Bionic Screen - Motorola Droid Bionic

Hey everyone,
Friday I went from EVO 4G to the Bionic. I have noticed that the screen seems overly dark. It is as if the saturation and contrast levels are all wrong.
For example, I was looking at the same vacation pics on both my Evo and the Bionic, and in all the pictures, the dark areas are noticeably darker on my bionic- too dark. Shadows are overly exaggerated. People look like they have raccoon eyes or no eyes at all in some photos. Also bright areas are washed out looking. Mind you, these are photos NOT taken by the bionic. In fact, photos I took with the Bionic that I thought had bad lighting look great when viewed on my Evo...
Is anyone else noticing this? I really hope it is something limited to my particular phone, but I fear this is a "feature" of the Bionic.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App

Did you mess with the brightness settings at all? I set mine to 10% inside and if I need to see the screen in direct sunlight I turn it up. This phone has got nothing but rave for visibility at least.

I've gried auto, max, min, and everything in between, and images, even in the browser, and graphics in games look too dark or washed out. Text looks great though.
Maybe my Bionic is a bad build, because in addition to the screen, the sound on my hdmi skips and sounds distorted. Tested my roommate's X2 and its HDMI was fine.
I guess if I'm the odd one out with these issues, I should take it back to Radioshack and exchange for another one...
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App

Related

Display on the bionic in broad daylight

I know that many do not like the Pentile display on the Bionic, but I have to say it is the best phone display I have ever had in direct sun light. There is no more having to put your back to the sun and cup your hands around the display to show others your pictures or what ever it is you are wanting to show someone else that is on your display. I am truly amazed at how visible it is in direct sun light. I use SPB Shell 3D as my home launcher and I actually get comments on how bright and colorful my display is. I don't miss the display on my Droid Incredible or my OG Droid any more. I would keep this phone for just this reason alone, since I'm out in the sun most of the time with my job any way. But let me be honest there are a bunch of other reason I love this phone not just for the super bright no problem to read in the blazing Georgia sun display.
smacinskyjr said:
I know that many do not like the Pentile display on the Bionic, but I have to say it is the best phone display I have ever had in direct sun light. There is no more having to put your back to the sun and cup your hands around the display to show others your pictures or what ever it is you are wanting to show someone else that is on your display. I am truly amazed at how visible it is in direct sun light. I use SPB Shell 3D as my home launcher and I actually get comments on how bright and colorful my display is. I don't miss the display on my Droid Incredible or my OG Droid any more. I would keep this phone for just this reason alone, since I'm out in the sun most of the time with my job any way. But let me be honest there are a bunch of other reason I love this phone not just for the super bright no problem to read in the blazing Georgia sun display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will have to agree with you on that one. It's better than the iphone 4 and it's better than any of the htc phones i have had. Huge improvement from the thunderbolt
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
Has always looked good to me
I wont comment in those other threads about the screen. I do not have a degree in temporal dithering or upshift panaglobalara penis glass. too serious that lot of gazers.
I am almost ashamed to say that the screen brightness was one of the things i just left set from the store. It was perfect day night taking pictures doing 70 on my Goldwing. It is a great screen. Complex yet subtle and i appreciate it for being both.
I say!
Same results here, digging the brightness of this screen. Even got compliments from two iPhone4 users which surprised me ha I didn't like the screen too much at first but it's growing on me
smacinskyjr said:
I know that many do not like the Pentile display on the Bionic, but I have to say it is the best phone display I have ever had in direct sun light. There is no more having to put your back to the sun and cup your hands around the display to show others your pictures or what ever it is you are wanting to show someone else that is on your display. I am truly amazed at how visible it is in direct sun light. I use SPB Shell 3D as my home launcher and I actually get comments on how bright and colorful my display is. I don't miss the display on my Droid Incredible or my OG Droid any more. I would keep this phone for just this reason alone, since I'm out in the sun most of the time with my job any way. But let me be honest there are a bunch of other reason I love this phone not just for the super bright no problem to read in the blazing Georgia sun display.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely nice in the sun!!!
Completely agree!
Sent from my rooted DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
I can Geocache with c:geo now!!! Yay!!
Oh, and down with all the Pentile screen haters.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
It it definitely the best android phone I have used for being able to see the screen in the direct sunlight.
It's perfect in the direct sunlight! Hard to believe it is this readable/viewable and I like it out of the sun as well
jgrimberg1979 said:
I will have to agree with you on that one. It's better than the iphone 4 and it's better than any of the htc phones i have had. Huge improvement from the thunderbolt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 ... I couldn't believe the difference from the TB. EASILY readable in direct sunlight. The TB struggled even on overcast days.
This was the main reason of why I ditched my Incredible. I was not able to use it much in sunlight.
The display on this phone set at 25% is better than my Incredible at 100% in sunlight.
Love this screen!
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

Just me?

Is it just me or does the bionic screen seem really pixelated sometimes.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium
If you've come to the Bionic from a different phone, especially a phone from a different manufacturer, the Bionic screen will look strange.
The 'pixelation' has to do with how the subpixels are arranged. It ends up creating visual artifacting during certain situations, especially in movement.
After owning my Bionic for about 2-3 months I no longer noticed the artifacting on the screen.
I am the same way. I actually completely forgot about how it looked pixelated. I was very irritated at first, but nos there's no difference.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA
This is caused by the Bionic's pentile screen, the pixels are laid out differently from other more tradition lcds, you eyes will get used to it after a while. It is usually really noticeable when displaying green colors.
Oh, i understand now!

Hate to complain but...

What are these screens supposed to look like? Mine seems OK except the touchscreen goes unresponsive at times. Also, colors are pretty dull and this thing has greys and gamma like a much inferior screen. Didn't reviews say the screen had great blacks, etc? I font have the ghost white hue glitch but it just seems generally washed out to me. Can others chime in?
Also, I know its a great deal so please don't flame, I want to just find out if others have a better experience or that mine is on the more defective end.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Jayrod1980 said:
What are these screens supposed to look like? Mine seems OK except the touchscreen goes unresponsive at times. Also, colors are pretty dull and this thing has greys and gamma like a much inferior screen. Didn't reviews say the screen had great blacks, etc? I font have the ghost white hue glitch but it just seems generally washed out to me. Can others chime in?
Also, I know its a great deal so please don't flame, I want to just find out if others have a better experience or that mine is on the more defective end.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything you just said is highly subjective. I love my screen. I think it's great. You may look at it and say its washed out and generally inferior. If you can't post pictures, there's nothing anyone here can do to help you sir. Some people undoubtedly are coming from ultra-high-end screens and will find this one lacking. Most, I think, do not.
My camera doesn't pick it up well but the Black's are not all that dark. I just thought the colors would be a little more saturated. This screen really doesn't look much better than a nook tablet. Its got higher resolution but the color and gamma and blacks are about the same. I guess I will find out once the replacement comes due to the touch issues.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
I've owned many different devices and my n7 is a bit washed out but not bad given the price. Hoping nice more dev builds up we can start playing around with fine tuning the screen
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
The screen is easily the Nexus 7's weakest link, but considering the price... it's awesome. It took a little bit to get used to coming from the iPad 3 and its absolutely glorious screen, but I couldn't be happier with my N7.
Glad I'm not the only one that noticed the screen. My biggest problem though is the occasional unresponsiveness of the touchscreen. I'll check on the differences when I get a replacement sent to me. Thanks all for the replies
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
I only notice the screen not looking great when I turn down the brightness to about 10-20%. On full brightness it looks amazing though...but I can deal with a little less than vibrant colors on my day-to-day use in order to extend the battery life.
Just glad we have 1280 vs the 1024 the Galaxy Tab 2 7 is using which is just a no go.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Jayrod1980 said:
What are these screens supposed to look like? Mine seems OK except the touchscreen goes unresponsive at times. Also, colors are pretty dull and this thing has greys and gamma like a much inferior screen. Didn't reviews say the screen had great blacks, etc? I font have the ghost white hue glitch but it just seems generally washed out to me. Can others chime in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you played the Transformers movie at 30% to 50% brightness because I was blown away by the display when I did that?
The washed out screen was too much for me. I own the galaxy nexus and going from a super AMOLED screen to IPS was very jarring. The light bleeding on the Nexus 7 was pretty bad too, and when you touch the screen you get the 'air pocket' effect. The panel is definitely the worst thing about the device. I got the Samsung galaxy tab 7.7 instead and put CM9 on it, so much happier that I get deep deep blacks and can use it in landscape mode as well. Overall it is a much better tablet, I actually prefer watching movies on it than my 46inch Bravia TV :laugh: Its a very surreal experience, you have to see it to truly understand how amazing it looks
kezown83 said:
The washed out screen was too much for me. I own the galaxy nexus and going from a super AMOLED screen to IPS was very jarring. The light bleeding on the Nexus 7 was pretty bad too, and when you touch the screen you get the 'air pocket' effect. The panel is definitely the worst thing about the device. I got the Samsung galaxy tab 7.7 instead and put CM9 on it, so much happier that I get deep deep blacks and can use it in landscape mode as well. Overall it is a much better tablet, I actually prefer watching movies on it than my 46inch Bravia TV :laugh: Its a very surreal experience, you have to see it to truly understand how amazing it looks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine looks amazing, I think you just got a bad device.
I personally love mine. The screen doesn't blow me away but it isn't bad at all. I would appreciate the screen more if I didn't own a One X
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Same for me, if I didn't own a HTC One X, this would be the best screen I've owned on an android device.
But the fact I have a Motorola Xoom too, my Nexus 7 screen is much better!
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
N7 screen is in fact a bit dull and washed out, especially on lower brightness (the fact that automatic backlight is calibrated as pretty dim does not help either).
The colours are much, much less vibrant as on my One X (but this phone has really got a top-end gorgeous screen).
However, screen on N7 is noticeably better than on Motorola Xoom in terms of color reproduction and viewing angles.
aszu said:
N7 screen is in fact a bit dull and washed out, especially on lower brightness (the fact that automatic backlight is calibrated as pretty dim does not help either).
The colours are much, much less vibrant as on my One X (but this phone has really got a top-end gorgeous screen).
However, screen on N7 is noticeably better than on Motorola Xoom in terms of color reproduction and viewing angles.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I'll agree here on auto brightness.
It was also too dull & washed out for me.
However, 50% fixed brightness is actually very bright and makes the colours great in my opinion.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Are colors better on tab 2 7.0?
Nexus 7 has no green
Two things I've noticed about my screen so far, that makes me wonder if we're dealing with defective screens rather than just plain poor quality ones.
First, load an app or picture onto the device that just displays pure 0,0,255 green (if you search for 'dead pixel' I think the first or second app has options to display a solid colour). I find my Nexus is completely unable to display the green properly, instead showing an extremely washed out pastel shade. I've tested this with red and blue and neither of those suffer anything like the same issue as green does. This might be what is contributing to the weird washed out/off-colour look.
Second, this is purely anecdotal, but it seems like the brightness setting of the Nexus is purely software after around the halfway mark. You can easily see the backlight ramping up from 0-50% but beyond that just seems to be a gamma change, which doesn't brighten the screen at all and instead just washes it out further.
If anyone could follow up on these and post their own tests we might be able to get a better idea of where the real issues with this tablet lie. Or whether mine is just a little bit more broken than everyone else's.
californiarailroader said:
Mine looks amazing, I think you just got a bad device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't have a bad device, I had a problem with the IPS technology used in the Nexus 7. If you compare a Super AMOLED plus screen to IPS it looks washed out, and the blacks are pretty poor...Also, you will always get a little bit of light bleeding because of the technology.
kezown83 said:
I didn't have a bad device, I had a problem with the IPS technology used in the Nexus 7. If you compare a Super AMOLED plus screen to IPS it looks washed out, and the blacks are pretty poor...Also, you will always get a little bit of light bleeding because of the technology.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, mine still looks amazing. I have a Super AMOLED Plus screen on my Galaxy Note, this looks pretty darn close.
Montpelier said:
First, load an app or picture onto the device that just displays pure 0,0,255 green (if you search for 'dead pixel' I think the first or second app has options to display a solid colour). I find my Nexus is completely unable to display the green properly, instead showing an extremely washed out pastel shade. I've tested this with red and blue and neither of those suffer anything like the same issue as green does. This might be what is contributing to the weird washed out/off-colour look.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's normal.

Nexus 4 Display (Spec for spec the best) Just needs calibrating... help?

Edit: My Display Solution is : FauxClock. It has gamma correction and color tweaking. It's a paid app but it's inexpensive and def with it.
You can follow Faux123 work on the Nexus for kernel development as well as it rocks but not necessary for the color/gamma tweaks.
His thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2008222
Hey Nexus 4 Community,
I've read endless articles about how the Nexus 4 display is inferior to the iPhone and is bland and gamma raised way too high. I'm a photo-enthusiast, tech fanatic, and work in the field of mobile apps. With that said, I'd have to agree that the screen is amazing but has many short falls that it quiet frankly shouldn't.
I've dealt with screens from the old Palm Pilot Days (For those of you who remember the Treo ), TFT screens, Amoled (Or Super Amoled as Samsung so articulately imaged, and now IPS. I've dealt with high PPI's, to well... BlackBerry's. In the end, and after my last Galaxy Nexus... I took the screen out of the box and I was blown away with the sharpness and detail. Once that wow factor subsided I then got hit with the "Ummm..." factor of the washed out effect. I was one of the few that got mine from T-Mobile. I've experienced Google in the past shifting colors on releases and it's very frustrating to say the least.
I did some reading-up on tests and internet reviews and apparently our phone (the Nexus 4) actually has a better contrast rating and blacker blacks then even the iPhone 5. But, that doesn't make sense because I have an iPhone 5 (well, my girlfriend does actually) and I "went in" on details and video's to see which screen looked better. The colors in comparison on the Nexus 4, were off. The colors seemed so much more rich on the iPhone 5 as well. Now, trust me, I'm no iSheep. However I do appreciate quality. My Digital lenses (particularly my 85mm 1.4) in my Nikon collection afford me the ability to truly appreciate the low light shooting and quality of what true imagery can render in a photo.
It frustrates me to no end that Google hasn't gotten it right yet on this one. And I do emphasize yet, however I truly believe it's going to take one of you geniuses to actually get this screen calibration corrected. I *do* believe our screen is better then the likes of the Galaxy S3 (though opinions come into play here as some people like the Amoled saturation better) and even the iPhone line-up. I've personally tested the sharpness to be greater than both. With the right game adjustments and color calibration I know this can be done.
I'm not complaining...(well maybe a lil) I love my phone. Best Nexus device to date, IMO, as I've had them all less the Nexus One. I just want to use it at its true potential. I remember tweaking my Nexus S with Voodoo drivers and that made a lot of difference. I've even used FauxClock which I can appreciate for its color tweaking ability on the kernels, including the Nexus 4 one rooted, but I still need game control. I certainly hope if google fails to correct this display issue that someone here gets it right.
Well, that's my rant... oh yeah and one more thing. Those that question those of us who do complain about the washed out look. It's a bit insulting to hear that we are used to certain devices (such as Amoled) as there are so many devices to compare our screens to and unfortunately most give ours that washed out feel. It's unfortunate to have what I believe to be one of the best screens on the market and be hindered like this. Everyone has the right to their opinion and if you like the screen as is... you're not alone as many do, including me. But it can be better. That I know.
In hopes of the Nexus 4 to its utmost potential,
Rome
(PS. All of our phones are slightly different in regards to the screens, so what might be slightly greener on mine might be a touch more red on yours. Just remember that everyone's experience differs.)
Have you tried this?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nexus4displaycontrol
tocirahl said:
Have you tried this?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nexus4displaycontrol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi and thanks for the recommendation. I have tried that and it distorts the colors even worse for me over 255 making all of my white yellow.
My colors currently aren't horrible or anything but could use improvement but more over I'm even more interested in the gamma to be lowered so blacks on the app page and over all color isn't as washed out.
Thanks for taking time to try and help though. Its appreciated.
Rome
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Supposedly the developer of that app is working on a gamma setting feature for a future version.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Catchpen said:
Supposedly the developer of that app is working on a gamma setting feature for a future version.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be awesome. I'll be looking out for that. Thanks for the info.
Rome
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Catchpen said:
Supposedly the developer of that app is working on a gamma setting feature for a future version.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can wait for it, the screen is too warm, the white looks yellow
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
The screen is a bit washed out. Colors just seem to be a tad light. Also, it seems that blues are a bit undersaturated.
manlisten said:
The screen is a bit washed out. Colors just seem to be a tad light. Also, it seems that blues are a bit undersaturated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My issues seem to fall right in line with yours. Undersaturated aka high gamma. Also washed out colors.
Despite my initial post stating the screen is beautiful and device just needs some tweaking such as gamma controls and color adjustment I'm sure people will start with the whole "we are used to amoled" crap Lol so be prepared to hear it.
That a side I'm happy but could be fully content with those adjustments in a new release or tools to fix these issues as Google hasn't normally in the past corrected color calibration issues in a timely manor in the past, if ever at all.
Lastly it seems there are a good bunch who are dealing with the yellowish screen issue (I'm not personally) and not sure if that goes away in time as I've heard that could be do to the glue on the screen. Again not sure as I'm not experiencing it.
Rome
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Chad_Petree said:
Can wait for it, the screen is too warm, the white looks yellow
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here is a picture, left side old one which i sent back cause it had a cracked in the back glass and right side the one i have and it seems like the yellow tint killin it.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/64014163/DSCN0649.JPG
romeoliny said:
My issues seem to fall right in line with yours. Undersaturated aka high gamma. Also washed out colors.
Despite my initial post stating the screen is beautiful and device just needs some tweaking such as gamma controls and color adjustment I'm sure people will start with the whole we are used to smiled crap Lol so be prepared to hear it.
That a side I'm happy but could be fully content with those adjustments in a new release or tools to fix these issues as Google hasn't normally in the past corrected color calibration issues in a timely manor in the past, if ever at all.
Lastly it seems there are a good bunch who are dealing with the yellowish screen issue (I'm not personally) and not sure if that goes away in time as I've heard that could be do to the glue on the screen. Again not sure as I'm not experiencing it.
Rome
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I actually think this screen is worlds better than Super AMOLED even with the slightly faded color pallette. My point of comparison is the SLCD on the HTC Sensation. While not an IPS screen, the colors are definitely deeper and more vivid than the Nexus 4, especially the blues (see image).
Red Wolf said:
here is a picture, left side old one which i sent back cause it had a cracked in the back glass and right side the one i have and it seems like the yellow tint killin it.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/64014163/DSCN0649.JPG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow that's definitely some serious yellow tinting going on there v thanks for sharing the pictures and I hope the fix comes soon for that
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
manlisten said:
Yeah, I actually think this screen is worlds better than Super AMOLED even with the slightly faded color pallette. My point of comparison is the SLCD on the HTC Sensation. While not an IPS screen, the colors are definitely deeper and more vivid than the Nexus 4, especially the blues (see image).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see what you mean. From the picture it also appears you're dealing with the yellow tinting as well. But the blues are of for sure. My blue seems a bit on the purple side. I played a video by Katy Perry (the one with the blue hair on vevo in hd to see the resolution/quality) on my nexus 4 vs the iPhone 5 and to my surprise I was paying more attention to the colors being so misrepresented I forgot I was comparing sharpness.
Then I checked other videos and i noticed more and more. I guess all of our phones are of in different ways. Sort of complicated the matter further I'd imagine.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
romeoliny said:
Wow that's definitely some serious yellow tinting going on there v thanks for sharing the pictures and I hope the fix comes soon for that
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup don't know what to do is this yellow tinted problem hardware or software related?
I'm not picky about colors or displays as long as i can see in bright sunlight. Usually in a dark room at night i notice very faint backlight bleed from the top when screen is dark black @ 30-50% brightness, like in some older LED notebooks.
Hi, can you also compare the whites and sharpness on iPhone 5 and nexus 4 respective screens. I really love reading text on beautiful white screen of iPhone 4S.
Catchpen said:
Supposedly the developer of that app is working on a gamma setting feature for a future version.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Francisco's work for the GNex was brilliant, including a good bit of calibration tools. He'll get there (he hasn't even received his N4 yet!).
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Supercurio is the man we want working on our screens. He's done absolute magic in the past
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
I'm cross-posting my reply to this thread here because it touches on the differences in displays and what I've observed.
2defmouze said:
I've heard from a lot of more educated folks and some devs how the common "washed out screen" complaint your seeing is not really accurate at all. Many of us (especially coming from Samsung phones) are used to those SAMOLED displays which oversaturate the colors. The colors you will see on a high quality IPS display like the Nexus 4 are actually a true representation of what they are supposed to look like. At first it is going to appear weird and "washed out" to you, but after adjusting a bit you should be able to appreciate that you are seeing the colors the way they were designed, by Google, to be viewed. Just some info I wanted to pass along
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry, but I'm really going to have to beg to differ on this. When I got my Nexus 4 and showed it the my girlfriend next to my Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch Long Name phone, she instantly said, "The old one looks a lot better." I told her that the SAMOLED screen was merely hyped up because of all the usual reasons, but the difference DID bother me. I told myself, "No, this is more natural. It's not washed out. You're just used to the old screen," but I can't do it any longer. My screen IS washed out; it IS inaccurate. I'm not sure what to do about it.
I'm a semi-pro photographer (meaning I've made money from my work, but it's not my day job; see my stuff here) and thus really picky about image quality and fidelity. I also used to be a DVD reviewer for a couple of major sites and had to calibrate my home theater setups to properly grade A/V quality. I just recalibrated my main computer's display - a Dell UltraSharp U2410 IPS-panel connected via DisplayPort using a GretagMacbeth Eye-One Match 3 calibrator - and compared my current wallpaper (NSFW, so not linked; skin tones are a good source to judge because of the subtleties of complexions) from mine and other Flickr users work and the differences are there and problematic. I even dug out my OG EVO 4G to compare because it was its too-cool/bluish display that paled (no pun) in comparison to the GS2 was what made me thunk down $500 to buy the latter unsubsidized. I had to use the Movie setting in Display properties to get the least-hyped picture because Standard and Vivid were just acid-trip crazy.
Compared to the GS2, the N4's colors are flatter, paler and washed out, especially in highlights on skin which are getting close to being blown out to white. It looks cooler until you throw the EVO into the mix and see what really cool, bluish color cast looks like. When looking at all three, the GS2 looks the closest to the PC monitor; the N4 is clearly less saturated and skewed toward yellow (note: I do NOT see the yellow color cast on pure white that others have reported; it just looks like more red is needed); the EVO looks really cool (blue).
Checking another photo (again NSFW; tanned partial nude woman in vivid magenta leather jacket) shows similar issues. The N4 is flatter in contrast and the highlights are blown out; the wall in back doesn't look creamy, but almost white; the jacket looks pink, not magenta; the burgundy wash on her hair is almost unnoticeable. I couldn't check with the EVO because it's having a cow about updating (gee, it's been offline for 14 months, could that be the problem?) but since it's obsolete, who cares? The GS2 looks really close to the monitor and the N4 doesn't.
Using the LCD test patterns here - LCD monitor test images - the most damning one isn't the Black Level one (browser color profiles seem to mess with it) or the Gamma test (all the phones look waaaay out of whack) but the White Saturation pattern which demonstrates how brighter values are rendering. On my computer, I can see the difference between 254 and the 255 background. The highest the N4 shows is 247, meaning everything from 248 on up looks the same as pure white, 248-254 = 255 = not good. The GS2 goes four steps up to 251 and the difference between getting 96.9% of the way and 98.4% makes a difference. As someone who usually shoots black-clad musicians in dimly-lit clubs with black walls, the difference of a few steps is the difference between seeing a guy in a black shirt in a black room playing guitar or seeing a floating guitar and arm. (This is an all-time worst case example.)
The hardest thing to do in publishing is color management and printers and pre-production houses spend thousands of dollars trying to get their workflow together so that what designers see on the screen will match what's on the page when it's printed. It is said that a man with one clock knows what time it is but a man with two clocks is never sure and what may look fine in isolation may suffer in comparison to something else. (Like how your significant other may be cute, but stand them next to the latest Sexiest Man/Woman Alive and you realize you're in a relationship with a mortal.) The trick is to determine what is CORRECT. For clocks, you get one of those atomic deals and set your watch to that. For displays, you color calibrate and use test patterns.
This is what I've done and while there is a element of personal taste involved - like when you adjust the tone controls on your sound system to boom the bass or whatnot - I'm not interested in preference, but accuracy, and the screen on my Nexus 4 simply isn't accurate. Maybe it's isolated bad unit; maybe it's an issue with 25% of units; who knows? All I know is that some people say it's washed out; others say it's as good as the best-in-class HOX; some try to rationalize what they're seeing by attributing it to the differences between LCD and SAMOLED; and I just want a faithful version of what's being displayed.
Have you tried adjusting using Franco's display control app? Should be able to get pretty close to what you want.
The N4 is already a way better screen than the N7 I'm typing this on.
Edit: A few seconds tweaking got the white level to 253. Gamma as you say is way off..
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
I would, but for some reason Play is saying I don't have any qualifying devices and doesn't even show my N4 in the dashboard, so I'm SOL to even try it.
EDIT: Was able to buy it from my phone, but what settings do you use. The lack of even labels on the RGB sliders and no sample image makes tweaking difficult.
EDIT #2: I refunded it because there wasn't enough info to work with in just 15 minutes. I was able to randomly slide things around and get White Saturation block 251 to appear (up from 247) and at one point it almost appeared to get the skin tones on the ballpark, but time ran out. I still think a gamma tweak would do a lot to help as well.

Sharpness and color

The screen on this is so incredibly sharp. If you haven't already set your wallpaper to the stock leaf photo and check out the detail.
That being said, has anyone else noticed that most of the app icons aren't nearly sharp enough to do this screen justice? I thought my eyes were going blurry, but it's just the soft edges of the apps that make it look that way.
Also the colors (especially blue) seem to look a lot lighter and not as deep as my galaxy S2. It's probably just the nature of the phone though, as I doubt anything is wrong with it
my eyes have been ruined by Amoled...Everything looks so dull now on a different phone...Hopefully I get used to it.
BrianBaker said:
my eyes have been ruined by Amoled...Everything looks so dull now on a different phone...Hopefully I get used to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to think that but with amoled's issue of being grainy at a lower brightness level and being less than half as bright it evens out.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

Categories

Resources