help point phone with lcd panel brands

What constitutes a great phone display? Is it the high resolution and pixel density? Well, that, and great screen quality test numbers, that"s why the Sony Xperia 1 IV specs with the 1644p 4K panel top our list. What about the high brightness and contrast that offer good outdoor visibility in the sun outdoors? That"s certainly important, but most of today"s flagships have HDR-certified panels that breach the 1000-nit barrier upwards to fit the standard, and their OLED tech ensures practically infinite contrast ratio, so it"s hard to pick on that merit alone.

Ditto for credible color gamut presentation, as per-unit display calibration is no longer a prerogative of Apple"s iPhones, while said HDR display flagships now cover both the standard RGB, and the wide P3 color gamut. Is it the actual white balance and DeltaE numbers then? It"s getting warmer, but throw in dynamically-adjusted refresh rate based on the content displayed, and you"ve narrowed it down to only a few choices when it comes to the best phone displays that we round up below.

Not only does Sony make the only phones with 4K display resolution, but it also calibrates them to a near perfect level. The flagship Sony Xperia 1 IV carries a 6.5" 4K display with the whopping 643 PPI pixel density, and our display benchmarks returned class-beating brightness, white balance and wide gamut color representation credibility levels, some of the best we"ve measured. Add the high dynamic refresh rate, and the Sony Xperia 1 IV has probably the best panel on a phone so far.

The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set (area) of colors that a display can reproduce, with the sRGB colorspace (the highlighted triangle) serving as reference. The chart also provides a visual representation of a display"s color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The "x: CIE31" and "y: CIE31" values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. "Y" shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while "Target Y" is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, "ΔE 2000" is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.

Pay attention to that "brightest" part and the 1Hz-120Hz specs at the full 1440p resolution. Yes, that means that the S22 Ultra is equipped with the newest LTPO OLED display technology that allowed for both the record 1750nits of peak brightness, 15% less battery consumption than what"s on the S21/S21+, and the dynamically-allocated refresh rate that can go down to 1Hz when you are looking at static images, or rev up all the way to 120Hz when you scroll.

This brightness is what makes the S22 Ultra display, in particular, stand out, as the granularly adaptive refresh rate has been on Oppo and OnePlus phones before it.

As usual with Oppo, ever since its partnership with Pixelworks, there is a per-unit factory Delta E calibration, color-blindness presets, and camera-to-display wide color management system. The LTPO panel is factory-calibrated and delivers one of the best color credibility Delta measurements we"ve ever taken, with only Google"s Pixels being better here.

Moreover, the Find X5 Pro has the best white balance score, nearest to the 6500K reference point that means the screens colors are spot on in terms of warmth, neither too yellowish, nor cold and blueish. Adding the high typical or peak brightness levels, the company has managed to beat its own best phone displays record.

The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set (area) of colors that a display can reproduce, with the sRGB colorspace (the highlighted triangle) serving as reference. The chart also provides a visual representation of a display"s color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The "x: CIE31" and "y: CIE31" values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. "Y" shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while "Target Y" is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, "ΔE 2000" is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.

To take full advantage of its excellent display panel"s abilities, the Find X5 Pro employs a "multi-brightness color calibration," meaning that the screen is as color-credible in all lighting conditions, be it on the beach or in the dark.

Google managed to catch up with factory calibration and its Pixel 6 Pro display now delivers not only one of the most feature-rich panels in the Android universe - 1440p resolution, dynamic 120Hz refresh rate, and high brightness, but it is also in the top three in terms of color representation in our display benchmark database.

Birds of a feather, the OnePlus 10 Pro and Oppo Find X5 Pro, as they sport the same 6.7" 1440p LTPO OLED panel with dynamic refresh rate and individual display calibration at the factory level courtesy of the imaging specialists from Pixelworks. Thus, you get a near-perfect color accuracy, wide gamut coverage, and high average brightness, all for less than $900 barring any running OnePlus 10 Pro deals.

The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set (area) of colors that a display can reproduce, with the sRGB colorspace (the highlighted triangle) serving as reference. The chart also provides a visual representation of a display"s color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The "x: CIE31" and "y: CIE31" values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. "Y" shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while "Target Y" is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, "ΔE 2000" is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.

The display is also basically able to do what MEMC TVs do, automatically increasing frames in video to up the rate, and take better advantage of the high refresh rate even with content that is usually shot with 24fps or 30fps. Detailing the panel"s virtues in a blog post, the OnePlus CEO also mentioned that:

In order to reach industry-leading color accuracy standards, we have added an additional automatic color calibration machine to the production line. By adding an extra 30 seconds to the production time, each display panel is automatically calibrated for color accuracy before it’s released.

Apple"s finest finally found the 120Hz refresh feature (say that 3 times quickly) and if you are already invested in the iOS ecosystem, there is nothing better than the brightest, toughest displays on an iPhone so far, the one on the iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro.

Apple advertises it as having a record for a phone peak brightness level of 2000 nits, or more typical brightness of 1600 nits when consuming HDR content and 1000 nits otherwise. This is exactly what we measured and these displays are so advanced that only Samsung can make them at the moment with its 12th-gen OLED technology.

As usual, Apple offers great individual color calibration and the Super Retina XDR panel is HDR certified to show 4K Dolby Vision HDR video recorded by the phone"s own cameras. The only ho-hum part is the just average greyscale representation, so while the iPhone 14 Pro Max may have the brightest phone screen it"s not the most accurate in terms of color credibility.

The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set (area) of colors that a display can reproduce, with the sRGB colorspace (the highlighted triangle) serving as reference. The chart also provides a visual representation of a display"s color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The "x: CIE31" and "y: CIE31" values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. "Y" shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while "Target Y" is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, "ΔE 2000" is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.

Apple has partnered with its usual "made in America" investment suspects from Corning to master an exclusive mixture that it calls Ceramic Shield, hinting at the tough "glass-ceramic" material involved in the blend.

Say what you will about Google entering the fray here but the Pixels have very well calibrated displays and the new Pixel 6a is no exception. First off, its color credibility is better than the more established calibration champs here (just look at those DeltaE numbers below). It is also sufficiently bright, so if you are looking for a compact 5G Android phone with a great camera and display that won"t break the bank, the Pixel 6a would fit your narrative.

The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set (area) of colors that a display can reproduce, with the sRGB colorspace (the highlighted triangle) serving as reference. The chart also provides a visual representation of a display"s color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The "x: CIE31" and "y: CIE31" values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. "Y" shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while "Target Y" is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, "ΔE 2000" is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.

In recent years, smartphone displays have developed far more acronyms than ever before with each different one featuring a different kind of technology. AMOLED, LCD, LED, IPS, TFT, PLS, LTPS, LTPO...the list continues to grow.

As if the different available technologies weren"t enough, component and smartphone manufacturers adopt more and more glorified names like "Super Retina XDR" and "Dynamic AMOLED", which end up increasing the potential for confusion among consumers. So let"s take a look at some of these terms used in smartphone specification sheets and decipher them.

There are many display types used in smartphones: LCD, OLED, AMOLED, Super AMOLED, TFT, IPS and a few others that are less frequently found on smartphones nowadays, like TFT-LCD. One of the most frequently found on mid-to-high range phones now is IPS-LCD. But what do these all mean?

LCD means Liquid Crystal Display, and its name refers to the array of liquid crystals illuminated by a backlight, and their ubiquity and relatively low cost make them a popular choice for smartphones and many other devices.

LCDs also tend to perform quite well in direct sunlight, as the entire display is illuminated from behind, but does suffer from potentially less accurate colour representation than displays that don"t require a backlight.

Within smartphones, you have both TFT and IPS displays. TFT stands for Thin Film Transistor, an advanced version of LCD that uses an active matrix (like the AM in AMOLED). Active matrix means that each pixel is attached to a transistor and capacitor individually.

The main advantage of TFT is its relatively low production cost and increased contrast when compared to traditional LCDs. The disadvantage of TFT LCDs is higher energy demands than some other LCDs, less impressive viewing angles and colour reproduction. It"s for these reasons, and falling costs of alternative options, that TFTs are not commonly used in smartphones anymore.Affiliate offer

IPS technology (In-Plane Switching) solves the problem that the first generation of LCD displays experience, which adopts the TN (Twisted Nematic) technique: where colour distortion occurs when you view the display from the side - an effect that continues to crop up on cheaper smartphones and tablets.

The PLS (Plane to Line Switching) standard uses an acronym that is very similar to that of IPS, and is it any wonder that its basic operation is also similar in nature? The technology, developed by Samsung Display, has the same characteristics as IPS displays - good colour reproduction and viewing angles, but a lower contrast level compared to OLED and LCD/VA displays.

According to Samsung Display, PLS panels have a lower production cost, higher brightness rates, and even superior viewing angles when compared to their rival, LG Display"s IPS panels. Ultimately, whether a PLS or IPS panel is used, it boils down to the choice of the component supplier.

This is a very common question after "LED" TVs were launched, with the short answer simply being LCD. The technology used in a LED display is liquid crystal, the difference being LEDs generating the backlight.

One of the highlights from TV makers at the CES 2021 tradeshow, mini-LED technology seemed far removed from mobile devices until Apple announced the 2021 iPad Pro. As the name implies, the technique is based on the miniaturization of the LEDs that form the backlight of the screen — which still uses an LCD panel.

Despite the improvement in terms of contrast (and potentially brightness) over traditional LCD/LED displays, LCD/mini-LEDs still divide the screen into brightness zones — over 2,500 in the case of the iPad and 2021 "QNED" TVs from LG — compared to dozens or hundreds of zones in previous-generation FALD (full-array local dimming) displays, on which the LEDs are behind the LCD panel instead of the edges.

However, for even greater contrast control, done individually at each point on the screen, it is necessary to go to panels equipped with microLED technologies – still cost-prohibitive in 2021 – or OLED, which until recently were manufactured on a large scale only in sizes for smartphones or televisions.Affiliate offer

AMOLED stands for Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode. While this may sound complicated it actually isn"t. We already encountered the active matrix in TFT LCD technology, and OLED is simply a term for another thin-film display technology.

OLED is an organic material that, as the name implies, emits light when a current is passed through it. As opposed to LCD panels, which are back-lit, OLED displays are "always off" unless the individual pixels are electrified.

This means that OLED displays have much purer blacks and consume less energy when black or darker colours are displayed on-screen. However, lighter-coloured themes on AMOLED screens use considerably more power than an LCD using the same theme. OLED screens are also more expensive to produce than LCDs.

Because the black pixels are "off" in an OLED display, the contrast ratios are also higher compared to LCD screens. AMOLED displays have a very fast refresh rate too, but on the downside are not quite as visible in direct sunlight as backlit LCDs. Screen burn-in and diode degradation (because they are organic) are other factors to consider.Affiliate offer

OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. An OLED display is comprised of thin sheets of electroluminescent material, the main benefit of which is they produce their own light, and so don"t require a backlight, cutting down on energy requirements. OLED displays are more commonly referred to as AMOLED displays when used on smartphones or TVs.

As we"ve already covered, the AM part of AMOLED stands for Active Matrix, which is different from a Passive Matrix OLED (P-OLED), though these are less common in smartphones.

Super AMOLED is the name given by Samsung to its displays that used to only be found in high-end models but have now trickled down to more modestly specced devices. Like IPS LCDs, Super AMOLED improves upon the basic AMOLED premise by integrating the touch response layer into the display itself, rather than as an extra layer on top.

The latest evolution of the technology has been christened "Dynamic AMOLED". Samsung didn"t go into detail about what the term means, but highlighted that panels with such identification include HDR10+ certification that supports a wider range of contrast and colours, as well as blue light reduction for improved visual comfort.

The technology debuted with the obscure Royole FlexPai, equipped with an OLED panel supplied by China"s BOE, and was then used in the Huawei Mate X (pictured above) and the Motorola Razr (2019), where both also sport BOE"s panel - and the Galaxy Flip and Fold lines, using the component supplied by Samsung Display.Affiliate offer

Resolution describes the number of individual pixels (or points) displayed on the screen and is usually presented for phones by the number of horizontal pixels — vertical when referring to TVs and monitors. More pixels on the same display allow for more detailed images and clearer text.

To make it easier to compare different models, brands usually adopt the same naming scheme made popular by the TV market with terms like HD, FullHD and UltraHD. But with phones adopting a wide range of different screen proportions, just knowing that is not enough to know the total pixels displayed on the screen.Common phone resolutions

But resolution in itself is not a good measure for image clarity, for that we need to consider the display size, resulting in the pixel density by area measured by DPI/PPI (dots/points per inch).Affiliate offer

Speaking of pixel density, this was one of Apple"s highlights back in 2010 during the launch of the iPhone 4. The company christened the LCD screen (LED, TFT, and IPS) used in the smartphone as "Retina Display", thanks to the high resolution of the panel used (960 by 640 pixels back then) in its 3.5-inch display.

The name coined by Apple"s marketing department is applied to screens which, according to the company, the human eye is unable to discern the individual pixels from a normal viewing distance. In the case of iPhones, the term was applied to displays with a pixel density that is greater than 300 ppi (dots per inch).

Since then, other manufacturers have followed suit, adopting panels with increasingly higher resolutions. While the iPhone 12 mini offers 476 dpi, models like Sony Xperia 1 boast a whopping 643 dpi.

With the iPhone 11 Pro, another term was introduced to the equation: "Super Retina XDR". Still using an OLED panel (that is supplied by Samsung Display or LG Display), the smartphone brings even higher specs in terms of contrast - with a 2,000,000:1 ratio and brightness level of 1,200 nits, which have been specially optimized for displaying content in HDR format.

As a kind of consolation prize for iPhone XR and iPhone 11 buyers, who continued relying on LCD panels, Apple classified the display used in the smartphones with a new term, "Liquid Retina". This was later applied also to the iPad Pro and iPad Air models, with the name defining screens that boast a high range and colour accuracy, at least based on the company"s standards.

Nit, or candela per square meter in the international system (cd/m²), is a unit of measurement of luminance, i.e. the intensity of light emitted. In the case of smartphone screens and monitors in general, such a value defines just how bright the display is - the higher the value, the more intense the light emitted by the screen.

The result is smoother animations on the phone, both during regular use and in games, compared to screens that have a 60 Hz refresh rate which remains the standard rate in the market when it comes to displays.

Originally touted to be a "gimmick" in 2017, with the launch of the Razer Phone, the feature gained more and more momentum in due time, even with a corresponding decrease in battery life. In order to make the most of this feature, manufacturers began to adopt screens with variable refresh rates, which can be adjusted according to the content displayed - which is 24 fps in most movies, 30 or 60 fps in home video recordings, and so forth.

The same unit of measurement is used for the sampling rate. Although similar, the value here represents the number of times per second the screen is able to register touches. The higher the sample rate, the faster the smartphone registers such touches, which results in a faster response time.

To further muddy the alphabet soup that we"ve come across, you will also run into other less common terms that are often highlighted in promotional materials for smartphones.

TFT(Thin Film Transistor) - a type of LCD display that adopts a thin semiconductor layer deposited on the panel, which allows for active control of the colour intensity in each pixel, featuring a similar concept as that of active-matrix (AM) used in AMOLED displays. It is used in TN, IPS/PLS, VA/PVA/MVA panels, etc.

IGZO(Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide) - a semiconductor material used in TFT films, which also allows higher resolutions and lower power consumption, and sees action in different types of LCD screens (TN, IPS, VA) and OLED displays

LTPO(Low Temperature Polycrystaline Oxide) - a technology developed by Apple that can be used in both OLED and LCD displays, as it combines LTPS and IGZO techniques. The result? Lower power consumption. It has been used in the Apple Watch 4 and the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

LTPO allows the display to adjust its refresh rate, adapting dynamically to the content shown. Scrolling pages can trigger the fastest mode for a fluid viewing, while displaying a static image allows the phone to use a lower refresh rate, saving the battery.

In 2022, flagship phones started using the so-called LTPO 2.0 tech, whose main advantage is being able to go down to a 1 Hz refresh rate, instead of the 10 Hz available in first-generation LTPO panels. Found in phones like the OnePlus 10 Pro and the Galaxy S22 Ultra, LTPO 2.0 promises even further energy savings.

Among televisions, the long-standing featured technology has always been miniLED - which consists of increasing the number of lighting zones in the backlight while still using an LCD panel. There are whispers going around that smartphones and smartwatches will be looking at incorporating microLED technology in their devices soon, with it being radically different from LCD/LED displays as it sports similar image characteristics to that of OLEDs.

By adopting a self-emitting light technology, microLED displays do not require the use of a backlight, with each pixel being "turned off" individually. The result is impressive: your eyes see the same level of contrast as OLED displays, without suffering from the risk of image retention or burn-in of organic diodes.

Each technology has its own advantages and disadvantages but in recent years, OLED screens have gained prominence, especially with the adoption of the component in high-end flagship smartphones. It gained an even greater degree of popularity after the launch of the iPhone X, which cemented the position of OLED panels in the premium segment.

As previously stated, OLED/AMOLED screens have the advantage of a varied contrast level, resulting from individual brightness control for the pixels. Another result of this is the more realistic reproduction of black, as well as low power consumption when the screen shows off dark images - which has also helped to popularize dark modes on smartphones.

While that is a very real possibility, it is not something that affects most users, who often confuse burn-in with a similar problem - image retention, which is temporary and usually resolves itself after a few minutes.

In the case of LCD displays, the main advantage lies in the low manufacturing cost, with dozens of players in the market offering competitive pricing and a high production volume. Some brands have taken advantage of this feature to prioritize certain features - such as a higher refresh rate - instead of adopting an OLED panel, such as the Xiaomi Mi 10T.

Advanced LED video wall with MicroLED models in 0.6, 0.7 and 0.9mm pixel pitches, and 1.2mm pixel pitch standard LED; with powerful processing, proprietary alignment technology and off-board electronics.

Planar® CarbonLight™ VX Series is comprised of carbon fiber-framed indoor LED video wall and floor displays with exceptional on-camera visual properties and deployment versatility, available in 1.9 and 2.6mm pixel pitch (wall) and 2.6mm (floor).

From cinema content to motion-based digital art, Planar® Luxe MicroLED Displays offer a way to enrich distinctive spaces. HDR support and superior dynamic range create vibrant, high-resolution canvases for creative expression and entertainment. Leading-edge MicroLED technology, design adaptability and the slimmest profiles ensure they seamlessly integrate with architectural elements and complement interior décor.

From cinema content to motion-based digital art, Planar® Luxe Displays offer a way to enrich distinctive spaces. These professional-grade displays provide vibrant, high-resolution canvases for creative expression and entertainment. Leading-edge technology, design adaptability and the slimmest profiles ensure they seamlessly integrate with architectural elements and complement interior decor.

LED video wall solution with advanced video wall processing, off-board electronics, front serviceable cabinets and outstanding image quality available in 0.9mm pixel pitch

Advanced LED video wall with MicroLED models in 0.6, 0.7 and 0.9mm pixel pitches, and 1.2mm pixel pitch standard LED; with powerful processing, proprietary alignment technology and off-board electronics.

From cinema content to motion-based digital art, Planar® Luxe MicroLED Displays offer a way to enrich distinctive spaces. HDR support and superior dynamic range create vibrant, high-resolution canvases for creative expression and entertainment. Leading-edge MicroLED technology, design adaptability and the slimmest profiles ensure they seamlessly integrate with architectural elements and complement interior décor.

Advanced LED video wall with MicroLED models in 0.6, 0.7 and 0.9mm pixel pitches, and 1.2mm pixel pitch standard LED; with powerful processing, proprietary alignment technology and off-board electronics.

LED video wall solution with advanced video wall processing, off-board electronics, front serviceable cabinets and outstanding image quality available in 0.9mm pixel pitch

Planar® CarbonLight™ VX Series is comprised of carbon fiber-framed indoor LED video wall and floor displays with exceptional on-camera visual properties and deployment versatility, available in 1.9 and 2.6mm pixel pitch (wall) and 2.6mm (floor).

Carbon fiber-framed indoor LED video wall and floor displays with exceptional on-camera visual properties and deployment versatility for various installations including virtual production and extended reality.

a line of extreme and ultra-narrow bezel LCD displays that provides a video wall solution for demanding requirements of 24x7 mission-critical applications and high ambient light environments

Since 1983, Planar display solutions have benefitted countless organizations in every application. Planar displays are usually front and center, dutifully delivering the visual experiences and critical information customers need, with proven technology that is built to withstand the rigors of constant use.

Let’s be honest: The smartphone has reached the peak of design, and the only way forward does not seem to lead upward. The eagerness to cram more tech in less space is what has driven the companies selling the best smartphones. But the rectangle slab we treat as our babies have limited phone companies in terms of the experiments they can do to keep their designs fresh and exciting.

Despite these limitations, some brands have successfully introduced unique elements, facilitating them to create distinct personas for their phones. Companies have especially turned their attention to the back of smartphones to ensure maximum utilization of the available real estate. This includes the Vivo Nex and the ZTE Nubia X with two full-fledged displays, to the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra with a tiny rear display. More recently, the Doogee S98 rugged phone and the Nothing Phone 1 are among such devices that attempt to accomplish something unusual with their rear design.

These unique designs have challenged what we usually expect from smartphones. And while part of that should be commended, they still feel lacking in terms of optimal space usage. As much as secondary screens are useful, they can be very reductive to the user experience instead of being additive. After using one such device, I’ve begun to realize why the second screen form factor rarely works as expected.

There’s a conundrum every phone designer must face when tasked with making space for a second screen on the smartphone. There are two apparent paths one can take. First, the phone may be blessed with a large secondary screen that sprawls across a significant portion of the phone’s entire surface area other than its main screen. That could either happen like Vivo or Nubia implemented a fully functional second screen on the back, or in the form of an external display on foldable phones such as the Galaxy Z Fold/Flip or the Motorola Razr.

The second route for a mobile designer would be to use a smaller screen that is only as big as a fitness tracker or a smartwatch. While the smaller size severely restricts the display’s functionality, it uses much less area on the back and doesn’t make the phone as thick.

One of the most marketed features on phones with a secondary display is that it allows users to utilize the full capabilities of the primary rear camera for selfies. Other than that, small secondary displays may be used for peering at notifications, controlling music, and picking up or dismissing incoming calls.

Most of these functions can also be performed using a smartwatch or by flipping the phone over. A secondary rear display might become an unwanted and distracting feature as soon as the novelty fades. As our Senior writer Andy Boxall notes in his Nothing Phone 1 review, the so-called Glyph interface is cool as a concept but comes across as non-striking in daily usage.

Secondary displays on smartphones have yet to reach their optimal utilization. Because most small secondary displays play the same role as a fitness band or a smartwatch, there is barely anything new that a secondary display offers. To make the secondary display actually usable (such as in the case of the Motorola Razr, which lets you type from the outer display), phone companies require more volume in the phone’s chassis. And that cannot be achieved without making a phone thicker.

While an increase in thickness may still be tangible and acceptable on foldable smartphones, the same can be attributed to a less pleasing design on a phone with a flat surface.

We constantly haul our phones in our hands, finding reasons to unlock the screen just one more time and take a quick scan at the swathe of (often useless) notifications. Therefore, putting the phone away and spending time without it requires a conscious effort. In an age where smartphones get lambasted for being highly addictive, rear displays contribute to users being hooked even when they want to withdraw.

Putting your phone facing downward is symbolic of taking a retreat and avoiding the noise. But with backs of phones that actively change or update with new notifications, they can continue invading the user’s mind space and prevent them from actually tuning out. Every time a new notification arrives, the rear display on the Nothing Phone 1(aka the Glyph interface) lights up, demanding the owner’s attention.

It’s already difficult enough to tune out your phone with notifications flooding the front display. When they can also grab your attention from the back, ignoring all those alerts becomes all the more impossible.

Phones are getting harder to make, with companies having to cram more components in the same or even less space, which already increases challenges in maintaining reasonable quality control (QC). Further, densely packed components make it even more difficult for phones to get repaired. Usually, the phone’s back is the safest place to start the repair process, but with secondary displays or other elements crowding up the space, repairing can become highly challenging — especially if you were hoping to rely on a third-party service.

A video by YouTuber Dave2D shows how the panels with LED on the Nothing Phone 1 add an extra layer that is to be stripped off before you can access the actual internals of the phone. In cases like these, you are better off relying on official service providers, which is expected to add to the cost of any repairs.

Similarly, the complicated design can also result in challenges in production. The first batch of the Nothing Phone 1 has been infested with issues such as dust creeping inside the transparent back, misplaced ribbon cables, and damaged internals. The LED strips, more specifically, have also been peeling off.

Concurrently, the rear display on my Doogee S98 rugged phone also started glitching randomly after a few days of usage, even before I could test the phone for its ludicrous durability claims.

In addition to the issues that may crop up for phones with extra displays, keeping them protected in day-to-day usage is a more significant challenge altogether. While full displays can substantially stave off cases one can use with these phones, even smaller secondary displays add to the fragility of the smartphone and require extra caution during usage.

With the intent to set themselves apart, phone companies often tread unusual routes, relying on features that may often seem gimmicky. Secondary displays, in most devices available in the market at present, feel like an unnecessary gimmick that doesn’t add much value. Adding a secondary display could result in needless and preventable trade-offs in terms of durability and repairability. Not to mention, the extra display is also heavier on the battery and the processor on the device.

While a flashy and dazzling element on the back of the phone may help companies get hyped up and stand out among the crowd — as in the case of the Nothing Phone 1, the product’s effectiveness stands the test of time in the market.

As a service to the community, smartphone companies should aspire to make phones more utility-based and less distracting. By doing this, we can ensure that our phones and other gadgets do not completely cloud our attention and judgment while dissociating us from the physical world.

The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.

Industrial Display Systems provide a wide range of reliable displays from 5.7" to 55" including LCD displays, touch screen panels, outdoor displays and digital signage displays, and a series of industrial monitors including open frame monitors and panel mount monitors, which work perfectly with embedded boards and systems to fulfill various application needs.

Touch screens are found everywhere from our smartphones to self-serve kiosks at the airport. Given their many uses, it should come as no surprise that there are several touch monitor types. Each has its advantages and disadvantages and is suited to specific tasks.

That’s right. Long before your precious smartphone entered the market in the late 00s, touch panels had already been an established technology for nearly 4 decades.

It’s quite possible that you’re not clear on exactly what a touch panel is, what the touch panel types are, or how they’re applied in your daily life, beyond that of your smartphone. For that and more, we’re here to help.

Quite simply, touch panels, which are also known as touchscreens or touch monitors, are tools that allow people to operate computers through direct touch. More specifically, via the use of internal sensors, a user’s touch is detected, then translated, into an instructional command that parlays into visible function.

Delving deeper into the technical side of things, touch panels are not as cut-and-dry as they may seem. In fact, the way they sense and react to touch can widely differ based on their inherent designs. As such, there are 4 touch panel types in regular use – Resistive, Optical Imaging, Projected Capacitive, and Infrared. Below, we’ll dig into their specifics, which include their advantages, disadvantages, and real-life product applications.

Resistive touch panels are cost-effective variants that detect commands by way of pressure placed on the screen. This pressure sensitivity is generally limited to single-point touch, with a 20-inch maximum screen, which is fine for many usage cases. These range from styluses to fingertips. As a result, if used correctly, resistive touch panels will remain functional even if a water drop has landed on the screen.

As a result of this versatility, however, many will find that resistive touch panels are less durable than their competitors. Moreover, with its reliance on single-point touch, this touch panel type is not actually capable of multi-touch functionality. Regardless, resistive touch panels are often found in grocery stores, where stylus-based signatures are typically required after credit card purchases.

Some like it hot and some don’t. Infrared touch panels definitely fall into the latter category. By setting up a grid of infrared beams across the panel, which may be up to 150-inches, touch is detected by way of this panel’s disruption.

Although infrared touch panels are durable and support multi-touch functionality, it does possess one potential drawback. Depending on where you sit, literally.

Despite infrared implying heat, infrared touch panels actually perform rather poorly in it, particularly in direct sunlight. In those circumstances, the infrared light beams can be disrupted by the sun’s rays, as opposed to your fingers. As such, be sure to place your infrared touch panel device in an appropriately dark location.

Light, and the disruption thereof, is not just a great way to produce a shadow, but also to design a touch panel type. To take advantage of this principle, optical imaging touch panels are designed to sense touch through infrared cameras and the disruption of light strips. This can be achieved through any input you want, across its 100-inch maximum size, from gloves to bare hands, and beyond.

All in all, optical imaging touch panels are just about the most versatile option the touch-based world can offer. From durability to multi-touch, and universal input prospects, the possibilities may truly be endless. Although its only disadvantage may be its non-compact design, common applications of optical imaging touch panels include certain varieties of interactive whiteboards.

If you identify with the phrase, “go with what you know”, then projected capacitive touch panels are the touch panel type for you. For now, you can guess where you know it from.

By way of their electrical-based touch detection, Projected Capacitive touch panels are known for their high precision and high-speed response times. What’s more is that they possess multi-touch functionality and can be used within small, compact, yet expensive, devices. Due to their underlying technology, it has proven challenging to scale up to larger sizes. Figured it out yet?

Assuming you haven’t, or would like to enjoy the gratified feeling associated with being right, allow us to reveal where you interact with projected capacitive touch panels on a daily basis – Smart Phones! What’s more is that they’re not alone, with tablet computers and GPS devices also utilizing projected capacitive touch screens.

It would be a mistake to assume that the applications of all these touch panel types are limited to that of consumer-level devices, or even those that have been previously mentioned. Really, these touch panel types can be found throughout everyday life and in a variety of industries.

What’s more is that in many of these industries, these touch panel types are used less to market products to consumers, and more to sell solutions to businesses. Whether it be in regards to finance, manufacturing, retail, medicine, or education, there is always a need for touch-based solutions. In conjunction with the so-called ‘Internet-of-things’, these touch-based solutions play a key role in practices related to industry 4.0.

In practice, these solutions largely offer a form of personnel management. In hospitals, stores, or banks, for instance, these touch panel types can be used to answer basic questions, provide product information, or offer directions, based on the user’s needs. When it comes to manufacturing, on the other hand, these solutions enable employee management in the possible form of workplace allocation or attendance tracking.

At the end of the day, touch panels are here to stay. In the four decades since their inception, the level of adoption this technology has experienced is remarkable. They transform how we teach in classrooms and collaborate with colleagues.

Although you may not have been clear on the specific details of each touch panel type, we hope that you are now. This knowledge will absolutely serve you well, particularly if you’re interested in ViewSonic’s selection of touch-based solutions.

If you spend long enough debating the merits of LCD vs. OLED display technologies, eventually, someone will touch upon the subject of the dreaded OLED screen burn in. The point made is that OLED displays will inevitably suffer from horrible-looking artifacts over time, while LCD and new technologies like Mini-LED won’t. But like most of these debates, you’ll probably hear as many overblown anecdotes as you will actual facts about the issue.

You may never have experienced it for yourself, but many consumers are wary about the possibility of burn in when pondering their next smartphone purchase. Particularly as expensive flagship smartphones have universally adopted OLED display technology. Apple, Google, and other manufacturers acknowledge that burn in can be a problem in rare cases. OLED technology has made its way to much more affordable price points in recent years, putting the issue on the radar for even more consumers.

The word “burn in” is a little misleading, as no actual burning or heat problems are involved. Instead, this term describes a display suffering from permanent discoloration across any part of the panel. This may take the form of a text or image outline, fading of colors, or other noticeable patches and patterns on display. The display still works as expected, but a somewhat noticeable ghost image or discoloration persists when the screen is on. To be considered screen burn in, these artifacts have to be permanent and are a defect caused on the display hardware side. Rather than a graphical glitch that may be caused by software, temporary image retention, or a problem with the display driver circuitry.

The term dates back to old CRT monitors, where phosphor compounds that emit light to produce images lost their luminance with time. LCD panels can exhibit similar problems, but these are much rarer due to the nature of LCD’s backlight and color matrix design.

Although not as bad or noticeable as old CRT issues, today’s OLED smartphone displays can eventually suffer from a similar problem. That being said, it’s pretty difficult and rare to notice unless you know what you’re looking for, and it takes hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of screen-on time before any such errors appear. In smartphones, pattern burn in is typically associated with always-on displays, navigation buttons, and the notification bar. The example below demonstrates a textbook case:

Although most smartphones now support gesture navigation controls in the place of the old button design. So this type of burn-in is much less of a problem than it used to be.

The cause of all screen burn in is the varying lifecycle of a display’s light-producing components. As these parts age, their brightness changes, and therefore the panel’s color reproduction gradually shifts with time. Although this can be mitigated somewhat with clever software, all displays experience some color shift as they age. But with burn in, some parts of the screen age faster than others. This can gradually shift the perceivable colors of the screen in one area more than in another, leaving what looks like a ghost image behind.

With modern smartphone and smartwatch technology, screen burn in can manifest due to the different life spans between the red, green, and blue LED subpixels used in OLED panels. As we mentioned before, areas of the display that seldom change, are bright white, or are often black and switched off, such as navigation buttons or the notification bar, are the most likely areas to notice this issue. You may also notice the effect in darkened status bars designed to hide display notches.

So, if one part of the panel spends a lot of time displaying a blue or white image, the blue pixels in this area will degrade faster than in other areas. That’s essentially what burn in is. However, display manufacturers do account for this in their panel designs.

If OLED screens have a problem with burn in, why do we continue using them? Burn in is a true downside to OLED displays, but there are plenty of reasons consumers and manufacturers like them. For starters, image quality is much better than in LCDs. OLED panels can reproduce more vibrant colors, more contrast, wider viewing angles, and faster refresh rates. Colors tend to be much more saturated, and blacks are much darker.

OLED displays have a simpler design, allowing thinner, lighter smartphone designs. You can also thank OLED technology for foldable phones and curved displays. If those improvements weren’t enough, you’ll also enjoy lower power consumption with OLED.

Additionally, burn in problems are only common after prolonged periods of use. As you may already know, smartphone manufacturers don’t expect you to keep a smartphone for more than 2-3 years. Recent statistics show that consumers currently keep their phones for an average of 2.75 years.

At this stage, manufacturers are very aware of the potential issues and have already taken some intelligent steps to help avoid burn in. For starters, Samsung has been using its pentile subpixel arrangement in its AMOLED displays since the Galaxy S3. By making the blue subpixel larger, it requires less current to drive in order to provide the necessary light. Driving the LED with less current increases its lifespan, so it takes longer for any noticeable color shift to occur.

This doesn’t directly address the issue of different parts of the screen aging at different rates, but it does mean that it will take significantly longer to notice than with older or cheaper OLED panels. More expensive and modern OLED panels are built with longer-lasting LEDs and well-designed layouts, meaning flagship smartphone displays age slower. These days, it’s cheaper phones packing cheaper displays that are marginally more likely to see issues after heavy use.

There are software solutions too. Android Wear product manufacturers can enable the OS’s “burn protection” option. This mode periodically shifts the screen’s contents by a few pixels, so they spend equal time displaying different colors. Smartphones equipped with Always-On display technology employ a similar tactic. Google also suggests a selection of design guidelines tailored to avoid screen burn-in problems when designing OLED watches. The move towards gesture rather than on-screen navigation controls is also helping to alleviate one of the more noticeable burn in areas.

Try to make it so that the screen isn’t displaying the same thing all the time, in the same areas of the screen. For example, if you have a widget that almost always looks the same, chances are it will eventually burn into the image. Move things around now and then, and try to keep the view of your phone dynamic.

All that said, screen burn in isn’t something that should concern many users if they’re looking to buy a new OLED smartphone. Modern panels have much longer lifespans than early OLED smartphones, and even then, burn in was rare. Just don’t leave a static image on the screen 24/7 with the brightness set at max.

The bottom line is that you should be looking at several years’ worth of use out of a modern smartphone display before any screen burn in will be noticeable. But it doesn’t hurt to be aware of what can happen to aging handsets and how to maximize their lifespan.

Samsung has a phone for sale at just about every price point. While this has worked out very well for the company so far, it also means that Samsung has to compete withitselfalmost as much as with other manufacturers. Between the low-cost Samsung Galaxy A13 5G and the mid-range A53, it can be challenging to decide which phone deserves your money. Should you spend additional cash on one of the more powerful Android phones, or opt for a real budget device that might not deliver the performance you need?

That’s where the Samsung Galaxy A23 5G comes in — a very competitive budget device up against some strong competitors. At $300, the Galaxy A23 is affordable without making many compromises to hit that number. In fact, with solid performance and an excellent 120Hz display, it may go down as one of the best budget devices this year. But, unfortunately, with competition so stiff, that still might not be enough reason to buy it.

With four years of security updates, a Snapdragon 695, and far and away the best display at this price point, the Samsung Galaxy A23 5G is one of the best values in the budget category you"re likely to see for quite a while.

Samsung has found a fairly consistent look for most of its A-series phones right now, to the point where it"s almost impossible to distinguish the Samsung Galaxy A23 from the more expensive Samsung Galaxy A53 5G that came out earlier this year. While the differences in design are few and far between, the most noticeable one is the inclusion of a headphone jack along the bottom of the Samsung Galaxy A23. Also, the power and volume buttons are slightly higher up along the right side, the selfie camera is in a teardrop notch instead of a hole-punch cutout, and the fingerprint sensor-equipped power button is flush with the plastic side rail.

While these minor cosmetic details differentiate it from the Galaxy A53, they"re unchanged from last year"s A22 5G. Thankfully, the same can"t be said for the display. While it sports that same teardrop notch for the selfie camera, the screen has been upgraded from a 90Hz TFT LCD panel to a 120Hz PLS LCD unit. Also, Samsung has switched from a MediaTek processor to Qualcomm"s Snapdragon 695 5G. As with previous generations, the A23 includes just 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, so you"ll depend on the microSD card slot if you need more storage.

The switch to a rectangular camera bump from last year"s square design is the most conspicuous update you"ll find here, matching up with many of Samsung"s current offerings. This camera bump shuffling has netted the Galaxy A23 an extra lens over the A22: a 2MP macro camera.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy A23 phone is missing an amplified earpiece. While the headphone jack is a nicety when I"m relaxing alone watching YouTube, I don"t always want to pull out my earbuds, and cramping my hand from cupping the bottom of my phone is no way to watch an hour-long video about speed running. There"s no shortage of budget phones that skimp on this feature, so as much as I don"t like it, it"s nothing outside the norm.

Speaking of modern-day sacrifices, you won"t find a charging brick in the box. While Samsung at least includes a cable with the Galaxy A23 5G (similar to the company"s more premium offerings like the flagship S22 Ultra), Samsung seems to be in lockstep with Apple on this charger issue. Flagship phone shoppers can usually find a high-end aftermarket charger worth buying; however, budget phones are more likely to be someone"s first smartphone, making a bundled wall wart all the more essential.

The A23 5G ships with Android 12, which includes all of the Material You goodness we"ve grown used to over the last year. It"s found on Samsung devices under the Color Palette menu, where you"ll also find Samsung"s theme store. You still have the option to customize your phone around your background colors, but the theme store has a huge selection of free and paid premade themes with custom app icons. While I didn"t buy any of the licensed Hello Kitty themes, the temptation was definitely there, especially after seeing how Material You has incorporated the background colors into the quick settings menu.

Samsung"s support guarantees are another compelling reason behind buying one of its A-series phones. The company has been very clear that it intends to give long-term updates for all of its devices, even budget offerings like the A23. With four years of security updates and three Android version updates, the Galaxy A23 is here for the long haul. It"s far too early to speculate what Android 15 will be like, but because the A23 ships with a build of Android 12, it"ll eventually get it down the line.

The move from the MediaTek Dimensity 700 to a Snapdragon 695 this year brings a noticeable performance bump. While plenty of this year"s budget phones, like the REVVL 6 Pro 5G, are still using the Dimensity 700 chipset announced at the tail end of 2020, having the more powerful Snapdragon 695 for little to no extra cost helps the A23 5G stand out as a much more appealing value for the money.

With its 5,000mAh battery capacity, the Galaxy A23 easily pushes into the multi-day range. It may not support wireless charging — as expected in this price bracket — but it"ll last longer than many more powerful flagships. If you forget to plug it in and need a top-off before heading out, don"t expect a lightning-fast charge. Samsung claims a max charge rate of 25W for the A23, but the highest charge speed I managed to measure was about 20W. Most of the time, it hovered around just 16W. If you prefer overnight charging — or even every other night if you want to use as many of those 5000mAh between charges as possible — these speeds are more than sufficient to get the job done.

Although the A23 only supports Sub-6GHz 5G, if you"re downloading anything over data, the 5G speeds are still pretty handy. 5G is nearly everywhere now, so if you"re upgrading from a 4G LTE device or slower, you"re likely to get at least a slight speed boost. The unit I tested was on AT&T, for what it"s worth, but I"m in a major metro area, so good coverage is pretty much guaranteed for me. The A23 5G can be purchased through T-Mobile, AT&T, and Samsung with or without a trade-in or unlocked from the usual retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. The US version of the A23 5G is compatible with GSM and CDMA networks, so if your carrier is AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, or the numerous "B.Y.O. Phone" providers piggybacking on those networks, the A23 should do just fine.

Samsung also has a variety of international versions available in the UK, Australia, Europe, select countries across Asia, the Pacific, and the Middle East. While the US version is limited to the black body and 4GB RAM+64GB storage formation in this review, depending on where you live, you may be able to get it in other colors like white, blue, and peach. The RAM and storage options can also vary from country to country, with 6GB and 8GB RAM options and up to 128GB of storage in some markets.

As I mentioned earlier, the Galaxy A23 5G uses a PLS panel, a bit of a step up from the TFT panel in its predecessor. It trades the lower power draw of that display technology for higher overall brightness, better viewing angles, and more detail. The Samsung Galaxy A23 5G practically has 180-degree viewing angles, and even though the resolution is only 1080x2408, I thought it looked pretty sharp. The screen can get bright enough to see in the harsh sunlight of the afternoon or under studio lights, but not to retina-searing levels. At max brightness, it"s easy enough to see where the display meets the bezel, as black levels look more like a dark gray.

Thankfully, with the brightness turned all the way down, it"s much harder to find the edge of the screen. The A23 does a great job of going very dim without black crushing or sucking the saturation out of colors. Overall, the dynamic range seems better than most phones in this price range. It"s still an LCD panel at the end of the day, so don"t expect OLED performance here. However, it"s more than good enough for casual YouTube watching, and the 20:9 aspect ratio will have you pillar boxed in enough to avoid the selfie notch close to 100% of the time.

Another strength the Galaxy A23 5G has over last year"s phone is a higher refresh rate. While the Snapdragon 695 may not be able to keep the frame rate locked at 120fps during your most demanding gameplay sessions, your doom-scrolling habits will appear very smooth. If you"re not a fan of high refresh rates or just want even longer battery life, it"s super easy to cap the refresh rate to 60Hz in the display settings.

The rear of the Galaxy A23 5G sports a quad-camera bump, along with a flash, but realistically you"ll only ever use two of them. The main camera clocks in at 50MP binned down to 12.5MP, while the wide-angle is just 5MP. Samsung isn"t bucking any trends with the other lens choices, either. Like many other recent budget phones, the A23 has 2MP macro and depth cameras tossed in for good measure. The 8MP selfie camera is the second-highest resolution lens on the phone, even after the main camera is binned down.

Without a full-res shooting mode, it feels a little disingenuous to market the main camera as 50MP since you"ll only ever get a 12.5MP shot from it, but that doesn"t make it a bad camera. It takes fine pictures, though there can be a noticeable delay between hitting the shutter button and actually snapping the shot. With an f/1.8 aperture, it manages to get by in well-lit photos, but it"s far from a low-light champ.

The selfie camera is the primary or secondary camera for most people, so it makes sense that it"s the one with the second-highest megapixel count on the Galaxy A23. Shots are unremarkable but usable in well-lit areas, and they suffer the same graininess the other cameras succumb to in any lighting that"s less than ideal. On the other hand, it doesn"t seem to have much artificial sharpness or any AI smoothing going on, so that"s refreshing.

The ultra-wide lens is just f/2.0, so the low-light performance is noticeably worse than the main camera. However, at 5MP, it"s still more than good enough to take shots for Instagram and plenty wide enough for landscapes and group shots. Unlike the main camera, there"s no night mode to try and save those dark shots, so once the sun is down, you"re stuck with either the flash or the main shooter.

With an impressive specs sheet for the price, the Samsung Galaxy A23 sounds more like a midrange device than a $300 budget phone. While virtually every budget device has some trade-offs to hit its low price, if you"re willing to make a few compromises, the A23 looks like one of the best budget phones on the market, purely on specs alone. While Samsung has pledged to support it for longer than other budget device manufacturers have, the biggest competitor to the A23 might just be Samsung.

Samsung"s strategy of offering a phone at almost every price point has worked out to great success. While this can lead to some of its phones feeling like they"re competing for the same customers, that can also make it easy to upsell someone to a better device. The Galaxy A53 from earlier this year is very competent and includes a better-looking OLED display with the same 120Hz refresh rate, and it has gone on sale for just $350 more than a few times since launching. The A23 is a totally usable budget device, and carrier deals are sure to drive its price even lower than it already is, but anyone who can spend just a little more would be much better off with the A53, provided it"s on sale at the time.

While the Galaxy A53 5G wasn"t a huge upgrade from last year"s A52 5G, it"s still above the A23 5G in Samsung"s lineup for good reason. If you opt for this step up, you end up with a notably better display, camera array, chipset, internal storage capacity, and even pick up an IP rating in the process. The only tradeoffs to speak of are the almost imperceptible shrink from 6.6-inch to 6.5-inch on the screen size, and losing the headphone jack.

With the same 5,000mAh battery capacity, and lack of wireless charging in favor of 25W wired charging, both devices will fit into your daily routine pretty much identically. While the A53 5G does cost a staggering 50% more than the A23 5G to bring you all those feature upgrades, it"s been discounted almost all the way down to the retail price of the A23 5G several times since releasing earlier this year, making it hard to ignore if you"re patient enough to get it on sale.

While the Galaxy A23 5G has a better-looking and faster display than the Moto G 5G, it isn"t an outright better device. With more built-in storage, more RAM, a higher resolution selfie camera, and an IP52 rating, Motorola still manages to trade blows with Samsung. The Moto G 5G has a higher retail price, along with the same chipset that Samsung is upgrading from this year, but with the same 5,000 mAh battery capacity, Sub-6GHz 5G, headphone and MicroSD card support, the extra cost may be hard to justify.

For Google"s flagship in 2020, the company had decidedly stepped back from the ultra-premium category of smartphones, which usually costs customers north of $1,000 USD. It seems that Google"s current mantra insists that it doesn"t require bleeding-edge hardware to create a helpful handset. But whether or not the Google Pixel 5 can be competitive with other com