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nviz22

Cancelled
Original poster
Jun 24, 2013
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3,071
Can anyone explain how a "True Tone Display" compares to AMOLED technology, especially when Samsung has the best mobile phone displays out to date? I am confused on whether or not a True Tone Display can help with a difference in nits, adaptability, color reproduction, blacks, energy efficiency, etc that the S7 and Note 7 posses vs Apple.
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,422
Can anyone explain how a "True Tone Display" compares to AMOLED technology, especially when Samsung has the best mobile phone displays out to date? I am confused on whether or not a True Tone Display can help with a difference in nits, adaptability, color reproduction, blacks, energy efficiency, etc that the S7 and Note 7 posses vs Apple.

You mean the whole DCI-P3 color gamut thing Apple's been bragging about recently?
 

BlueGoldAce

macrumors 68000
Oct 11, 2011
1,951
1,455
Can anyone explain how a "True Tone Display" compares to AMOLED technology, especially when Samsung has the best mobile phone displays out to date? I am confused on whether or not a True Tone Display can help with a difference in nits, adaptability, color reproduction, blacks, energy efficiency, etc that the S7 and Note 7 posses vs Apple.

I have the note 7, and I have the ipad pro 9.7.

The true-ton is nice, though not as impactful as some would have you believe. It adapts the color of the display to your surrounding, which allows it to supposedly produce a wider ranger of colors (since it is compensating for the environmental lighting. I enjoy it, since I use my iPad for a lot of reading, but it does tend to make the display look warmer than you might be used to (warmer displays are actual more on the accurate, but cooler displays tend to impress people more). It won't increase nits, it won't be more efficent than AMOLED (by the nature of the tech, though I guess anything is possible), and the only way it helps the black levels is by adapting to your surrounding.

The AMOLED on the Note 7 will continue to have the better blacks, contrast, and probably all around have that "wow" factor. It should be more energy efficient, but the 6s Plus already gets better battery life due to the nature of the OS. That doesn't mean the note 7 is better, due to personal preference. I will admit though, the display on the note 7 is impressive.
 

Oohara

macrumors 68040
Jun 28, 2012
3,050
2,423
Tested a iPad Pro 9.7 thoroughly today. To me the difference put very simply would be something like:

True Tone - clearer, crispier, better definition

SAMOLED - blacks are black, the image is organic and easier on the eyes

Neither is clearly better than the other IMO, not in a general sense. They just have different specialities.
 

Analog Kid

macrumors G3
Mar 4, 2003
9,360
12,603
Can anyone explain how a "True Tone Display" compares to AMOLED technology, especially when Samsung has the best mobile phone displays out to date? I am confused on whether or not a True Tone Display can help with a difference in nits, adaptability, color reproduction, blacks, energy efficiency, etc that the S7 and Note 7 posses vs Apple.
I'll assume you're being subjective when you say Samsung has the best displays out to date. DisplayMate shows the iPP 9.7" better than the 7 series on most metrics.

True-Tone is something else entirely though. It's not about accuracy, it's about how your eye handles white balance. White paper looks white no matter what the ambient lighting looks like-- early morning, high noon, sunset, florescent or warm incandescent. Your brain calculates out what the lighting is and corrects for it.

The problem is that our digital devices, except for e-ink displays, produce their own light. So now if you're looking at a piece of paper at sunset, and your iPad is next to it, the paper looks white and the iPad looks blue.

The point of True-tone is to correct the white balance of the display to match the ambient lighting. To make a white page on the iPad look like it would if it were reflective in the lighting environment you're currently sitting in. At sunset the white iPad and the white paper would be the same color.

I find it quite pleasant.
 

nviz22

Cancelled
Original poster
Jun 24, 2013
5,277
3,071
The reason why I ask is because I wanted to see if Apple can match something the S7 and Note 7 offer to an extent with the new iPhone. It seems like the 1080p display will stay? I want to re-evaluate my commitment towards keeping a S7 for a year or so.
 

Andres Cantu

macrumors 68040
May 31, 2015
3,328
8,002
Texas
The true-tone display, wide color gamut, and increased resolution are all things Apple can include in the iPhone 7. The question is will they include all, some, or just one?

I'm leaning towards the first two, as much as I also want a 1080p display.
 

jamesrick80

macrumors 68030
Sep 12, 2014
2,665
2,218
True tone has nothing on samsungs amoled...I have both the iPad Pro 9.7 and the note 7 and the note 7 has the overall better screen and the wow factor.....
 

rhinosrcool

macrumors 68000
Sep 5, 2009
1,761
695
MN
True tone has nothing on samsungs amoled...I have both the iPad Pro 9.7 and the note 7 and the note 7 has the overall better screen and the wow factor.....


I agree. My iPad Pro 9.7 has a very good display, but it is no match to my Note 7. Reading on both is fine, but on my 7, it's better. The text is crisper. Although for outside reading, nothing beats my kindle.
 

bgro

macrumors 65816
Jul 6, 2010
1,143
697
South Florida
Picked up an iPad Pro 9.7 a few days ago and the only difference I'm seeing with True Tone turned on is that it always looks like nightshift or whatever it's called is always on. I've only used the Pro in my house in somewhat lower light so maybe that's why I haven't seen anything else other than this warmer type display. Note 7 screen was much better overall imo
 

macfacts

macrumors 603
Oct 7, 2012
5,374
6,340
Cybertron
Can anyone explain how a "True Tone Display" compares to AMOLED technology, especially when Samsung has the best mobile phone displays out to date? I am confused on whether or not a True Tone Display can help with a difference in nits, adaptability, color reproduction, blacks, energy efficiency, etc that the S7 and Note 7 posses vs Apple.

True tone display from Apple is a color management software feature. I'm pretty sure it can be used on any type of displays, LCD or AMOLED.
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
Kind of off topic, but with the iPhone I will very much miss my always on display. I've found it so useful, hopefully the ip8 uses amoled.
 

bgro

macrumors 65816
Jul 6, 2010
1,143
697
South Florida
Kind of off topic, but with the iPhone I will very much miss my always on display. I've found it so useful, hopefully the ip8 uses amoled.
I kinda found the AOD to be more of an annoyance as the notification light accomplished the same thing for me.
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
I kinda found the AOD to be more of an annoyance as the notification light accomplished the same thing for me.

I was never good at remembering which color was for which alert, I liked being able to see the icon and know what type of alert I had. It was especially nice if the phone was charging in front of me and I didn't want to take it off the charger or use my hands.
 

bgro

macrumors 65816
Jul 6, 2010
1,143
697
South Florida
I was never good at remembering which color was for which alert, I liked being able to see the icon and know what type of alert I had. It was especially nice if the phone was charging in front of me and I didn't want to take it off the charger or use my hands.
Yeah plus all the apps don't support different color notification lights. But I mainly care about texts and textra allows u to change the light color so I only had to remember one lol. I also liked the calendar setting on the AOD was nice to have but ultimately I could do without the AOD as a whole
 
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Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,422
I agree. My iPad Pro 9.7 has a very good display, but it is no match to my Note 7. Reading on both is fine, but on my 7, it's better. The text is crisper. Although for outside reading, nothing beats my kindle.

Sharper text has nothing to do with SAMOLED vs True Tone.
 
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