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What's the difference between AMOLED, OLED, and POLED?
Confused about all the different premium smartphone screens? Here's a quick explainer of the different display technologies
Whether you want to purchase a smartphone, smartwatch, laptop, TV, tablet, or monitor, the display configuration plays the most important part in your purchase decision. The display specs sheet may confuse you with terms like OLED, AMOLED, Super AMOLED, Dynamic AMOLED, POLED, QLED, Neo LED, QD-OLED, and more. Among them, OLED displays are popular among modern devices due to several advantages. They're not limited to high-end devices. Most budget Android smartphones have OLED screens.
How to use Netflix test screens to calibrate your screen
Netflix has the perfect test pattern for your color adjustments. Here's how to use it
Do you want to make sure your display is properly calibrated and color-optimized? Today's HDR features help a lot, but not every device is compatible with HDR (high dynamic range) technology, and many people prefer to make their own custom adjustments.
Hands-on with EasyCanvas, a second-display app made for digital artists
Drawing in your desktop apps using the Galaxy Tab
Every digital artist starting out has to make a decision first: buy a standalone tablet for drawing, or get a pen display that adds drawing capabilities to your PC or Mac. But what if you are having a hard time deciding what’s best for you? What if you want it both ways?
Many Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro units exhibit a weird screen flicker problem
Remember, every Pixel generation always comes with at least one strange issue
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The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are starting to arrive at the doorsteps of those who pre-ordered, and just like that, the first issues are cropping up. Many proud new owners have taken to Reddit to complain about a weird display flicker that pops up when they hit the power button while their devices are turned off. Judging from the number of reports, that issue isn't as isolated as we'd like it to be — and at least one of our review units exhibits this behavior, too.
Samsung shows off its newest OLED tech in a crazy concept video
Your next foldable phone might transform into your alarm clock
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Samsung's first-gen folding phone was rough around the edges, but with each new device comes plenty of refinement, proving the tech is here to stay. It's no secret that the company is working on follow-ups to last year's Galaxy Z lineup, and we might be looking at a preview of what's to come. As part of Display Week 2021, Samsung Display unveiled some new OLED panels today that could hint at the future of smartphones.
Android 11 is rolling out to Chromebooks on the Beta channel
Sporting a dark theme, better display scaling, and more
It's been two years since the Android system on Chromebooks received a major update. While Android 9 Pie introduced a slew of improvements, growing pains (like app scaling) have continued to make the experience quite frustrating. Google has since been hard at work fixing its issues and reworking the Android system with its ARCVM. The wait may finally be over, as a shiny new Android 11 build powered by ARCVM is slowly rolling out to Chrome OS Beta.
Xiaomi's latest concept phone maximizes screen real estate... and accidental touches
It clearly didn't get the memo about curved screens being out of fashion
Xiaomi is known for its affordable but powerful handsets, but the company also loves to push the boundaries of what's possible with its concept phones. It introduced the Mi Mix Alpha in 2019 with a wrap-around screen, only interrupted by a small strip with the camera. And today, the company is back with another interesting concept sporting a quad-curved waterfall display — i.e., tons of space for accidental touch input.
JBL Link View smart display returns to Black Friday price of $90 ($210 off)
It offers great audio and comes with a built-in camera
If you're looking for a smart display that can double as an actual decent speaker and also comes with a built-in camera, look no further. The JBL Link View will help you get through your day, cook, and stay in touch with loved ones, all for just $90, which is $210 less than its original retail price.
OnePlus Nord receives Oxygen OS 10.5.7 with display calibration fixes and power consumption improvements
This is its fifth update since release
OnePlus only launched the Nord last month, but it's already pushing out one update after the other, mostly focused on improving the camera and battery life. That's not too different with the latest Oxygen OS release to hit the midrange phone, bearing version number 10.5.7.
The Motorola Edge+ seems to have some serious display issues
A software update is rolling out, but it doesn't fix the problem for everyone
Motorola wanted to start a foray into flagship territory with its first high-end phone in years, the $1,000 Edge+, but it seems that a few customers are experiencing display issues that considerably taint its image. Many have taken to the Lenovo Forums to share pictures of their tinted screens and discolored spots that show up after prolonged usage. Thankfully, it looks like a software update comes to the rescue for a lot of customers.
The JBL Link View smart display is down to just $100 at Best Buy ($200 off MSRP)
It has great audio and a built-in camera and will be your perfect companion to call your loved ones during lockdown
If you're quarantined at home, you might enjoy the company of a smart display. It'll help you get through your day, cook, and stay in touch with loved ones. JBL's Link View offers excellent audio quality, combined with a front-facing camera and microphones, letting you enjoy a complete smart display experience. When it came out, the device cost about $300, but it's now down to just $100 at Best Buy.
JBL was one of the first companies to release a third-party Google Assistant smart display. While the JBL Link View certainly produces richer sound than any other Assistant display, the original $250 price tag was hard to justify. Now you can grab a refurbished unit for the low price of $69 from the company's eBay store. Nice.
While we said in our review that the Pixel 4 and 4 XL's displays are perfectly usable outdoors, they're still not emitting as much light as many competing handsets. A hidden high brightness mode fixes this and substantially increases the Pixels' maximum brightness. Root access is required to activate it, though, and your battery life will most likely suffer.
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Google doesn't pride the Pixel phones on being spec-forward, at least in terms of superlatives, but when it comes to digging up more tidbits on what the Pixel 4 and 4 XL have, those numbers and details do help us set the table for what to expect. Now, we're learning more about some key upgrades (and downgrades) to the battery, display, RAM, and cameras on the future phones.
Chinese manufacturer Vivo likes to put out a concept product every so often to push its vision of what a top-of-the-line smartphone should be. Of course, there are costly operational limitations in place as to why its APEX and NEX series aren't being mass-produced, but at least with these little boasts, we get a peek into what our mobile computing future might be. One such future has apparently been leaked out and it tells of a device with screen-to-body ratio of "over 100%" — but don't get too excited about that claim.
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- ASUS has also revealed that the upcoming ROG Phone II will be using Qualcomm's just-announced Snapdragon 855 Plus, like we speculated. The gaming-centric device should benefit from the slight bump in speed and graphics. There's still no word on when the ROG II will debut, but we should hear more soon in the coming weeks.
In the gaming world, displays with higher refresh rates are coveted. Last year's ASUS ROG Phone came with a 90Hz display, so we're not all that surprised to see confirmation that the ROG Phone 2 will have a 120Hz unit. This beats out the OnePlus 7 Pro's 90Hz and matches the Razer Phone 2's rate.
The latest tech trade show, MWC Shanghai, is just getting started and one of the first exhibitors is Chinese tech manufacturer Oppo. It didn't talk about a phone at its keynote — its Reno phones are getting some extended spotlight here — but it did bring us closer to the supposed holy grail of a full-body smartphone display by demonstrating an under-display selfie camera.
OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has launched the company's charm offensive in what appears to be the immediate lead-up to the launch of two smartphones: the conventional OnePlus 7 and the newly-christened OnePlus 7 Pro with 5G connectivity. Specifically, the executive is talking about the smooth display on the Pro version.
Samsung's new Galaxy S10 has started shipping and, like every new high-end phone from the company, the new flagship has the best screen DisplayMate has ever seen. Specs include an eye-searing 1,215 nit maximum brightness — though that number in isolation is just a bit misleading.
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- According to OnePlus' weekly post, this particular issue is set to be fixed in the very next update for the OnePlus 6, which we are also guaranteed is coming soon.
In the last couple of weeks, I noticed my own OnePlus 6 was having a bit of trouble when I was outdoors. If I went to check missed messages or train schedules on a sunny day, I'd notice the display seemed to flicker spastically between two different brightness levels. I pushed it out of my mind, assuming I imagined it, but according to reports compiled together by the folks at PiunikaWeb, I'm not alone.