Is screen that bad?

[butie120]

So my Photon should be arriving soon and I've read some customer reviews on the screen quality not being that sharp (especially compared to the Evo 4g). For those who have had the phone for a bit, can you confirm, deny, or offer any other thoughts about the screen quality? Thanks in advance!

jon

 

[edlex]

I just got the photon yesterday so I haven't had alot of time with it but it's definitely not as crisp as the evo screen. With that said the trade off is awesome battery life. I've been playing with it since 7am non stop and I'm still at 40 percent. I'm hoping future updates will tweek some of the screen issues. I gave my wife my evo and I have no regrets. Just remember you have 30 days to try it out in case you don't like it but give it some time to adjust.

 

[clgwli]

I have the Photon and my husband has the EVO 4g. Holding them side by side both my husband and I agree that the MoPho is better all around with the screen. I dont think there is anything tht the EVO 4g beats it with. Now if you compare the 3vo some things are better and some are worse, but there is no contest at all between the other two. This even comes from my DH who loves his EVO 4g.

 

[drexappeal]

I just got the photon yesterday so I haven't had alot of time with it but it's definitely not as crisp as the evo screen. With that said the trade off is awesome battery life. I've been playing with it since 7am non stop and I'm still at 40 percent. I'm hoping future updates will tweek some of the screen issues. I gave my wife my evo and I have no regrets. Just remember you have 30 days to try it out in case you don't like it but give it some time to adjust.

I had the EVO 4G from launch date last year until launch date of the MoPho. I personally don't agree that the MoPho isn't as "crisp" as the EVO 4G. To me, it's almost "overly" crisp in colors compared to the EVO 4G because of the higher resolution. I kept the wallpapers from my EVO 4G and had been using them on the MoPho and there are certain imperfections that you couldn't see on some wallpapers that you can clearly see on the MoPho. That's the trade-off when you have a higher resolution screen because it will show off some of the imperfections on a wallpaper that it may not have shown on the EVO 4G.

That said, I will say for sure that it has a "screen door" effect and it seems to be different from each device (read through that thread). I notice it the most when my screen brightness adjusts to be brighter and also when scrolling (on some scrollable widgets). It's still to be determined if that's a software or hardware issue (which I'm determined to find out, if it means I can go into the store and get a replacement that'll be better...which isn't a high priority right now because mine isn't that bad). If you want to read more on that, here's the thread:
http://androidforums.com/motorola-photon-4g/386331-definitely-has-screen-door-effect.html

 

[wubbie075]

The screen was one of my major concerns before purchasing the MoPho but when I compared my Evo with it side to side in the store, the MoPho clearly looked better.

When I look super closely, I do notice some of the "issues" mentioned. But honestly, as long as I'm not holding it an inch from my face specifically looking for them and just using my phone normally, everything looks great!!

 

[drexappeal]

The screen was one of my major concerns before purchasing the MoPho but when I compared my Evo with it side to side in the store, the MoPho clearly looked better.

When I look super closely, I do notice some of the "issues" mentioned. But honestly, as long as I'm not holding it an inch from my face specifically looking for them and just using my phone normally, everything looks great!!

This is the part that has me slightly concerned that it might be a hardware issue vs. a software issue.

For me, even when I'm not looking extremely closely, the screen door effect pops up every now and then. The screen is extremely vibrant, no matter how brightness level, but I feel like my screen door effect may be more prominent than others.

Especially after seeing that one thread on the Motorola forums comparing 2 MoPho's side by side, there is one MoPho that it's extremely obvious compared to the other one that is barely noticeable. I'm still within my return period from Best Buy, but I've been hesitating to swap for another one for 2 specific reasons 1) It was extremely difficult to get my corporate approval for my phone to have my work emails, and 2) I'm concerned that I'll get a MoPho replacement that will have more bugs than my current one.

 

[butie120]

it's interesting to hear the different opinions. I will be turning on my device when I get home tonight, and my wife's phone also came in the mail (she ordered the Evo 4G (not 3d). I will play around with it to see if this screen is tolerable or not. The problem is that I'm so drawn to the hood specs of this device, and in that regard, I know it blows the Evo out of the water. Decisions decisions....

 

[thekarens]

There's no question that the Photon screen is more crisp since it's higher resolution, but it's individual preference whether you like it or not. I recommend playing with the brightness settings.

 

[edlex]

I had the EVO 4G from launch date last year until launch date of the MoPho. I personally don't agree that the MoPho isn't as "crisp" as the EVO 4G. To me, it's almost "overly" crisp in colors compared to the EVO 4G because of the higher resolution. I kept the wallpapers from my EVO 4G and had been using them on the MoPho and there are certain imperfections that you couldn't see on some wallpapers that you can clearly see on the MoPho. That's the trade-off when you have a higher resolution screen because it will show off some of the imperfections on a wallpaper that it may not have shown on the EVO 4G.

That said, I will say for sure that it has a "screen door" effect and it seems to be different from each device (read through that thread). I notice it the most when my screen brightness adjusts to be brighter and also when scrolling (on some scrollable widgets). It's still to be determined if that's a software or hardware issue (which I'm determined to find out, if it means I can go into the store and get a replacement that'll be better...which isn't a high priority right now because mine isn't that bad). If you want to read more on that, here's the thread:
http://androidforums.com/motorola-photon-4g/386331-definitely-has-screen-door-effect.html

Perhaps I didn't use the right term when I said it wasn't "crisp". The only place I see a real difference was with youtube, netflix and HBOGO. Because of the deeper black levels the screen is capable of the videos look a bit darker in low light scenes and with solid color backgrounds, with no movement, I can see some pixel switching. I do believe alot of this can be fixed with future updates and some is just inherent to the screen matrix. In no way is this a deal breaker and I'm very happy with the phone and I'm looking forward to what future enhancements bring. With that said when scenes are well lit the colors are much more deeper and natural than the EVO. Other than on the streaming video I haven't really noticed any artifacting or screendoor effect at all.

 

[Citizen Coyote]

I've been able to see the PenTile screen (aka the "screen door effect") on every Photon I've looked at in person (including my own), but it does not bother me. For the most part I no longer notice it, although scrolling will make it appear if you're looking for it, and some web pages, widgets, icons, and such show it more than others.

The only way to see if you like the screen is to look at one for yourself in person, multiple times, on different days. Don't take anyone's opinion on it as gospel, it's very subjective.

 

[drexappeal]

Perhaps I didn't use the right term when I said it wasn't "crisp". The only place I see a real difference was with youtube, netflix and HBOGO. Because of the deeper black levels the screen is capable of the videos look a bit darker in low light scenes and with solid color backgrounds, with no movement, I can see some pixel switching. I do believe alot of this can be fixed with future updates and some is just inherent to the screen matrix. In no way is this a deal breaker and I'm very happy with the phone and I'm looking forward to what future enhancements bring. With that said when scenes are well lit the colors are much more deeper and natural than the EVO. Other than on the streaming video I haven't really noticed any artifacting or screendoor effect at all.

Ohhh... I see. In that case, I completely understand what you're talking about. For me it's just been dependent on the video I'm watching. I've watched a couple scenes from movies through my Netflix account and I had also watched certain scenes from My Evo. One video looked a lot less pixelated on the MoPho compared to the EVO, but the other was vice versa (very odd).

Nontheless, definitely not a deal breaker for my needs, but that makes it clearer as to what you had noticed.

 

[doneve141]

I think the screen is fabulous. It is bright and crisp even in bright sunlight with the brightness turned down. I don't like the auto brightness. I don't have an Evo to put it against. I did put it next to my wife's Epic and there is no comparison with that. Not a big You tube person but the videos I looked at were fine. Netflix is crisp and clear, especially on 4g.
There are a lot of items that need to be fixed as I read through the forums. I have the reboot problem. I still think I will keep the phone and wait for the software update that is supposed to be coming by the end of the month. The speed and smoothness of the phone with the fact that you can see it in the sun light has me hooked.

 

[drexappeal]

I've been able to see the PenTile screen (aka the "screen door effect") on every Photon I've looked at in person (including my own), but it does not bother me. For the most part I no longer notice it, although scrolling will make it appear if you're looking for it, and some web pages, widgets, icons, and such show it more than others.

The only way to see if you like the screen is to look at one for yourself in person, multiple times, on different days. Don't take anyone's opinion on it as gospel, it's very subjective.

Thanks for that input. Yeah, it doesn't really bother me at all. My main concern was to be 100% positive that I don't have a defective screen (if mine is more prominent than others). I notice it more-so on slow scrolling and also when the auto brightness goes up to accommodate for the sunlight.

And I absolutely agree about going to see the screen in person for oneself. It's definitely a subjective thing, just like the 3D screen is a subjective vantage point (i.e. some people love it, some people hate it).

 

[jayfitt]

Honestly, when I first got the phone I had buyers remorse within the first hour because of the screen. If the Sprint store was still open, I would've ran back and schemed to get my 3vo back. The next morning I turned Auto Brightness back on and found it wasn't that bad. Flash forward 2 weeks, I now love the screen. Of course I can see a minor screen-door effect if I hold it a few inches away and look for it. But during normal use I don't see it at all, maybe I just tuned it out. I suggest that everyone use Auto Brightness and use the phone normally for a week or two. If you can't get used to it or it still bothers you, return it.

Now, if they can just fix the damn silent call bug.....

 

[drexappeal]

Honestly, when I first got the phone I had buyers remorse within the first hour because of the screen. If the Sprint store was still open, I would've ran back and schemed to get my 3vo back. The next morning I turned Auto Brightness back on and found it wasn't that bad. Flash forward 2 weeks, I now love the screen. Of course I can see a minor screen-door effect if I hold it a few inches away and look for it. But during normal use I don't see it at all, maybe I just tuned it out. I suggest that everyone use Auto Brightness and use the phone normally for a week or two. If you can't get used to it or it still bothers you, return it.

Now, if they can just fix the damn silent call bug.....

You know, interesting thing for me is that I was so used to not using Auto Brightness on my EVO because it seemed to drain the battery just a little more than having the screen at 30%. Naturally, that was one of the first things I did when I was setting the phone up (turn the phone to 30%). I actually didn't notice it that much, but then I wanted to test the battery life with Auto brightness on and the battery drain was exactly the same, so I left it on. That's actually when I started to notice the screen door more...but again, not to the point that I felt the need to return the phone.

Yeah, I'm hoping the OTA for the silent call thing gets released relatively soon. It kinda happened to me the other day, but then I noticed one person had mentioned turning off the added privacy setting and said they didn't have an issue ever since they did that. So today, I turned that off to see if that would make a difference. I haven't had the issue as much as many that have posted in that thread, but it's definitely a big issue that they should resolve.

 

[wynand32]

Personally, I like the Photon's screen much better than the Epic's, primarily because Samsung blows out colors so badly as to make things look cartoonish to me. I feel the same way comparing the screen on my Asus Transformer (which is a VERY nice IPS screen) to the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

I don't notice the screen door effect AT ALL, but then my eyes have gotten a bit older and I do need reading glasses now. Even with them on, though, I don't see it. What I do notice about the Photon's screen, however, is the brightness, natural colors (again, maybe compared to the Epic), and OUTSTANDING visibility in direct sunlight. I live in SoCal, and I can easily read the screen on the Photon at noon on a clear day. That's about as much sunlight as you can get.

The lower power of the PenTile screen coupled with the outstanding visibility in direct lighting makes it a real winner for me.

 

[Mikenk]

Personally, I like the Photon's screen much better than the Epic's, primarily because Samsung blows out colors so badly as to make things look cartoonish to me. I feel the same way comparing the screen on my Asus Transformer (which is a VERY nice IPS screen) to the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

I don't notice the screen door effect AT ALL, but then my eyes have gotten a bit older and I do need reading glasses now. Even with them on, though, I don't see it. What I do notice about the Photon's screen, however, is the brightness, natural colors (again, maybe compared to the Epic), and OUTSTANDING visibility in direct sunlight. I live in SoCal, and I can easily read the screen on the Photon at noon on a clear day. That's about as much sunlight as you can get.

The lower power of the PenTile screen coupled with the outstanding visibility in direct lighting makes it a real winner for me.

I agree totally except for one thing. It does appear to me that the color settings are too dark to establish good black separation on darker videos. For me, it is not an issue as I don't watch HD videos on a 4 inch screen, but for others it could be. It does seem for those folks all HD level phones should have color settings. Is there an app that will do that?

I think the display is excellent in the house and outstanding outside.

Mike

 

[wynand32]

I agree totally except for one thing. It does appear to me that the color settings are too dark to establish good black separation on darker videos. For me, it is not an issue as I don't watch HD videos on a 4 inch screen, but for others it could be. It does seem for those folks all HD level phones should have color settings. Is there an app that will do that?

I think the display is excellent in the house and outstanding outside.

Mike

Actually, yes, you're right, and I forgot to mention it: on some Netflix video, I've noticed that really dark scenes are a bit hard to see. A very recent example was the other night watching Camelot: there was a very dark scene where I could barely make out what was happening. That doesn't seem to be a flaw in the screen, but like you say a settings issue.

 

[drexappeal]

Personally, I like the Photon's screen much better than the Epic's, primarily because Samsung blows out colors so badly as to make things look cartoonish to me. I feel the same way comparing the screen on my Asus Transformer (which is a VERY nice IPS screen) to the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

I don't notice the screen door effect AT ALL, but then my eyes have gotten a bit older and I do need reading glasses now. Even with them on, though, I don't see it. What I do notice about the Photon's screen, however, is the brightness, natural colors (again, maybe compared to the Epic), and OUTSTANDING visibility in direct sunlight. I live in SoCal, and I can easily read the screen on the Photon at noon on a clear day. That's about as much sunlight as you can get.

The lower power of the PenTile screen coupled with the outstanding visibility in direct lighting makes it a real winner for me.

+1 on that. Perfect timing right now, during summer because that was a big one for me. I felt like my EVO did a decent job in the sunlight (I had no complaints), but the MoPho blows it out of the water in sunlight! Living in L.A., that's a pretty important factor.

 

[edlex]

Ok so I'm on my third day and I'm really digging this screen more and more each day. After streaming a bunch of vids the artifacting that I described in an earlier post was rarely present. Seems that it only occurs when specific conditions are present but not universally repeatable. I also found that slightly off angle viewing (as if it was on the kickstand on a flat surface) eliminates the inky blackness that some dark scenes generate. I just got a 32gb card yesterday so I downloaded Avatar and was very impressed with the deep rich colors and none of the pixel jumping artifacting so perhaps that is an issue more prevalent in streaming vids. For anyone who's on the fence about this phone I would advise trying out for a few days before you jump to early conclusions.

 

[NoobestGongkia]

My phone, CSL Spice MI300 once fall into water, few times fall onto the ground, but it is still function (good) after it. I also try to rooted it for many times with the different .nb0 files and cyanogenmod ROM. But once I try others ROM and it "death"... How come?

(This is my phone that When I'm install ROM and it reboots after install complete)​

(When I charge it, it still can receive electric and screen still OK)​

Can anyone tell me what is the spare parts damaged from this case?

 

[wubbie075]

A very recent example was the other night watching Camelot: there was a very dark scene where I could barely make out what was happening.

I have an alternate theory on the cause of this phenomenon.

Your brain realized how bad that show was and in order to protect you from watching it, it simply wouldn't allow you to see anything but a black screen.

 

[snowcrash]

I would like to change the title of the post to "is the screen that good!" You can see this thing great in direct sunlight..I was out in full sun with no shade and could easily see things. I rarely see any of the pentile issues people talk about- but I am mid 40's so perhaps the vision isn't as good as you young guys..that said, I perceive it more as the screen being a little grainy sometimes. It is a fantastic screen and I hate that some people are avoiding this phone because of it...I used it side by side against the EVO 3D and liked the Photon screen better! Don't be scared away by the screen....this is one silky smooth awesome phone!

 

[Androidalltheway]

I live in Florida, and yes, you can see the screen in direct sunlight, but IMO, its not like super clear, maybe because my brightness is on 50%, still can see the screen but not like what I thought.

 

[tbhausen]

I would like to change the title of the post to "is the screen that good!" You can see this thing great in direct sunlight..I was out in full sun with no shade and could easily see things. I rarely see any of the pentile issues people talk about- but I am mid 40's so perhaps the vision isn't as good as you young guys..that said, I perceive it more as the screen being a little grainy sometimes. It is a fantastic screen and I hate that some people are avoiding this phone because of it...I used it side by side against the EVO 3D and liked the Photon screen better! Don't be scared away by the screen....this is one silky smooth awesome phone!

Bingo.