Samsung: iPhone 4's retina display is nice, but it's no AMOLED
By Vlad Savov 
posted June 9th 2010 7:41PM
posted June 9th 2010 7:41PM
posted June 9th 2010 7:41PM
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but will Samsung give us little water droplets?
***** im loving the asterisk side note ******
I knew if Steve didn't use an OLED he would say it wasn't good enough in his keynote and he did. I still think Samsung's is better, but not sure they could keep up with the supply for the iPhone.
@theoneandonlyradiostation
Samsung bursting bubbles
@theoneandonlyradiostation
Shazzaammm Am ol ed! Take that Apple!
@treats Yeah, Samsung's using the Super AMOLED, which CAN handle outdoor brightness and use less battery consumption. But for more insight, Engadget should do a test of the screens when they are released.
@theoneandonlyradiostation
There's an app for that :)
On topic: I believe Samsung is right about this one, the S-AMOLED is incredible!
I trust the word of someone who has actually seen the new iPhone screen in person. Here's John Gruber talking about it:
"Apple had a demo area for the media after the keynote, so I got to spend some time hands-on with the iPhone 4. The resolution of the “retina display” is as impressive as Apple boasts. Text renders like high quality print. One thing that Apple didn’t mention in the keynote, though, is that the LCD pixels are much closer to the surface of the touchscreen. On existing iPhones (and iPods, and iPads), there is not a lot of distance between the glass surface and the LCD, but there is some. There’s also a very narrow amount of air between the touchscreen glass and the underlying LCD. If you’ve ever got a bit dust under your display, that dust is in the air between the glass and LCD."
"It’s mentioned briefly in Apple’s promotional video about the design of the iPhone 4, but they’re using a new production process that effectively fuses the LCD and touchscreen — there is no longer any air between the two. One result of this is that the iPhone 4 should be impervious to this dust-under-the-glass issue. More importantly, though, is that it looks better. The effect is that the pixels appear to be painted on the surface of the phone; instead of looking at pixels under glass, it’s like looking at pixels on glass. Combined with the incredibly high pixel density, the overall effect is like “live print”."
"It also improves the field of view for the display — you can view the display from an oblique angle and it looks great. Again, like print. It’s like a glossy magazine come to life."
@theoneandonlyradiostation
It's eerie how close that samsung phone resembles the iphone 3g and 3gs.
@theoneandonlyradiostation
They will "make it rain"
But Steve could not leave out to promote the display even if he wanted to. The keynote would have been only half as long. That would have looked stupid.
@Peter Church S-AMOLED is exactly about fusing the touchscreen with the LED
That's the reason why it handles bright sunlight
I wonder who the manufacturer is for the iPhone's display
@Peter Church
I actually thought you posted this because there is some kind of reference or comparison to an AMOLED display in this insanely long quote. But there isn't. So it tells us nothing.
@theoneandonlyradiostation
I'd be supporting Samsung a little more if they didn't have that horrifying UI in their phones...
@Peter Church
Who asked you?
@theoneandonlyradiostation
Flash 2007, Apple: hey Sammy, can you and Intrinsity develop a chip based on the Cortex CPU using your excellent SoC designing and manufacturing knowhow?
Forward 2009, Apple: sorry Sammy, we're going to by Intrinsity and make our own chips, oh using their IP that they developed with you.
Today 2010, Sammy your Super AMOLED sucks, IPS LEDs FTW. We use them on every iDevice. Even if yours is 30% more efficient, we're 30% cheaper!
Sounds like fightin' words from Apple.
Word of Advice for Apple: don't be like Toyota. Hyundai is whipping their arses now. You're playing with a sleeping giant (Samsung).
@Peter Church Quoting Gruber on Apple is like quoting Palin on teabagging.
Here's Gruber's latest on the iPhone's front facing camera. - "But the ability to use the front-facing camera to actually make video calls is first on the iPhone."
By that, he means, video calls, over wi-fi to other iPhone users on wi-fi. Wow, the practical possibilities are endless! How can you take this guy seriously?
http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/06/09/gray
@treats Good point. Isn't the Droid Incredible not able to meet demand because Samsung can't supply enough screens?
@treats Whoa! You knew that if Steve didn't use something it was because he thinks something else is better? You're a freaking mind reader!
@N900
Yeah...I have yet to make my decision...the IPS display on the iPad is amazing, but if Super AMOLED lives up to it's claims (meaning it can have the clairty and awesome colors of an AMOLED screen while saving power AND be better in high light conditions) -- then I'm sold.
@TRLKOR
If you clicked through the the source link and read the article that question is answered for you: LG
@hyadav17 I'm SICK of seeing people hijack posts on Engadget.
@theoneandonlyradiostation We need numbers. How much of the colour gamut can each phone produce, Brightness, contrast, power (watts)....
@hahnchen
John Gruber put an emphasis on the ability to USE the camera to make video calls, a emphasis that was left out of your quote there. And I would put John Gruber's credibility over any commentators on this site. He was one of the only people in the media to explicitly state before the iPad was even released, that he thought it would sell eight million units this year. Looks like he was right.
He's made several other predictions in the past that were dead on. Heck, even Steve Jobs has quoted him.
The cold truth here is this: Many, many companies have come out with what they considered "superior" MP3 player hardware during the iPod years and the last time I checked, the iPod is still the leading MP3 player.
Regular people don't buy gadgets based on specs. They buy based on software and ecosystem. Apple has iTunes, the App Store, iBooks and retail stores to sell their wares. Google has almost none of that.
@DoctarPeppar That's true. The iPhone 4 still has very good sharpness.
@theoneandonlyradiostation
why is that samsungs new UI looks like an iphone. Same 4x4 array and same dock and same gesture support and same pinch zoom. Iphone killer doesnt have to be another iphone. It should be something different and better.
@Peter Church
"new production process that effectively fuses the LCD and touchscreen"
This "new" process is 2 years old, it was used on the original HTC Diamond.
@treats Yeah, I think Apple probably asked Samsung for Amoled screens but Sammy already had commitments to other manufacturers first in line as well as their own handsets so couldn't fulfill the demand so Apple then went 'retina' display and claim it's better. Viewing angles, resolution, battery consumption and outside viewability aside, it would be nice to know how they compare with regards to colour accuracy
@theoneandonlyradiostation
Or will they give software updates to their phones?
@Peter Church -
You have got to be kidding. John Gruber has zero credibility outside of Apple faithful. If Jobs delivered a steaming pile of feces, Gruber would spin it as a glorious innovation of pure olfactory brilliance. The quote about video conferencing was a brilliant example of Grubertardation.
The fact that you left a fawning quote from Apple Fanboy #1 speaks volumes.
@theoneandonlyradiostation thanks for posting this at night engadget. Wouldn't have been able to read it in the sunlight on my N1. Btw, anyone interested in an unlocked, rooted n1 running froyo? Edge only, and two total battery pulling freeze ups this week during important work moments have me using an old 3G until I sell this huge let down so I can pick up the new iPhone.
@N900 Like that will be impartial...
@Peter Church
People are bad at knowing what they want and often, in turn, want what others have or what others deem good.
Only the tech savvy buy gadgets based on hardware or software. The average consumer buys what they are told is good, by their friends, their TV, or their best buy salesman.
@TRLKOR
manufacturer for iPhone is LG which is a Company from Korea, Samsung is too.
@theoneandonlyradiostation
Round 1
Samsung = 1 Apple = 0
@theoneandonlyradiostation
Ok so sa Samsung Galaxy S screen is better than iPhone 4. But does that make the Samsung phone better, I am afraid not. iPhone is in league ahead of samsung in user experience. iPhone 4 will blow the the Galaxy S in usability, coupled with very good manufacturer support I will take the iPhone 4 any day.
@theoneandonlyradiostation
annnnnd....
IPS LCD >* Super AMOLED
*according to apple
so everyone's right!
@MegaJapan I like the android not sure about there custom samsung Ui though.
@hyadav17 my love >* yours
*Anthony La says
@TRLKOR I understand that it is LG
@hahnchen
anyone reading Gruber and thinking he's trustable has a problem. He's alwas telling pro-Apple bs and does not bother correcting unless there's too much noise about it on the interwebs.
The worse part is that this guy has no job and just lives by getting donations for his blog... well on that one point we can say he's a genius. But that point only. Or a iParasite, maybe.
@MegaJapan But you will be able to turn off the touchwiz if you dont like it easily by simply replacing it with countless alternative launchers ;)
@theoneandonlyradiostation - LOL..................
@theoneandonlyradiostation lol... maybe Samsung is right. But since the iPhone 4 has the highest resolution screen, highest pixel density, proven IPS color quality, is the thinnest Smartphone, AND has probably the best battery life out of anything out there. Their argument really doesn't hold much water.
Maybe someday soon SAMOLED will win. But not today.
@Peter Church
I don't doubt that apple's screen is nice but it is utterly comical that you hold up Gruber as some kind of of impartial judge and discount what samsung has to say since Gruber has sadly morphed into a defend- iphone-always defacto Apple spokesperson.
@Oghowie, are HTC Incredible OLED screens developed by Samsung?
@N900 it marginally sharper than the samsung jet
the iphone screen is not alone in the 300+ ppi arena
@DoctarPeppar, iPad's IPS screen has highly visible pixels, pixel density is clearly not high enough. That's one reason I wouldn't want to read books or enjoy pictures on iPad. But that new iPhone 4 "retina" display is a different story. It has pixel density higher than on all other cell phones.
so guys honest question, who do you thinks gonna put out the first phone that beats apples 960x640 resolution. its def gonna happen and its prob gonna be android but i just cant wait for a sub 10mm phone with a higher res and maybe tegra 2 or an omap 4 or maybe that new 1.5ghz dual core snapdragon. throw in a 4"ish screen and a powergx540 and we got the new king boys. maybe some verizon lte love too? lets hope before 2011 wouldnt that be sweet. oh and froyo too, duh.
@Peter Church, yes iTunes - a typical software, annoying and poorly designed. I'm telling it as a developer with 15 years of experience. So, if regular people use it, that's clearly for some other reason, not because of software quality or usefulness.