Well – not entirely. After all, it’s bright, responsive, and has a much higher resolution. But there is a lot more to making a good screen, and under a detailed analysis it’s far from a rout when you pit HTC’s bleeding-edge OLED screen against the old-school LCD of the iPhone.
Apologies if it gets a bit technical. Here is the basic list of complaints, as investigated here:
- As has been noted before, the Nexus One uses a PenTile sub-pixel layout, which is a sophisticated new way of creating pixels which changes the layout of color sub-pixels. Each pixel has its own green sub-pixel, but uses an algorithm to “share” red and blue sub-pixels when necessary. Most of the time this won’t be a problem, and it can increase brightness and help with pixel density, but it will lead to artifacts in greys and possibly has something to do with the next complaint.
- Apparently, the Nexus One only uses 16-bit color. You know, the kind of color you had on your PC back around 1998? It has 32 levels each of red and blue, and 64 for green. The iPhone (like most quality mobile LCDs) has 18-bit color with dithering, which allows it to emulate full 24-bit color if you don’t look too closely. Sounds like a bunch of numbers, right? Well the chart above should illustrate it nicely, and the people who tested it say it’s pretty striking in vivo, and noisy as well. The bit count produces smooth color gradients on the iPhone, where on the Nexus One you’ll see banding. If you want to see your pictures the way they actually look, color depth is important.
- The display on the iPhone is actually significantly brighter, though its contrast is far worse. This is due to the Nexus One’s OLED nature, which allows blacks to be truly black (as in, no light there). In the end it’s kind of a draw, but the iPhone’s display wins by default because greater brightness means more visibility in more areas. I haven’t had trouble with my Zune HD outside, but I defer to their lab results.
- OLED displays, including the Nexus One’s, are still very a young technology. This means there are a lot of kinks to be worked out in hardware, software, and drivers. Poor calibration standards at the factory can be obscured by artificial contrast and saturation, but close inspection reveals that “if the Nexus One display were an LCD it would rank among the worst displays we have ever seen in a shipping product.”
- The scaling mechanism used to stretch or shrink images to fit the 800×480 screen is “laughably primitive.” If you’re not familiar with scaling mechanisms, it’s worth reading up on quickly, as you use them every day and likely aren’t even aware. For different content, resolutions, and color depths, different scalers perform worse or better, and it seems Google or HTC chose one that just doesn’t work very well. It can have a serious effect on image quality and text readability, especially when combined with that PenTile sub-pixel layout.
So: strong words, but they seem to be backed up by real data (the shootout’s index page is here; the final part will run on March 1st). Remember that the Nexus One’s display is also going to be used in a number of other HTC products, like its twin the Desire and likely any other handset they put out with an 800×480 OLED display.
The fact is, though, that LCD is an end-of-run technology that has been honed to as close to perfection as it’s ever likely to get. LCDs that cost $200 now would have cost thousands just a few years ago. OLED is the future — there’s no doubt about that. But in the present, devices like the Nexus One and Zune HD qualify as early adopters. While they impress in some areas, namely those in which the OLEDs outshine LCDs fundamentally (black levels and consequent contrast; power draw), there are still plenty of points on the LCD side of the board.
It won’t be long before we start seeing much improved OLED displays — we are seeing them already in the form of Samsung’s simplified “Super AMOLED” in the Wave, which omits a piece of the display “layer cake,” allowing for better brightness and less reflectance. This rapid gaining of OLED on LCD has led to rumors that Apple will be adopting the technology for the next iPhone, which really is a pretty reasonable speculation.
I haven’t personally inspected the Nexus One’s screen for more than minute total, and I don’t spend a lot of time around iPhones, so I can’t add any anecdotal evidence to this little duel. And it goes almost without saying that if the display works for you, then there’s nothing to worry about; this is purely an academic conflict for most. But go ahead and add your data point below.
Update: People are noting that the Gallery app has some really bad compression when it loads pictures not at full rez, which would be the source of some of the banding for sure. As I noted, bad picture quality can result very easily from bad software, scaling, and so on. This is stuff Google tends to fix. So much for the banding, which appears to be a software issue, but that’s not the only piece of the puzzle. Thanks for adding that info.
[via OLED-display.net; painting by Antonio Fontanesi]
What I don’t like about my Android phone is the touchscreen. Really slow to respond. It makes everything bad, from typing to scrolling in the browser.
If typing is bad, try Swype. I didn’t like the stock Android keyboard at all, but Swype is incredible and makes typing far easier.
Swype is crap. Tried it for a day then realized I was way faster without yet. Truth.
you obviously dont own a n1
Blame the software, not the hardware.
Not necessarily, but it’s good to consider both.
rofl, since when does accuracy affects response time?
Btw, that test is ridiculous and the article makes it sound worse.
Color accurate or not I enjoy looking at the bright and vivid display on my Nexus One. Put the two phones on a desk and the iPhone looks like a blurry low resolution washed out piece of crap.
I guess in the end it’ll be up to your preference on how you will judge this one… A person might say, that N1 has quite the competent advantage against iPhone if you’re talking to specs only, but some people they might say otherwise.
If its only a little discrepancy, then I don’t see why can’t we just, drop the matter for the meantime and enjoy each gadget.
But Android != every phone behaviour.
So what Android model do you have?
I’m one of those people who avoided the iPhone because I’m not a fan of iTunes.
I don’t dislike Apple per se, I just hate the idea of having to use a bloaty piece of software anytime I want to transfer a file.
I got my Nexus one a few days back and have been nothing but pleased with it.
It may not be perfect, but for someone who’s never even held an iPhone, I’m impressed and very pleased with my purchase.
Yeah, like I said, if it works for you this is no more than academic. Glad you enjoy it, I’m an Android fan myself.
A-f’ing-men.
iTunes is the worst piece of software ever, incl. Microsoft Bob.
i hate to keep linking myself, but man, I’m so with you on that.
I’m not a huge fan of iTunes — particularly on Windows, where it seems to just suck a lot more — but dude, I’ve used Microsoft Bob.
So. No. Just… No.
+1
One of the reasons I don’t have an iPhone, either.
I totally disagree with you outliers. iTunes does the job and it runs spiffily with 21k tunes + a lot of video on my Mac Mini Core 2 Duo.
I use MediaMonkey on Windows and it runs like butter with my 55K songs. iTunes is a bloated piece of crap. Even on my Mac I refuse to use it.
I don’t really understand the need for a high resolution on the screen unless it improves the multitouch or on screen drawing. The iPhone resolution is pretty high. A higher resolution at the cost of battery hours seems like a waste.
That is what I though as well. I am sure the display is gorgeous, on the nexus one, but is the higher resolution really needed? Does it make sense for the iPhone to go there.
I mean, for a lot of display heavy apps like games, it is going to be a huge disadvantage. You are pushing out a lot more pixels for the same game, and it would be harder to notice the improvement on a moving image anyway.
For games – probably, but for web browsing the added resolution really helps. You can read a lot of sites in landscape without any zooming.
Brightness and size effect battery a lot more then res do. OLED screens are more battery friendly.
When you see a Droid or Nexus One in person and use it to read webpages fully zoomed out, but the text is fully legible and not blurry at all, you’ll understand immediately.
sorry i think you are completely misguided and this is an unfortunate example of talking about specs in an abstract intellectual way that don’t map to the user experience.
oh and btw, i have had 3 iphones and currently own a 3GS.
Several weeks ago i had the opportunity to play with a friends nexus one and did hours of side by side comparison.
the nexus one has DOUBLE the screen resolution. it is MUCH sharper and brighter than the iphone. in fact my comments to all of my friends were that the iphone seemed outdated when compared side by side.
also, i loaded up the exact same youtube video. due to the resolution the nexus one automatically loaded the hi def version while the iphone did not.
there is no comparison really…the nexus one screen display is light years ahead of the iphone.
i’m still not quite ready to switch to google phone – i think they need to improve the overall UI integration, get an improved music player, etc…but they are make incredibly fast progress.
though on paper the Iphone screen may have its advantages, to my eye and to most people who have seen both, the nexus one screen is the one that clearly looks better and looks more crisp.. I will admit though, the Nexus One screen can sometimes over exxagerate really bright colors as compared to the iphone looking dull but more realistic
Brighter colors on N1 is due to dithering and lower bit-depth for colors. It looks brighter, but it really isn’t, it’s just because there’s greater contrast between individual colors.
Better read this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=637063
This “test” has been beaten to death over the last day. I’ll give a brief summary, the test they did was terrible. The results were not reproducible by anyone that actually owns a Nexus One, please see these threads that show with photographic proof: http://androidforums.com/nexus-one/47519-nexus-ones-dirty-display-secret-16-bit-color.html
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=637063
Well, I’ve added that in, but I disagree that the results were not reproducible. Everyone in that thread reproduced them, but found fault with the testers for using that as their sample for banding. Clearly that part of it is a software error. But as for brightness and contrast, and the actual bit depth, it seems to be correct.
For me, on 2 Nexus One’s I have right here in front of me, the only time I see banding in the browser is in certain pictures when my finger is touching the screen and scrolling or moving it, once I take my finger away it renders fine. My only guess is that it does this to smooth the scrolling and once you stop it brings the image back to full res.
Devin, you are clearly wrong. The Nexus One display is 24-bit:
http://www.samsungsmd.com/eng/text/AMOLED/ET-1-2-6.jsp
And has been clearly stated before, the issue is with the gallery app and not the display. The Nexus One display is superior to the iPhone in all aspects except brightness. Most people – except perhaps those that live in caves – would prefer greater contrast over brightness any day. Pointless article really.
Well, funny thing is, in CAVES the contrast ratio is actually more important, since it’s already quite dark there. And then, on some particularly sunny DAYS you might just want to have that additional iphone brightness.
Hey, I’m just reporting their results. It seems unlikely that these guys, who do image quality testing for a living, would make such an elementary mistake, but if they did, they definitely blew it.
Well, they did blow it. When they started to suspect something was wrong with their results, they posted an update to say that Gizmodo’s images supported them. Then there’s an update (‘Update II’) on the Gizmodo site saying it could be the gallery app after all.
If Displaymate are so credible, why are they using a site like Gizmodo as supporting evidence for their results? Seems very unprofessional to me. Why is the Gizmodo update worded in such a way to suggest that they don’t have a Nexus One to test this on? Why didn’t either site download a free app like Astro from the market place and dispell this myth immediately? Why don’t you do this Devin instead of perpetuating falsehoods?
but the one on the right is sexier
Get it straight AMOLED is the way to go
Android hate at it’s best.
Makes about as much sense as the stupid anti-Apple/iPhone hate.
Where the hell did you get that iPhone picture. Neither my iPhone, iPod Touch, nor any of my family’s iPhones are that dark. Biased pictures TC?
it’s… from the source?
I knew it! Apple knows how to make excellent hardware, and they care to do quality & usability tests.
I updated the display color information on the WikiVS article I’m trying to maintain: http://www.wikivs.com/wiki/Apple_iPhone_3GS_vs_Google_Nexus_One
Would be credible until they mentioned “Big-brother Apple”. Then it’s non-biased specs went out the windows… especially since most of the spect (non-standard) are geared toward showing off what the iPhone doesn’t have.
Inform better, your page is full of wrong specs
This article is wrong. The screen is 24-bit (you actually mention this in your table – where did you get that correct info from?):
http://www.samsungsmd.com/eng/text/AMOLED/ET-1-2-6.jsp
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=6665
How dare you suggest that the value of a device lies in anything other than the hardware specs?
We all know that the real pleasure in a device comes from listing all the specs on paper, and looking at them with the smug knowledge that our device has the best specs.
That’s why we all hate the iPhone, right?
Isn’t the fact that you can take a screenshot of the banding/color issues from the device itself indicative of a software problem rather than a hardware problem?
The iphone/ipod touch is the champion of touchscreen quality.
Well, see this photo and judge for yourself if this test can be correct: http://twitpic.com/14z34h
Most of these points are somewhat subjective. I’d be curious to see hard data in the form of a double-blind test.
I own both phones, and personally I think the Nexus One looks better, although the lack of an anti-smudge coating definitely hurts.
The iPhone still has the better screen.
You’ve obviously never seen a Nexus One screen in person.
Thats why Apple just doesn’t jump on the “new” feature bandwagon. Apple beats it to death until they are sure its performing to their higher standards. Then it will be adopted. Today AMOLED is not quite ready. When it is, you can be sure Apple will use it.
Yeah man! iPhone sucks!!!
Oh wait. This is about the Nexus. Stupid fanboys.
I have a Nexus One, and had an iPhone. Nexus One resolution and screen look better than iPhone. Not sure where the author gets its high horse from.
The problem with the Nexus One is the touch. iPhone touch is so much better than the Nexus One. Still for both phones I want a keyboard.
Touch sucks. Can’t wait for microsoft to come out with something better like a pen on a PDA … that would rock!
Wow talk about an apologist for the iphone!
fruit phone is good better phone to have and use
but maybe adroid is one day to become great phone,
like former soviet union.
very strong and very proud piece of teknology to have. make phone call. this is good.
fruit phone not good as much but i like.
mister apple must have spell or magic troll powder to make fruit phone but not good as would phone be.
there you have it. night bye good.
“Is the Nexus One’s display inferior to the iPhone’s?”
No.
Are you kidding me? Just try putting the Nexus next to a 3GS. It’s night and day different. The iPhone display looks washed out and blocky in comparison.
Can we give it a rest on the “what looks better to me” crap guys? Sound like a bunch of women trying on shoes.
It’s a cell phone, I’ve seen both and both handsets look good. There is nothing inferior about either display Devin. For most guys it comes down to functionality and price.
No DUDE is going to look at another DUDE’s cell phone and mutter dumb stuff under his breath about a display. In real life its not a GUY thing.
Try opening http://rocketkick.com/ on your computer and Nexus One, and then compare. Horrible banding in Nexus One. Works fine on iPhone. Try opening http://apple.com/ on your Nexus One. Gray colors seem almost pink!
I read MobileCrunch on my Nexus One. The resolution is so high that I don’t have to zoom in to make the text readable. And the screen is so wide that I don’t have to scroll sideways to finish every line like I did on my iPhone.
Nexus One is just like every other cell phone except for two things: the hardware (it’s better) and the software (it’s better.)
For God’s sake enough, I know I want a Nexus One, everyone wants a Nexus One, but why oh why won’t Google move faster on releasing the AT&T 3G compatible version. Seriously, what were they thinking partnering with T-Mobile. 80% of people I know, including myself, are willing to ditch the communistic, iTunes-dependo-crap iPhone.
This is the equivalent of Porsche producing a new entry-level high performance 400HP car, but only available for right hand markets. URGH!
communistic? Apple? what are you smoking chief.
They are as Capitalist as it gets.
Great, one more ill informed know-nothing bashing apple and itunes. Very original.
Not a hardware issue, it is a software problem. People from xda-developer have verified the problem.
I purchased my n1 a week ago Ive also had a apple phone hands down the n1 wins if you were to compare them but i wouldn’t the n1 stand in a total different category with the Iphone your locked down on so much stuff apple wants to control everything you do, if u like being controlled then go for the Iphone but the very ideal of the nexus1 being an open-source platform mean that the possibilities are endless and the google voice feature is soooo sweet.
I own N1. My mom has Iphone. Mom’s very jealous and wishes she would have waited. I put them head to head on browser speed via Wi-fi and network. N1 wins by a lot every time. I put them head to head on looking at the same exact pictures. Iphone on full brightness looks dull and bland compared to N1. I don’t know much about fan boys except it is hilarious reading so many comments trying to defend what they have wasted 1,000s of $ on. HA!
My only concern with the Android phones is that they lag, I know this is a visual concern. I’d have to choose the overall Conistency over just a higher resolution. I’m tossing around the Idea to leave my T-Mobile service for an Iphone just because it’s always smooth 100% Sure it might be a lower resolution but over all. The phone doesn’t slow down. I had an Android phone all it did was give me lag problems, started up programs by it’s self, and could not even handle the programs it was starting up. Memory wise… I wanted to stay an Android fan, but they just don’t have what it takes right now.
Look u need to try out the nexus I had lag problems with my g1 but with the nexus I can honestly say I have had no such problem at all.
I own a G1 and compared it to the N1, and found the N1 display to be extremely inferior especially when comparing with the same photos displayed on both.
The colors on the N1 seemed artificially oversaturated, it just looks wrong.
That, and the fact that it does not have the slide out keyboard, let me stick to the G1 even though I would love the faster cpu and longer battery lifetime.
G1 technology refresh, anyone?
Michael