 3.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
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