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The iPhone can’t get an OLED screen soon enough

Published Aug 9th, 2016 11:01AM EDT
Galaxy Note 7 Display Review
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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Apple has the best LCD displays in the iPhone and iPad, and this year’s iPhone might receive further improvements similar to what Apple did with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. But that doesn’t mean Apple’s displays are the best in town. A review of the Galaxy Note 7’s AMOLED screen indicates that Samsung has been able to improve OLED screen technology since launching the Galaxy S7 series this spring. The Galaxy Note 7 matches, or breaks, some of the records of the Galaxy S7, which was touted as having one of the best smartphone displays in town.

DON’T MISS: Report: the iPhone 7 will be exactly what you’re expecting

Performed by the same Dr. Raymond Soneira from DisplayMate, the exhaustive review of the Galaxy Note 7’s screen proves how far along OLED displays have come, and why Apple is interested in moving the iPhone to OLED screens starting with 2017. Soneira also judged the screens of the Galaxy S7, iPhone 6s, iPad Pro, and many other devices.

“The Galaxy Note 7 provides many major and important state-of-the-art display enhancements, with mobile OLED display technology now advancing faster than ever,” Soneira concluded. “The Galaxy Note 7 is the most innovative and high-performance smartphone display that we have ever tested. It leapfrogs the displays on the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S7 to become the best performing smartphone display ever.

The phone offers the widest color gamuts for current content, the highest peak brightness, highest contrast rating in ambient light, highest screen resolution, highest (indefinite) contrast ratio, lowest screen reflectance, smallest brightness variation and viewing angle. DisplayMate found improvements in almost every test comparison against Samsung’s previous flagships, including the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S7.

“Apple’s rumored move to an OLED iPhone is simply a recognition of all of the above, particularly as more and more competing smartphones come with OLED displays,” Soneira said, writing about the future of the OLED display industry.

If you want to read Soneira’s full review of the Galaxy Note 7 display, follow this link.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.