HTC One Display - Luck of the Draw...

[puremind]

HTC did it again but worse. Last year displays were different in color temperature but maintained similar contrast. This year the difference in display calibration is worse.

• Before receiving my own unit, I tested 2 devices in the shops. The first one had worse contrast and too low gamma (less punchy brightness transition from dark to light tones). I was disappointed with the display (let's call it Type A).
• Later on, I went to another shop and the display looked gorgeous. Higher contrast, accurate gamma and more neutral greyscales (let's call it type B).

Today I received my unit and unfortunately, the display was Type A display. Here are the results of the "poorer display". Unlike last year, it is not possible to determine the actual display ID by looking this up in the last_ksmg file in the proc folder under the root. The access is denied. So unless we root a device, we cannot determine the display ID.

As can be seen below, the color temperature and greyscale accuracy is mediocre. Contrast is only average. Chromaticity overall is good but red is oversaturated.

• Brightness: 503cd/m²
• True Contrast: 1,000:1
• Dynamic Contrast: 1378:1
• White Color Temperature: 7395°K
• Average Color Temperature: 7417°K

Note that on this display, the i1 Dislay pro used by many press reviewers will overestimate color temperature by 5.5% on this particular display. So if you see values around 7900°K, this is broadly equivalent to the 7,400°K that I (and Anandtech) measured. UK Harware review probably also had a Type A display however the contrat values are likely due to methodology.

Although I haven't tested extensively, I can already tell that the dynamic brightness adjustment is still taking place, though it works differently v. last year's implementation. This is why the contrast values observed in the press reviews very widely between 980:1 and over 2300:1!

I will be measuring Type B displays in the shops to nail down the differences based on the same methodology (100% Voodoo Test patterns).

Greyscale

Color Space

Currently available reviews for the HTC One Display pending

Tests in English

• 
  25.03.2013 BGR GSMArena: 567cd/m² Brightness | 1,256:1 Contrast
  26.03.2013 USA Anandtech: 497cd/m² Brightness | 1,300:1 Contrast | 7,341 Color Temperature (Delta E = 5.2)| Chromaticity: excelllent (Delta E = 3.87)
• 20.03.2013 GBR pcpro: Brightness not mentioned | 1,687:1 Contrast (measured with i1 Display Pro)
• 14.03.2013 GBR uk.hardware.info: 508cd/m² Brightness | Black Level: 0.2cd/m² | 2,541:1 Contrast | 7,856K Color Temperature (measured with i1 Display Pro)
  25.03.2013 USA laptopmag: 447cd/m² Brightness | Chromaticity: Good (Delta E = 6.1)

German

• 20.03.2013 DEU Computerbase.de: Not yet published DTP94)
  04.04.2013 DEU PC Welt 454cd/m² brightness | 2,555:1 contrast
  31.03.2013 DEU Chip.de: 482cd/m² brightness | 1420:1 contrast
• 02.04.2013 DEU notebookcheck.com: Not yet published

Dutch

• 02.04.2013 NLD Tweakers.net: 505cd/m² | 1,624:1 contrast | 7,005 color temperature (Delta E = 7.7)| Excellent Chromaticity (Delta E = 4,78) (measured with i1 Display Pro)

Russian

• 26.02.2013 RUS 3dnews.ru: Not yet published (measured with Spyder 4)
• 03.04.2013 RUS [email protected] 486cd/m² brightness | 988:1 contrast (1300:1 dynamic) | 8,000K white temperature

French

• 
  03.04.2013 FRA Les Numériques 480cd/m² | Contrast 1279:1 | Chromaticity: good (Delta E = 4,5) (measured with i1 Pro or i1 Pro 2 tbc.)
  02.02.2013 FRA 01.net 527cd/m² brightness | 2,509:1 contrast (measured with Konica Minolta CA-210)

For reference, here are the luminance ranges of the color testing devices listed above.

• i1 pro__________________________ 0.20 cd/m² to 300 cd/m²
• i1 pro 2_________________________0.20 cd/m² to 1200 cd/m²
• Chroma 5/Sencore Color Pro V_______0.01 cd/m² 1000 cd/m²
• Spider 3/4_______________________0.02 cd/m² 5000 cd/m²
• i1 Display 2______________._____._.__0.02 cd/m² 3000 cd/m²
• i1 Display 3/i1 Display Pro/C6___._____0.003 cd/m² 1200 cd/m²
• Konica Minolta CA-210______________0.01cd/m² 1000 cd/m²

 

[puremind]

Apparently the HTC One's diplay latency is record breaking - measured at 46ms.

Source: Lesnumeriques.fr

It is not at the 1-20ms recommended by Microsoft but it is a great step forward considering the fact that modern devices barely go below 70ms. The previous record was held by the Note 3 with 67ms.

Newer devices:

• Note 3: 67ms
• LG G2: 110ms
• iPhone 53: 75ms

Here is an overview for older devices:

It will be interesting to track the performance of other devices: S5, Z2, etc...

Source
Lesnumeriques.fr

 

[puremind]

Microsoft explained that high performance touch performance is becoming increasingly key aspect of a mobile device's user experience.
Microsoft report on Display latency

So it is certainly great News that the HTC One is getting closer to perfection.

 

[robt772000]

Is the new M8 like the M7 having sharp and jdi as it's suppliers? I'm thinking mine is a jdi from comparison with my sharp M7.

 

[puremind]

Is the new M8 like the M7 having sharp and jdi as it's suppliers? I'm thinking mine is a jdi from comparison with my sharp M7.

Their marketing said JDI. Sharp models came later in the year last year, early production were all JDI.

 

[StickyGeko]

Guys how do you find the colours on the m8.... My reds are way over saturated... Is there a way to make them cooler?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

 

[puremind]

Guys how do you find the colours on the m8.... My reds are way over saturated... Is there a way to make them cooler?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

The reds are not oversaturated. What you mean is the grey balance is too warm. Saturation and greyscale Balance are two different things.

None of the Displays on the M8 are overly warm. They are actually cooler than the norm. If you feel there is a red push, then probably you are coming from an AMOLED Display wich typically have more green and blue but is incorrect.

 

[StickyGeko]

No.... What I mean is the reds are over saturated.... I have an n4.... The reds on my m8 are way off, side by side with n4, HTC 8s, nexus 7 and a galaxy tab3...m8 reds are way off, maybe I have a defective unit.... I just wanted to see if anyone else had the same issue

Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

 

[puremind]

No.... What I mean is the reds are over saturated.... I have an n4.... The reds on my m8 are way off, side by side with n4, HTC 8s, nexus 7 and a galaxy tab3...m8 reds are way off, maybe I have a defective unit.... I just wanted to see if anyone else had the same issue

Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Do you see that on the color red? What do you mean by reds are cooler?

Saturation has nothing to do with color temperature. It has to do with the intensity of the color, not ist hue (which can be shifted toward other colors). For example, a red that is too blue move slightly towards purple and a red that is too green moves slightly towards orange.

Hence my question. If you say your reds are too cool, then it must mean they are too purple.

Saturation means how intensive the color is. If the reds are undersaturated they move towards grey and if they are oversaturated, they move towards "more intense" red. Overaturation cannot be described as cooler but you said your reds were cooler, so probably you mean your color temperature is too cool, hence greys and intermediary colors are shifted towards blue?

As you can see from the Review listed above, the M8 can have color temperature that is on the cool side (>7000K), however this varies from unit to unit, last year color temperature varied from 6,500K to 8,000K with Color temperature decreasing over time (probably because the intensity of the blue pixels decreased faster before settling).

If you feel your display is too cool, it is not a defect, it is luck of the draw. Many people actually prefered the slightly bluer displays last year because they had slightly larger contrast.but also because most displays are cooler by nature (since sunlight is warm and will cancel out the coolness when looking at the display outdoor.

The N4 had excellent grey balance, so probably your eye got used to a more neutral display. Wait a little bit and see how your perception adjusts. If you really don't like it, then return your device and purchase another one...

So far only a few reviews measured color temperature, and the values ranged from 7000K (pretty neutral) to 8,000K (cool) but it is also possible that some displays will have lower temperature (it was the case last year). I will receive my device tomorrow, so I will let you know how my unit stacks up.

 

[puremind]

No.... What I mean is the reds are over saturated.... I have an n4.... The reds on my m8 are way off, side by side with n4, HTC 8s, nexus 7 and a galaxy tab3...m8 reds are way off, maybe I have a defective unit.... I just wanted to see if anyone else had the same issue

Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Based on my test above, the reds are indeed oversaturated and the display is on the cool side, but both are independent. The reds can be oversaturated without being cool and the display can be cool without oversaturated reds.

 

[puremind]

Added my own detailed review of the display to the original post.

 

[hamdir]

@puremind do you keep in mind that the M7/M8 feature dynamic contrast? maybe that's what's affecting the results?

 

[puremind]

@puremind do you keep in mind that the M7/M8 feature dynamic contrast? maybe that's what's affecting the results?

Dynamic contrast is only affecting constrast, not color temperature. I noted that in my post (and also under one of the Russian tests in my list) and the the contrast is 1,000:1 vs 1,300:1 dynamic.

Still these results are not so good on the Type A display.

Also I did compare two units in store, so I can really tell one unit had a much much better display. Last year displays were broadly equivalent except for brightness but this year the Type A display is quite poor (by my picky standards) and cannot compete with Samsung S5's Display. The 2.1 gamma means intermediary colors are a bit washed out. The display is not punchy and has no depth. So be careful what you get! My unit will go back. This is the display type tested by Anandtech, as they noted the same issues.

 

[Maedhros]

How do we determine what screen we have?

If reds don't appear to be over saturated can we assume we have the type B screen?

 

[hamdir]

Yea i noticed different feedback about the screen as well...sigh

 

[puremind]

How do we determine what screen we have?

If reds don't appear to be over saturated can we assume we have the type B screen?

Red oversaturation is not the most visible aspect. The lack of punchiness and slightly washed out intermediary colors and lack of contrast is easier to spot.

When I am back from London I will measure type B and I expect to see correct gamma and higher contrast.

If you have rooted your phone you can use ES explorer or root explorer to view the last_ksmg file in the root's proc folder. If you look for Display ID you should find it there. It will likely say JDI something or Sharp something.

However it is not guaranteed that the display manufacturer will be different as JDI have a track record of having wide variance in terms of display characteristics. Still the displays are different enough that they could be from different manufacturers.

If anyone has access to a rooted device and can do the test it would be very helpful. Please comment what your subjective impression of the screen is and provide your display ID.

 

[Maedhros]

Red oversaturation is not the most visible aspect. The lack of punchiness and slightly washed out intermediary colors and lack of contrast is easier to spot.

When I am back from London I will measure type B and I expect to see correct gamma and higher contrast.

Thank you,

Could you also take pictures comparing the two models if possible?

Without context it is slightly difficult to determine what exactly constitutes "lack of punchiness and slightly washed out intermediary colors and lack of contrast."

Sorry - I'm not a bit of a noob when it comes to displays and colors!

 

[puremind]

Thank you,

Could you also take pictures comparing the two models if possible?

Without context it is slightly difficult to determine what exactly constitutes "lack of punchiness and slightly washed out intermediary colors and lack of contrast."

Sorry - I'm not a bit of a noob when it comes to displays and colors!

I don't posses both units. The other display type is in store and I am traveling to London the whole week. If I spot a good display at the airport or somewhere else I can shoot a comparison.

 

[v-b-n]

This is what I have ... Singapore Grey variant

mdss_dsi_panel_init: Panel Name = m8 1080p sharp/NT35595 cmd mode dsi panel
mdss_dsi_panel_init:1006 Continuous splash flag not found.

And another place name mentioned as "mdss_dsi_m8_sharp_novatek_35595_1080p"

To my naked eyes, it looks ok but little on the warm side (yellowish whites)

 

[Arthur Hucksake]

Sony have the best solution to this. You can change the colour balance in normal settings.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app