
Samsung Galaxy S5 Display Technology Shoot-Out - bookwormAT
http://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_S5_ShootOut_1.htm
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sirkneeland
I don't think anyone has ever doubted Samsung's ability to make a stellar
display (or any other component).

What anyone has doubted has been Samsung's ability to take these displays and
components and integrate them into a whole that doesn't look and feel like
cheap plasticky junk that is less than the sum of its parts.

Samsung has yet to give us reason to stop doubting that.

Of course it clearly hasn't stopped the world's population from snapping them
up...

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ditoax
I had a Galaxy S4 for a while last year and never had a problem with the
plastic back like others. I cracked an iPhone 4 back with a small drop which
really annoyed me. At least with the Samsung phone if I scuff the back I can
just a new one or even buy a nicer one to just replace it. The band around the
S4 is metal at the screen is pretty tough (Gorilla Glass I believe?).

Never understand all the hate of the Samsung designs. If you don't like
plastic just buy a different back. That is one of the benefits of it being
removable.

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soperj
I love the removable plastic back. Lets me change the battery, sim or sd card
in a snap. Also I've used my S3 for a couple of years now, and dropped it a
bunch of times, including on concrete, and there is barely any damage. I don't
use a case.

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mikestew
I find the lack of SIM tray annoying. To swap SIMs I have to remove the back,
remove the battery, remove the SD card, and then I can finally get to the SIM.
Then I have to be careful because SIM slots can break. Lame.

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pasbesoin
I just switched to a Moto-X. The "Active Display" looks quite nice, indoors,
and I like the "nudge the phone" status updates.

However. It received numerous plaudits for ergonomics, but now that I'm using
one I find the thin edge -- even with a case on it -- difficult to grasp.
Also, the curved back means I can't set it face up on a table and "poke at it"
\-- the body would rock due to the curve.

The display looks nice, indoors. But while taking some photos during a walk,
yesterday, even with the sun low in the sky it was very difficult to see the
image on the display. (And, the camera lends a very saturated and "reddish"
tint to the result, at least at default settings.)

So... I'm intrigued now with the S5 display quality. I'll have to look for
camera results. And "cheap plastic" or whatever, if I can hold it securely and
use it on a table and etc. Well, then, such functionality will exceed an
"appearance" concerns I have other than display and camera output.

I wanted a "close-to-Google" phone that would remain updated, while also
remaining on the only service that provides a reliable signal in some areas
where I travel.

But "easy to hold" and "easy to see" and some basics... I'm seeing more and
more why Jobs et al. resisted some of the design changes rampaging through the
Android market.

P.S. Once I heard about the apparently legitimate security concerns, I sort of
swallowed the disappearance of microSD expansion. But if/whan security
concerns are ameliorated, I would much prefer to retain such a feature.

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commandar
> Also, the curved back means I can't set it face up on a table and "poke at
> it" \-- the body would rock due to the curve.

I'm not sure I understand how that would happen. I use mine lying face up all
the time. While the overall shape of the back is curved, there's a substantial
flat area that lets it sit perfectly steady on a flat surface.

I can make it rock if I really try, but that requires jabbing at on the edges
far harder than normal use would require.

I don't think it should make any difference but I have the XT1060 with woven
black back on VZW.

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pasbesoin
Maybe the case I have changes this, a bit. However, after reading your
comment, I tried with a light finger / touch, and I observed that even with
this case on it, I can manage. I stand corrected! (And thanks!!)

It does start to rock if I don't hold my touch light, particularly towards the
corners and the "bottom" in portrait view. Poking the back button is
particularly touchy.

So, I stand partially corrected, I guess.

Anyhoo, I'm still to the point of placing function ahead of form. Or I'm just
getting old and grumpy. 50/50, probably.

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FD3SA
Out of curiosity, what justifies the purchase of non-nexus (or Moto G) devices
for the HN crowd? I have yet to find anything even remotely close in terms of
cost/performance. I can't fathom paying 600-1000 USD for an unlocked
phone/tablet when one could be had for 200-400, especially considering the
rapid product iteration cycles.

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bookwormAT
I'm trying to justify the purchase of a HTC One at the moment, because it
seems to be an awesome phone and I want a new toy.

But for practical use there are no benefits. Not even if you have a older
device. The One is maybe the most beautiful designed piece of hardware I have
ever seen, but other than there is not much that I can do better with the One
than with my Nexus 4.

I still want that damn phone, though.

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JTon
I know those feels well. I've come to the conclusion that with the amount of
time I spend using my phone, I shouldn't be bothered shelling out top dollar
for one.

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killion
I'm excited that they are focused on improving OLED performance. Although I
don't know if this will translate into larger screens. With plasma production
ending it would be great to have OLED be able to take its place.

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vernie
Is the pixel density is now high enough to compensate for the suboptimal
PenTile/Diamond subpixel structure? The last Samsung OLED display I've seen in
person was on a Galaxy S3 and there were noticeable artifacts on some content.

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miahi
Yes, the density compensates for the strange arrangement. I own a Note 3, and
from the closest distance my eyes can focus (~10 cm) I can see a _faint_
diagonal texture on some colors. At normal distance nothing. A straight 1px
line is a straight (and very thin) line, nothing jaggy. I expect the S5, with
an even higher density, is even better.

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nakedrobot2
I honestly can't see any difference between the 720P display on the nexus 4,
and the 1080P display on the Nexus 5.

 _Of course_ if I scrutinize both I could discern a difference with no
problem, but functionally speaking, there is no difference. We certainly don't
need _more_ than 1080P on a phone, do we?

How about some better battery life instead? :)

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bryanlarsen
the linked article measures Maximum Brightness, Screen Reflectance,
performance in High Ambient Light, Absolute Color Accuracy, Viewing Angles,
display power efficiency, and running time on battery. It also says that all
of those are more important than resolution.

