Galaxy Note's Pentile Screen

[Derrikdj]

There has been concern whether the Galaxy Note's HD display would suffer from having a Pentile display like other phones that have had this type of display structure. Some hoped that the high resolution would compensate for lack of sub-pixels compared to a traditional RGB stucture like the Galaxy S II's Super Amoled Plus screen. According to Phone Arena you won't notice any difference.

Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy Nexus sport HD Super AMOLED - is the PenTile matrix bad for you?

But a reviewer at FlatPanelsHD.com did find issues with the display.

OLED in Samsung's 7.7" tablet & 5.3" Note - analysis - FlatpanelsHD

I think he is just nitpicking because he knows it isn't the best it could possibly be. From what I've read, everyone who has seen the screen in person has had nothing but good things to say about the screen.

 

[RingKing]

The Note's screen looks so much more pixelized here than the SGS2: http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/48137-image/100-Crop-Red.jpg

Yet phonearena says it's not troubling?

 

[sjael]

The Note's screen looks so much more pixelized here than the SGS2: http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/48137-image/100-Crop-Red.jpg

Yet phonearena says it's not troubling?

From directly under that image on the PhoneArena article:

That, however, is not visible to the naked eye on the Galaxy Note, even if you stretch the picture at maximum in the Gallery.

This is the whole point of PenTile. The screen appears no different to an RGB stripe under most circumstances. The difference is it's easier to make, which means higher yields from the factory, which means they can make the panel cheap enough to put into a phone.

It was exactly the same with the Galaxy/Nexus S, despite the fact that the PenTile effect was visible at that density. Making that screen with a PenTile array allowed them to manufacture it with enough efficiency to put it into a phone - and everyone was blown away by it until they found there was something to criticize.

 

[RingKing]

This is the whole point of PenTile. The screen appears no different to an RGB stripe under most circumstances. The difference is it's easier to make, which means higher yields from the factory, which means they can make the panel cheap enough to put into a phone.

Thanks, didn't notice that particular line.

By the way, are pentile screens the ones that are more prone to burn ins (ghosting images) than the super amoled plus screens, or is it the other way around. That I'm also concerned with.

 

[sjael]

Thanks, didn't notice that particular line.

By the way, are pentile screens the ones that are more prone to burn ins (ghosting images) than the super amoled plus screens, or is it the other way around. That I'm also concerned with.

The problem with burn-in is independent of sub-pixel arrangement. What happens is the blue sub-pixels wear out and get dimmer faster that the red/green ones, and you end up with a ghost image on anything containing blue.

Whether Samsung have fixed that problem with the latest-gen AMOLED remains to be seen; no one has had an SGSII long enough for the screen to suffer any burn-in yet.

 

[DannStarr]

Isnt the galaxy s2 screen a samoled +, the "+" meaning that it is not pentile?

I had read somewhere that the issues with pentile are minimised in the Samsung design, when compared with other manufacturers who have also used pentile

 

[Derrikdj]

The Note's screen looks so much more pixelized here than the SGS2: http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/48137-image/100-Crop-Red.jpg

Yet phonearena says it's not troubling?

As sjael highlighted from the PhoneArena article you won't even be able to see that much detail looking at the screen from even a couple of inches from your face. Those pictures are blown up from a "microscope-like" (I apologize for lack of a better term) lens.

There are two reasons why I think this is being made more of an issue than it should be:

1. Pentile is getting a bad rap because of some poor implementation of the structure on some phones recently. Not all Pentile screens are created equal. Some recent Motorola phones have had pentile screens & they look terrible, while the original Galaxy S that came out last year which is also pentile, had one of the best looking screens at the time. In the end you just have to look at the screen for your self & see if it looks okay to you. I haven't seen the screen myself, but as I said before every hands-on & preview that I have read have not said anything bad about how the screen actually looks. The only negative that I have read was in that FlatPanelHD.com article that I posted in the OP. The only really bad thing he could come up with that didn't involve looking at the screen under a microscope was that off-angle viewing appeared with a blueish tint. I don't know about you but I can live with that.

2. Anal people that always have to have the latest technology exaggerating the issue. These are people that are more concerned about the underlying technology being "technically" inferior to some other alternative regardless of whether the actual difference in real world performance is negligible. It's kind of like people that if there was a quad-core phone available right now, they would be upset if a new phone came out that was "only" dual-core, while dual-core phones still aren't even being fully utilized. You are not gonna see much of a difference in real world performance between a quad-core & dual-core phone outside of benchmark tests right now. That same logic feels that the Note is unacceptable because it has a pentile HD Super Amoled screen, when possibly it could have had a RGB HD Super Amoled plus screen. A true RGB matrix screen would probably look a little better than the pentile screen, but that doesn't mean that the pentile screen still wouldn't look amazing in person.

Thanks, didn't notice that particular line.

By the way, are pentile screens the ones that are more prone to burn ins (ghosting images) than the super amoled plus screens, or is it the other way around. That I'm also concerned with.

I believe this is another case of worrying about how something technically works as opposed to real world performance. Yes technically Oled displays are susceptible to burn in over time, but were talking a lot longer than the 2-3 years that most people keep their cell phones. I used my Omnia HD, which has just a regular Amoled screen, for about 2 & a half years before replacing it & I never noticed any degradation in the quality of the screen over that time. I've watched hundreds (maybe even thousands) of hours of video on that phone. I'm talking full length movies. And it still looked as good as the first day I got it. I think burn-in may be more of a concern when talking about televisions & PC Monitors, because one would expect to use those devices for 5 to 10+ years & may experience degradation near the end of the life of the device.

 

[Derrikdj]

Isnt the galaxy s2 screen a samoled +, the "+" meaning that it is not pentile?

I had read somewhere that the issues with pentile are minimised in the Samsung design, when compared with other manufacturers who have also used pentile

Exactly. That is what I was talking about in my last post. It all depends on how the process is implemented. Some do it better than others.

 

[sjael]

Isnt the galaxy s2 screen a samoled +, the "+" meaning that it is not pentile?

Yes. But the SAMOLED+ in the SGS2 and the SAMOLED HD in the Note/Nexus are made with the same printing technology, so they should exhibit similar lifetimes.

I had read somewhere that the issues with pentile are minimised in the Samsung design, when compared with other manufacturers who have also used pentile

It's a really complex issue. I recommend taking a look at this thread if you feel like some light bedtime reading.

 

[RingKing]

I've watched hundreds (maybe even thousands) of hours of video on that phone. I'm talking full length movies. And it still looked as good as the first day I got it.

I've read somewhere that screen burn-ins occur not from constantly moving images (e.g. movies), but from static ones (e.g. clock at notifications bar). I have also seen a burn-in in a Galaxy S - at the clock area - but I honestly can't remember the forum where I saw it.

 

[Derrikdj]

I've read somewhere that screen burn-ins occur not from constantly moving images (e.g. movies), but from static ones (e.g. clock at notifications bar). I have also seen a burn-in in a Galaxy S - at the clock area - but I honestly can't remember the forum where I saw it.

Sorry I should have been more clear. I was referring to both Burn-In (static images remaining on screen) & "burn-out" (The diodes fading overtime). Once again I don't think you have to worry about such things except under extreme cases. You would have to have the screen on a static image for 8-10+ hours straight every day, day after day for months for that to occur. I think most typical users wouldn't have their screen on for more than 30 - 45 min at a time at the longest. I have not seen any evidence of burn-in of any sort on my Omnia HD or Galaxy S.

 

[RingKing]

Sorry I should have been more clear. I was referring to both Burn-In (static images remaining on screen) & "burn-out" (The diodes fading overtime). Once again I don't think you have to worry about such things except under extreme cases. You would have to have the screen on a static image for 8-10+ hours straight every day, day after day for months for that to occur. I think most typical users wouldn't have their screen on for more than 30 - 45 min at a time at the longest. I have not seen any evidence of burn-in of any sort on my Omnia HD or Galaxy S.

Thanks, that's reassuring.

 

[tmaxey1]

Infuse user here. 4.5 inches of super amoled plus and I do have some slight burn in. It's not severe but it's there. I can see my friends contact info behind all white images.

I'd post a pic but I'm not sure it's bad enough to show in a photo.

Still love the screen. But it can be an issue.

 

[RingKing]

Infuse user here. 4.5 inches of super amoled plus and I do have some slight burn in. It's not severe but it's there. I can see my friends contact info behind all white images.

I'd post a pic but I'm not sure it's bad enough to show in a photo.

Still love the screen. But it can be an issue.

Really? Samsung Infuse isn't even a year old but you already see slight burn-in. Maybe it's just a faulty unit?

 

[tmaxey1]

Really? Samsung Infuse isn't even a year old but you already see slight burn-in. Maybe it's just a faulty unit?

I'm wondering that lately. My phone has been solid. But without a doubt I can see the screen that is on the phone when I am on a call. It's not terrible and I would have to look for it much of the time to see it. But it is there. I've had the phone about 3 months and its been like this since about month 2.

Would this be something worth taking the phone in to att to get replaced. I didn't buy the optional insurance but phones have a 1 year warranty by default. I just don't know if they would replace free.

 

[Derrikdj]

I'm wondering that lately. My phone has been solid. But without a doubt I can see the screen that is on the phone when I am on a call. It's not terrible and I would have to look for it much of the time to see it. But it is there. I've had the phone about 3 months and its been like this since about month 2.

Would this be something worth taking the phone in to att to get replaced. I didn't buy the optional insurance but phones have a 1 year warranty by default. I just don't know if they would replace free.

I would a least ask. The worst they could say is no, then you would be in the same position as if you don't ask at all. As I mentioned before I have owned two amoled phones, one with a regular amoled screen & the other with super amoled screen. After three years of ownership between the 2 I haven't noticed any burn-in. Not even where the notification bar & clock are.

 

[RingKing]

As I mentioned before I have owned two amoled phones, one with a regular amoled screen & the other with super amoled screen. After three years of ownership between the 2 I haven't noticed any burn-in. Not even where the notification bar & clock are.

Could we therefore conclude that non-pentile Super Amoled screens (with the +) are prone to burn-ins and pentiles aren't?

 

[Derrikdj]

Could we therefore conclude that non-pentile Super Amoled screens (with the +) are prone to burn-ins and pentiles aren't?

No. My Samsung Omnia HD has the "regular" amoled screen which has an RGB matrix. It was one of the 1st phones to have an amoled screen. Then about a year later came the Galaxy S that had a Super Amoled screen, which is pentile. The Super amoled screen is supposed to be brighter, more power efficient, & have better visibility in sunlight than regular amoled screens. Then earlier this year they introduced the Super Amoled plus screens on the Galaxy S II. Which is supposed to be even brighter & more power efficient than the Super amoled screens. The Super Amoled plus screen also featured the traditional RGB matrix. So plus screens have the best of both worlds & I'm pretty sure they have made progress in preventing burn-in from the 1st generation of amoled screens, even though I have never heard of it being a significant issue for users in the 1st place.

As I said before I have owned two different phones with amoled displays over the last few years. One pentile & the other RGB & have not seen any sign of burn-in what so ever. Also with me a being a gadget techie nerd that's really into cell phones (hence my presence in a forum dedicated to a cell phone OS for a phone that hasn't even been released overseas yet), I use my phone for so many things, probably more than the average smartphone owner. So if I haven't experienced it, most others wouldn't either.

I just did a quick google search of "amoled burn-in" the top results were mostly concerned people like yourself asking if burn-in is a real issue. The other results mostly consisted of users who reported some burn-in where the notification bar sits, but they had to run some kind of screen test to even really see it, otherwise they hadn't noticed it before. It made me start really looking for it on my Galaxy S. I still didn't see anything, but I didn't run any screen test either.

I think the burn-in issue falls in the same category as the pentile screen issue. Only the really anal people looking for flaws in the screen will have a problem, but the other 99% of users will just enjoy a beautiful screen. If you are worried that the pentile screen or the possibility of burn-in will dampen your user experience, don't. It hasn't for me. The screen on the phones I have owned have only enhanced the user experience for me.

 

[tmaxey1]

I wouldn't say that just because it hasn't happened to you that's its not real. Or that the only people that have noticed it are the anal people looking for it.

I'm typing this on a super amoled plus screen and my phone has slight burn in. I say slight but really have no scale to judge burn in. I agree that the screen is beautiful and even with the burn in I wouldn't trade it for a non super amoled screen. I love the colors.

I google searched it as well and it doesn't seem like a very common problem. However it does happen on occasion.

 

[Derrikdj]

I wouldn't say that just because it hasn't happened to you that's its not real. Or that the only people that have noticed it are the anal people looking for it.

I'm typing this on a super amoled plus screen and my phone has slight burn in. I say slight but really have no scale to judge burn in. I agree that the screen is beautiful and even with the burn in I wouldn't trade it for a non super amoled screen. I love the colors.

I google searched it as well and it doesn't seem like a very common problem. However it does happen on occasion.

I never said that it wasn't real. In fact in my post I acknowledge that burn in does occur for some people. I used myself as an example to demonstrate that burn in not an inevitable occurrence when using amoled screens. You actually are proving my point about a person being anal about the issue. You say that you have experienced burn-in, but apparently it's not noticeable enough for you to diminish your user experience. You even went so as far as to say that you wouldn't trade it for a non super amoled screen. An anal person would act as if what you experienced was completely unacceptable & a deal breaker to have a phone with an amoled screen. Nothing is perfect & you obviously feel that the pros outweigh the cons. I'm glad you chimed in, I think your comment should further comfort RingKing about owning a phone with an amoled screen.

 

[max77]

Thanks, didn't notice that particular line.

By the way, are pentile screens the ones that are more prone to burn ins (ghosting images) than the super amoled plus screens, or is it the other way around. That I'm also concerned with.

Hi, with my GS2 i got burn-in problem.
Here my topic:
http://androidforums.com/samsung-ga.../437982-s2-e-burn-image-retention-occurs.html

No problem at all, i'm not maniac or lunatic, i can stand with this problem quietly. BUT the problem is here...and, despite i'm not maniac, it's noticeable. I'm not complaining, but not even rejoice (I spent 550 euros for this phone)....that's all.

Regards.
Massimo.

 

[Gus Hayabusa]

There has been concern whether the Galaxy Note's HD display would suffer from having a Pentile display like other phones that have had this type of display structure. Some hoped that the high resolution would compensate for lack of sub-pixels compared to a traditional RGB stucture like the Galaxy S II's Super Amoled Plus screen. According to Phone Arena you won't notice any difference.

Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy Nexus sport HD Super AMOLED - is the PenTile matrix bad for you?

But a reviewer at FlatPanelsHD.com did find issues with the display.

OLED in Samsung's 7.7" tablet & 5.3" Note - analysis - FlatpanelsHD

I think he is just nitpicking because he knows it isn't the best it could possibly be. From what I've read, everyone who has seen the screen in person has had nothing but good things to say about the screen.

[Q] Galaxy Note Screen Issues!!! - xda-developers
I apologise for posting a link to another forum but we are all here to help each other and maybe save some people from having the trouble that we have.
Galaxy Note Has Many Screen Issues!
Anyone with the same problems, pls share ur experience because if I, personally, who reads a lot from this devise, had known these issues, I would have never spent the biggest part of my low salary to buy it.
thank you

 

[RingKing]

Hi, with my GS2 i got burn-in problem.
Here my topic:
http://androidforums.com/samsung-ga.../437982-s2-e-burn-image-retention-occurs.html

No problem at all, i'm not maniac or lunatic, i can stand with this problem quietly. BUT the problem is here...and, despite i'm not maniac, it's noticeable. I'm not complaining, but not even rejoice (I spent 550 euros for this phone)....that's all.

Regards.
Massimo.

That's bad, maybe you can have it replaced?

 

[hp79]

I had a Nexus S on ATT for about 6 months now. I hated the screen because small texts are all fuzzy and not sharp as in iPhone4 or iPod Touch 4th gen screen. That's when I found out about what Pentile is, and hated those types of screens ever since.

I ordered Galaxy Note without knowing it's a Pentile screen, and it's arriving tomorrow. I hope it's not that bad as it was in Nexus S.

So what do you Galaxy Note owners have to say about the screen quality? Is it good for internet with tiny letters? How about looking at photos?

^OMG.. that is a very long thread..

 

[JunBringer]

I really doubt anyone could tell the difference at such a high resolution. I think it's gorgeous and everything I've done on it looks gorgeous. I like to have the text small so I can fit more on the screen and it's ridiculously crisp looking, so I doubt you'll be disappointed.