We just couldn't leave this
face-off of superscreens alone, and went back for another bite at the cherry. Admittedly, we found out the
Galaxy S had a browser-specific brightness setting that we hadn't maxed out before setting off our camera hounds, so we've gone and remedied earlier comparison shots with the gallery below, and just as a bonus, we've now also run a HD video clip on both phones. This was to see how the Hummingbird and A4 SOCs, considered
close siblings, handled some taxing video work and also to again compare performance deep down on the pixel level. What we can tell you now is that both handsets chewed through the
1080p HD clip with ease and that both gave results we have no hesitation in describing as sublime. Click past the break for the up close and personal video comparison action.
N.B. -- We ran a 1080p clip on both phones' respective YouTube apps over WiFi. Although we're certain from the quality of the video that it was at least 720p, we can't say for sure that it was the full 1080 enchilada.
posted Jun 26th 2010 3:10PM
PenTile for the lose
It's really not fair to do it this way, because we are on LCD screen (for most of us) looking at pictures of the screen, thus we are seeing a much different picture than whats really being displayed.
You really have to see it in person.
@corylulu
gonna have to agree, under a microscope the iphone wins but in real use they seem equal.
@iSmug
Black bars and cropped video on my phone?
NO, thanks!
@corylulu
You don't get the real resolution, density, and color depth by viewing them through your monitor, but it still provides a fair comparison because both of the phones are being viewed through the monitor.
@corylulu doesn't matter. it sucks. LCD wins. period.
@Killing Time Yeah, they seem equal at normal viewing angles and viewpoints. It's all about personal preference in deciding. Personally between the 2, I'd go for the Galaxy S. PPI isn't that big a deal to me, just my preference.
@corylulu
There's one exception to that: text.
Reading on the iPhone 4 is fantastic, because even when the text is tiny, you can still read it perfectly. No display can compare to that
@Killing Time I find the iPhone 4 looks better on both situations
@ckrames1234 Dude, you read text perfectly on the 3GS too, it's just more sharp here because of pixel density. The only way you could say you could read text on the iPhone 4 better than on previous models is if you were viewing them at close up and macro like this video test, and then you have to ask, do people actually read like that??
@N900
This has nothing to do with PPI, and everything to do with the fact that the resolution on the Galaxy's R & B subpixels is HALF of what they are supposed to be at 800x480, leading to fuzzy text and discoloration on sharp lines.
@iSmug When viewing the images and video up close...
my 5 year old notebook can't even play 1080p clips without stuttering.
@N900 Not true. As the text gets smaller, the 3GS starts to distort it, that does not happen on the 4. It's noticeably better to read on the 4, very much so.
@Godfail You mean, when the text gets bigger? And it's being distorted because of the density of the pixels.
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/06/10x0625qwelmljrtott.jpg
If you were viewing the text like this, of course you'd be dissatisfied...
@iSmug
i dunno why comparisons are made at pixel level. .
as long as they look good at normal viewing distance, i wudnt worry abt it..
@Haxxy
It's not a fair comparison. Yes they both are viewed on LCD screen (for most of us) however, iPhone screen being LCD panel - nothing gets lost there. The SAMOLED screen on the other hand has a contrast and levels of black that our mortal LCD screens can not reproduce.
I've had the Galaxy for a week now after having all of the previous iPhone's. I was expecting the screen on the Galaxy to comprehensively better the iPhone 3G but this unfortunately is just NOT the case.
Yes the colours pop off the screen, viewing angles are sublime (perfect actually) and the contrast is amazing. However the visibility in sunlight is not even close to the iPhones and more importantly is the issue of how the Samsung renders both web pages and images/video. Basically it fails to take advantage of the higher resolution display and video seems to have a lower resolution than it should when played back compared to the OLD iPhone 3G.
That said I'm still fairly happy with the purchase, quite a mindshift going from Apple to Android though...
@Killing Time
Under the microscope the iPhone wins? Huh?
Like cars, these reviews are like a Porsche 911 vs. Aston Martin Vantage. So under the microscope the 911 has nikasil cylinder liners... so it wins?
Overall, they both perform the same. It's an equal match.
As for the post:
"had a browser-specific brightness setting that we hadn't maxed out before setting off our camera hounds, "
Of course, I'm sure the Apple guys told you *how to use the phone*, were as the Samsung guys didn't even call you guys and left a Korean manual. Hence the problem with non-apple phones: the lack of any real advertising.
Your holding the camera the wrong way.
@cdf74dc9
That joke has been old for over a day
Come up with something actually funny and more exciting to say
Now engadget, can we have another HD video comparaison at normal viewing angle like no zoom in ? Please. I'm trying to make a choice here.
And no, I'm not watching a HD movie on a smartphone through a microscope.
@lilo
Not true. You are assuming that all LCDs are the same quality. This is far from the truth.
@N900
So if you could read txt on old iPhone, you could read on new one, and the Samsung Galaxy S would be readable too. All are therefore equal in real life usage as far as txt is concerned.
But the Galaxy S "outshines" in color display.
@Killing Time It helps to be a fanboy though
@N900 no srsly, there is an incredible crispness to the text of the iphone4. you've gotta see it to believe it ( if you haven't already)
@jckchn yea you win alright with that lcd.... when you drop you phone and it falls 1 ft and the whole screen cracks.... wont happen with the galaxy
@corylulu
We get it Engadget, the iPhone 4 blows everything out of the water. No need to keep rubbing it in.
@big nazty Are you sure of that, has Samsung managed to make a screen that doesn't crack?
@seanGadget I lol'd..... and still do.
@iSmug
I dunno...a big problem is what other people have already pointed out, that you really need to see this test being done IN PERSON, not watching it from a recording...
@N900 That is nonsense. The increased pixel density on my iPhone 4, is far superior than that of the 3GS. Text looks cleaner, sharper and is therefore much easier for the brain to decipher. Particularly when viewing a small font size.
@lilo
well as long as any type of screen, being filmed, is better than what you are watching it on then you can't tell, and it doesn't help much that none of us watch movies that macro
@coolkams03
It's easy. So the iphone can have some sort of an edge over the Galaxy. You're on engadget.
@ckrames1234
Have you used any other phone other than an iPhone 3G in the last year or two? Most other phones have had pixel densities far greater than the iPhone 3G already. Wich means that on my Droid, I've been able to see small text great.
For iPhone users, the 4G is a HUGE visual leap. For everyone else not so much. Keep that in mind. It would be incorrect to assume that because the iPhone 3G looks like crap in comparison to a 4G that all other phones do too.
@recharged95
No, the iPhone is easy enough to use so that there is one brightness setting over the entire phone. That's the advantage. The great customer support is good too, though.
@Fridge
What your experiencing is the same thing that happens when you watch standard def videos on an HD TV. It looks much worse on a nicer display. The samsung display is much higher resolution than the iPhone 3G. Thus the crappieness of a YouTube video for example is amplified on the nicer display. Same with low res photos.
Poor visibility in direct sunlight is a well known caveat with AMOLED screens. The Super AMOLED screen that the Samsung has is significantly better in direct sunlight but still not quite as good as LCD.
@ckrames1234 the 850 x 480 lcd phones do a pretty good job coming close.
@corylulu that is correct good sir. although common sense is common, good idea mentioning this.
@iSmug
How about a comparison in the dark?
What about deep blacks?
You know, where OLED really shines (or rather, doesn't)
@iSmug
Are you authistic to look at the screen that closer ?
@iSmug
Stupid test,
why compare so close, those pixel won't be visible in human eye as would be camera.
@N900
Just glancing at that video on the Galaxy hurt my eyes. What is Samsung trying to pass off on innocent consumers? Samsung Galaxy owners who watch videos are going to end up walking around like Mr. Magoo.
The main picture for this post which shows them from a reasonable distance makes the Samsung display look amazing. Most of the rest of the shots are worthless for any kind of real-world comparison.
@N900 Have you held both and compared. One look at the iPhone 4 screen and you will never ever go back to 3GS. 3GS looks like crap after that. Even the iPad pales in comparison to the 4.
@jhnstn00 That's questionable. Color saturation is better on OMOLED, but as for color fidelity and brightness... for that, we need good tests. So far nobody seriously measured color space of both displays. Traditionally IPS based monitors are better at covering sRGB space and beyond. They're also easier to calibrate. That's why they're preferred by pros.
@corylulu
that was sure some quality recording there, very scientific... blur in blur out pixelated around the edges smooth in the middle, what camera was used for the recording? quality? compression?
@DoctarPeppar
I couldn't agree more, but you're missing the point here, this is just more engadget marketing of apple product... This entire site is dedicated to promoting apple product nothing more. Any story you get about any other product from other manufacturers is there either as filler to help them keep up the facade of being a tech blog or to compare to what cupertino offer, with cupertino winning each and every time. Even when they compliment new ideas or products from other companies, it's always accompanied by some snide or sarcastic remark designed to undermine it. Ever notice how articles about apple products are filled with beautiful images that are framed properly, lit perfectly some even having bokeh effects yet other products images are the opposite? They're salespeople for apple, don't expect anything different...
Since the Iphone has now got a high resolution screen suddenly Engadget has to get the microscope out to review phones!
All the time the iPhone had half the resolution of competitors it was barely mentioned.
@NextGen
It would also be nice to have a copy of the video so we can all see for ourselves what it's characteristics are.