Has anyone noticed how dull the 950XL display is?

[slyronit]

I got a 950XL back in Dec 2015, coming from a Lumia 830, the display definitely felt like an upgrade, till the time I fished my old 920 out of my drawer for office use.

The 920's glass is shinier and colours feel more vibrant than the 950XL, which somehow feels 'matte'. Not when you look at it, but when you compare it to other erstwhile flagship phones.

Here are my observations

1. The 920/925 both have 'glossier' glasses compared to the 950XL
2. The 950 has a 'glossier' glass compared to the 950XL
3. Have used multiple 950XLs for comparison

Yes, I have tried boosting vibrance, but somehow it looks like something with the glass rather than the display. Maybe something to do with Gorilla Glass 4?

 

[Corwin_Amber1]

Hi Slyronit,

yes, I would suppose that it has to do with GG4 versus GG3. The GG4 on the XL is thinner and feels more plasticky. However it breaks a lot harder. Check this out:

GG3 breaking at 05:12, GG4 breaking at 06:00:
https://youtu.be/Oyx6PpXuJfc?t=5m12s

 

[Vladimir Ka]

I like matte.. I wish it was completely matte like old ThinkPad laptops.. no glare on that sucker!

 

[lankylars]

Here are my observations

1. The 920/925 both have 'glossier' glasses compared to the 950XL
2. The 950 has a 'glossier' glass compared to the 950XL
3. Have used multiple 950XLs for comparison

Yes, I have tried boosting vibrance, but somehow it looks like something with the glass rather than the display. Maybe something to do with Gorilla Glass 4?

The 920 used an IPS LCD screen, a tech that is good for viewing more accurate color at an angle. The 925 use "PenTile" AMOLED, which some complain have worse color performance and crispness than an IPS LCD. AMOLED screens save power over LCDs while still allowing good response time. However, AMOLED screens generally don't have the same max brightness that LCDs do, perhaps making them appear less vibrant. The "PenTile" technology is a way to reduce cost by minimizing pixels needed in the display, or something.

The 950 XL is just listed as having an AMOLED display, without many of the marketing terms associated with the tech (e.g. Super AMOLED, HD Super AMOLED, blah blah).

Sort of long answer, but hopefully it provides more detail to your question.

 

[peter leung 10586]

The 920 used an IPS LCD screen, a tech that is good for viewing more accurate color at an angle. The 925 use "PenTile" AMOLED, which some complain have worse color performance and crispness than an IPS LCD. AMOLED screens save power over LCDs while still allowing good response time. However, AMOLED screens generally don't have the same max brightness that LCDs do, perhaps making them appear less vibrant. The "PenTile" technology is a way to reduce cost by minimizing pixels needed in the display, or something.

The 950 XL is just listed as having an AMOLED display, without many of the marketing terms associated with the tech (e.g. Super AMOLED, HD Super AMOLED, blah blah).

Sort of long answer, but hopefully it provides more detail to your question.

oled is more natural than lcd. oled displays black color by not emitting any light. lcd displays black color by blocking its backlight.

 

[slyronit]

It is not (only) because of Gorilla Glass 4. The Xiaomi MI5 also has Gorilla Glass 4, but the glass feels much better.

I suspect MS used a lower grade Oleophobic coating on the 950XL, that's all.