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[kmfdmpig]

You laughed at them for all the wrong reasons then, Apple's lcd displays have been systematically more accurate and at least on par if not better than the competitors every year in every category aside from contrast (and resolution i guess but that's a moot point once you've reached certain ppi).

Displaymate, widely considered the best at reviewing phone screens, disagrees. Yes, it's not 100% in favor of OLED, but they see a number of advantages for OLED screens:
http://www.displaymate.com/iPhone7_ShootOut_1.htm

Switching to OLED Displays for the Next iPhone
Given the exceptional performance of the iPhone 7 LCD display, there will be many consumers, journalists, reviewers, and even manufacturers wondering if Apple will actually be switching to OLED iPhone displays in 2017, as has been widely reported...

Both LCDs and OLEDs can produce exceptional state-of-the-art displays. But LCD and OLED technologies have different inherent native strengths and weaknesses, so neither display technology wins in all cases – it depends on the details of the specific application.

LCDs are a great cutting edge high performance display technology for Tablets to TVs, but for small handheld Smartphones, OLED displays provide a number of significant advantages over LCDs including: being much thinner, much lighter, with a much smaller bezel providing a near rimless design, they can be made flexible and into curved screens, plus they have a very fast response time, better viewing angles, and an always-on display mode. Many of OLED's performance advantages result from the fact that LCDs are dependent on transmitting the varying characteristics of their White LED backlight – but for OLEDs the sub-pixels are directly electrically powered to emit light, which can provide better color accuracy, image contrast accuracy, and screen uniformity.

Because of their very flexible power management capabilities, OLEDs are not only more power efficient than LCDs for most image content, but they now deliver much higher peak Brightness than LCDs because of this. However, for mostly all white screen content LCDs are likely to remain brighter and more power efficient for a while. OLED displays are now manufactured on flexible substrates, which allows the screens to be curved and rounded like on the Galaxy Note7 and earlier Galaxy Edge and Galaxy Round displays.

Apple’s reported move to an OLED iPhone is simply a recognition of all of the above, particularly as more and more competing Smartphones will be coming with OLED displays.

They also found the Note 8's screen to be the best ever (which is something previous Note's have been awarded as well):
http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_Note8_ShootOut_100.htm
The Best Smartphone Display
The Galaxy Note8 is the latest in a new generation of OLED Smartphones that have a Full Screen Display design like the Galaxy S8. It has many major and important state-of-the-art display performance enhancements, features and functions, with mobile OLED display technology now advancing faster than ever. The Galaxy Note8 is the most innovative and high performance Smartphone display that we have ever lab tested. So the Galaxy Note8 becomes the Best Performing Smartphone Display, earning DisplayMate’s highest ever A+ grade.

 

[BriGuy]

I think the S8+ is a much nicer looking phone, but I might be biased because I own one. I really have zero complaints about it other than its heft, but I accept that as a compromise for its fantastic battery life. And Samsung Pay really is one of the best and most useful apps ever designed, so much so that I wish the underlying technology was standardized and available to everyone else.

 

[Diprosalic]

I haven't tried the S8. I have the S7 and like everything except that curved edge. It creates glare, it's awkward to hold, awkward to touch, and really has no benefit I've discovered after using it for over a year. Is it going to be the standard from now on in Samsung Galaxy phones?

it feels much better on the S8 than the S7 edge.

 

[ec0ec0]

I don't get why you would want to make sure everyone notices the cutout.

If you look at these mockups, the leftmost looks by far the best to me. It's great use of an OLED screen as well, because the status icons are white on black. And you still get the effect of "Whoa, there's screen space next to the speaker and front camera!"

The one on the left isn't ideal either, as now the corners at the top are different from the ones at the bottom, and you would want all 4 corners to match each other. Both (the one on the right and the one on the left), look very weird for different reasons.

 

[CHC]

The X is ass ugly and iOS is just getting worse and worse (dug out an old iPad on iOS 8 and man, it's just night and day in terms of responsiveness and aesthetics).

So, yeah, it's not really going to be that hard to make a more elegant product than what Apple is offering going forward. And to me that's been the real word that comes to mind with Apple - "elegant." Clean aesthetics, minimal design, snappy and usable interface and hardware. They pretty much have none of that going for them anymore.

 

[Uno Venova]

That's fair, but also to be fair that was a decade ago. And many other phone companies were already reaching that point in design. Apple was just the first to put it together.

That’s a pretty reductionist view on what Apple accomplished.

 

[Mindwipe]

What content is lost in the curve? I genuinely haven't noticed anything I could blame on the curve. Honestly majority of the time I don't even register that the screen has a curve. It's must less pronounced that it was on the S7. Same goes for accidental touches, I don't do much besides text, browse the web, and music/video/radio.

Yeah, that was a bit of a problem with the S7 Edge, but it was completely solved by the Note 7/S8 etc.

I haven't tried the S8. I have the S7 and like everything except that curved edge. It creates glare, it's awkward to hold, awkward to touch, and really has no benefit I've discovered after using it for over a year. Is it going to be the standard from now on in Samsung Galaxy phones?

The S8 has a completely different shape to the S7. The curves are nothing alike.

 

[Days like these...]

I thought the notch was the worst but then I saw that huge bumper car ring encircling the phone and I thought the notch isn't so bad after all.

 

[bionic77]

That's a pretty reductionist view on what Apple accomplished.

Yeah I 100% agree.

I was using Blackberrys and Windows phones before the iPhone and they were garbage next to what Apple did. No one else was close to what the iPhone was doing and honestly Android phone makers did not catch up until 2011 or 2012 (even Apple did not really perfect the concept until they made the 4 in 2010).

Edit: I will also say to me the two biggest innovations since the iPhone was released are fingerprint unlock/digital payments and big ass screens. I am pretty sure Samsung started the phablet movement and that is probably the biggest innovation since the iPhone has come out, which says a lot about how mature these products are. There is not a lot of innovation in phones of the past few years. It is very iterative.

 

[silvon]

The Essential Phone, Mi Mix, and perhaps even S8 jumped on the edge-to-edge display stuff only after it was rumoured Apple was working on it yeaaaaaaaaars ago, to beat them to market. Before then it was pretty much standard fair.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix (the first one) has the edge-to-edge screen, and it was released way back in Nov 2016. So no, the other phone makers didn't jump on it because of Apple. It's more likely they jump on it because it's the next logical step in phone technology, and Apple seems to be playing catch up.

 

[Owari]

Compared to the S8, the X definitely has bezels on the left and right.

The S8 looks way slicker on the front, especially with the curved wrap around screen, but the X looks slicker on the back. But, no fingerprint reader or health sensor there.

The X has a thicker bezel than my tv

But it does have bezels.

The X has bezels they are very visible black bezels on all sides.

I'd take Those "bezels" over actual thick top and bottom bezels. Lol at least if the phone falls I won't have to replace the entire display.

 

[Diprosalic]

I thought the notch was the worst but then I saw that huge bumper car ring encircling the phone and I thought the notch isn't so bad after all.

wait till you see that camera bump. it's just not a very pretty phone.

 

[kmfdmpig]

The Xiaomi Mi Mix (the first one) has the edge-to-edge screen, and it was released way back in Nov 2016. So no, the other phone makers didn't jump on it because of Apple. It's more likely they jump on it because it's the next logical step in phone technology, and Apple seems to be playing catch up.

Agreed. It's logical to work on smaller bezels or edge to edge screens when many consumers want:
bigger screens
and
devices which are not too big

Aside from foldable displays, which are still likely years off, reducing the bezel size is the only way to address both at once. It's hard to imagine that no one other than Apple would have thought of that, and let's say Apple thought about it first. Why would it take them so much longer to actually implement it? That makes no sense.

 

[Wireframe]

I've yet to have the same user experience with a Samsung phone that I've had with Apple.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Jesus Christ, that bottom one is a sin

 

[Mogwai]

Yeah, that's exactly what I think every time I see it. You just want to rip it off. It's unreal that it made into the final design. If you want to full screen your video content, you'll have to put up with the fact that part of the picture will be permanently obscured.

Yes, it's as if Apple disregarded symmetry completely. The more pictures I see of the the X in landscape mode the more I realize that I could never live with that. Paying a premium for a phone with a compromise like that is insane. And that's coming from someone who's owned iPhones exclusively since the 3GS.

The notch is like you're strutting around thinking you look cool; and your fly is open.

Haha, well that's a pretty good way to put.

 

[reKon]

The S8 is definitely the prettier phone, but I'll take the slight inconvenience of that notch for the technology packed into their any day of the week. If we're talking innovation, ball is back in Samsung's court as of yesterday. Also it's nowhere near as ugly as people make it sound, and actually condenses a lot of indicators from what it mostly unused space at the top of the phone. It's a surprising marriage between software and hardware in that regard.

The Essential Phone, Mi Mix, and perhaps even S8 jumped on the edge-to-edge display stuff only after it was rumoured Apple was working on it yeaaaaaaaaars ago, to beat them to market. Before then it was pretty much standard fair.

So back then this was all because of an Apple rumor?

https://www.engadget.com/2014/09/03/samsung-galaxy-note-edge-hands-on/

Was everything that companies like Samsung included in their phone all only there due to Apple rumors? The heart rate sensor that has been there since the Galaxy S5?

The stylus on the Note series?

Where does it end?!?!

 

[Ocarina_117]

I've yet to have the same user experience with a Samsung phone that I've had with Apple.

I've yet to have the same user experience with iOS that I have with android.

Edit - when did finger print unlock become a bad thing and facial unlock the thing of the future?

 

[Brock Reiher]

I've yet to have the same user experience with a Samsung phone that I've had with Apple.

I can't tell if this is in defense of Apple or praise of Samsung.

 

[hiim_haz]

I'm actually super disappointed by Apple's implementation. It's pretty ugly. I don't really like Samsung phones, but I have to give credit where credit is due - they did the full edge to edge display really well.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 and Essential Phone as well.

 

[nynt9]

I also only like the processor, the rest is specifically targeted at loyal iOS users. Maybe it was meant as that.

What here is exactly "targeted at loyal iOS users"?

 

[Days like these...]

wait till you see that camera bump. it's just not a very pretty phone.

I've seen it imo it's not nearly as bad as the bumper car ring. I'll personally be getting an LG V30.

Full disclosure I've never had an iPhone but the x is just ugly.

 

[Cipherr]

The X, and the first generation Apple Watch are just butt ass ugly. I have no idea what they are doing.

I've yet to have the same user experience with iOS that I have with android.

Edit - when did finger print unlock become a bad thing and facial unlock the thing of the future?

You know how this works....

 

[bionic77]

I'm actually super disappointed by Apple's implementation. It's pretty ugly. I don't really like Samsung phones, but I have to give credit where credit is due - they did the full edge to edge display really well.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 and Essential Phone as well.

The edge display on the Samsung phones seems useless but it does look amazing.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

I vowed to avoid Samsung after I used the S4. S8+ looks so good, reviews so good that I bought it 2 weeks back.

And It is awesome. The screen, speed, size is great. All the bloat is greatly reduced.

I don't think Apple is really innovating much anymore.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Only ever had iphones, but that Samsung design looks much more nicer to me SAFE from the back.

OS--wise ? Mmmmmmmmh

 

[reKon]

The X, and the first generation Apple Watch are just butt ass ugly. I have no idea what they are doing.

This might the first year a Pixel phone looks aesthetically better than an iPhone, lol...

Pixel XL2 may still take the L on this if they don't push the camera upgrades the way that the new iPhones did (it probably won't).

 

[Charles Brandon]

The edge display on the Samsung phones seems useless but it does look amazing.

Correct on both counts. It looks cool, does nothing useful.

 

[Caayn]

I don't get why you would want to make sure everyone notices the cutout.

If you look at these mockups, the leftmost looks by far the best to me. It's great use of an OLED screen as well, because the status icons are white on black. And you still get the effect of "Whoa, there's screen space next to the speaker and front camera!"

The left mockup does look a lot better. It makes the cutout feel more like an integrated part of the front instead looking like it was slapped on there on top of the screen.

Especially with content being cutoff due to the cutout make it look strange.

 

[Days like these...]

Only ever had iphones, but that Samsung design looks much more nicer to me SAFE from the back.

OS--wise ? Mmmmmmmmh

Android has been great for ages now.

 

[legendaryskitch]

I will say after getting my Note 8 early last week. I LOVE this phone. Easily worth the money. Nothing about this iPhone impresses me.

 

[Malvolio]

I've never been a Samsung fan, but the S8 hardware does what Apple used to excel at: it almost feels like alien technology. It's so slick and so fast. The X looks like what Samsung used to offer: a me too phone that feels a step behind. I have a feeling that the next version will create some buyer's remorse for X owners that don't upgrade annually.

 

[hiim_haz]

The edge display on the Samsung phones seems useless but it does look amazing.

Yeah, agreed - seems pointless, but damn their phones look nice. Too bad about the software, the S3 has forever ruined me on Samsung phones, and dealing with a friend who needed help setting up his S8 made me see that not a whole lot has changed lol.

 

[jts]

I've never been a Samsung fan, but the S8 hardware does what Apple used to excel at: it almost feels like alien technology. It's so slick and so fast. The X looks like what Samsung used to offer: a me too phone that feels a step behind. I have a feeling that the next version will create some buyer's remorse for X owners that don't upgrade annually.

You'll be happy to know that the X is a much faster phone, so the order of things is still in place.

 

[dark10x]

So... don't put it in a case. Live dangerously like I do!

Yeah, well, I used to do that and it ended badly after 5 years of never having an issue. One single drop - the only drop destroyed the phone. It didn't crack the screen but it damaged the digitizer and introduced weird corruption. After that, as much as I don't like using a case, I have no choice.

 

[Malvolio]

You'll be happy to know that the X is a much faster phone, so the order of things is still in place.

Sounds like hyperbole to me. No flagship is going to be "much faster" than any other.

 

[Groof]

The iPhone X unibrow was a concession they made because they couldn't finish the product, so they're enforcing developers to always show it in order to convince people that it was on purpose

 

[hobozero]

I haven't had an iPhone since the 4, but I've always really respected what Jobs managed to accomplish with the release of the original. And he did it by throwing money at problems until they were solved, and not releasing a compromised, "good enough" gimmick phone (among other things).

I gotta agree that the last couple iterations would never have passed his muster. I mean:

- removing the headphone jack to sell higher margin bluetooth headphones
- removing the fingerprint reader because they banked on tech they couldn't get working (yet. I am sure the X-1 will tout it as a new amazing feature)
- the camera bump
- maybe the bezel protrusion? I can see merit to the argument that they will just market it as "this is the silhouette of all phones now"

I mean, the man once woke up a developer at 3am on a Sunday because part of the Google icon on the iPhone home screen was the wrong shade of yellow. I think his response to "We can't get the fingerprint reader working" would be "Well, get it working then we'll release". Current Apple is too beholden to shareholders and the idea of a new phone every fall.

 

[xJavonta]

This thread is hilarious

 

[jts]

Sounds like hyperbole to me. No flagship is going to be "much faster" than any other.

That's strange because I thought you said the Samsung felt fast like the iPhone used to be.

 

[ISee]

S8 owner here. I think the iPhone X looks great. The iPhone 8 though...

Seriously. All phone become obsolete. But it took the iPhone 8 like 10 minutes.

 

[Bulzeeb]

Is there a single Android phone that looks nice on the back?

I like my redmi note 4

anyways, I am not a phone Junkie and I agree that the iphone X presentation was interesting but I am not paying 1k for a phone, heck I am not paying more than $300 for a phone, and so far I am happy with my mid range android devices

 

[Mogwai]

S8 owner here. I think the iPhone X looks great. The iPhone 8 though...

Seriously. All phone become obsolete. But it took the iPhone 8 like 10 minutes.

Well, the recycled 6/6S design for the iPhone 7 was a complaint already last year.

 

[kmfdmpig]

S8 owner here. I think the iPhone X looks great. The iPhone 8 though...

Seriously. All phone become obsolete. But it took the iPhone 8 like 10 minutes.

The bezels on the 8 and 8+ look enormous now that the norm is for small bezels. That makes the phones look outdated, IMO.
750p on a high end phone in 2017 is also a bit of a head scratcher. I understand it's a smaller screen, but it does make a difference. After 1080p or so it's diminishing returns for sure, but 750p doesn't cut it for me.

 

[AP90]

Wasn't really that impressed with the iPhone X.. I'm sure its going to Excel as most apple products do, but still think that is for the enthusiast market/fans.. Still think Samsung has done a great job with the s8 series and the new note.. Especially with the latest note.

I have some high hopes for the Huawei Mate 10 or pro models. My dad just got a Huawei honor 8, and it's functionality and value was pretty stellar imo.

 

[eizarus]

The bezels on the 8 and 8+ look enormous now that the norm is for small bezels. That makes the phones look outdated, IMO.
750p on a high end phone in 2017 is also a bit of a head scratcher. I understand it's a smaller screen, but it does make a difference. After 1080p or so it's diminishing returns for sure, but 750p doesn't cut it for me.

It's an iPhone. They're battery life is pretty shitty already, imagine how bad it would be at 1080p.

Anyone more in the know able to explain why that is? Battery life with most high end handsets doesn't have a huge range of variety, but everyone else is doing 1080p or higher.

 

[kmfdmpig]

It's an iPhone. They're battery life is pretty shitty already, imagine how bad it would be at 1080p.

Anyone more in the know able to explain why that is? Battery life with most high end handsets doesn't have a huge range of variety, but everyone else is doing 1080p or higher.

They use smaller batteries than their competitors.
http://www.techradar.com/news/phone...battery-sizes-have-now-been-revealed-1328480#

I imagine the focus on thinness contributes to that tradeoff.

 

[3N16MA]

iPhone X, S8, Note 8, they all look good to me.

You can only stay ahead of the pack by leaps and bounds for so long. That is unless you radically change the form factor. HTC was closer to competing with Apple in terms of design before Samsung.

 

[Deepwater]

It's an iPhone. They're battery life is pretty shitty already, imagine how bad it would be at 1080p.

Anyone more in the know able to explain why that is? Battery life with most high end handsets doesn't have a huge range of variety, but everyone else is doing 1080p or higher.

The battery life on the regular 7 is pretty good. Much better than the "dies in 3 hours" iPhone 6

 

[datamage]

The bezels on the 8 and 8+ look enormous now that the norm is for small bezels. That makes the phones look outdated, IMO.
750p on a high end phone in 2017 is also a bit of a head scratcher. I understand it's a smaller screen, but it does make a difference. After 1080p or so it's diminishing returns for sure, but 750p doesn't cut it for me.

If you think the bezels on the 8 and 8+ are enormous, I would love to know what you think of the iPhone 8 bezels and any iPhone before it.

At the very least, this thread has been entertaining.