Thanks to these cutting-edge developments, the Galaxy S10 line offers a display with a brilliant, realistic picture quality whilst being comfortable on the user’s eyes and able to reflect various color preferences. Samsung Newsroom sat down with Byungduk Yang, Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Mobile Communications Division to learn more about how the Galaxy S10 line’s display is at the core of the user’s mobile experience.

A User-Friendly Approach to Display Technology

Yang’s development philosophy for mobile displays puts the user first; “providing practical screen solutions and new experiences have become our core values,” explained Yang. “As a result, the Galaxy S10 line’s display focuses on providing interesting experiences and real-life benefits to users, beyond just good picture quality or display size.”

Of course, one of the key innovations of the Galaxy S10 line is the full screen experience provided by the ‘Infinity-O Display’ that covers, bar the camera, the entire front side of the device. In order to seamlessly integrate the front camera into the display, a small and precise hole is made in the screen using a delicate laser cutting technique and advanced barrier technology. These procedures maximize screen real estate, enhancing the reliability of barrier performance of AMOLED pixels around the hole. Therefore, users’ visual experience is maintained, or even more improved on the Infinity-O Display along with Dynamic AMOLED technology at the highest quality possible. “The Galaxy S10 line’s full display offers picture quality that is more realistic than before,” noted Yang.

But the Galaxy S10 line’s display provides real-life benefits and experiences to users beyond just high picture quality. “We wanted to achieve a ‘user-friendly’ display,” explained Yang. “Display-based devices are known to harm users’ retinas after prolonged use to due blue light emissions. This is particularly a problem at night, when exposure to blue light inhibits melatonin production which can affect sleep patterns. But the Galaxy S10 line’s display delicately manipulates the wavelength of blue OLED to remove the harmful energy, which means the device can be used for a long time with minimal damage to the user’s eyes.”

Previously, smartphone displays used regular software to reduce the amount of blue light emanating from the display. But the Galaxy S10 line harnesses a technology that reduces blue light exposure by 42% more than the previous technique, without compromising picture quality. “We have even received an Eye Comfort Certification from TÜV Rheinland,” enthused Yang. “Users will definitely notice than their eyes are less strained when using the Galaxy S10.”

Changing the Way We See Color

Key to the brilliant realism of the Galaxy S10 line’s Dynamic AMOLED display is its evolved color representation. Compared to previous Galaxy phones, the Galaxy S10 line is the most exceptional yet; DisplayMate’s Just Noticeable Color Difference (JNCD) unit measurement for Galaxy S10 is 0.4 JNCD (where the lower the value, the more realistic a color rendering is), up from the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S9’s ratings at 0.5 and 0.7 JNCD respectively.

This near-perfect color rendering also takes into account global user color preferences. “We identified that people read color differently depending on where they are from, their age, and their gender,” explained Yang. “To accommodate this, we asked over 2,000 people in 15 countries all around the world to provide their color preferences. We then analyzed their responses and, given the results, created two default color modes. ‘Natural Mode’ has a warmer tone to suit people in the US and Europe, whereas ‘Vivid Mode’ accents bluish tones for users in Asia.”

A Display to Match the Human Eye

On top of being able to render over 16 million colors, the Galaxy S10 line’s Dynamic AMOLED Display also supports high definition, providing the user with optimized high picture quality for every image, and as the world’s first smartphone display to support HDR10+, for every frame of a video, as well. Much like how the pupils in our eyes dilate and contract depending on the amount of light around us, the Galaxy S10’s display features Dynamic Tone Mapping technology that adjusts and optimizes picture quality according to the light-dark contrast on the screen.

The display has also received a ‘100% Mobile Color Volume’ certification for its realistic image rendering – the first smartphone range to ever do so. In order to achieve such display prowess, not only has Samsung been tirelessly working on AMOLED organic material research, but also on its proprietary picture quality engine, ‘mDNIe (Mobile Digital Natural Image Engine)’.

So what is the future of device display, as envisaged by Yang? “In the past, we began with black and white displays – TV screens – and the natural next step was to develop displays that presented images in color, moving closer to how we, as humans, perceive the world. Accordingly, we are to take this verisimilitude to the next level by making a display that brings together technology to provide a picture quality that matches the realism and substantiality of human vision.” 

After a comprehensive evaluation process, DisplayMate Technologies has deemed the Galaxy S10’s display “the most color accurate display that we have ever tested, [and] almost certainly considerably better than your existing smartphone, 4K UHD TV, tablet, laptop, and computer monitor.” Like the Galaxy Note9 and Galaxy S9 before it, the Galaxy S10 established or matched several smartphone display performance records during DisplayMate’s extensive tests, ultimately becoming the latest flagship Galaxy device to earn the firm’s highest-ever “Excellent A+” grade.

Compared to the Galaxy S9, the Galaxy S10 offers markedly better outdoor visibility, power consumption, color accuracy, and more.

Featuring a peak luminance of 1215 nits, the Galaxy S10’s display is approximately 6.9 percent brighter than that of its predecessor, and produces crisp, vibrant visuals when users need them – such as when they’re outside and under direct sunlight, or in environments with lots of ambient light. And with a relative power efficiency rating of 1.54 watts – an improvement on the Galaxy S9’s 1.70-watt rating – the Galaxy S10’s display is not only brighter than last year’s model, but also more energy efficient.

In addition to being the first mobile display to support HDR10+, a next-generation open standard for high dynamic range (HDR) video, the Galaxy S10’s display has been verified by DisplayMate to offer record-setting color accuracy. Its 0.4 Just Noticeable Color Difference (JNCD) rating in the DCI-P3 color range is a marked improvement over the Galaxy S9’s 0.7 JNCD score. This means that the Galaxy S10’s display can be counted on to deliver outstanding picture quality, with a level of color accuracy that is, according to DisplayMate’s report, “virtually indistinguishable from perfect.”

To help users protect their eyes from blue light, which studies suggest can affect our ability to get a good night’s rest, the Galaxy S10 features built-in technology that reduces blue light by up to 42 percent.¹ The display has also received a coveted ‘Eye Comfort’ certification from world-class German testing and certification body TÜV Rheinland for its record-low blue light output. Whereas conventional smartphone OLED panels’ visuals feature roughly 12 percent blue light, the Galaxy S10’s feature just seven percent – the lowest level in the business.

After detailing the display’s record-setting enhancements in his report, DisplayMate Technologies’ President, Dr. Raymond Soneira, noted that “What is particularly significant and impressive is that Samsung has been systematically improving OLED display performance with every Galaxy generation since 2010.”

The Galaxy S10 adds an exciting new chapter to that legacy, and underlines Samsung Electronics’ continued commitment to developing the most immersive displays on the market.

The Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e will officially launch on March 8 in select markets.

¹ Compared to the Galaxy S9.

DisplayMate Technologies has completed its comprehensive evaluation of the Galaxy Note9’s Infinity Display, and the results are clear: “The level of display performance and excellence has been increasing each year, and the Galaxy Note9 has raised the bar significantly higher.”

According to the world’s leading evaluator of video screens, the Galaxy Note9 features “the most innovative and high-performance smartphone display that we have ever lab tested.” The smartphone established several display performance records during DisplayMate’s in-depth analysis, ultimately earning the firm’s highest-ever A+ grade.

The Galaxy Note9’s 6.4-inch, 3K (2960×1440) Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display matched or set records for a number of important measurements, including screen reflectance, absolute color accuracy, peak brightness, native color gamut, contrast ratio and screen resolution.

The smartphone’s enhanced High Brightness Mode produces vibrant visuals when users need them, such as when they’re under direct sunlight or in environments with lots of ambient light. DisplayMate’s evaluators tested the feature by displaying an all-white full screen, which is the most challenging image for an OLED display to produce, as it requires all the pixels to shine at full power.

The Galaxy Note9 set a new record for this brightness measurement that was 27 percent brighter than last year’s Galaxy Note8. The device also featured a contrast rating for high ambient light that was 32 percent higher than that of its predecessor.

Each of the Galaxy Note9’s screen modes demonstrated record-setting absolute color accuracy, which is measured in units of Just Noticeable Color Differences, or JNCD. This measurement refers to the bare minimum color difference that the human eye can perceive. The Galaxy Note9’s 0.5 JNCD rating is not only 85 percent better than the Galaxy Note8. According to DisplayMate, the record-setting rating makes the Galaxy Note9’s Infinity Display “the most color accurate display we have ever measured,” and “visually indistinguishable from perfect.”

In addition to featuring enhanced brightness and accuracy, the Galaxy Note9’s display offers improved power efficiency. DisplayMate’s evaluation also included a measurement of the display’s average power consumption when portraying a wide range of content. The Galaxy Note9 consumed just 1.10 watts of power, which makes it 8 percent more power efficient than the Galaxy Note8.

The Galaxy Note9 will officially launch on August 24. To learn more about Samsung’s newest flagship phone and its record-setting display, check out Samsung Newsroom’s roundup of all things Galaxy Note9.

Although the Galaxy S9’s 3K Quad HD+ OLED Infinity Display features the same size (5.8 inches) and resolution (2960 x 1440) as last year’s Galaxy S8, the new device matches or sets many smartphone display performance records, and outpaces its predecessor in several measures including color accuracy, brightness, outdoor visibility and reflectivity.

Each of the Infinity Display’s screen modes demonstrates record-setting absolute color accuracy, which means that depicted colors are visually indistinguishable from perfect. In Cinema Mode, the Galaxy S9 has been rated to 0.7 JNCD (Just Noticeable Color Difference), a measurement that refers to the bare minimum color difference that the human eye can perceive. The display also features a wide native color gamut – 113 percent of DCI-P3 and 141 percent of sRGB/Rec. 709*; the largest that DisplayMate has ever measured in a smartphone or tablet.

The Galaxy S9 offers users the best in terms of image quality and brightness, and features an enhanced High Brightness Mode that allows it to produce vibrant visuals when users need them, such as when they’re under direct sunlight or in other environments with lots of ambient light. The display’s peak brightness of 1,130 nits is approximately 10.7 percent brighter than that of the Galaxy S8.

The Galaxy S9 also features a record-setting reflectance score – another measure that’s crucial when it comes to evaluating screen readability, picture quality and color accuracy in bright settings. DisplayMate’s evaluation has found that the display’s screen reflectance level is just 4.4 percent, which is the lowest that the firm has ever measured in a smartphone.

The device is additionally certified by the UHD Alliance for Mobile HDR Premium, which means that the Galaxy S9 is capable of playing the same dynamic 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range) content as 4K UHD premium TVs.

The Galaxy S9 will be available in stores beginning on March 16.

*The Galaxy S9 features four screen modes calibrated for different content, applications and user preferences. These measurements reflect the devices’ default screen mode, ‘Adaptive Display’.