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
Apple iPhone 4
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@MBN -- "They have so many pixels so you don't see ANY pixels. That said, I think anything above 300 or so dpi would be a waste of pixels."
Don't forget how Apple went about choosing the resolution for the new iPhone.
The old iPhone was 480x320... the new iPhone 960x640... all while keeping the same size and shape of the screen.
This was a strategic move to lessen the burden on app developers to upgrade their apps. Text will scale perfectly fine... only bitmapped graphics have to be recreated.
Apple didn't just randomly choose the new screen resolution for the hell of it. And it just so happens that if you put a 960x640 in a 3.5 inch screen the pixel density is 326 pixels per inch.
But lets face it, if you can't brainwash people to buy your products and think they are sooo gooooood like apple can, then im affaraid that all facts won't matter in the end of the day anyway.
Samsung may have a better display technology, but that is an ugly skin...
@PolarBearTC
The phone is ugly. He'll with the skin.
@PolarBearTC FYI That is just a green background and a big widget on one of the many fully customizable home screens. You can make it look however you want it to. Try that on an iPhone.
@Wesley I have nothing against Android, I have everything against samsung phones. They're complete shit. The only reason anyone would consider them is their damn display tech. They can't even make a decent android skin. Vanilla Froyo is better. If the EVO 4G had a super-amoled screen, I'd hand it to the EVO... But they don't. So for phones that I consider worth anything, iPhone 4 wins. And, I'm sorry, but widgets are gay. And I can customize my home screen to the extent that I want to. Folders are great, background images should look nice. Those amazing beach photos I'll take from my ocean front apartment in Miami should make a nice wallpaper.
Cool story dad
So there's a * on it right now... Give it three months, and the * will be gone, as all new higher end Android phones adopt Super AMOLED and the Apple fanbots have to wait another year for an update.
@Bosco That's right, Android users don't have to wait for an update - because there are no updates for Android phones!
through a stone into a pack of dogs and the one that yelps is the one you hit. lol.
@MrPinkBlackrose what
I trust Samsung on this. They seem to have more experience in the display market.
@tricheboars Maybe, but they also have the most money on the line with the technology they're pushing. Apple would sell just as many iPhones without saying anything about OLED. Samsung on the other hand has invested lots of money into the technology and has a lot of product to sell to hardware manufacturers.
@HAL2000
really? you think he doesnt lie? hahaha wake up man!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2008/jan/21/liesdamnliesandstevejobs
@tricheboars listen, jackass. Apple is a BRAND. Of course they would look at marketshare by BRAND. You think Toyota compares it's gas powered cars to the marketshare of gas vs. diesel vs. electric? Give me a break. Apple didn't care about OS market share as much as they did about competing with other smartphone MAKERS. That was a horrible example, even if it was something unique to apple, which it definitely is not.
S-AMOLED aside, comparing IP4 to the EVO 4G.... Higher rez on a smaller screen... why?
@AstroSeven Simple...because the iPhone needs to be compared to all phones and all phones need to be compared to the iPhone...
/s
God I hope the rumors are true that T-Mo will be getting this. I will be there day 1.
@Maverick128 They seem to be true as they already have a launch event scheduled.
Samsung feels threatened by iPhone 4, sends spokesperson to defend their product.... and I still preorder the iPhone 4 on June 15th.
@Christopher02
So going by that rationale, Steve Jobs was threatened when he made the comment about Retina being better than OLED? Uh huh. Nice double standard there.
Enjoy your tiny screen. Evo/GS owners get their 4" screens and laugh at you.
@Jillsandwich
Dude I've been laughing at how big of a device the EVO is since it came out. With so much laughter, I guess we all have a sense of humor.
@Jillsandwich
I tend to think that people who laugh at peoples' phones are small and pathetic. That's just me though...
@Christopher02
My preference is the 3.5" screen. Anything more becomes more difficult to navigate with one hand.
Just my preference though, I'm not gonna hate someone for liking a bigger screen.
@Jillsandwich
I wonder what developers think of that thing LOL.. they just love having multiple screen sizes don't they.
@ebgolfin
That is just you. Everyone that comes to Engadget has that same mentality. If they say they don't, they're lying. Gone are the days when people could think that each others' phones are cool. Nope, now, it's a constant pissing contest over the most minuscule detail, one of which is, you guessed it, screen size. Especially between Android and Apple. Choose your side. By the way, you can thank Steve Jobs and the Iphone cult for that mentality.
@Christopher02
It's not laughing if, at any point, you wished the iphone had even a slightly larger screen - which, let's face it, you did. There isn't an Apple fan out there that actually keeps up w/smart phone news that didn't think "I hope iphone 4's screen is a little bit bigger." If it got the same size screen as a Nexus One, that would've been gold.. bigger screen, same retina display = awesome.
true.. they have a point.. but its not enough to drag fangirls away from that phone
One thing to consider: AMOLED is a newer technology, more expensive and in short supply. Apple expects to sell millions of phones, Samsung in the hundred thousands. Which makes sense?
@jmaine
Really? Cuz Retina was announced.. um .. yesterday.. So it's pretty new.
Whats the PPI on AMOLED.?
@jmaine Samsung shipped 1M phones to 110 service providers, they are approx doubling the countries that Android will have a foothold in, I think it will sell well, and easily outsell the EVO (remember, this will be the most powerful handset in just about every country you ship to, though some users will prefer the Incredible and the Desire) and you can make an argument for the N1 being more powerful.
@Wesscoast
Heh.."Retina Display" is nothing but a fancy marketing name for their high resolution IPS LCD panel. Apple is more consumer oriented than any of these other companies so it comes up with simplistic and fanciful names to create buzz around its new products where others use technical acronyms to confuse the hell out of average consumers. Now you've got half the planet calling it a retina display...that's the genius of it.
@juanvaldez
Samsung makes some of the best TVs in the world. I have one and they sell millions of them. But 1 million phones is peanuts compared to what I said about Apple's demand from its hardware suppliers. You can't sell phones if you can't build them. No one really thinks of Samsung as a premium manufacturer when it comes to phones anyway.
@jmaine Obviously I was just correcting your number, I'm not commenting on their support, their size versus Apple....More of how and why people are underestimating the phone, without listing the obvious like knowledgeable consumers are more likely to avoid this device than ignorant ones (somewhat a paradox when it comes to high-end phones),
@jmaine
"No one really thinks of Samsung as a premium manufacturer when it comes to phones anyway"
This statement is quite hilarious especially considering that Samsung produces many of the high powered CPU's and most of the AMOLED screens for the top smart phones models from Apple, Motorola and HTC.
It is so frustrating that Samsung gets hardware so, so right and software horribly wrong.
The Galaxy S is the new king of phones, sorry Evo and iPhone. But it might as well run Palm Garnet.
@JONNNathannn
Uh, not with Samsung's ridiculous user interface. Samsung absolutely FAILS at UI. It's a bad phone for that only, and I don't care if it's Android so you can change it. It comes crappy out of the box.
@jellotime91 Bad UI? There's an app for that.
@JONNNathannn They have all the hardware on this phone right except for flash on the camera.
Yeah but it's too bad about the PenTile on AMOLED. Makes small text fuzzy instead of sharp on my Nexus One.
Have many of you have used a device with an OLED or AMOLED screen? It's "magical". No seriously.
@Openwave
Been watching tv/movies on my Cowon S9 for more than a year. Suffice it so say that I am never going back to LCD.
to say*
Spec/Hawrdware wise, yes, Galaxy S eats iPhone 4 for lunch. But dear Samsung, don't expect people to accept your atrocious UI and slap them in the face when you don't feel like giving them their Android updates.
Does anyone care what Steve Jobs thinks about display technologies? The LCD ship is only going to stay afloat for so long. Only an idiot would believe the chunky turds that propel out of Steve Jobs's mouth.
@ydoucare Right, everyone should listen to you and all those facts you just presented instead.
@HAL2000 What he said is fact. Steve Jobs lies and over exaggerates.
@Wesley
Steve Jobs doesn't like black people!
Until samsung can make a OLED display with 326ppi or higher, they can't say that. Anyways, I don't care if it sucks more electricity, all I care is about the user experience. If the iPhone can't last 1 hour with the screen on, that is going to be a problem, but that most likely won't happen.
Anythin oled is expensive and can't be manufactured in enough high demand. As oled is ramped up more and cost comes down apple will be using it.
I think it's funny how if any company on the planet makes a claim that something Apple or Steve Jobs said is false, then they must be right and Apple/Jobs is either incorrect or blatantly lying.
Anyone who has seen 99% of the devices made with OLED in the past few years and is honest with themselves will agree that there is room for improvement. Now, NOBODY here has actually seen the new iPhone 4 screen in person, but I am willing to bet that it does in fact blow the OLED screens out of the water in A) color accuracy and B) sharpness. I don't care about over saturated colors, I care about the sharpest, most accurate image available, and it sounds like Apple will be leading the charge until OLED is able to catch up.