Note 3 outdoor screen visibility!

[iSergiwa]

Hi, I have a Note 2 which has a horrible screen visibility in sunlight! I'm planning to upgrade to Note 3 because I read that it has a better outdoor visibility. Could someone please who had both devices tells me if Note 3's outdoor screen visibility in direct sunlight is better? I'm not looking for statistics and specs on paper, I'm looking for a word from a real person who experienced both devices. Thank you very much.

 

[Rukbat]

Note 3's screen is visible in direct sunlight? That's news to me.

That would be about the one complaint I have about it - at full brightness, in bright sunlight it's almost useless.

 

[iSergiwa]

Note 3's screen is visible in direct sunlight? That's news to me.

That would be about the one complaint I have about it - at full brightness, in bright sunlight it's almost useless.

I actually wanted to know how good the Note 3 visibility comparing to Note 2. Did you see Note 2 outdoor screen visibility? I do everyday, it's shameful, the sunlight renders the phone completely useless. Now check out this video, it's for Note 3 in sunlight, if it's not fake then Note 3 is WAY better and I will defiantly upgrade. Can you confirm the video is genuine. Thanks

 

[evohicks]

Note 3's screen is visible in direct sunlight? That's news to me.

Find me a screen that is good under sunlight! Some maybe worse than others but I find the Note 3 no worse than any other I have used.

 

[dan330]

I never had a note2.

but my note3 does look like that vid in the sun.
much better than my other android phones I have had.
including the Samsung Galaxy S3.

 

[Rukbat]

Notice at about 14 seconds when he turns the phone to the right, and the screen washes out. It depends on the angle at which the light hits the screen and also (since an LCD screen is polarized), the polarization of the light. I was driving the other day and wanted to check something in Maps - the light was hitting the screen at just the right polarization that all I saw was a black screen. (The sun wasn't shining directly on the screen.)

I've never had an S2, but I've never seen an LCD screen that had any contrast when the light was plane-polarized to the screen.

Worse than other phones? No. Better? No also. LCD screens are subject to the light hitting them. If we could somehow run plasma screens on cellphones, the screen would look as good in bright sunlight as in a dark room.

 

[iSergiwa]

I never had a note2.

but my note3 does look like that vid in the sun.
much better than my other android phones I have had.
including the Samsung Galaxy S3.

If you had S3 then you definitely know what I'm talking about because S3 and Note 2 have the same sunlight legibility, they both are shameful. I didn't say that sunlight legibility is superb on Note 3, I just wanted to know if it's the same as Note 2 or not, because if it is the same then I'm not upgrading. But after what you and evohicks said I think I'm going to upgrade.

Thank you all very much

 

[iSergiwa]

at full brightness, in bright sunlight it's almost useless.

I have a tip for you, when under sunlight don't set the brightness manually, just leave it on Auto-brightness then slide the slider to +5. This will give you the brightness you need under sunlight. Many people think that setting the screen to full brightness manually gives them better brightness under sunlight. This is wrong, And in most cases it's what makes them say that their phones are useless under sunlight.

 

[iceman64]

I had both phone the Note 2 and now the Note 3, and yes note 3 is better in direct sunlight. Note 2 in direct sunlight is horrible. My note 3 in sunlight I can see everything on my screen especially when using the auto brightness. The galaxy s3 is bad also, here's a video for you to watch. Hope this help!!!

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Tips & Tricks Episode 34: How To Display Maximum Brightness on Note 3 - YouTube

 

[iSergiwa]

I had both phone the Note 2 and now the Note 3, and yes note 3 is better in direct sunlight. In fact it's a big difference, note 2 in direct sunlight is horrible. My note 3 in sunlight I can do everything on my phone especially when using the auto brightness. The galaxy s3 is bad also, here's a video for you to watch. Hope this help!!!

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Tips & Tricks Episode 34: How To Display Maximum Brightness on Note 3 - YouTube

That was a great help, thank you very much.

 

[dan330]

I have an ATT N3... not rooted.
my pull down notification.. when I check or uncheck the auto brightness...
there is NO "+5"... is there a setting for this option???

 

[SkyJackpot]

I have an ATT N3... not rooted.
my pull down notification.. when I check or uncheck the auto brightness...
there is NO "+5"... is there a setting for this option???

With the auto brightness left on, move the brightness slider to the right and then you will see it progressing to +1, +2 etc all the way up to +5

 

[iSergiwa]

I have an ATT N3... not rooted.
my pull down notification.. when I check or uncheck the auto brightness...
there is NO "+5"... is there a setting for this option???

I'm sorry I confused you, I assume that the brightness slider has 11 levels, staring from -5 (the far left) to +5 (the far right). Imagine the slider like this:

-5 .... -4 .... -3 .... -2 .... -1 .... 0 .... +1 .... +2 .... +3 .... +4 .... +5

To gain the optimum brightness under the sunlight do the following:

1. Pull down the notification bar and check Auto.
2. Slide the slider to the far right.

That's all, and sorry again.

 

[drexappeal]

Haven't had any issues in sunny Los Angeles. And we are in a drought, so there has been a lot of sun lately

 

[dan330]

I'm sorry I confused you, I assume that the brightness slider has 11 levels, staring from -5 (the far left) to +5 (the far right). Imagine the slider like this:

-5 .... -4 .... -3 .... -2 .... -1 .... 0 .... +1 .... +2 .... +3 .... +4 .... +5

To gain the optimum brightness under the sunlight do the following:

1. Pull down the notification bar and check Auto.
2. Slide the slider to the far right.

That's all, and sorry again.

thanks for the details..
from the other posts above.. I understood what you said. and how it might work.

the thing is.. it does NOT work for me.

1. pull down the notification bar
2. check the auto brightness.
3. as soon as I touch the slider bar.. the auto brightness un-checks.
4. there is NO.. numbers coming on.. pos or neg

hhhmmmm......

 

[iSergiwa]

thanks for the details..
from the other posts above.. I understood what you said. and how it might work.

Oh, I didn't see SkyJackpot's post until I posted mine otherwise I wouldn't have explained more.

there is NO.. numbers coming on.. pos or neg

Of course there's no numbers, the numbers are imaginary.

as soon as I touch the slider bar.. the auto brightness un-checks.

Well, that's new, it's not supposed to happen. Are you sure you're not touching the check-box itself?

 

[dan330]

if you watch one of the vids posted above.. you will see the "+5" come on.
not imaginary.

touching the slider.. the check box is far right.
kind of hard to accidentally miss the slider and touch the box.

 

[iSergiwa]

if you watch one of the vids posted above.. you will see the "+5" come on.
not imaginary.

Which video? I didn't see any numbers come on in the two videos posted above! But in case there're numbers and I missed it then it's as I said; a new feature in Note 3, I'm using Note 2 which has no such numbers whatsoever!

touching the slider.. the check box is far right.
kind of hard to accidentally miss the slider and touch the box.

Then try setting the value to +5 first then check the box, does that changes the slider position? if not then you're fine.

 

[dan330]

I had both phone the Note 2 and now the Note 3, and yes note 3 is better in direct sunlight. Note 2 in direct sunlight is horrible. My note 3 in sunlight I can see everything on my screen especially when using the auto brightness. The galaxy s3 is bad also, here's a video for you to watch. Hope this help!!!

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Tips & Tricks Episode 34: How To Display Maximum Brightness on Note 3 - YouTube

what this video... go to time 1:15.
you will see the "+5".

again on my NOTE3.. it is not there.

 

[Simon_Gardner]

Not to rain on anyone's parade but I find that when I'm trying to show someone a photo on my Note 3 in bright sunlight, it really doesn't cut it.

That's not to say it isn't better than an iPhone or a Note 2. It just means that as with battery life, the bar is set really low.

The Note 3 may well be a leader but it still isn't that great in too much ambient light.

 

[dan330]

of course .. no one is sayin that the note3 or any phone.. can be used in the sun like normal. but compared to my old HTC EVO which was useless in the sun... the N3 is "usable" in the sun.

 

[ScandaLeX]

I haven't had a chance yet to see what my phone is like in direct sunlight. Weather has been so bad the phone remains in my pocket when out unless I'm in a vehicle and even then it's great.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

HP had a screen technology for Pocket PCs that actually worked better in bright sunlight. It orked very well at full brightness in the sunlight; . I could even have my iPAQs' brightness all the way off and in bright sunlight I could see and use the screen no problem. What the screen resolution was I don't recall but movies looked really good on that screen.

I wonder why no other companies picked up on that after the Pocket PC era?

 

[phillyundead]

I have no issue seeing in bright sunlight.

 

[kmd7788]

I have an ATT N3... not rooted.
my pull down notification.. when I check or uncheck the auto brightness...
there is NO "+5"... is there a setting for this option???

Dan, I have the same problem, and I think it's because I have not received the kit kat update yet (I'm on T-Mobile). I'm just assuming that the auto brightness thing in the video is a change that comes with kit kat, and I really hope it is. T-Mobile is supposed to get the kit kat update in the next few days(Samsung released the kit kat source code for the T-Mobile N3 yesterday). I don't know about ATT, but I'm sure you'll get it soon too. I could be completely wrong about this auto brightness thing, but I really hope I'm not...I'm a smoker, and I like to sit outside and smoke while watching Netflix, and in Florida during the day, I end up looking a little ridiculous with my hands cupped around each side of the phone and my face so I can see, haha. Hope this answered your question.