Tried the S4. Screen too dim. Went back to iP5

[macsation]

Must preface this by saying that the ONE outstanding characteristic that I LOVE about Apple products are the bright, clear screens.

I picked up the Galaxy S4 and used it for a week. I just couldn't adjust to the dim screen. I tried changing every possible setting to boost brightness, and it still was nowhere near as bright as the iphone.

Needless to say I went back to the iphone, and am glad that I did, especially now with ios7 right around the corner.

 

[The Game 161]

whatever suits you but going back to a phone purely down to the screen brightness? interesting

 

[Hastings101]

you must have awful battery life using all of your phones on full brightness

 

[THE JUICEMAN]

It's the difference between the SAMOLED screen and the LCD screen. I don't like it either on the Samsung. They have gotten better but it still doesn't match iPhone IMO.

 

[IFRIT]

Unless you spend all day in direct sunlight then it seems a rather trivial thing to swap a phone for.

 

[sonicrobby]

Upped the brigntness in settings?

 

[macsation]

Upped the brigntness in settings?

Hi, yes I adjusted all possible brightness settings.

I usually keep brightness between 60-75%, and the iPhone still seems brighter with much better white tones than the S4. And yes it does seem to be the type of screen used in the S4.

 

[noles1983]

I'd rather take a slightly "less bright" display, than a gimped tiny display. But to each their own.

 

[macsation]

Unless you spend all day in direct sunlight then it seems a rather trivial thing to swap a phone for.

Besides the software and build quality, it's a specific reason why I buy Apple products; the bright screens with whites and colors that pop. Screens from other products typically seem washed out and dull in comparison.

 

[Digital Skunk]

I agree with the OP on this one. Some times it's just that one feature you need. For me it was the tiny screen and lack of Google integration and lack of a usable built in stylus and terrible voice recognition that tipped me over.

Although, just something as simple as iTunes syncing might pull me back.

 

[Dontazemebro]

Finally a thread not based on just anecdotal evidence. Being a long time HTC user, this is one of those things I've had to get used to. Still though, all the positive outweigh the dim screen. Eventually you adjust

 

[Assault]

Must preface this by saying that the ONE outstanding characteristic that I LOVE about Apple products are the bright, clear screens.

I picked up the Galaxy S4 and used it for a week. I just couldn't adjust to the dim screen. I tried changing every possible setting to boost brightness, and it still was nowhere near as bright as the iphone.

Needless to say I went back to the iphone, and am glad that I did, especially now with ios7 right around the corner.

I'm just the opposite. I prefer deep blacks and bold colors on a larger screen. The I phones screen is washed out (especially with blacks and deep blues) and every single apple product I have owned with an LCD screen has had light bleed. So fracking annoying in a dark room or at night.

So while I may not agree with you on phones, I def understand how annoying one thing can be to make you not like a product. Just glad we have all the choices we do.

 

[JennyC]

Hmm I never really (consciously) considered the screen brightness when comparing phones. I guess I always just accept that it is what it is? I have family members that have the iPhone and now that I think about it, the screens are really bright and I guess I do like that!

I just did a little Googling and came across this article about how to customize the brightness settings on an Android phone http://galaxy-note2.wonderhowto.com...-galaxy-note-ii-other-android-device-0140759/

Not saying that I would try any of these, just wondering if any of you had any experience with this type of thing.

 

[IFRIT]

Hmm I never really (consciously) considered the screen brightness when comparing phones. I guess I always just accept that it is what it is? I have family members that have the iPhone and now that I think about it, the screens are really bright and I guess I do like that!

I just did a little Googling and came across this article about how to customize the brightness settings on an Android phone http://galaxy-note2.wonderhowto.com...-galaxy-note-ii-other-android-device-0140759/

Not saying that I would try any of these, just wondering if any of you had any experience with this type of thing.

You won't really notice the max screen brightness unless you're outside on a bright day.

 

[Stuntman06]

Hi, yes I adjusted all possible brightness settings.

I usually keep brightness between 60-75%, and the iPhone still seems brighter with much better white tones than the S4. And yes it does seem to be the type of screen used in the S4.

I haven't made any comparisons with the S4 yet. I have an S3 and I compared my brightness to either the 4S or 5 once. I found that the S3 at 100% brightness is roughly as bright as the iPhone at 50% brightness. If you normally use the iPhone at higher than 50% brightness, I can understand why you would not like the S3 or S4.

 

[Brittany246]

Yeah, my brother had the same problem with the Galaxy S4 screen before switching to an iPhone. He didn't switch because the screen was too dim, though.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

You won't really notice the max screen brightness unless you're outside on a bright day.

I keep my iPhone's brightness between 75% and 100% during the daytime, even indoors. The S4 was too dim for my preference indoors at 100%. I like a bright screen. I probably would have adjusted to it if I had kept it, but I prefer LCD over AMOLED. Brightness is only part of it. LCD still wows me when I look at it. Especially the HTC One. AMOLED doesn't wow me, except for blacks. For me, it isn't worth it just for blacks.

 

[Sensamic]

For screen brightness you should have chosen the HTC one with its LCD screen just like the one on the iPhone.

 

[jcpb]

I tried setting my 4S to max brightness. It was too bright, but unlike a laptop (where I'd have ~12 inches of space between my eyes and the display), the 4S is meant to be used at a distance half that.

I dialed down the brightness settings back to 1/3 after that.

 

[Apollo 13]

Unless you spend all day in direct sunlight then it seems a rather trivial thing to swap a phone for.

it's summer so a lot of ppl will be spending a lot of time out in direct sunlight.

 

[nickchallis92]

On that basis why didn't the OP pick up an HTC One?

The screen on that makes the iphone 5's screen look monochrome

 

[macsation]

On that basis why didn't the OP pick up an HTC One?

The screen on that makes the iphone 5's screen look monochrome

Yea good point. At the time I wasn't aware of the One's bright screen.

But, since I have a Macbook Air, Mini, ATV, and ipad I figured why not just return to what works. I also am not a huge fan of Android, or it's apps. Then when I saw ios7 I was re-sold on the iphone moving forward.

But, as I stated it was the S4 screen that overwhelmingly drove me back.

----------

I'd rather take a slightly "less bright" display, than a gimped tiny display. But to each their own.

Funny, switching to a giant screen make me realize that for me the iphone size is near perfect. I have an amazing hand crafted leather wallet that I carry it in. Perfect size for popping it into my pocket or a small backpack.

I don't want a giant 5" phone. As long as the screen is high resolution, I can view all the info I need on a 4" screen.

 

[2298754]

Keep it in Auto Mode, it is fine in the sunlight.

I still think the GS4 has the most vibrant screen out there right now. The colors just pop.

 

[Dmunjal]

For screen brightness you should have chosen the HTC one with its LCD screen just like the one on the iPhone.

Or even the S4 Active?

 

[maxosx]

Must preface this by saying that the ONE outstanding characteristic that I LOVE about Apple products are the bright, clear screens.

I picked up the Galaxy S4 and used it for a week. I just couldn't adjust to the dim screen. I tried changing every possible setting to boost brightness, and it still was nowhere near as bright as the iphone.

Needless to say I went back to the iphone, and am glad that I did, especially now with ios7 right around the corner.

It didn't take much for you to leave your iPhone. Kind of interesting that you didn't know more about the replacement phone you purchased.

It's well known that you give up approximately 15% brightness when switching between the two display technologies.

Personally I've never used my iPhone 5 on full brightness. I find that setting it at approx 60% is plenty bright unless one is outdoors, and it extends battery life as well. I've got my S4 set to 70% brightness and that's plenty.

Given the fact that the S4 has a PPI rating of 441 to the iPhones much lower 326, is a testament to advancements in clarity over the iPhone. Outside the Galaxy S4 display is clear and easy to read, something that I cannot say about my iPhone 5.

Yet I'm not bashing Apple's phone, just clarifying what it's like to use both of these phones concurrently. If I was not a fan of the iPhone, I wouldn't be using one.