Screen

[daviddcmd]

One of the reasons I took my SG3 back was the screen was unusable in direct sunlight and the sort of cartoonish characters.

I spend a lot of time outside, convince me the the SG4 will be better.

I don't care that it's made of plastic and won't win any cell phone beauty contests I just want to be able to see it outside.

 

[markyboy81]

I don't think it's a lot brighter than the s3 but apparently the reflectivity is very low, so it shouldn't be a problem

 

[RichSz]

I couldn't possibly convince anyone it's better or worse than the S3 because I haven't seen the S4 in person. It may not be better. In fact I haven't seen any screen outside of e-ink which is easily viewable in direct sunlight.

Which phones are you considering and what are you using now?

 

[daviddcmd]

I couldn't possibly convince anyone it's better or worse than the S3 because I haven't seen the S4 in person. It may not be better. In fact I haven't seen any screen outside of e-ink which is easily viewable in direct sunlight.

Which phones are you considering and what are you using now?

Currently have a Nexus 4, but would like LTE and more space.

Looking at Xperia ZL and SG4

 

[CafeKampuchia]

From this review (assuming the Z and ZL use similar screen technology):

Samsung has done an excellent job with the display of its latest flagship. Not only does it easily bests the Xperia Z in terms of sunlight legibility and contrast, but it can also gives you the option to get rid of the over-saturation with the Adobe RGB mode.

Sunlight visibility is about the same as the S3. Quoted from here

In direct sunlight the contrast is a little lower than that of the Galaxy S III but not by much so you're getting more or less the same sunlight legibility. Perhaps, the new Gorilla Glass causes a dash of extra reflections and offsets the brightness advantage of the new Samsung flagship.

I'm surprised that you think the Nexus 4 has better sunlight visibility. This is from the S3 vs. Nexus 4 review at the same sight:

The problem that the Nexus 4 screen has is that it's quite reflective - more reflective than the screen of the LG Optimus G, which was less than perfect to begin with. So, bright light greatly reduces the perceived contrast, affecting the image quality.

The Galaxy S III on the other hand is one of the best performers we've seen in this category - its screen is not very bright, which hurts sunlight legibility, but the low reflectivity keeps things legible even in the brightest sun.

Sunlight Contrast Ratio:
S3 3.419
S4 3.3352
Z - 2.462
N4 1.926

 

[daviddcmd]

From this review (assuming the Z and ZL use similar screen technology):
Sunlight visibility is about the same as the S3. Quoted from here
I'm surprised that you think the Nexus 4 has better sunlight visibility. This is from the S3 vs. Nexus 4 review at the same sight:
Sunlight Contrast Ratio:
S3 3.419
S4 3.3352
Z - 2.462
N4 1.926

This just proves that it's better to see for yourself. To me the LGOG had the best screen outside followed by the N4.

I couldn't turn the SG3 up bright enough. If the SG4 is going to be the same then I'm going with the Sony.

 

[CafeKampuchia]

Really? the review says that the S4 "easily bests the Xperia Z in terms of sunlight legibility and contrast." BTW, here are the 100% brightness figures.

S3 330
S4 404
XZ 492
N4 608

Both the S4 and ZL will be a step backwards. You might be better off staying with what you've got.

 

[lou61166]

One of the reasons I took my SG3 back was the screen was unusable in direct sunlight and the sort of cartoonish characters.

I spend a lot of time outside, convince me the the SG4 will be better.

I don't care that it's made of plastic and won't win any cell phone beauty contests I just want to be able to see it outside.

My one complaint with Samsung has been the oversaturated Dim display,back when the note 2 came out,i was considering it till i seen it next to the Droid DNA,and could not see having to look at that horrible display for 2 years,granted i have not seen the S4 yet but everyone has an opinion on what they need and expect in a phone,HTC if for nothing else has a proven display winner at least for now.