Database Users

What do you think of the screen?

I've got a Desire and had it since launch but today I bought a Desire HD. I like the phone and I like the bigger screen but I can't help but feel a bit disappointed going from AMOLED to LCD.... the colours... the viewing angles.... even considering sending the phone back and staying with the Desire although the phone seems much faster, I can't help but look at the screen and feel disappointed....
What do you guys think?
Cheers
Scott

here is one good example desire vs desire hd screan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcEoKim7sCg

scott9824 said:
I've got a Desire and had it since launch but today I bought a Desire HD. I like the phone and I like the bigger screen but I can't help but feel a bit disappointed going from AMOLED to LCD.... the colours... the viewing angles.... even considering sending the phone back and staying with the Desire although the phone seems much faster, I can't help but look at the screen and feel disappointed....
What do you guys think?
Cheers
Scott
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't really understand what's the point in having 180 degrees viewing angle on a phone. Like I would like to look at the USB port when using my phone . All the time you are using it, you are looking directly at it. And the colors are pretty much a matter of opinion - I've seen the Galaxy S screen and it seems over saturated to me. Daylight visibility is very good also. The one thing that is a real advantage of AMOLED over LCD screens is the black. Other than that there is no real reason for HTC to put themselves in the same PR nightmare as they did with Samsung's inability/unwillingness to provide them with enough screens for the Desire. Yesterday I put an invisible shield on my wife's iPhone 4 and looking at the acclaimed Retina Display the first thought that went through my head was "OMG, it's so small" . I wouldn't give up the DHD anytime soon and definately not because of its screen.

I'm perfectly happy with the screen, it is amazing. I don't care about viewing angles, it is not like I look at it from a 45 degree angle.. It's always pretty much 90 degrees.

As with others here I'm perfectly happy with the screen. Also as pointed out the only real plus of an AMOLED based display is the black level which, honestly, isn't that big of a deal for me. Viewing angles is something that always puzzles me. Do people often try to use their phone from obtuse angles? The only time I can think of when I've done this is a quick glance at the screen but since only the power button wakes it up I don't think that will be an issue.

I think you're over-obsessing over something that in real use is a non-issue. I'd really like all these people who complain about viewing angles to give some valid reasons why they think it's such a problem.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

Im have no complaints what so ever with the screen. A week into the relationship with my DHD and we are still very much in the honeymoon phase.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

I was the same... going from a Desire to the HD I was so disappointed with the 'washed out' appearance of the screen (I don't care so much about viewing angles)
But you know what... after a few days I really didn't notice it and I still have the Desire (awaiting eBay selling) and when I look at it I think the screen is too saturated!!
I miss the black levels a bit but on the whole I am more than happy with the screen colours now.
They are after all on a par with my laptop and netbook screens and I never complain about them!

This is part of a full review I will be posting on here once I have had a bit more time with the phone, any feedback would be appreciated. I'd like to answer any questions people have in the final review.
The screen.... the screen.... Seeing as the size of it dominates the entirety of the phone, this was always going to be an issue for many people! Before the phone was released I was actively following the LCD vs S-LCD debate and owning a Nexus One, had been treated to the 'contrastific' wonder that is AMOLED.
I'll be honest and say I felt panicked when confronted with the fact this maybe a regular TFT and not an S-LCD screen. Not an AMOLED or a SAMOLED in this day and age how dare they??! Considering Samsungs reluctance to part with the SAMOLED and the much reported worldwide shortage of AMOLED screens this was of no surprise and highly understandable.
Now I actually have the phone in my hand, I curse my stupidity in regards to getting caught up in 'the forum debate' and losing track on reality. As technophiles we all feel a twinge of excitement when quoting the relevant technology our handsets contain to our friends and fellow forum dwellers. I'm not discounting the real world benefits of such technology, but sometimes we tend to trust more in the branding terms than the actual real world performance.
After owning an AMOLED Nexus I cannot deny that the contrast levels are unbeatable (Samsung Galaxy S aside). Watching movies on the screen was a joy, especially in dark scenes when the black levels came through in all their glory. Personally, I liked the colour saturation (or over-saturation) which gave the display an eye grabbing brilliance which even next to the iPhone 4's lauded Retina Display (nice branding for what is simply a high res IPS LCD) it managed to hold it's head high.
When switching on the Desire HD after coming from a Nexus, the feeling compares to taking off your shades after a long day in the sun. The colours are not quite the same, the brightness has shifted and you find yourself blinking rapidly as your eyes slowly adjust to what is a different experience. Now to say this is a sub par experience is completely unfounded. Yes some people will instantly wonder whether their phone is functioning correctly, or take a swift trip down to the Opticians questioning their vision. They will finally end up cursing the lack of AMOLED on Xda-Developers, stating washed out colours and poor viewing angles (those who look at there phone sideways all day).
All I can say in response is that while coming from an AMOLED to the Desire HD is like taking off your shades, there are always those who keep their shades on all day long, even in the dark .
As my eyes adjusted to the screen I started to understand what the term 'over-saturated' actually meant! I wanted to apologise to my Iris, Cornea and Retina all at one time. The colours aren't washed out, it's just my eyes were over washed with a false spectrum for so long. The main benefits for this are seen when browsing the web and looking at images, they look REAL. I actually feel as if i'm seeing something in front of me and not looking at a phone screen. The only sadness I feel is when watching videos, it just doesn't look as VIVID, not to say it doesn't look good, but I guess those juicy blacks will definitely be missed.
Another thing is slowly dawning on me, PenTile displays are horrendous. I was duly concerned that having the same resolution on a 35% larger screen would mean the subsequent pixellation would have me screaming for Cupertino's Retina Display to come and save me (sickening thought). Strangely enough it actually feels as though the resoultion is higher. I remembered reading about the Nexus One screen here and feeling it was unfair attack (BTW anyone on here that doesn't read ArsTechnica, bookmark it now). The premise was that the subpixel arrangement on AMOLED screens (Even the SGS has this) meant the effective resolution was less than the 480x800 claimed and more like 392x653, something I now accept to be correct. Comparing the screens side by side it becomes all the more apparent that the resolution cannot be the same, as some images appear sharper on the larger screen which doesn't make logical sense. It is safe to say that for once I agree with Apple and their decision to keep away from AMOLED when many fanboys were demanding it after the 3GS.
Finally, the superior colour depth of the screen has slowly come to the fore. I've read conflicting reports of Nexus creen having 16m vs 65k colours and of being 16bit (Link). I can refer back to one of my earlier statements about technical branding vs reality. Whatever the specs of the Nexus One/Desire screen it falls flat on colour depth compared to the Desire HD. Backgrounds which previously suffered from banding are now brilliant and even the XDA app startup splash, which had serious banding issues on the Nexus now displays colours which weren't even visible before.
Overall, once over the adjustment period, the DHD screen trumps that of the Nexus or Desire and is simply stunning. The size alone renders many of the arguments pointless. I hold my Nexus now and have the same feeling as when I first held the X10 Mini, I feel as though my phone could eat it for breakfast the cute little thing it is. Don't fear the negative comments on here, see it for yourself and if you don't like it, you don't like it.
I certainly do.
Regards.
Some final thoughts....
Did somebody say fully multitouch??
TFT LCD vs S-LCD?? Just in case this is a TFT
HD2 (TFT LCD) Review Endgadget - In terms of colour and contrast, the HD2's screen is a champion. Images and video looked saturated but not drenched, and blacks seemed superbly deep to us.
HD2 (TFT LCD) Review Gizmodo - The 4.3-inch glass display is pure bliss
Comparison Image, Sorry for the poor quality!

very nice analysis of the screens lynx! Im looking forward to your full review! btw i really love the setup you have on your phone in that pic. Stock android looking with HTC's nice clock widget..

Thanks, it's Launcher Pro set up like the stock launcher with the original Fancy Widget. Add the 'Faux Sense' widgets and animations then you're good to go. Regarding the comparison picture, it may seem like the Nexus has more colour but it is simply the unnatural colours that make it seem that way. The DHD image is so real you feel you could pick up a pebble!

tkolev said:
I can't really understand what's the point in having 180 degrees viewing angle on a phone. Like I would like to look at the USB port when using my phone . All the time you are using it, you are looking directly at it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree.
All these comparisons about viewing angles, Touch response when doing swipes in slow-motion is so damn silly.
Way in the world would you like to be able to look at it from an extreme angles anyway?
Use the phone! I say it again: USE the phone!
If you like it keep it, otherwise sell it.
I get the impression that many people here are buying a phone just to impress their neighbour with the best spec-sheet. And then they get "sad like children loosing their favourite toy" when they can't. So damn silly!

Gizmodo rips the Tab

http://gizmodo.com/5686161/samsung-galaxy-tab-review-a-pocketable-train-wreck
Apologies if this is a repost -- searched, and didn't find this reference.
Scathing review by Gizmodo. Judging by their review (and much of it is simply fact-based, not spin -- for example the issues with Swype), I'd never go near this thing.
Basically, it sounds like the Galaxy S phone ROM put on the Tab. I.e., everything designed for the phone screen size simply on a larger screen, with a few exceptions.
What a disaster of an idea. Many things that work with the finger interface on a 3.7" screen become impossible to "thumb-swipe", or become annoying to finger-swype with any finger when it is simply larger. Swype seems to be a poster-child for this.
I agree that this idea of Samsung's to "tween" a tablet between a phone and the iPad was an idiotic idea. Gizmodo makes the point that a Tablet is all about size, not compactness. That's the point. You want something compact, you get a smartphone on steroids, like the Epic. You buy a tablet to supplement a phone, not replace it. It replaces books, notepads, folios, etc. -- not your phone.
Samsung, are you listening? Here's the ultimate tablet, better than the iPad: Same size or even a little bigger than the iPad screen, higher resolution. Linux/Android OS, redesigned (as well as apps) from the ground up for the larger screen experience, not simply scaled up because they're on a larger screen.
And here's the key, something that's been a complete mystery to me about cell phones, the only explanation I can think of is cost: An LCD screen using the same technology Garmin uses for their Vista Cx handheld GPS.
This technology is the absolute best, most versatile, most readable color screen technology that I have ever encountered, anywhere. It is like a kindle -- except in color -- in direct sunlight... the brighter the incident light on the screen, the sharper and brighter the display. In darker environments, the adjustable backlight produces just as awesome results.
I don't know how this LCD display is constructed, but it accomplishes well the task of reflecting back through the display incident light, as well as allowing backlighting to achieve the same effect.
It's amazing. White is bright and very white in sunlight.
Probably quite expensive. Is it justified for a phone? While we'd probably all have a technogasm to have such a phone, I can see that it probably isn't justified from a cost perspective and whatever market analysis they've done.
A tablet is a very different proposition. It needs to be used in the same environments as a Kindle and that where a self-lit laptop would be. The perfect display tech is what I describe above. Even Apple is moronic not to incur the extra cost for this, maybe in a high-end model, and charge the extra $100 or so for it. Then market the hell out of the feature.
I believe they'd make a killing.
So, back to the thread topic, I can stomach an iPad, given all the objectionable aspects to it (iOS being enough). However, looks like it'll be a year or two wait before someone really does an Android tab even close to right, and it won't be Samsung, their software arm being such an incompetent bunch of Keystone Cops (like we didn't know that already).
And, I have no hope of my display technology wet dream. But I needed to get it off my chest.

Just got my Focus

So my HD2 touch screen decided to die on me and my work has been trying to get me to jump on their AT&T plan. I was hoping to hold out until the HD7S showed up on AT&T (which I now think it never will) but since it's not available I went with the focus.
After using the phone for a few days I really like it. The sound quality is better than my HD2 (running WP7), call quality is excellent (but the focus gets HOT compared to the HD2) and I really like the camera quality. Pictures look really good.
So the bad - and this part confuses me. People were raving about the screen quality of the phone, that the super AMOLED screen was incredible. I think it's terrible! The pixels are the size of waffles compared to the HD2 (yes I am exaggerating). Yes I can see the screen in sunlight better but that's it.
I wanted to get the opinion of some focus users. Do you think the picture/screen quality is good on the phone?
It's certainly not an outright deal breaker but I might jump on the HD7S if it comes out within the next month.
So to recap: Love WP7, love the focus sans the screen and hate AT&T

Mate, I own a Focus now too.
I owned WP7 phones in this order: LG Optimus 7, Omnia 7, Samsung Focus.
One of my friends has a HD7 so I can say I've seen the first phones closely. I think one of my first posts here were about the quality comparison between these phones.
To summarize it, put side by side, the phones are:
Screen size:
HD7>Omnia7=Focus>Optimus7
Screen quality (I know it's subjective but I'll detail later)
Omnia7=Focus>Optimus7>HD7
Battery
Optimus7=Omnia7=Focus>HD7
Phone build quality:
Omnia7>Optimus7>Focus>HD7
Sound quality (overall)
all seemed about the same
That's my impression.
Now about the screen. Put side by side any LCD (Optimus7/HD7) screen with the same thing on alongside Omnia7/Focus and you can't miss the difference. Also, if you're complaining about the size, I can do that too. I can't use only one hand to tap all across the HD7 's screen, I need to use my other hand as well, while on the other phones I can do it with one hand.
To summarize: The contrast, brightness, colors, legibility is simply better on Amoled than on LCD.

EnderPsp said:
To summarize: The contrast, brightness, colors, legibility is simply better on Amoled than on LCD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The contrast is better and so are the colors but I have to say that's it. At least when comparing the HD2 and the Focus. I am watching netflix, looking at pictures and reading web pages side by side and the HD2 picture is more crisp and text looks better.

TIGGAH said:
The contrast is better and so are the colors but I have to say that's it. At least when comparing the HD2 and the Focus. I am watching netflix, looking at pictures and reading web pages side by side and the HD2 picture is more crisp and text looks better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's because Focus screen, which is Super AMOLED, currently uses Pen Tile subpixel arrangement that have half the number of sub pixels as normal LCD screens. It could be problematic to some but not noticeable to others (like me). Next generation Super AMOLED Plus will double sub pixel count and a few other quality improvement.
If you can overcome this subpixel deficient issue, the screen visual quality, especially the contrast, is next to none. Some might argue that the color is too satuated.
I personally will take contrast over pixel counts. Can't stand the forggy screen. That's why I only buy Plasma TVs vs LCD TVs. Die hards would willing to spend $3000+ for a used (no longer in production) Pioneer 50" Kuro plasma TV over any fansy new TVs today because they know how to cheerish the superior black level (and hence the contrast) or a Kuro TV that none of today's HDTV can match.
Also, be careful of screen burn in. Don't let bright text display on the screen too long. OLED screens are very suspectable to burn in because the pixels have a very limited life span.

I hear you on the contrast - I own a 50" Panasonic plasma that I will be hard pressed to part with. I like how the picture looks compared to most LCDs.
I just looked on AT&T's website and they are showing the HD7s on the list of wp7 phones with a coming soon tag. That just happened today so maybe they really are getting it soon. It's got a really nice super LCD on it and once it's in the store I will compare the focus and it closely and get the one I like best.
One point that may keep me on the focus though is the camera is a lot better. I took some low light pictures on the focus and they came out great. On the HD7 - not so great. Maybe the HD7S will be better but we will see.

Screen Comparisons: Contrast Ratio

I've been trying to understand the relative differences between the IPS displays used in the IPAD 2 and the Transformer, the Super PLS display of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the TFT used in the XOOM. I settled on contrast ratio as an objective means of comparison.
Article 1 XOOM: 750
Article 2 XOOM: 597!
iPad 2: 775
Galaxy Tab 10.1: 830
Transformer: 763
Article Quote: "Contrast ratio is also better on the Galaxy Tab 10.1: 830:1 vs 763:1 on the Eee Pad Transformer."
What surprises me the most out of all this, besides the XOOM discrepancies , is that the contrast of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 display is not as incredible as we were lead to believe. It compares favorably with IPS, but isn't really leaps and bounds better. In fact, it might have equivalent or slightly lower contrast than an IPS display, or conventional display but better viewing angles.
Interesting quote: "On the other hand IPS (and PLS) has significantly lower contrast ratios compared to the best VA based panels that Samsung and other manufacturers have used in high-end phones for years."
Side note is that the multiple contrast ratios for the XOOM screen might reflect the multiple screen sources/manufacturers that were used in different XOOMs.
Sources:
http://galaxytablife.com/2011/06/eee-pad-transformer-vs-galaxy-tab-10-1-comparison/
http://www.tabletreaderinfo.com/content/Motorola-Xoom-Tablet-Review/Screen.htm
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4191/motorola-xoom-review-first-honeycomb-tablet-arrives/2
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1291980086

The most important things to me on a tablet screen:
1. Color reproduction. Is it uniform and even? This leads me to
2. Viewing angles, top, bottom, left and right. Does the screen stay relatively sharp or does the image dissolve/wash out?
3. No back-light bleed. This is inexcusable regardless of the lectures people spout out about it being inherent to the technology. It's not when the product is designed correctly.
The panel in the GTab 10.1 is beautiful. It meets my criteria where the xoom failed on all of them and the iPad failed miserably on back-light bleed.
Contrast ratio to me is just a number. I have tolerances for all my electronics devices and to me, the panel on the Samsung is the clear winner in the tablet race. Let's hope the build quality follows suit. I'm already starting to get annoyed at how long a full charge takes.

The screen looks amazing! The only thing I noticed is that the screen calibration is a
little bit oversaturated. I'm planning on using mine as a photography/design portfolio and have noticed color shift when compared to my calibrated monitor.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using XDA Premium App

I had Xooms (with both screen versions Auo and Sharp), an I pad and now a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the screen on my tab is far and awy better than all of them.
The Xoom has 2 screen fkavors, Sharp and Auo optronics. the screen mfg by Sharp had much better color saturation and better contrast, but unfortunately for me, a ton of light bleed due to a defect in the panel.
Specs only tell part of the story.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

lordwinkevin said:
The screen looks amazing! The only thing I noticed is that the screen calibration is a
little bit oversaturated. I'm planning on using mine as a photography/design portfolio and have noticed color shift when compared to my calibrated monitor.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When Samsung releases the kernel source, supercurio can start developing his Voodoo Sound and Screen tweaks for the SGT 10.1, which will make color reproduction much more realistic.

I'm new with android and this is awesome to hear. I also own the iPad 2 and Datacolor made an in app color calibrated picture viewer called SpyderGallery but an overall screen color calibration would be awesome!
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

matt310 said:
The most important things to me on a tablet screen:
1. Color reproduction. Is it uniform and even? This leads me to
2. Viewing angles, top, bottom, left and right. Does the screen stay relatively sharp or does the image dissolve/wash out?
3. No back-light bleed. This is inexcusable regardless of the lectures people spout out about it being inherent to the technology. It's not when the product is designed correctly.
The panel in the GTab 10.1 is beautiful. It meets my criteria where the xoom failed on all of them and the iPad failed miserably on back-light bleed.
Contrast ratio to me is just a number. I have tolerances for all my electronics devices and to me, the panel on the Samsung is the clear winner in the tablet race. Let's hope the build quality follows suit. I'm already starting to get annoyed at how long a full charge takes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I threw these numbers out there because, so far, almost all the info on PLS panels used in the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been primarily subjective. Its totally new technology.
However, recently, Samsung has started to develop the PLS Panels for use in stand-alone computer monitors, and some reviewers are beginning to analyze and reveiw the technology. This is a really interesting article, and "sheds some light" (to make a bad pun) on the PLS panel technology used in the Galaxy Tab 10.1, how it works and some of its pros and cons:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/monitors/display/samsung-sa850.html
Remember this is a stand alone PLS monitor, so one would expect its performance would exceed that of an integrated tablet screen, but they found a contrast ration of only 545:1. Thats pretty bad in my opinion. They try to theorize why this occurs:
"The low contrast ratio may be due to the poor uniformity of the backlight. The picture based on the results of my measurements shows a bright spot in the center of the screen, just where I measured the contrast ratio. That spot is not as bright as the bottom left corner, though.
Although the extent of the variation in brightness is exaggerated in the picture for illustrative purposes, the monitor is obviously far from ideal, especially with black. Talking about the exact numbers, the average nonuniformity of brightness for black is 8% whereas the maximum deflection from the base level is as high as 45%! For white, the average and maximum are 3.6% and 8.3%, respectively. It’s hard to say why the monitor is so good with white and so poor with black....."
So, disturbingly, they found the first dedicated PLS prototype monitor to have POOR contrast ratio!! Not what you would expect. They theorize that it might be due to poor backlighting, but it is worrisome.
To summarize what the reviewers found after examining this prototype PLS monitor:
Highs:
•Low response time, good color rendering, excellent viewing angles
•Full coverage of the sRGB color space
Lows
•Low contrast ratio
•Poor uniformity of backlight for black
If this review is accurate, these first panels seem to show that the PLS technology is good, but not great. Its an OK alternative to IPS but really not that stellar in its performance. Its biggest advantage seems to be that it is a cheap alternatative to IPS that has much better viewing angles.
Remember, one of the biggest selling points cited by Samsung was cost! Its cheaper to produce than IPS. That may be a larger motivation to Samsung than increased performance.
Of course, how this translates to the performance of our own toys is debateable, but its something to think about beyond the subjective impressions we have already heard.

That's definitely interesting. Perhaps the larger the panel, the greater the difficulty in achieving a uniform amount of back-light. I have definitely experienced this with clouding and flash-lighting on TV sets (and mainly the reason I switched to plasma - I'd rather roll the dice with image retention than sit and stare at uneven back-lighting during movies)
Have you read about the issues Samsung's having with the panel thickness on the GTab 8.9? There's not much other than a translated-from-Korean report, but it seems the company (and panel suppliers) use a very thin "G1F" touch panel for the 10.1, and may be forced to use a (40%!) thicker application (GFF) for the GTab 8.9 due to either shortages in supply or complications in the manufacturing process.
^I think that bit is a key factor when comparing display performance - anything that sits on top of the actual pixels will contribute to the clarity of the content being displayed. Here's the article: http://tablets-planet.com/2011/06/10/samsung-to-use-lower-quality-dispalys-on-some-galaxy-tab-8-9s/

matt310 said:
That's definitely interesting. Perhaps the larger the panel, the greater the difficulty in achieving a uniform amount of back-light. I have definitely experienced this with clouding and flash-lighting on TV sets (and mainly the reason I switched to plasma - I'd rather roll the dice with image retention than sit and stare at uneven back-lighting during movies)
Have you read about the issues Samsung's having with the panel thickness on the GTab 8.9? There's not much other than a translated-from-Korean report, but it seems the company (and panel suppliers) use a very thin "G1F" touch panel for the 10.1, and may be forced to use a (40%!) thicker application (GFF) for the GTab 8.9 due to either shortages in supply or complications in the manufacturing process.
^I think that bit is a key factor when comparing display performance - anything that sits on top of the actual pixels will contribute to the clarity of the content being displayed. Here's the article: http://tablets-planet.com/2011/06/10/samsung-to-use-lower-quality-dispalys-on-some-galaxy-tab-8-9s/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Very interesting article. Especially considering that there has been a lot of talk about the quality control of the existing 10.1 panels. There have been threads about moisture under the screen, dust under the screen, lots of people with dead pixels. Haven't encountered nearly so many screen anomalies in other device forums. Wonder if that's the reason the GTAB 10.1 is so scarce in many places. Perhaps there are problems producing the 10.1 screens.
Oh and I went Plasma for all my TV's as well for the same reason, in addition to the faster response time. Even my video gaming TV is a Plasma. And I have never had a single problem with image retention.
Edit: Looks like another website has an article about the screen supply problem, only this time relating specifically to the GTAB 10.1. They speculate on a change in GTAB thickness if they can't make enough of the screens.
http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-to-be-thicker-than-ipad-2-due-to-supply-shortage-10158766/
Maybe soon there will be THREE versions of the GTAB 10.1: The 10.1, the 10.1v and the 10.1 series 2 extra thick!

I just found dust on my screen. Its definitely behind the glass panel.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Slashgear is rife with editorial errors. that article misquotes the one I linked earlier. They even have published content that indicates it's the 8.9 and not the 10.1 affected but the different panel thickness:
http://www.slashgear.com/galaxy-tab...tter-screen-in-some-areas-at-launch-10158611/
Either way, I doubt the US will see the thicker screen - they continued shipping AMOLED phone displays here despite a worldwide shortage, causing many other markets to receive Super LCD screens instead.

Overall love

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

Hi as the devices are out in the German speaking countries, some initial comments from my side. I am coming from different devices including Fold 1, N20U and the one with the i, just as a background. My main daily driver in the last 12 months was the Fold 1 which I absolutely loved, that's why I ordered the Fold 2 on the first day.
- Overall a real 2.0 version of a 1.0 product I loved. A lot of improvements
- The small screen is a lot better, I was using the small Fold 1 screen quite often and liked also typing on it, as I swype heavily, and the short distances make it really quick. That advantadge is still there, but smaller, on the other side typing of words which you can't swype like passwords is easier now due to the additional screen real estate.
- The quality of the small screen has significantly improved from my point of view in terms of brightness and clarity
- I hated the small screen for only being able to arrange three apps in the permanent row at the bottom, and it is 5 now! Big improvement
- Audio is incredible, I also had the Mi10 which was the king in that category from my point of view, Fold2 equal or better. Incredible loud. Don't forget to turn Atmos on.
- I treated the Fold 1 very carefully for a couple of weeks, until I found out that nothing happens - actually my 1 year old Fold 1 is in best condition although handled like any other phone. I am in the same phase now with the Fold 2 - I am worried
- I have the Aramid standing cover and I don't like it. It looks cheap and covers only a part of the device, additionally it is more instable on a desk than without it. I am planning to switch to the leather cover
- Training the face recognition is so incredibly fast (1-2 seconds) that I think this cannot be save....
- You have to switch the large display to tablet mode in order to get tabs in the browser or multi window in outlook, this setting is only visible if you have the display open. Took me time to find it. Only then the large inner display makes real sense
- I am a heavy user of the small display and mainly use the large one for media consumption, which results in something like 60/40 usage small/big. With this setup, the battery seems to be fantastic, although to early to provide any detail. The German magazine CHIP made exactly that test and came to incredible runtime with the small display.
- The haptic of the whole thing made a big step forward compared to fold 1, especially the hinge. Real great feeling.
- Not really a dealbreaker, but strange: The flashlight is the weakest I had on a phone for years
- I am everything but an expert for smartphone cameras, more the point and shoot average user. Photo quality seems great to me, but look for better experts to talk about that. The usability is great, fast and responsive
- Generally, same comment applies to N20U and S20U, I think the OneUI made big steps forward in the last two years. Especially looking at the whole eco system with watch and earbuds, the whole user experience is now really great and close to an other phone (can' remember the name, someting with an i as far as I remember)
This are my initial impressions. I am happy with my purchase up to now.

Digging the Samsung Notes app on the big screen. Obviously doesn't support S-Pen but finger writing works surprisingly well.
Sent from my SM-F916U using Tapatalk

So after 5 days, thoughts...
First of all, the delivery was surprisingly on time, (never bought directly from Samsung Germany before) so that was a good start with the experience.
I wasn't overly impressed with the unboxing though. But still, unwrapping the warnings of was a good feeling. Then closing the device for the first time was a "wooow" moment. Coming from the Fold, that hinge feels so sturdy and worthy. I guess I played around, opened , closed the device for a minute or 2 before booting up the device.
It's screen protector in and outside are perfectly fine for the moment. The inside feels a bit "rubbery" and cheapish if I may say so, but it does the job fine.
The big screen is bright enough and clear enough for the everyday use. Regarding the flex mode, I do not give much about it. It's not mature enough yet to use it fully IMHO.
The outer screen, geez I use it a lot. I already used it quit often on the original Fold, but this upgrade is an enlightening. One hand usage, swiping my messages away. A quick look at social media is lovely, reading quickly any article is OK.
The build in general is sturdy, mature and a joy. I have the Mystic Black version. No need to tell anyone it's a fingerprint magnet. It's slippery as well.
And that's what annoys me a bit. I don't care they didn't put any extras in it this time. I mean, you just spend 2000 euro/dollar on a device. Then 60 Euro shouldn't be that big of a problem either. But they should've had it available in shops, online etc to get a case, cause you want to protect it, and this Mystic Black version is slippery as an eel.
I need a case or skin for this version.
But the conclusion is, samsung nailed it, to give us a 2000 euro experience, that feels like a 2000 euro device.
Did I need they phone? No, do I wanted the phone? Yes. But can I go back to a "normal" phone after 2 generations of foldable phones? Probably, but difficult it'll be...

After heavily utilizing my Mystic Black Fold 2 for a weekend, here are some of my thoughts below. I'll try not to repeat common things that I've read here or seen in reviews, but overall, I'm loving this device and having a pocketable large screen!
- The narrower front screen is surprisingly easy to type on, even without swiping. I have nubs for thumbs and I was shocked that I wasn't producing typos left and right.
- The visibility outside for both screens is pretty good, though the inside screen suffers from high reflectivity when outside in the sun. It doesn't affect you as much if you're looking straight on and slightly closing the hinge to angle the display helps.
- This device is so slippery it continually falls out of my pocket when I get in my car or sit at an angle. Where are you Fold 2 cases?! So far no damage but there have been a couple close calls.
- I have tried to be extra careful with this device but the inside screen protector is scratched up. I only notice it at certain angles under bright light but it makes me sad. I'm tempted to remove the inside screen protector but I'm not sure the ultra thin glass would hold up any better.
- The power button is a bit awkwardly placed for my hands and I found that I was constantly swiping up/down on it by accident which opened/closed the notification shade so I turned off that gesture.
- Speaking of that power button, it's tough to feel the button when attempting to scan my fingerprint but that could be due to me being used to face unlock with my iPhone 11 Pro and Pixel 4XL. I'm sure this will become more natural over time and the fingerprint scanner is mighty quick.
- I haven't found many widgets I like as they're not yet optimized for the screens (this includes some of the Samsung apps which surprised me). Many take up a lot of room on my homepages but then have small/compressed text/images. Hope this improves over time.
- I love the ability to be able to have multiple apps open but I initially got confused (and frustrated) with the Android split screen multi-tasking. I hope to be able to take advantage of this more as I use the phone.
- Very minor gripe but I wish there were more stock live wallpapers like how Google provides with their Pixels.
- Not sure if anyone else is encountering this but when I open to the bigger screen, there's a click that happens if I press down on the hinge on a bit. I found that opening to the larger screen by applying more pressure with the tips of both thumbs prevents this.
- Sometimes I get "disoriented" over which screen orientation I'm on when using the larger screen (i.e. is it currently in portrait or landscape?).
- When I have the device open in landscape, I like to keep the speakers on top both to project the sound a bit better and b/c the back half with the camera is a bit more grippy compared with the front screen (I took off the front screen protector).
- Haven't had any issues using Samsung Pay with this device.
- This device is amazing when you're out shopping with a significant other and need to keep the kids entertained with the large screen and loud-ish speakers!

Needs a TOTAL makeover!

I love it yeahhh!
My absolutely favorite phone is ... Nokia e90 Comunicator. I had this 3 times ln the past. Still have one Nokia e7 in perfect condition. I had also Htc Z . My first Android. I love foldables because... I love it, just love this Wow effect and of course more functionality. Bar phones looking like soaps. Even bigger and bigger Soaps!

propov8 said:
I love it yeahhh!
My absolutely favorite phone is ... Nokia e90 Comunicator. I had this 3 times ln the past. Still have one Nokia e7 in perfect condition. I had also Htc Z . My first Android. I love foldables because... I love it, just love this Wow effect and of course more functionality. Bar phones looking like soaps. Even bigger and bigger Soaps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Love the Nokia Communicator. And even flashbacks to the Psion Organiser that I still have in a drawer somewhere.