Database Users

n1 in a sunlight

This is a big concern of mine. I love the specs of the n1 but I've read that nothing can be seen on the screen in direct sunlight. I'd buy an HTC HD2 because I can even read books in sunlight with it but they stick with the win mobile and I like to have an android phone. So what do you say about n1 screen quality in comparison to the htc hd2 screen?

NB2 said:
This is a big concern of mine. I love the specs of the n1 but I've read that nothing can be seen on the screen in direct sun light. I'd buy an HTC HD2 because I can even read books in sunlight with it but they stick with the win mobile and I like to have an android phone. So what do you say about n1 screen quality?
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The only people who say this are people who don't know how to use the phone. Basically there is an automatic brightness option that changes the brightness based on how bright it is around the phone. Unfortunately, it seems like this feature always keeps the screen fairly dim, so I don't like it.
I have this feature disabled at all times and keep my phone at maximum brightness. It looks perfectly fine in sunlight.
People who say the screen doesn't work in sunlight don't know how to disable this feature (ie don't know how to use Android / change simple settings).

Paul22000 said:
I have this feature disabled at all times and keep my phone at maximum brightness. It looks perfectly fine in sunlight.
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I've seen an app on an htc hd2 that changes the brightness automatically but one can adjust the brightness for specific surround conditions (i.e it looks like a graphical equalizer). I do not own the phone but I was told that this app works quite good. Is there something similar for the n1?

I can attest the screen pretty much sucks in sunligh at full brightness. The beaming sun in south florida is relentless.

Yeah, the N1 is hard to read in the bright sun and its not just pooping on stupid people that dont understand computerz or a simple setting that fixes it, it just gives glare in the sun.

Most phones/screens, regardless of their technology, are difficult to see in direct sunlight. But then, why are you trying to read the screen in direct sunlight? Just turn the other way, or shield it with your hand. Not that hard to figure out, really.
I use the automatic light sensor all the time. The only time is gets confused is is in a dim room, bright source (window, lamp) directly in front of the sensor. You have to realize what the sensor is seeing. Often times it's seeing light reflected off your face, hence the up/down/up/down of the screen brightness.
I honestly don't see either as issues with the phone, but the users rather.

I've had no problems using my Nexus One in direct sunlight.

Raymond77 said:
I've had no problems using my Nexus One in direct sunlight.
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really? i will be honest, i cannot see **** in direct sunlight unless i have the brightness all the way up... and that screen on full brightness is a battery hog...

I have no major probs with mine in direct sunlight, it's not that much different to the G1. I'm sure there are phones with better screens for direct sunlight but it's far from unusable.
The auto brightness feature works fine, you just have to wait a couple of seconds for it to adjust. Only people who don't know how to use the phone disable it and waste all their battery.

JHaste said:
really? i will be honest, i cannot see **** in direct sunlight unless i have the brightness all the way up... and that screen on full brightness is a battery hog...
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Really. I usually leave the screen set to auto, on the odd occasion I've had to turn it up to the brightest setting, but as the last poster said usually it'll catch up and turn the brightness up itself.

snoopstah said:
I have no major probs with mine in direct sunlight, it's not that much different to the G1. I'm sure there are phones with better screens for direct sunlight but it's far from unusable.
The auto brightness feature works fine, you just have to wait a couple of seconds for it to adjust. Only people who don't know how to use the phone disable it and waste all their battery.
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Or people who don't have any problem with the battery? With my use the battery lasts for 20+ hours, which is more than enough time for me to get to a charger again.
I always have the brightness at max and have had it that way for all the phones I've had (where you can set the brightness). If I'm gonna be more than a day without charging it I'll of course turn it down, but it's far from a neccesity for day to day use.
Just checked my phone and it's been off the charger for 16 hours and I still have 53% left on the battery.

Brightness in the direct Thai sunlight is fully adequate. The only problem I've had is that in direct sunlight, everything else is well lit, and so reflects off the screen.
Brightness: no problem
Reflection off the screen: annoying.

Paul22000 said:
The only people who say this are people who don't know how to use the phone. Basically there is an automatic brightness option that changes the brightness based on how bright it is around the phone. Unfortunately, it seems like this feature always keeps the screen fairly dim, so I don't like it.
I have this feature disabled at all times and keep my phone at maximum brightness. It looks perfectly fine in sunlight.
People who say the screen doesn't work in sunlight don't know how to disable this feature (ie don't know how to use Android / change simple settings).
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False. I know this phone well and disabled the auto brightness within 20 minutes of owning the phone. As much as I love my N1, and would not trade it for any phone, the amazing OMLED screen is one of the worst screens I've used as far as clarity in direct sunlight. This is not an N1 problem, but a problem with OLED screens in general. Assuming the new iPhone that should be released in June will have an OLED screen, it will have the same problem in direct sunlight.
You can buy anti-glare screen protectors that help this problem, but you do sacrifice some of the stunning brightness and clarity of the N1 screen in regular viewing conditions.
There is no way I would trade the N1 screen for the likes of the iPhone screen as the benefits of the OLED screen in non-direct sunlight viewing far outweighs the difficulty seeing the screen in direct sunlight. In fact, the N1 screen is probably its most impressive feature (aside from its blazing speed).

irishrally said:
the amazing OMLED screen is one of the worst screens I've used as far as clarity in direct sunlight. This is not an N1 problem, but a problem with OLED screens in general. Assuming the new iPhone that should be released in June will have an OLED screen, it will have the same problem in direct sunlight.
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of cause this is the n1 problem and yours in the end! How are you suppose to take pictures with the n1 if you see nothing on the screen? How you suppose to dial a number if you see nothing on the screen? Saying this is not the phone to blame but the screen manufacturing process sounds stupid to me.

I have never in my life encountered an electronic device with a screen that was perfectly readable in direct sunlight, that is to say, as readable as indoors (not even my laptop plugged in the mains and set to full brightness). Reason: no screen technology can provide as much brightness as the sun. Solution: accept it, and cover the screen with one hand while you use the device with the other....
NB2 said:
of cause this is the n1 problem and yours in the end! How are you suppose to take pictures with the n1 if you see nothing on the screen? How you suppose to dial a number if you see nothing on the screen? Saying this is not the phone to blame but the screen manufacturing process sounds stupid to me.
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take pictures: look over the device and hit the shutter button..
input: open you jacket and form the number while providing shadow with it, or provide shadow with one hand while forming the number with the other. It's a fact that you need to accept, period.

Video sunlight test
Here is a video I found, it basically compares the N1's screen in sunlight to the Droid's screen at three different brightness levels. Enjoy.
youtube. com/watch?v=YwyJq6oF4wE
note, since I'm new I can't post links... just remove the space

The screen is really nice in normal light but yeah it sucks in the sunlight LOL Probably depends where you live but in sunny South Florida it's a pain sometimes. Doesn't matter which direction you turn definitely have to shield it with your hand and it's still pretty hard to read. I'm looking into getting an anti glare screen protector for it to see how that helps. The display is absolutely beautiful but i'm starting to think maybe oled isn't the best technology for cell phone screens

Oled
The main difference between the screen technology in the N1 and most other phones is that on the N1, as I understand it, each pixel emits its own light (OLED = Organic Light Emitting Diode) as opposed to a 'liquid' film lighted from the back (LCD = Liquid Crystal Display). The only technology that I know of that will work well in direct sunlight is e-ink.
It is not likely that a pixel or a backlight could ever reasonably compete with direct sunlight, but on an LCD screen it is possible for the sunlight to reflect off the back layer or to hold the device is a certain angle to 'perhap's see the image better in sunlight then on the OLED type display.
However, having the N1 myself, I have found that I am able to shade the display in full Southern California Sunlight well enough to function with the device. The OLED display is much too gorgious to give up for LCD in my opinion.

Man this things REALLY bad in the sunlight..

Bright sunny day in Chicago ...hadda view my messages ...couldn't see SQUAT :..Summer patio drinking days gonna be a trip

that's odd. I'm in Chicago right now too and I was just thinking to myself that the screen isn't nearly as bad in sunlight as a lot of people were saying. just have to turn up the brightness a bit and I think it looks really good
*edit* typed that on phone and didn't notice my dumbass typos

yea with high brightness it aint bad

rockky said:
Bright sunny day in Chicago ...hadda view my messages ...couldn't see SQUAT :..Summer patio drinking days gonna be a trip
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Here you go man:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=638459

Are you that emotionally invested in the device that you can't read a criticism of it without interpreting it as whining and suggesting they get another device.
Making an observation .Man up brother,
Paul22000 said:
Here you go man:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=638459
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rockky said:
Are you that emotionally invested in the device that you can't read a criticism of it without interpreting it as whining and suggesting they get another device.
Making an observation .Man up brother,
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First of all. Owned.
Second. I'm not hear to down talk you.
Third. I got this phone expecting it to be bad in the sun and after I used it I realized that it wasn't really bad at all. I keep my brightness turned up though. Have you tried using the auto brightness feature?

for me if i have it at a low brightness i cant even see anything in the sun, but if i have auto brightness on it works fine, i was in california last weekend with it with 70+ degree weather and very very sunny and i could use it no problem with auto brightness

iamwhoamnot said:
for me if i have it at a low brightness i cant even see anything in the sun, but if i have auto brightness on it works fine, i was in california last weekend with it with 70+ degree weather and very very sunny and i could use it no problem with auto brightness
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Word.
No more needs said.

I use curvefish's brightness app to manually adjust brightness. Outside on a cloudy day, like today, 25-50% is enough. On a sunny day I only need 50-75%. I've never actually used the screen on 100%. I've tried it out, just to see it drain the battery, but never in day-to-day use.
Either way, get used to it. OLED screens are going to replace LCD screens in all portable electronics very soon. They're much more power efficient and they'll eventually cost a lot less. They look better too. You can't fight the future.

I use clarivue anti glare screen protectors on all of my phones. Works great and you won't have to turn the brightness up so high on the phone when it's sunny out. They sell them in packs of 2 for $10. worth checking out

Screen dimmer in general after update?

I feel like the screen brightness is trending significantly lower with the auto brightness sensor enabled. I could swear that the screen would bump up the brightness more in certain settings that now appear too dim. Is anyone else seeing this, or am I imagining it?

Actually, I didn't really notice at first, but my girlfriend's Epic has been updated already and mine has not (still waiting for the update message). After i read this post I put them side by side to check...in the same lighting conditions her Epic is definitely dimmer now.

Sigh... why'd the break it! Screen brightness was perfect! Now I find myself pointing the screen at a light source from time to time because it goes too dim too fast. Sure, it may give the OLED matrix a slightly longer life, but most of us don't use this thing for hours outdoors anyway - in addition to the fact that we'll (probably) be replacing the phone after 1-2 years for the next best thing anyway. Any fixes anyone?

It seems like the screen can get dimmer now but I could be wrong.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

i was thinkin that before and also while web browsing i used to be able to adjust brightness even with my general brightness on auto .. but now i cant ....

I just leave mine at either 50% or 100%

They lowered the minimum brightness, which affects the auto scaler at all levels. I noticed that the EVO could get much duller than the Epic and that when indoors, the lowest setting was still quite bright. It should help save battery.
I use manual, so I don't care.

i really love the dimmer screen, i always have it very low because at work i really dont need a brighter screen and of course save battery, love that change.

I like the lower setting because it was hard to look at in the morning after waking up before. You can easily adjusting the brightness by swiping left or right on the status bar.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

[Q] Auto-brightness

There has been a lot said about the screen being dim on this phone, and it's the one and only thing that's holding me back from committing to getting it. Summer's coming and I want to be able to play it outside without having to sit in a dark corner.
I've also read that the auto-brightness feature is mandatory, and that it doesn't work particularly well, so I was wondering if this was the main reason for the reportedly dim screen. My current phone - an AMOLED HTC Desire - is VERY dim with the auto brightness enabled, but thankfully I can turn it off.
For anyone with the phone who is able to test, do you think the screen is bright enough if you cover the light sensor altogether? I'm sure that once the phone is rooted, we'll be able to disable the light sensor altogether, and I'm hoping the screen brightness is purely a software limitation (i.e. fixable) and not a hardware problem (i.e. NOT fixable)
Thanks.

If someone that has theirs already were to check the brightness on boot before the sensors even initialize that might give you a good idea of what it is capable of.
Most android phones i've played with in the past boot at full brightness. Your mileage may varry

Mine arrive tomorrow... dont know until tuesday

I got a slider for the birhgtness, haven't noticed any dimming/brightening automatically, seems just fine to me.

I think that if this problem keeps appearing SE will do something about it, and else the community will

I had mine for a day and sent it back...the auto brightness very temperamental. I would play Gboid emulator (great with new controls btw) and the screen would literally get dim and lighten up constantly every few seconds - under same lighting condition, it became very annoying throughout the day as you end up anticipating it..seems the sensor tries too hard under certain lighting conditions and not having the option to disable auto lighting is just dumb.
The screen is also a terrible fingerprint magnet, and definitely not the best on a cloudy day (Could not test in direct sunlight, this is a rare occurring phenomena here in UK) ...Also dust tends to get into the very fine spacings around the screen.
After an hour of use the phone looked like my kids and dog had played with it for few weeks....Not for me.
But maybe thats just me being spoilt with Nexus S and Ipone4 smudge free, brighter screens.

I dont use the auto-brightness. Ive just manually set it a little lower.

Aightu said:
I dont use the auto-brightness. Ive just manually set it a little lower.
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I see what people are complaining about and... really it's not that bad.
I can see where it might get annoying if you're looking for it, but the screen is not going off and on like some people make it out to be. At least mine is not.
I keep mine at 50% brightness and I don't notice a brightness change even slightly. It's bright enough to see indoors easily and not noticeably worse outdoors than any other non-amoled phone I've owned.
from my experience people are making a mountain out of a mole hill, and the auto-brightness can be disabled with custom roms in the future, just live with it in the mean time. That or ask SE for an update that allows you to disable it.

johnsongrantr said:
I see what people are complaining about and... really it's not that bad.
I can see where it might get annoying if you're looking for it, but the screen is not going off and on like some people make it out to be. At least mine is not.
I keep mine at 50% brightness and I don't notice a brightness change even slightly. It's bright enough to see indoors easily and not noticeably worse outdoors than any other non-amoled phone I've owned.
from my experience people are making a mountain out of a mole hill, and the auto-brightness can be disabled with custom roms in the future, just live with it in the mean time. That or ask SE for an update that allows you to disable it.
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Yep, I keep mine at 60% and don't notice any screen change or anything.
Regarding the fingerprint magnet, you can easily install third party screen-protector to avoid that
Sent from my LT15i using XDA Premium App

Note 4 super bright mode?

Hey guys, can someone else with the samsung note 4 exynos model try their phone in direct sunlight on auto brightness and tell me if the screen kicks into a super bright mode with high contrast and strange colours? You have to be in direct sunlight with auto brightness turned up. I'm getting paranoid about this and not sure whether to swap mine. I know samsung have just added assertive displays to the exynos models and possibly now snapdragon but not sure if this is whats going on.. it almost makes some colours look fluro.

Yes it does, it is normal.

Lodix said:
Yes it does, it is normal.
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Hope they get rid of this feature soon then.. it triggers so easily.

And it looks terrible, thought my screen had broke first time it did it.

thelestat said:
And it looks terrible, thought my screen had broke first time it did it.
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Glad im not the only one then.. do your colours kind of go fluro?

Hmm just took my samsung tab s outside in bright light and it did the same must just be much more pronounced on the qhd display

At first I didn't like it, comes it makes the phone look all weird, but after a while I've really come to like it, especially when driving, I've reliazed, never once was it hard to view the display. Which IMO is awesome! I've never had a smartphone I could always accurately see the screen, in every type of light

I do outdoor hiking and I use the phone for navigation and taking photos. You do have to set the auto brightness to On for it to boost the screen brightness but it triggers after u turn on the phone screen instead if consistently. Battery is not an issue because I carry spare batteries
Anyway to keep the screen on at its Max brightness consistently? II don't care about color distortions either as long as I can see things!

pafc66 said:
Hope they get rid of this feature soon then.. it triggers so easily.
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I hope they don't, I want to be able to see my screen under sunlight.
Maybe tweak the levels a bit so that it doesn't activate until absolutely necessary, but removing it completely? Why? So people can start threads about how they can't see their screen outdoors?
Sent from my SM-P600 using Tapatalk

this is a great feature, why should they remove it? if people fine it annoying , just untick the auto brigtness job done

im looking for method how make super brightness constantly... but no luck... anybode know how? using stock rooted mm