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I've heard so many mixed perspectives.
The way I see it, S-OLED should be the best in the bunch.
Followed by OLED and then TFT..
I've heard about the nexus display looking "unnatural" from engadget, whatever that means..
Some people are saying that the upcoming sprint evo 4g has a brighter and simply better (4.3") screen.
Apart from the size, the screen technology is just TFT.
In the computer LCD world, i have heard more bad than good about TFT, so what's the deal?
Right now I have a 24" 1080p TFT LCD Monitor, and I think it's beautiful.
I haven't had much to compare it to though.
It's not the greatest screen I've seen, but it's definitely nice.
I have both an HD2 and a Nexus One. The HD2 has a 4.3" TFT display and looks gorgeous. It doesn't have a very defined pixel grid look that you can see if you stare at your Nexus One up close, so it looks more blended.
On the flip side, the Nexus One's vibrancy is hands down better. While watching movies on the HD2, I loved the size of the image, but to be honest, I prefer the color of the Nexus One's screen.
Outside in the sunlight, the HD2 wins. It still gets horrible glare, but no where near as bad as the Nexus One.
With all of that being said, I prefer the Nexus One's screen. Not going to talk about the size differences and their pros and cons, because that's a separate subject altogether. I'm mostly indoors for my job, and being a graphics designer, I enjoy the contrast that the OLED screen can deliver. It's not exactly color accurate, but since this is a phone and not being used as a design device, it doesn't matter...it looks gorgeous. So long as people don't appear as orange aliens, I enjoy the contrast. (Go stare at some of the TVs on display in major retail stores...they jack the contrast up to ridiculous levels to try to wow the viewer, but make things look downright stupid)
I see, that's pretty much like I expected.
The OLED displays will have a more pixel grid display because each pixel is actually a tiny LED. For me that's fine, as long as its not blatant.
So then the best choice would probably be AMOLED that's good in sunlight aka super amoled.
Have you tried playing with the brightness in the sunlight?
I haven't actually experienced an amoled screen yet, but i would think that if you turned the brightness up to max it would like quite okay in the sun.
At least that's how my G1 (TFT LCD) was.
Thanks for the input btw!
From the start I could not understand the positive voices for the AMOLED display. I had a Galaxy and I hated it. Now I have the Nexus and I hate the UNNATURAL colours. They are ghastly! If I had the choice between a Nexus with TFT or AMOLED screen I would certainly pick a TFT.
azalex86 said:
I have both an HD2 and a Nexus One. The HD2 has a 4.3" TFT display and looks gorgeous. It doesn't have a very defined pixel grid look that you can see if you stare at your Nexus One up close, so it looks more blended.
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Click to collapse
isnt the supersonics screen a little brighter and more vibrant than the hd2? it sure seemed soo in the pictures and videos i saw
I have the two available high-end android devices - the Milestone (GSM version of the Droid, though with non-unlockable bootloader :-( ) and the Nexus One.
The 'stone has a 854x480 TFT, and the N1 has an 800x480 AMOLED.
Inside, the N1 screen wins - it is incredibly bright, less battery hungry, and has notably better contrast. The Milestone is good, but the N1 is better.
Another N1 advantage is that, even though both screens are 3.7 inches, the milestone is taller and narrower in portrait mode, making the portrait-mode keyboard harder to use for those of us with freakishly-large hands.
Outside, however, it just isn't even close. The Milestone is the best color screen I've ever seen on a large screen phone under bright light. It is absolutely usable in bright sunlight - you can take photos, check out a youtube video, read your RSS feeds, tweets, maps, whatever with absolutely no problem at all. The N1 is almost unusable in direct sunlight - there is just too much glare from the substrate and touch layers. And if you are also wearing sunglasses, forget it, you can't see a thing. Even an iPhone 3GS or iPod Touch (3rd gen) are mush less readable in bright conditions than the Milestone.
Samsung's new S-AMOLED is meant to bond the touch layer into the AMOLED surface directly, taking out a glare / difraction / etc. layer, and making the screen good in bright light. I have my doubts that it will be as good as a strong TFT in those conditions, but we'll see. It will certainly be thinner, better indoors and less power hungry
I don't have yet a N1 but I had the samsung Jet back in fall ,it had an amoled screen. It was quite good under sunlight,colors are washed out but you can clearly read SMS text or use the menu.
Now playing games in summer at the beach at 12am...forget about it and try take spy pics of string gurls with your 5mp
topdnbass said:
I see, that's pretty much like I expected.
The OLED displays will have a more pixel grid display because each pixel is actually a tiny LED. For me that's fine, as long as its not blatant.
So then the best choice would probably be AMOLED that's good in sunlight aka super amoled.
Have you tried playing with the brightness in the sunlight?
I haven't actually experienced an amoled screen yet, but i would think that if you turned the brightness up to max it would like quite okay in the sun.
At least that's how my G1 (TFT LCD) was.
Thanks for the input btw!
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Click to collapse
Yeah, even with the Nexus One set to 100%, the readability is around the HD2 with 50-60% brightness outside. Thankfully it is only a problem in direct sunlight.
bobdude5 said:
isnt the supersonics screen a little brighter and more vibrant than the hd2? it sure seemed soo in the pictures and videos i saw
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I believe they are the same screen in both devices, but could be wrong. We'll have to wait until they can do a proper side by side with the exact same lightness settings.
A 4.3" Super AMOLED screen would be nice. I would never buy a phone with a bigger display than that, because it would become uncomfortable to use, and at that point, you might as well just buy a tablet.
Settembrini said:
From the start I could not understand the positive voices for the AMOLED display. I had a Galaxy and I hated it. Now I have the Nexus and I hate the UNNATURAL colours. They are ghastly! If I had the choice between a Nexus with TFT or AMOLED screen I would certainly pick a TFT.
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I would suggest you have a screen that is defective if it has really noticeable colour deviations.
Obviously it's not a properly colour calibrated display, but everything looks perfectly natural on mine (skin tones etc), with no significant over saturation or hue shifts.
yeah, I'm a big outdoor guy and not looking forward to dealing with this screen outdoors....sucks.
Whatever happened to transflective technology...loved that on my old tilt.
Guys, aren't there screen cover/protectors that deflect or whatever and that make the screen readable in sunlight?
thanks
rockky said:
yeah, I'm a big outdoor guy and not looking forward to dealing with this screen outdoors....sucks.
Whatever happened to transflective technology...loved that on my old tilt.
Guys, aren't there screen cover/protectors that deflect or whatever and that make the screen readable in sunlight?
thanks
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Click to collapse
There are anti-glare protectors that help eliminate some of the glare by dispursing it better, but even then it's still pretty bad. The main issue is due to having no backlight like a TFT.
GlenH said:
I would suggest you have a screen that is defective if it has really noticeable colour deviations.
Obviously it's not a properly colour calibrated display, but everything looks perfectly natural on mine (skin tones etc), with no significant over saturation or hue shifts.
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Click to collapse
No, there is nothing wrong with the colour calibration. Girlfriend has also got a Nexus and I have seen others and even on photos here on the internet you can see the unnatural colours of the screen.
Have a look at the first post where you can find the question, if it were true that the colours are unnatural referring to Engadget. And yes, the colours are unnatural. I like the Nexus, do not get me wrong, but I do not like the colours of AMOLED screens. They are awful.
rockky said:
yeah, I'm a big outdoor guy and not looking forward to dealing with this screen outdoors....sucks.
Whatever happened to transflective technology...loved that on my old tilt.
Guys, aren't there screen cover/protectors that deflect or whatever and that make the screen readable in sunlight?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are definitely protectors that do that, but I don't like the feel of anything but glass on a touch screen.. That's just me though.
Hey I noticed in your sig that you have an iphone and nexus, how would you compare the two? The screen and everything else (you should make another thread for that though).
azalex86 said:
Yeah, even with the Nexus One set to 100%, the readability is around the HD2 with 50-60% brightness outside. Thankfully it is only a problem in direct sunlight.
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Damn that's pretty bad, cause with the TFT on my G1 I always had to turn it up to max to get a decent display.
So assuming the HD2 is similar (same technology), then AMOLED must be pretty bad in sunlight.
vegetaleb said:
I don't have yet a N1 but I had the samsung Jet back in fall ,it had an amoled screen. It was quite good under sunlight,colors are washed out but you can clearly read SMS text or use the menu.
Now playing games in summer at the beach at 12am...forget about it and try take spy pics of string gurls with your 5mp
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Click to collapse
Lol, spy pics.
big_adventure said:
I have the two available high-end android devices - the Milestone (GSM version of the Droid, though with non-unlockable bootloader :-( ) and the Nexus One.
The 'stone has a 854x480 TFT, and the N1 has an 800x480 AMOLED.
Inside, the N1 screen wins - it is incredibly bright, less battery hungry, and has notably better contrast. The Milestone is good, but the N1 is better.
Another N1 advantage is that, even though both screens are 3.7 inches, the milestone is taller and narrower in portrait mode, making the portrait-mode keyboard harder to use for those of us with freakishly-large hands.
Outside, however, it just isn't even close. The Milestone is the best color screen I've ever seen on a large screen phone under bright light. It is absolutely usable in bright sunlight - you can take photos, check out a youtube video, read your RSS feeds, tweets, maps, whatever with absolutely no problem at all. The N1 is almost unusable in direct sunlight - there is just too much glare from the substrate and touch layers. And if you are also wearing sunglasses, forget it, you can't see a thing. Even an iPhone 3GS or iPod Touch (3rd gen) are mush less readable in bright conditions than the Milestone.
Samsung's new S-AMOLED is meant to bond the touch layer into the AMOLED surface directly, taking out a glare / difraction / etc. layer, and making the screen good in bright light. I have my doubts that it will be as good as a strong TFT in those conditions, but we'll see. It will certainly be thinner, better indoors and less power hungry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know the AMOLED's are pretty great indoors, but when you say incredibly bright... If viewing late at night in bed for example, is it too bright even on the lowest setting?
I'd like a phone that can be very dim or very bright.
Settembrini said:
From the start I could not understand the positive voices for the AMOLED display. I had a Galaxy and I hated it. Now I have the Nexus and I hate the UNNATURAL colours. They are ghastly! If I had the choice between a Nexus with TFT or AMOLED screen I would certainly pick a TFT.
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Click to collapse
Have you compared side-by-side? I can't believe that they're THAT bad.
@topdnbass
Have you compared side-by-side? I can't believe that they're THAT bad.
Yes, I have. I do it all the time, as I have still a G1 to compare the Nexus with. If it is "THAT bad" I can't say only that I do not like it and that I would certainly prefer a TFT if had the choice.
Why do you think did the guys from Engadget think the colours to be "unnatural"?
In the end it might not matter that much as it doesn't reduce the functions of the gadget. Other people might even like it, I do not.
S.
Settembrini said:
@topdnbass
Have you compared side-by-side? I can't believe that they're THAT bad.
Yes, I have. I do it all the time, as I have still a G1 to compare the Nexus with. If it is "THAT bad" I can't say only that I do not like it and that I would certainly prefer a TFT if had the choice.
Why do you think did the guys from Engadget think the colours to be "unnatural"?
In the end it might not matter that much as it doesn't reduce the functions of the gadget. Other people might even like it, I do not.
S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i personally love it..the colors pop out they look gorgeous
Compared to TFT capacitive screens Amoled are less good under sunlight but they are still usable and certainly much more than HTC WM phones like Diamond and Touch HD
Settembrini said:
@topdnbass
Have you compared side-by-side? I can't believe that they're THAT bad.
Yes, I have. I do it all the time, as I have still a G1 to compare the Nexus with. If it is "THAT bad" I can't say only that I do not like it and that I would certainly prefer a TFT if had the choice.
Why do you think did the guys from Engadget think the colours to be "unnatural"?
In the end it might not matter that much as it doesn't reduce the functions of the gadget. Other people might even like it, I do not.
S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You seem to put a lot of faith in what Engadget says. I'm not saying that everything is perfectly flat, but I have a few hundred perfectly-exposed photos from my Nikon D90, all taken with pro glass, on my Nexus, and the colors are not bad at all. They are, well, let's call them "well saturated", but nothing remotely unpleasant - to be honest, given the tiny screen (I take photos be be blown up BIG), the saturation is probably an advantage. And they look notably, even considerably better on the N1 than on an iPhone / iPod touch third-gen.
All of that is my opinion - and I like saturated colors. But I also like skin that still looks like skin, and the N1 delivers that to my eyes.
Gee, didn't I say that it is my opinion and that others might think differently? What you call saturated colours I call unnatural and for me and maybe only for me the colours are an eyesore, but I like the Nexus nevertheless.
big_adventure, you gave me a thought.
I think the best way to really compare these technologies is to have the same image of something, like a HQ picture of your skin.
On both of the phones.
Then compare the output to eachother and to the real life color of your skin.
I said to compare to eachother because a cameras snapshot can change the color, flash, settings, and what not.
Sounds stupid, but maybe what some people define as unnatural on a display, is actually quite natural.
Don't compare how the android OS looks, compare an image within the OS.
vegetaleb said:
Now playing games in summer at the beach at 12am...forget about it and try take spy pics of string gurls with your 5mp
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Click to collapse
Well, if you are going to be wandering around a beach at midnight you probably won't run into too many girls to take pictures of. And they'd probably notice the flash going off so it wouldn't be much of a "spy shot".
(Edit: To be fair, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12-hour_clock#Confusion_at_noon_and_midnight mentions that am/pm by definition don't make any sense for noon and midnight and are thus often confused. But, the sources it quotes that do assign meaning to 12am and 12pm all seem to call 12am midnight and 12pm noon. It's probably why most of the parking signs in SF are now starting to use "12:01am" when they want to talk about late night street cleaning restrictions...that, and the fact that 12am is also ambiguous as to whether it refers to the start of a day or the end of a day...)
I got my Nexus 7 today (ordered it the 27th for those interested). Still setting it up and getting used to it, but....
I have to admit that I am not impressed with the screen, almost embarrassed to show the "flagship" of Google to any Apple fans. I realize that having 720p on my G-Nex and 720p on the Nexus 7 with it's larger screen will put the N7 at a disadvantage, but I guess I was shocked at how noticeable it was. Fonts in particular are pixely and faded looking in comparison to the rich blacks on the Gnex.
The other problem of the N7 vs Gnex screens is the white balance, contrast, and saturation setting appear to vastly different. I think the white balance is probably more true to life on the N7, but the colors are just not as vivid as I would like to see. The blacks look grey in comparison to the Gnex.
As a couch surfing, digital mag reading, picture reviewing (using eyefi card) device for me, this is quite a bummer.
Guess I just have to hope for a Nexus 10 with uber resolution.
And you do realize the base price is 199.......
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium
What is this, the 5th thread about complaining about the screen? It's $200-250, people!
Bhatch said:
I got my Nexus 7 today (ordered it the 27th for those interested). Still setting it up and getting used to it, but....
I have to admit that I am not impressed with the screen, almost embarrassed to show the "flagship" of Google to any Apple fans. I realize that having 720p on my G-Nex and 720p on the Nexus 7 with it's larger screen will put the N7 at a disadvantage, but I guess I was shocked at how noticeable it was. Fonts in particular are pixely and faded looking in comparison to the rich blacks on the Gnex.
The other problem of the N7 vs Gnex screens is the white balance, contrast, and saturation setting appear to vastly different. I think the white balance is probably more true to life on the N7, but the colors are just not as vivid as I would like to see. The blacks look grey in comparison to the Gnex.
As a couch surfing, digital mag reading, picture reviewing (using eyefi card) device for me, this is quite a bummer.
Guess I just have to hope for a Nexus 10 with uber resolution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I first received my N7 i was feeling the same way. Mines looked washed out but after a couple of hours of using the screen looks better. I know, weird
Bhatch said:
I got my Nexus 7 today (ordered it the 27th for those interested). Still setting it up and getting used to it, but....
I have to admit that I am not impressed with the screen, almost embarrassed to show the "flagship" of Google to any Apple fans. I realize that having 720p on my G-Nex and 720p on the Nexus 7 with it's larger screen will put the N7 at a disadvantage, but I guess I was shocked at how noticeable it was. Fonts in particular are pixely and faded looking in comparison to the rich blacks on the Gnex.
The other problem of the N7 vs Gnex screens is the white balance, contrast, and saturation setting appear to vastly different. I think the white balance is probably more true to life on the N7, but the colors are just not as vivid as I would like to see. The blacks look grey in comparison to the Gnex.
As a couch surfing, digital mag reading, picture reviewing (using eyefi card) device for me, this is quite a bummer.
Guess I just have to hope for a Nexus 10 with uber resolution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you HONESTLY expect for the $199-$249.00 price?
I like the screen. HIgh PPI, it's wonderful for reading and very comfortable to look at.
Tell Apple homies that the screen is double retina. They can't tell.
Also, no issues with the screen here.
I'm with the OP...after reading all of the praise from the reviews I guess I just expected better. Its fine...certainly better than my Galaxy Tab Plus 7.0 but not in the same stratosphere as my Galaxy Nexus...Galaxy S3...or of course my iPad 3. I really only bought it to hack and play a few games and read a few books so its not that big of a deal but I guess the hype got the best of me. Oh well. You guys are right...250 bucks.
Well sure it's not deep black when screen on N7 is LCD, the one on Gnex is Super Amoled that is different.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2
I feel the same way about the display but then I remember I could have bought 2 or so of the N7s. I am very satisfied. I don't like the chrome browser because I can't yet get it to work the way I want, I can't set the home page or auto clear cache
Bhatch said:
I got my Nexus 7 today (ordered it the 27th for those interested). Still setting it up and getting used to it, but....
I have to admit that I am not impressed with the screen, almost embarrassed to show the "flagship" of Google to any Apple fans. I realize that having 720p on my G-Nex and 720p on the Nexus 7 with it's larger screen will put the N7 at a disadvantage, but I guess I was shocked at how noticeable it was. Fonts in particular are pixely and faded looking in comparison to the rich blacks on the Gnex.
The other problem of the N7 vs Gnex screens is the white balance, contrast, and saturation setting appear to vastly different. I think the white balance is probably more true to life on the N7, but the colors are just not as vivid as I would like to see. The blacks look grey in comparison to the Gnex.
As a couch surfing, digital mag reading, picture reviewing (using eyefi card) device for me, this is quite a bummer.
Guess I just have to hope for a Nexus 10 with uber resolution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SCH-I815 using Tapatalk 2
You also have to understand that you are comparing an IPS LCD panel to Super AMOLED. AMOLED displays are know for their over-the-top contrast and very high color saturation, producing extremely deep blacks, yet as some say "very unrealistic colors".
You should not be too embarrassed. The Nexus 7 has a higher PPI than the majority of tablets out there, higher than both previous generations iPads. Though, it cannot be compared to the high PPI of the high-end Android devices of today. It is quite odd for you to have expected this to be comparable to these devices. Before purchasing this device, I'm sure you should have noticed that it had a mere 216 ppi compared to the 316 on your Galaxy Nexus.
It does look a bit washed out, but overall I'm really happy with the device as a whole.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Eclair~ said:
You also have to understand that you are comparing an IPS LCD panel to Super AMOLED. AMOLED displays are know for their over-the-top contrast and very high color saturation, producing extremely deep blacks, yet as some say "very unrealistic colors".
You should not be too embarrassed. The Nexus 7 has a higher PPI than the majority of tablets out there, higher than both previous generations iPads. Though, it cannot be compared to the high PPI of the high-end Android devices of today. It is quite odd for you to have expected this to be comparable to these devices. Before purchasing this device, I'm sure you should have noticed that it had a mere 216 ppi compared to the 316 on your Galaxy Nexus.
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Click to collapse
Completely correct here. It's the differing technologies.
It may look a bit washed out, but the resolution is pretty good imo. I'm coming from a Nook Tablet though, not an iPad.
lol. You can't blame the OP for noticing. I have a S II and it is obviously superb in screen quality but I don't care cause the Nexus 7 is just that badass.
OP here
Definitely getting used to it, but it would be nice if the two devices matched white balance a bit more, kinda weird going back and forth. I have three monitors at work and they had different whites for awhile and it would screw with my eyes. It was nice once I got them dialed into match a bit more.
My biggest issue with pixels was the font's and for some reason they look fine in Maps, but in Gmail they look a bit grey and pixely.
After a day of comparing Gnex to N7 I kinda wish could blend the screens together so they were both somewhere in the middle color wise. Little more color and black on the N7 and perhaps a touch less saturation on the Gnex, but leave the black as is. The blacks on the Gnex are awesome.
Happy with the device overall, but I'll keep this thread purely about the screen.
i took my chevy malibu back to the dealer because it didnt drive like my last GT2 porche.
18t said:
i took my chevy malibu back to the dealer because it didnt drive like my last GT2 porche.
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lol. Nice example. Did the Malibu not have extreme acceleration?
Sent from my i777 using xda app-developers app
18t said:
i took my chevy malibu back to the dealer because it didnt drive like my last GT2 porche.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's a porche
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
op.. sorry but you still don't seem to understand the difference between super amoled and IPS. they each have their advantages and sometimes it comes down to preference. The important thing is to know what you're getting into as a consumer. now it's clear you prefer the high saturation of amoled. so do I (have a gnex as well). As others already mentioned, there is also a significant difference in ppi and price of the two devices. it's up to you to determine the balance of price vs features that suit your needs/preferences. Most people will agree that for this price range, it's hard to beat and is actually quite impressive.
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium
Funny, my reaction was just the opposite. for $250 it was much better than I expected.
After having my nexus 7 for a while now i decided to make a little review in case someone was wondering about the small things.
Display
It's just so amazing how wonderfully nice the screen on this tablet is, colors are very vibrant, very smooth all around. Viewing angles are ok, not the best in the world but it gets the job done. I have noticed that my display has that ghosting effect, not much but very little ghosting even if on a page for an hour. I also have noticed that the grey's on the display are very lacking, sometimes you can see outlines of certain grays mixing its actually quite weird. So far i have only seen 1 dead pixel which is quite impressive, you know compared to other Nexus 7's in the forum, Other than those little details it is perfect all round.
Touchscreen
I have yet to notice a problem with the touch panel. It is very responsive all around, i dont have any dead spots or anything on the screen, the glass is very smooth compared to the kindle fire, ugh i always hated playing fruit ninja on my kindle fire because it was so sticky and so unsmooth. On the Nexus 7 it is absolutely perfect, no getting stuck or anything. Fingerprints on the tablet is very little compared to the kindle fire, i remember having to wipe the kindle's screen every 10 minutes or else it would get really foggy, not the case on the Nexus 7. I also like that the LCD is stuck to the touchscreen because that reduces the grey on the screen, im not sure if its me or not, but i can not stand a screen that has the LCD all grey and showing up, it just seems like a poor quality device, Again the Nexus 7 has none of this.
Build Quality
Man it is pretty much the highest it can go, i thought the Kindle Fire was just perfect on the build quality side, but the nexus 7 surely does beat it. The plastic around the bezel of the screen is really nice, it almost looks as if it were metal. The glass is very high quality, unlike my Samsung Galaxy Player. The back is really good, the grip it has prevents it from slipping out of my hand like other plasticy tablets i've owned. The weight is just perfect, not to heavy nor to light just right.
Design
Very well designed, just one little detail. The buttons are kinda hard to get to, no matter its fine with me. Seems like a perfect size for media, a 10 Inch tablet is just to big and heavy, unlike the nexus 7. Its easy to hold in the hand without it getting tired, perfect for reading in the night or watching videos. The back is really nice, having all those dimples really helps out with the grip.
Software
Really stable and very fast, a few hiccups here and there but doesnt everything have that. Project butter actually makes the device very smooth and super fast. When playing intensive games such as Modern Combat 3 and you click the home button it does not take long to take you to the homescreen, compared to the Kindle Fire it is a major speed upgrade. Almost feels as smooth as IOS. Very easy to use, if i were to give it to my mom, im pretty sure it wouldnt take long to figure it out. Don't see why everyone is complaining about no camera app, i don't see why you would need it other than video chatting, taking pictures is pretty bad with the Camera Launcher app, it's a 1.2 Mega Pixel camera, don't get your hopes high.
Sound
The back speaker are pretty quiet, but in sound quality they don't lack anything. Very nice and very good with bass, especially with games such as war games, the kindle fire would start crackling if you put the volume over %75. The headphone jack actually isn't as bad as everyone says, i used some cheap little Samsung in ear headphones and they worked quite nicely without any crackling or lose in quality of the audio. I did notice that some songs that are in low quality such as 128, would sound a little weird, but most of my songs where 320 so it didn't matter to me.
Networks
NFC works really good on this tablet easy to use no problems at all while i was using it. Wifi works extremely well, never disconnected once and it was actually faster than my Desktop computer. While downloading games like Dead Space and Modern Combat the download completed succesfully without interuption once, unlike the Kindle fire, it would constantly disconnect from the wi-fi, it made the Pain in the A** Downloading seem not so bad. Browsing and using youtube works very well, no buffering issues at all. Bluetooth seems to be working just fine, connected it to my bluetooth speakers in the living room and they worked just fine without a problem. Have not tried keyboard or anything like that.
Shipping, Customer Support
Customer Support is useless, they just tell you that it will ship soon, no help at all. The shipping was actually fast, i ordered on the 20th and got a shipping email today and it said it had shipped yesterday and i got it today in the morning like 3 hours after my shipping email.
OTG
Waiting for my adapter will update you guys once it arrives.
So how was my review did i miss anything leave a comment below.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the nexus 7. I'm definitely getting one by the end of the week.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Nice write up!
Couple of things I respectfully disagree with however.
I believe the viewing angle is excellent. Most excellent. At every degree. The picture remains just as sharp, smooth and visible.
I also feel the camera is quite amazing given it was put in this device as an afterthought.
In full light the pictures and video are marvelous!
Only thing really I am not completely head over heels about is the battery life.
Sure, while its sleeping it sips juice like an ant. But hammering away with activities while on, I was expecting a little more out of a single charge. Maybe that will improve after a few drain cycles.
Terrific review and glad to see you are enjoying it. I know I sure am!
My only other tablet experience has been a Touchpad.
My otg cable I ordered from amazon shipped 2 days ago but will take 17-8 days! WTF!?! Psshhaawww I hope it doesnt
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Good review. Thanks!
Speaker is very quiet for me. Was just watching Reservoir Dogs on netflix with headphones and had to have the sound set to max. When I watch Top Gear UK on the speaker I have to use speaker boost and up the output by 20%.
Another complaint is that the tablet ui isn't official. Current hacks are great, but I'd like it included.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
I ordered mine with free shipping Thursday afternoon and got it yesterday.
+Good build
+Comes with a hard case (device is already in it, along with sd card)
+Fairly straight forward process
Before putting the device on head:
1. Dragged the Gear sd card folders to my 128gb card
2. Installed the VRintro APK to get the software install process started (the main apps are installed)
3. The process requires a simple registration to access the Oculus market
4. I skipped the card process since already dragged the content to my 128.
5. Once registered, the Oculus Cinema installs
6. Then the fun starts! Put the N4 in the Gear and adjust the gear to fit head
7. Then a brief simple calibration process and tutorial
Quick perspective / review:
1. More immersive than expected
2. Games are good for demos, but I mainly got it for movies
3. The 3D & 360 are surprisingly good
4. The Oculus Cinema ROCKS!!!
5. 2D movies worked fine. The only thing I could not get to work was an older concert from Youtube that was in FLV format and one avi. AVI, MP4, WMV and MKV worked fine.
6. The best Cinema options IMO are Cinema and Void. Void is nice since you can lay down and re- orientate the device view Void also provides the most display real-estate , so highest resolution. That said, I prefer Cinema a tad more due to the immersion.
7. Speaking of resolution, it is best described as between around 720p or a tad less. Before you balk at that, the experience more than compensates and the sense of large scale is impressive and the image quality is very good. Screen door goes away in your mind after a minute or two.
8. Device got real warm, but Void mode was less so, since just a black background.
9. Battery life for me was a tad over four hours watching video. Void mode might add 30 minutes.
10. Did not test a controller yet, but forum reports are any bluetooth controller should work.
11. Also did not test many images, but the immersion was great there too.
I can see this becoming HUGE for Note 4 owners and others companies jumping on the bandwagon. Also eating my words on Qhd being overkill. I now want HIGHER res on the Note 5 so video looks even better
If you are a Note 4 owner and video fan: Buy This Now
mine comes in Thursday. can't wait!
Mine is in 9n Friday and I am PUMPED. Only thing that concerns me is future support. I would really like samsung and Oculus to continue support and place a lot of effort in nourishing a healthy developer environment.
rushless said:
6. The best Cinema options IMO are Cinema and Void. Void is nice since you can lay down and re- orientate the device view Void also provides the most display real-estate , so highest resolution. That said, I prefer Cinema a tad more due to the immersion.
7. Speaking of resolution, it is best described as between around 720p or a tad less. Before you balk at that, the experience more than compensates and the sense of large scale is impressive and the image quality is very good. Screen door goes away in your mind after a minute or two.
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I too want this mostly for movie watching. I'm wondering how crazy I'd look on a plane with this. :laugh:
Can you describe a bit more about the movie experience? Is it like watching a 60" tv from a few feet away, a movie theater screen from far away, etc?
Awesome review! +1
PS - 3 New games came out on the Gear VR Store. Check it out.
my experience was 4 out of 10....I bought it to watch movies on it...but seriously you can actually count all the pixals, the quality of the video is that bad, I have the HD Quality videos loaded....now I also feel a headache after wear it for almost 30 min...mind it I don't wear glasses....It's a great start but a long way before it could be something of use.....so I'll wait for version 10 or something.
It came with a box, SD CARD Adapter and Mircro-SD card 16GB, also It came with a cleaning cloth to clean the leans...
the phone got headed after using it for 30 min, as if someone had just taken it out from micro oven--hope it doesn't burn my phone..
loaferkan said:
my experience was 4 out of 10....I bought it to watch movies on it...but seriously you can actually count all the pixals, the quality of the video is that bad, I have the HD Quality videos loaded....now I also feel a headache after wear it for almost 30 min...mind it I don't wear glasses....It's a great start but a long way before it could be something of use.....so I'll wait for version 10 or something.
It came with a box, SD CARD Adapter and Mircro-SD card 16GB, also It came with a cleaning cloth to clean the leans...
the phone got headed after using it for 30 min, as if someone had just taken it out from micro oven--hope it doesn't burn my phone..
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Wonder if 2k video improves pixel issue... have you tried watching 4k in cinema mode?
Even with the Note 4 high resolution its still not enough not to notice pixels. I heard that you need like a 16k display which sounds impossible. And it is normal for the phone to get hot and that's per the operator's manual.
But not everyone can physically handle this type of experience. That's the reason why Samsung did not allow this product to be sold in stores like bestbuy. This product is not targeted to the casual user. The majority of experiences will be us geeks showing it off to other people which will drum up interest. And it also gives Samsung and Oculus time to fine tune it for Note 5. Gear VR is a step above the development kits but slightly below a consumer ready product.
Bruce lee roy said:
Wonder if 2k video improves pixel issue... have you tried watching 4k in cinema mode?
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yes the 2k videos look great, and even the 3D does a better job......
EvanWasHere said:
I too want this mostly for movie watching. I'm wondering how crazy I'd look on a plane with this. :laugh:
Can you describe a bit more about the movie experience? Is it like watching a 60" tv from a few feet away, a movie theater screen from far away, etc?
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It is like watching a 100" projector and the cinema is just like being in a huge cinema.
loaferkan said:
my experience was 4 out of 10....I bought it to watch movies on it...but seriously you can actually count all the pixals, the quality of the video is that bad, I have the HD Quality videos loaded....now I also feel a headache after wear it for almost 30 min...mind it I don't wear glasses....It's a great start but a long way before it could be something of use.....so I'll wait for version 10 or something.
It came with a box, SD CARD Adapter and Mircro-SD card 16GB, also It came with a cleaning cloth to clean the leans...
the phone got headed after using it for 30 min, as if someone had just taken it out from micro oven--hope it doesn't burn my phone..
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Click to collapse
If you look for the pixels and focus on them, it could detract, but the point is the total experience and the screen door fades from focus. Kind of like anything else if you focus on it Case in point, I notice and could count pixels in movies theaters and plasma sets. Especially the bigger digital screen systems. Everything is relative
The best view is Void if you want to minimize the pixel issue (also reduces device heat and extends battery). The home theater mode makes the pixels stand out and is like 480p due to less space for the video.
Just imagine a 1080p device with a Gear VR. That would be like an old school bar projector . Samsung knew what they were doing using Qhd. Next years S6 and Note 5 apparently up the resolution and likely the VR products are part of their reasoning for the higher res.
My N4 did not get hot as you describe, but I could see intense 3D games doing that, but I will not be playing them. Did not get the headache issues either, but depends on the person of course.
I got mine yesterday and played around with it a bit last night. My opinion is it is really cool and shows where VR could eventually go but definitely don't expect everything to be perfect yet. It all comes down to your attitude going into the experience.
1) Yes the pixels are noticeable and it is a bit worse than watching a hockey game sitting behind the netting behind the goal. You absolutely see and notice the "screen door" but you also can choose to overlook it based on the very cool experience. You also can imagine that in 2-4 years that issue will go away.
2) I wouldn't call things blurry as is being discussed in another thread yet rather the whole viewing image is not in focus. If I look straight at text it is reasonably clear but anything above, below, left or right of where my eyes are focusing will be slightly out of focus. If I move my eyes (and head) just slightly to look at a different area that becomes more in focus as compared to what I had been looking at. For the large images you don't really notice the whole effect so much but when there is a lot of different text on the screen in different areas you will certainly notice it.
3) When you first put the headset on you notice that you are looking through lenses and somewhat notice the blackness associated where your eyes are getting covered up. After a short while you stop really thinking about this and get taken into the experience.
You might read all of this as me not thinking highly of the VR or that this is just another gimmick. Let me come full out and say that isn't how I feel and I was pretty much blown away by the whole thing. I can't wait to see where VR goes from here. The first time you are watching the demo and then hear something to the right and turn your head and see something on your right that you had no idea was there you will get sucked in. From there you keep looking to your left, right and behind you and become pretty amazed.
So my take is that there are certainly issues and VR is not "there" yet but from this experience you really start to understand where VR could go and it no longer feels like an impossible technological hurdle to climb. It is no longer a question of if VR is really possible but more a question of when we are going to get there.
They need more pixels in order to increase the FOV and reduce the screen door. The Note 5 should be even better. Just hoping they keep the form factor of the Note 5 the same as the Note 5 to fit the Gear VR. That said, I will get $200 worth of fun out of this in a year, regardless.
None the less, the Gear VR is a worthy purchase for video fans IMO.
rushless said:
It is like watching a 100" projector and the cinema is just like being in a huge cinema.
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If true, this is freaking amazing.
Bruce lee roy said:
If true, this is freaking amazing.
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The catch is the resolution is less in that mode. Does look cool though.
I have played with my Gear VR for a few days and I totally agree with the review. The experience is amazing. This tech is gonna go really far. It has an insane potential.
Killemalll said:
I have played with my Gear VR for a few days and I totally agree with the review. The experience is amazing. This tech is gonna go really far. It has an insane potential.
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Yeah, im in the same boat, this thing literally blew me away. Showed a lot of folks at work this thing and they were amazed as well. It's definitely the new form of entertainment. The key word is immersive. I think with the sensons onboard the gear vr, it really helps with that. I know the Note 4 has a better screen than the oculus version but I feel we'll need at least 8k or 10k displays to eliminate the screen door effect. But overall, daaaaaammmn.
well i just received mine and all i can say is that i am blown away by it. what am amazing experience. finally, VR for the masses is set to be a reality. i let the wife and kids try it and they were all giggly over it too. one complaint: wearing eyeglasses with it sucks
rushless said:
It is like watching a 100" projector and the cinema is just like being in a huge cinema.
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I have a 100" projector screen in my bedroom and it's no where close to the experience you get when you watch the cinema selection. The screen is bigger than many movie theaters I go to. And the wide video is just crazy. No home theater can touch that.
HTCMario said:
well i just received mine and all i can say is that i am blown away by it. what am amazing experience. finally, VR for the masses is set to be a reality. i let the wife and kids try it and they were all giggly over it too. one complaint: wearing eyeglasses with it sucks
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Wearing glasses with Gear VR is pretty uncormfortable i assume, can the focus wheel not adjust to your eyesight without glasses properly?
I am keen to buy the OP5 but the pentile Amoled is holding me back ! Have heard a few reviews of the lacking display, especially with only FHD resolution.
Any thoughts or feedback, and any feedback from OP3 users would be appreciated.
Sent from my SM-G935U using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I don't see the need for QHD or WQHD on a 5-6 inch screen. 1080 is more than enough for me. Especially if it provides better battery life and keeps the cost down.
pharpe said:
I don't see the need for QHD or WQHD on a 5-6 inch screen. 1080 is more than enough for me. Especially if it provides better battery life and keeps the cost down.
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That's true but I would keep FHD to mid-range phone and QHD on top-end phones. Yes I agree 1080p is definitely more than enough for a normal user but not a power user such as myself as 2K makes a HUGE different in Virtual Reality which is becoming big. Nothing stops OnePlus from implementing the same feature as the S8 where it switches between 1080p and 2K when it needs it! (not sure if that's true just something I heard) or for an another example there's the Sony flagship with the 4K screen it only enables 4K when it needs it as that will eat the battery and resources. So I don't see no reason why they shouldn't implement a 2K screen (apart from them keeping costs down)
Since V/R-A/R will be with us on smartphones for at least 1 more iteration, How will this resolution look in V/R?
pharpe said:
I don't see the need for QHD or WQHD on a 5-6 inch screen. 1080 is more than enough for me. Especially if it provides better battery life and keeps the cost down.
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It's not the resolution which is a challenge, rather it's the pentile arrangement of the Amoled screen... That's what I am looking to get more info about.
Sent from my SM-G935U using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Agree totally. Loved the OP3 apart from the screen which was really poor compared to rivals. You could get used to it for sure but side by side with others it was really apparent how poor it was (effective resolution due to pentile and the colours)
Pentile on 1080 is totally NOT ok. It is clearly visible.
Pentile on 2k would give a full 1080 resolution.
But... My LG G2 is from 2013 and has a full 1080(lcd) display. If I buy a phone 4 years later, i'd expect it to be a full 2k resolution.
The 1080 pentile on the OP3 is horrible. I'm praying the OP5 has a QHD display or I won't buy it.
I own a OP3 and the screen is perfectly fine for me and my friends.
To be nitpicking just blacks are a bit washed out, but not badly at all.
Giocarro said:
I own a OP3 and the screen is perfectly fine for me and my friends.
To be nitpicking just blacks are a bit washed out, but not badly at all.
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Coming from a S7edge, that's sounds like bad news for me [emoji22]
Sent from my SM-G935U using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I would also love to see a 1440p display.
Well, while people gripe about why their microscopic screens don't have the resolution required for a 60 inch tv to have I guess less of us are going to enjoy the best smartphone of 2017. People are really pushing for the uselessness of QHD for experimental technology such as VR? Even if you get the QHD you want, are you really going to have that headset plugged in all the time to justify having QHD? Then again i guess those 160x160 photos people post on facebook look great in 2560x1440. My tablet has a QHD screen and i dont notice the difference. QHD is just useless on anything smaller than a 32 inch display. Stop jacking up the price for the 5% of people who would even benefit from QHD. Im sure VR looks fine in 1080, or does it look bad because some famous tech reviewer said it looks bad?
OcazPrime said:
Well, while people gripe about why their microscopic screens don't have the resolution required for a 60 inch tv to have I guess less of us are going to enjoy the best smartphone of 2017. People are really pushing for the uselessness of QHD for experimental technology such as VR? Even if you get the QHD you want, are you really going to have that headset plugged in all the time to justify having QHD? Then again i guess those 160x160 photos people post on facebook look great in 2560x1440. My tablet has a QHD screen and i dont notice the difference. QHD is just useless on anything smaller than a 32 inch display. Stop jacking up the price for the 5% of people who would even benefit from QHD. Im sure VR looks fine in 1080, or does it look bad because some famous tech reviewer said it looks bad?
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Nonsense.
B3501 said:
Nonsense.
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Nice rebuttal m8
OcazPrime said:
Nice rebuttal m8
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Do people not know how pentile displays work? Your getting an effective resolution of around 800-900 with the 1080 OP3. It's not enough and you can see it on the 3T. The OPO is even sharper because it doesn't use a pentile display. If the OP5 has another 1080 pentile display its a major draw back.
B3501 said:
Do people not know how pentile displays work? Your getting an effective resolution of around 800-900 with the 1080 OP3. It's not enough and you can see it on the 3T. The OPO is even sharper because it doesn't use a pentile display. If the OP5 has another 1080 pentile display its a major draw back.
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I know how they work. It's a phone dude. Who cares about huge resolutions on this small display. It's not a major draw back, it saves power and money for both us and OnePlus. Get a computer if you need better viewing conditions. I've never had an issue watching youtube in HD or twitch in HD on my 3T. It always looks incredibly sharp and clear with nice colors. Then again I appear to be not even 1% as picky as you seem to be
I personally don't need the extreme HD screen because most of what people do on phones is check email, text, take pictures, social media, web browsing and maybe a game for a bit or watch youtube for a little bit. Not everyone is watching 4K videos on their phones or using VR or whatever else you'd even need a QHD screen for....
OcazPrime said:
I know how they work. It's a phone dude. Who cares about huge resolutions on this small display. It's not a major draw back, it saves power and money for both us and OnePlus. Get a computer if you need better viewing conditions. I've never had an issue watching youtube in HD or twitch in HD on my 3T. It always looks incredibly sharp and clear with nice colors. Then again I appear to be not even 1% as picky as you seem to be
I personally don't need the extreme HD screen because most of what people do on phones is check email, text, take pictures, social media, web browsing and maybe a game for a bit or watch youtube for a little bit. Not everyone is watching 4K videos on their phones or using VR or whatever else you'd even need a QHD screen for....
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It looks ugly, the screen is a downgrade from my old 6P. Its the biggest part of the phone, the thing you look at and interact with. If OP are bumping up the price to $550 then with a 1080 screen they can forget it.
B3501 said:
It looks ugly, the screen is a downgrade from my old 6P. Its the biggest part of the phone, the thing you look at and interact with. If OP are bumping up the price to $550 then with a 1080 screen they can forget it.
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+1.
B3501 said:
It looks ugly, the screen is a downgrade from my old 6P. Its the biggest part of the phone, the thing you look at and interact with. If OP are bumping up the price to $550 then with a 1080 screen they can forget it.
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the thing is, no one here seems to be taking these leaks with a grain of salt whatsoever. They think they know all the specs already. If they turn out to be correct then great. But, the reveal is 6 days away from now. Can't we just wait for the reveal until we're up in arms about a small piece of glass with glowing lights? I'm all for whatever lets me have more battery and a good experience overall. But we know nothing official about the internals of the phone at the moment. I'm going to say wait and relax until the thing is out or we know the official specs straight from oneplus themselves.
OcazPrime said:
the thing is, no one here seems to be taking these leaks with a grain of salt whatsoever. They think they know all the specs already. If they turn out to be correct then great. But, the reveal is 6 days away from now. Can't we just wait for the reveal until we're up in arms about a small piece of glass with glowing lights? I'm all for whatever lets me have more battery and a good experience overall. But we know nothing official about the internals of the phone at the moment. I'm going to say wait and relax until the thing is out or we know the official specs straight from oneplus themselves.
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If it is pentile, I'd have to see it in person to tell if it would bother me or not. I had a galaxy nexus which had a 720p pentile, and that was a little bit bothersome, and the nexus 6 with 1440p pentile, which I couldn't notice if I tried. I don't think I've ever seen a 1080p pentile in person, but it's gotta be better than 720p pentile!