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Shocker: Samsung’s Galaxy S10 has the best smartphone display ever made

Published Mar 4th, 2019 11:36AM EST
Galaxy S10 vs. Galaxy S9 vs. iPhone XS
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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Twice a year Samsung launches new flagship smartphones and twice a year we get in-depth display reviews telling us that not only is the latest screen the best display that Samsung ever made, but it also has several advantages over last year’s screens. Since Apple adopted Samsung’s OLED screen tech, the same sort of reviews have been saying the same thing about the latest iPhones, too. 
With all that in mind, it won’t surprise you to learn that the Galaxy S10 has the best smartphone screen in the world right now.

The news comes from the display expert over at DisplayMate, who put the Galaxy S10 through the typical tests and concluded that Samsung has outdone itself yet again:

What is particularly significant and impressive is that Samsung has been systematically improving OLED display performance with every Galaxy generation since 2010 when we started tracking OLED displays. The first notable OLED Smartphone, the Google Nexus One, came in decidedly last place in our 2010 Smartphone Display Shoot-Out. As a result of the improvements with each new generation, mobile OLED display technology now has a commanding first place lead and continues pushing ahead aggressively. The Galaxy S10 continues the impressive improvements in mobile OLED displays and technology. As a result, OLEDs have developed into excellent Smartphone displays that now significantly outperform the best LCD Smartphones.

The Galaxy S10 improves upon the screens in the Galaxy S9 and Note 9 to offer an even better OLED display that will deliver a bunch of records:

  • Record Very High Absolute Color Accuracy (0.4 JNCD) that is Visually Indistinguishable From Perfect.
  • Record Very High Image Contrast Accuracy and Intensity Scale Accuracy that is Visually Indistinguishable From Perfect.
  • Record High Brightness Mode that is up to 17% Brighter (1,215 nits) than the Galaxy S9 in High Ambient Light.
  • Record Peak Luminance, Color Accuracy and Intensity Scales that are Independent of the on-screen image content.
  • Record Small Shifts in Brightness and Color with Viewing Angle, particularly White, which is the most used background color.
  • Record-Setting Galaxy S10 matches or sets over a dozen new Smartphone Display Performance Records, earning DisplayMate’s highest ever A+ grade.

That’s all you need to know, in case you were wondering how the Galaxy S10 display compares to the iPhone XS series, the Note 9, and the Galaxy S9, as all these phones have Samsung OLED panels inside. The full review is available at this link.

That said, 2019 will be the first year Samsung launches three flagship smartphones, with the Galaxy Fold launching in between the Galaxy S10 and Note 10. It’ll be interesting to see whether the Fold features the same high-end OLED screen tech as the Galaxy S10, but we’re going to have to wait a while until the foldable phone is released before we find out.

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.