11 ms·

Samsung Galaxy S5 Display Technology Shoot-Out

20 points by bookwormAT 13y ago

sirkneeland 13y ago
I don't think anyone has ever doubted Samsung's ability to make a stellar display (or any other component). What anyone has doubted has been Samsung's ability to take these displays and components and integrate them into a whole that doesn't look and feel like cheap plasticky junk that is less than the sum of its parts. Samsung has yet to give us reason to stop doubting that. Of course it clearly hasn't stopped the world's population from snapping them up...
- dmix 13y ago
  Bingo. After having an S3 and now an S4, I'm done with Samsung's cheap build quality. With S5 the phone is getting uglier and more cheap plasticy-looking than previous builds. Now I need to find another phone where I can swap batteries out instead of having to plug it in to charge.
  - toomuchtodo 13y ago
    > Now I need to find another phone where I can swap batteries out instead of having to plug it in to charge. Is wireless charging not an option?
    - Jtsummers 13y ago
      I think dmix wants to be able to get extended battery life without charging at all. Wireless charging still tethers you to a wall, and based on the wireless charges I've seen leaves the device in an essentially unusable state due to the requirement that it lie on the charging surface.
    - mikestew 13y ago
      I can't speak for parent's use case, but wireless charging isn't going to do me much good at 35K feet on an airplane. A possible solution to parent's needs, depending on the use case, is a LimeFuel battery pack [0]. US$40, keeps my wife and I watching movies on the Galaxy Note and an iPad on cross-country flights with plenty to spare. I don't need a spare, swappable battery all that often, so something versatile like the LimeFuel (which can charge anything that uses a USB port) suits my needs better. As a sidenote, I haven't found wireless charging to be all that anyway. It makes the phone thicker (either built-in or with a wireless charging case), and all it does is save me the two seconds it takes to put a plug in the end of the phone. I've got the wireless charging case for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and seldom use it. [0] http://www.amazon.com/External-Battery-Pack-Limefuel-L130X/dp/B00BZD6QCW http://www.amazon.com/External-Battery-Pack-Limefuel-L130X/d...
      - toomuchtodo 13y ago
        > and all it does is save me the two seconds it takes to put a plug in the end of the phone. I prefer wireless charging, as I've had to replace the USB port (Galaxy Nexus) due to the number of insertions/removals over ~2 years.
  - artmageddon 13y ago
    > Now I need to find another phone where I can swap batteries out instead of having to plug it in to charge. I thought you could already do this with the Samsung S-series phones?
    - dnissley 13y ago
      You can. He specifies that he wants a non-Samsung phone that can do this.
- ditoax 13y ago
  I had a Galaxy S4 for a while last year and never had a problem with the plastic back like others. I cracked an iPhone 4 back with a small drop which really annoyed me. At least with the Samsung phone if I scuff the back I can just a new one or even buy a nicer one to just replace it. The band around the S4 is metal at the screen is pretty tough (Gorilla Glass I believe?). Never understand all the hate of the Samsung designs. If you don't like plastic just buy a different back. That is one of the benefits of it being removable.
  - soperj 13y ago
    I love the removable plastic back. Lets me change the battery, sim or sd card in a snap. Also I've used my S3 for a couple of years now, and dropped it a bunch of times, including on concrete, and there is barely any damage. I don't use a case.
    - mikestew 13y ago
      I find the lack of SIM tray annoying. To swap SIMs I have to remove the back, remove the battery, remove the SD card, and then I can finally get to the SIM. Then I have to be careful because SIM slots can break. Lame.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
- mikestew 13y ago
  I gave up my iPhone 5 to switch to a Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Bought it for the stylus, and I love the display (first AMOLED I've seen that wasn't cartoonish in its saturation), fast CPU, long battery life. But it's the first phone I've had that I don't mind putting a case on because I won't be covering up any beautiful design aesthetics. For US$700 that sure is some tasteless crap they wrapped those lovely parts in. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't the fakery of it all. Fake genuine faux leather stitching on the back. Fake metallic look on the sides. If you're going to make phones out of plastic, own it. Make the best genuine Corinthian polycarbonate phone you know how without trying to make it look like something else.
  - commandar 13y ago
    > If you're going to make phones out of plastic, own it. Make the best genuine Corinthian polycarbonate phone you know how without trying to make it look like something else. I think great examples of this are the Nexus 5/7 and the Moto X. They're completely plastic construction, but they look and feel much nicer than the Galaxy line.
- electic 13y ago
  To your point. One of the things I did not find was the benchmarks on tap response times. Maybe that was not tested but the screen plus the digitizer is really important.
- justin66 13y ago
  > feel like cheap plasticky junk that is less than the sum of its parts The vast majority of people put their phones in protective cases anyway, even their beautiful iPhones. Putting a lot of effort into the feel of the case is something you have to do if you're Apple, it's something everyone else can afford to make a much lesser priority. edit: it'd be interesting to see on which point the downvoters disagree. you guys could actually RESPOND.
  - thedrbrian 13y ago
    Vast majority? Got any numbers for that?
    - omonra 13y ago
      http://www.tomsguide.com/us/smartphone-owners-spurn-cases,news-18024.html http://www.tomsguide.com/us/smartphone-owners-spurn-cases,ne... 75% use a case
- bookwormAT 13y ago
  The Galaxy S2 had very high build quality. It was all plastic, but felt and looked great. It extremely light and higly durable, and a removable back is very useful. I think it's fair to say that the build of S2 was cheaper than the competition, but the quality was also much better than any of the metal or glass(!) designs. In later models they switched from elegant to ugly IMHO.
- kaonashi 13y ago
  After going from a SIII to a iPhone 5s recently, I wholeheartedly agree.
killion 13y ago
I'm excited that they are focused on improving OLED performance. Although I don't know if this will translate into larger screens. With plasma production ending it would be great to have OLED be able to take its place.
FD3SA 13y ago
Out of curiosity, what justifies the purchase of non-nexus (or Moto G) devices for the HN crowd? I have yet to find anything even remotely close in terms of cost/performance. I can't fathom paying 600-1000 USD for an unlocked phone/tablet when one could be had for 200-400, especially considering the rapid product iteration cycles.
- ntkachov 13y ago
  My guess is that if your company will pay for your phone (some companies don't bother with desk phones so they will buy you a corporate cell phone) it doesn't really matter which phone you get.
- bookwormAT 13y ago
  I'm trying to justify the purchase of a HTC One at the moment, because it seems to be an awesome phone and I want a new toy. But for practical use there are no benefits. Not even if you have a older device. The One is maybe the most beautiful designed piece of hardware I have ever seen, but other than there is not much that I can do better with the One than with my Nexus 4. I still want that damn phone, though.
  - JTon 13y ago
    I know those feels well. I've come to the conclusion that with the amount of time I spend using my phone, I shouldn't be bothered shelling out top dollar for one.
- bluthru 13y ago
  If it's your primary camera it's worthwhile to spend extra for better image quality.
- eclipxe 13y ago
  Features? Performance? Battery Life? Camera?
- mmanfrin 13y ago
  I've only used Nexus devices over the past 3+ years, and the only thing that has given me pause to consider something else is the HTC One -- with the M8, I might pick it up if they release a 'Google Play' edition (i.e., nexus in all but name). I just can't get behind carrier/manufacturer cruft. I also feel that Android itself iterates and innovates faster than Samsung/Moto/LG/anyone else can on their own, so those 'extras' are not at all extras.
vernie 13y ago
Is the pixel density is now high enough to compensate for the suboptimal PenTile/Diamond subpixel structure? The last Samsung OLED display I've seen in person was on a Galaxy S3 and there were noticeable artifacts on some content.
- miahi 13y ago
  Yes, the density compensates for the strange arrangement. I own a Note 3, and from the closest distance my eyes can focus (~10 cm) I can see a faint diagonal texture on some colors. At normal distance nothing. A straight 1px line is a straight (and very thin) line, nothing jaggy. I expect the S5, with an even higher density, is even better.
pasbesoin 13y ago
I just switched to a Moto-X. The "Active Display" looks quite nice, indoors, and I like the "nudge the phone" status updates. However. It received numerous plaudits for ergonomics, but now that I'm using one I find the thin edge -- even with a case on it -- difficult to grasp. Also, the curved back means I can't set it face up on a table and "poke at it" -- the body would rock due to the curve. The display looks nice, indoors. But while taking some photos during a walk, yesterday, even with the sun low in the sky it was very difficult to see the image on the display. (And, the camera lends a very saturated and "reddish" tint to the result, at least at default settings.) So... I'm intrigued now with the S5 display quality. I'll have to look for camera results. And "cheap plastic" or whatever, if I can hold it securely and use it on a table and etc. Well, then, such functionality will exceed an "appearance" concerns I have other than display and camera output. I wanted a "close-to-Google" phone that would remain updated, while also remaining on the only service that provides a reliable signal in some areas where I travel. But "easy to hold" and "easy to see" and some basics... I'm seeing more and more why Jobs et al. resisted some of the design changes rampaging through the Android market. P.S. Once I heard about the apparently legitimate security concerns, I sort of swallowed the disappearance of microSD expansion. But if/whan security concerns are ameliorated, I would much prefer to retain such a feature.
- sirkneeland 13y ago
  Is there a Google Play edition of the S5? That might answer your prayers then. (or a Cyanogenmod flavor)
  - pasbesoin 13y ago
    My current problem is that I'm finding it difficult to work up the motivation and energy to find out. I'm realizing it is more and more "just a(nother) phone", to me. I figure each point out as it becomes of immediate importance to me. As this stuff becomes more and more mainstream (and/or I do, perhaps), I wonder how much more prominent JFW (just f-ing works) and DFAM (don't f-ing arse me) are going to become in the market. Or rather, I'm experiencing it, first hand. JFDI, phone! Like the toaster.
- 13y ago
nakedrobot2 13y ago
I honestly can't see any difference between the 720P display on the nexus 4, and the 1080P display on the Nexus 5. Of course if I scrutinize both I could discern a difference with no problem, but functionally speaking, there is no difference. We certainly don't need more than 1080P on a phone, do we? How about some better battery life instead? :)
- bryanlarsen 13y ago
  the linked article measures Maximum Brightness, Screen Reflectance, performance in High Ambient Light, Absolute Color Accuracy, Viewing Angles, display power efficiency, and running time on battery. It also says that all of those are more important than resolution.

20 points by bookwormAT 13y ago

I don't think anyone has ever doubted Samsung's ability to make a stellar display (or any other component). What anyone has doubted has been Samsung's ability to take these displays and components and integrate them into a whole that doesn't look and feel like cheap plasticky junk that is less than the sum of its parts. Samsung has yet to give us reason to stop doubting that. Of course it clearly hasn't stopped the world's population from snapping them up...

dmix 13y ago
Bingo. After having an S3 and now an S4, I'm done with Samsung's cheap build quality. With S5 the phone is getting uglier and more cheap plasticy-looking than previous builds. Now I need to find another phone where I can swap batteries out instead of having to plug it in to charge.
- toomuchtodo 13y ago
  > Now I need to find another phone where I can swap batteries out instead of having to plug it in to charge. Is wireless charging not an option?
  - Jtsummers 13y ago
    I think dmix wants to be able to get extended battery life without charging at all. Wireless charging still tethers you to a wall, and based on the wireless charges I've seen leaves the device in an essentially unusable state due to the requirement that it lie on the charging surface.
  - mikestew 13y ago
    I can't speak for parent's use case, but wireless charging isn't going to do me much good at 35K feet on an airplane. A possible solution to parent's needs, depending on the use case, is a LimeFuel battery pack [0]. US$40, keeps my wife and I watching movies on the Galaxy Note and an iPad on cross-country flights with plenty to spare. I don't need a spare, swappable battery all that often, so something versatile like the LimeFuel (which can charge anything that uses a USB port) suits my needs better. As a sidenote, I haven't found wireless charging to be all that anyway. It makes the phone thicker (either built-in or with a wireless charging case), and all it does is save me the two seconds it takes to put a plug in the end of the phone. I've got the wireless charging case for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and seldom use it. [0] http://www.amazon.com/External-Battery-Pack-Limefuel-L130X/dp/B00BZD6QCW http://www.amazon.com/External-Battery-Pack-Limefuel-L130X/d...
    - toomuchtodo 13y ago
      > and all it does is save me the two seconds it takes to put a plug in the end of the phone. I prefer wireless charging, as I've had to replace the USB port (Galaxy Nexus) due to the number of insertions/removals over ~2 years.
- artmageddon 13y ago
  > Now I need to find another phone where I can swap batteries out instead of having to plug it in to charge. I thought you could already do this with the Samsung S-series phones?
  - dnissley 13y ago
    You can. He specifies that he wants a non-Samsung phone that can do this.
ditoax 13y ago
I had a Galaxy S4 for a while last year and never had a problem with the plastic back like others. I cracked an iPhone 4 back with a small drop which really annoyed me. At least with the Samsung phone if I scuff the back I can just a new one or even buy a nicer one to just replace it. The band around the S4 is metal at the screen is pretty tough (Gorilla Glass I believe?). Never understand all the hate of the Samsung designs. If you don't like plastic just buy a different back. That is one of the benefits of it being removable.
- soperj 13y ago
  I love the removable plastic back. Lets me change the battery, sim or sd card in a snap. Also I've used my S3 for a couple of years now, and dropped it a bunch of times, including on concrete, and there is barely any damage. I don't use a case.
  - mikestew 13y ago
    I find the lack of SIM tray annoying. To swap SIMs I have to remove the back, remove the battery, remove the SD card, and then I can finally get to the SIM. Then I have to be careful because SIM slots can break. Lame.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
mikestew 13y ago
I gave up my iPhone 5 to switch to a Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Bought it for the stylus, and I love the display (first AMOLED I've seen that wasn't cartoonish in its saturation), fast CPU, long battery life. But it's the first phone I've had that I don't mind putting a case on because I won't be covering up any beautiful design aesthetics. For US$700 that sure is some tasteless crap they wrapped those lovely parts in. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't the fakery of it all. Fake genuine faux leather stitching on the back. Fake metallic look on the sides. If you're going to make phones out of plastic, own it. Make the best genuine Corinthian polycarbonate phone you know how without trying to make it look like something else.
- commandar 13y ago
  > If you're going to make phones out of plastic, own it. Make the best genuine Corinthian polycarbonate phone you know how without trying to make it look like something else. I think great examples of this are the Nexus 5/7 and the Moto X. They're completely plastic construction, but they look and feel much nicer than the Galaxy line.
electic 13y ago
To your point. One of the things I did not find was the benchmarks on tap response times. Maybe that was not tested but the screen plus the digitizer is really important.
justin66 13y ago
> feel like cheap plasticky junk that is less than the sum of its parts The vast majority of people put their phones in protective cases anyway, even their beautiful iPhones. Putting a lot of effort into the feel of the case is something you have to do if you're Apple, it's something everyone else can afford to make a much lesser priority. edit: it'd be interesting to see on which point the downvoters disagree. you guys could actually RESPOND.
- thedrbrian 13y ago
  Vast majority? Got any numbers for that?
  - omonra 13y ago
    http://www.tomsguide.com/us/smartphone-owners-spurn-cases,news-18024.html http://www.tomsguide.com/us/smartphone-owners-spurn-cases,ne... 75% use a case
bookwormAT 13y ago
The Galaxy S2 had very high build quality. It was all plastic, but felt and looked great. It extremely light and higly durable, and a removable back is very useful. I think it's fair to say that the build of S2 was cheaper than the competition, but the quality was also much better than any of the metal or glass(!) designs. In later models they switched from elegant to ugly IMHO.
kaonashi 13y ago
After going from a SIII to a iPhone 5s recently, I wholeheartedly agree.

killion 13y ago

I'm excited that they are focused on improving OLED performance. Although I don't know if this will translate into larger screens. With plasma production ending it would be great to have OLED be able to take its place.

FD3SA 13y ago

Out of curiosity, what justifies the purchase of non-nexus (or Moto G) devices for the HN crowd? I have yet to find anything even remotely close in terms of cost/performance. I can't fathom paying 600-1000 USD for an unlocked phone/tablet when one could be had for 200-400, especially considering the rapid product iteration cycles.

ntkachov 13y ago
My guess is that if your company will pay for your phone (some companies don't bother with desk phones so they will buy you a corporate cell phone) it doesn't really matter which phone you get.
bookwormAT 13y ago
I'm trying to justify the purchase of a HTC One at the moment, because it seems to be an awesome phone and I want a new toy. But for practical use there are no benefits. Not even if you have a older device. The One is maybe the most beautiful designed piece of hardware I have ever seen, but other than there is not much that I can do better with the One than with my Nexus 4. I still want that damn phone, though.
- JTon 13y ago
  I know those feels well. I've come to the conclusion that with the amount of time I spend using my phone, I shouldn't be bothered shelling out top dollar for one.
bluthru 13y ago
If it's your primary camera it's worthwhile to spend extra for better image quality.
eclipxe 13y ago
Features? Performance? Battery Life? Camera?
mmanfrin 13y ago
I've only used Nexus devices over the past 3+ years, and the only thing that has given me pause to consider something else is the HTC One -- with the M8, I might pick it up if they release a 'Google Play' edition (i.e., nexus in all but name). I just can't get behind carrier/manufacturer cruft. I also feel that Android itself iterates and innovates faster than Samsung/Moto/LG/anyone else can on their own, so those 'extras' are not at all extras.

vernie 13y ago

Is the pixel density is now high enough to compensate for the suboptimal PenTile/Diamond subpixel structure? The last Samsung OLED display I've seen in person was on a Galaxy S3 and there were noticeable artifacts on some content.

miahi 13y ago
Yes, the density compensates for the strange arrangement. I own a Note 3, and from the closest distance my eyes can focus (~10 cm) I can see a faint diagonal texture on some colors. At normal distance nothing. A straight 1px line is a straight (and very thin) line, nothing jaggy. I expect the S5, with an even higher density, is even better.

pasbesoin 13y ago

I just switched to a Moto-X. The "Active Display" looks quite nice, indoors, and I like the "nudge the phone" status updates. However. It received numerous plaudits for ergonomics, but now that I'm using one I find the thin edge -- even with a case on it -- difficult to grasp. Also, the curved back means I can't set it face up on a table and "poke at it" -- the body would rock due to the curve. The display looks nice, indoors. But while taking some photos during a walk, yesterday, even with the sun low in the sky it was very difficult to see the image on the display. (And, the camera lends a very saturated and "reddish" tint to the result, at least at default settings.) So... I'm intrigued now with the S5 display quality. I'll have to look for camera results. And "cheap plastic" or whatever, if I can hold it securely and use it on a table and etc. Well, then, such functionality will exceed an "appearance" concerns I have other than display and camera output. I wanted a "close-to-Google" phone that would remain updated, while also remaining on the only service that provides a reliable signal in some areas where I travel. But "easy to hold" and "easy to see" and some basics... I'm seeing more and more why Jobs et al. resisted some of the design changes rampaging through the Android market. P.S. Once I heard about the apparently legitimate security concerns, I sort of swallowed the disappearance of microSD expansion. But if/whan security concerns are ameliorated, I would much prefer to retain such a feature.

sirkneeland 13y ago
Is there a Google Play edition of the S5? That might answer your prayers then. (or a Cyanogenmod flavor)
- pasbesoin 13y ago
  My current problem is that I'm finding it difficult to work up the motivation and energy to find out. I'm realizing it is more and more "just a(nother) phone", to me. I figure each point out as it becomes of immediate importance to me. As this stuff becomes more and more mainstream (and/or I do, perhaps), I wonder how much more prominent JFW (just f-ing works) and DFAM (don't f-ing arse me) are going to become in the market. Or rather, I'm experiencing it, first hand. JFDI, phone! Like the toaster.
13y ago

nakedrobot2 13y ago

I honestly can't see any difference between the 720P display on the nexus 4, and the 1080P display on the Nexus 5. Of course if I scrutinize both I could discern a difference with no problem, but functionally speaking, there is no difference. We certainly don't need more than 1080P on a phone, do we? How about some better battery life instead? :)

bryanlarsen 13y ago
the linked article measures Maximum Brightness, Screen Reflectance, performance in High Ambient Light, Absolute Color Accuracy, Viewing Angles, display power efficiency, and running time on battery. It also says that all of those are more important than resolution.