Mobile Phone displays have come a long way since the days when their biggest graphical challenge was for us to play Snake, and the display could now be a real factor in our choice of handset. With big manufacturers like Samsung serving both the Windows Phone and Android operating systems, Windows 7 out imminently and Android 3.0 around the corner, looks like the competition is really heating up.
The ‘Retina’ display of the iPhone 4 was something which none of us were able to avoid, with the early adopters eager to wave their high definition screens under our noses at the earliest opportunity. Whilst it is a world away from the somewhat grainy by comparison 3GS screen, mobile device screen technology has come a long way and we really should take a good look at the alternatives before falling for a alluring name. Sure, a ‘retina’ display sounds like it could replace our eyes, but are there better screens out there?
The 3GS, which was a market leader for a time had a 163ppi LED backlit display. This seemed perfectly adequate for us at the time, but the new iPhone 4 has a whopping 326ppi, backlit LED with IPS (in plane switching) to improve viewing angles and enhance the colour display. The contrast ratio of the ‘retina’ screen is 4 times greater than the 3GS at a whopping 800:1.
HTC have introduced a Super LCD on their Desire which they say saves power compared with AMOLED alternative (they ran out of AMOLED screens). As you can see, the screen appears duller and the colours are less rich than the alternatives.
The Samsung Galaxy S has been favourably compared to the ‘retina display’ and many reports state that it is hard to tell the difference. Despite the Samsung having a mere 233ppi the super AMOLED display competes well and although more expensive to produce than standard LCD, do not require back lighting, diffusers and other tricks so subsequently requires up to 50% less power than a LCD screen. In a market where battery life is truly valuable, OLED seems a logical choice. AMOLED displays are also more responsive, with each pixel capable of being switched on and off three times faster than a standard LCD panel. This makes it ideal for watching video or playing graphically demanding games.
The only real drawback of an AMOLED screen was the sunlight issue – in direct sunlight the screen is almost impossible to see compared with the legible LCD. The Samsung Galaxy S claims to have solved this issue with their Super AMOLED screen, which claims a 20% brighter and 80% less reflective screen than the standard AMOLED. Samsung also claim that they can do all this whilst also saving 20% on power.
Super AMOLED has been engineered to improve the viewing angle, and now provides 180 degree experiences. Samsung have incorporated technologies learnt from their TV production and the Super AMOLED screen offers a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 (putting the iPhone in the shadows), making this the closest phone display to an HDTV screen.
How has this been done? Well, Samsung have cleverly integrated the touch sensitive interface with the screen, thus not having to suffer the effects of having the screen beneath an additional layer.
