Develop Bugs

Tab S 8.4 Screen homogeneity issues

The reasons why I purchased a Tab S 8.4 were its awesome screen quality and high grade processor. For the later, the poor touchwiz optimization and the average gpu led to disappointing results. But well, the screen IS awesome !
Or is it ?
At first, I was truly impressed. But after some web browsing and reading e-books, something felt wrong with the colors homogeneity. On white backgrounds, the right part of the screen in portrait mode would tend towards a yellowish tone, while the left part would tend toward purple tones. Nothing obvious, but quite annoying when noticed.
After trying around with different backgrounds, it become more obvious with certain colors. The one used in settings background for example: The left side of the screen is deep blue, the right part is much lighter.. and greener.
Further investigating the issue, I figured it is most obvious when watched in the darkness and using dark colors: RBG such as R:0, G:10 , B: 20 or even R:20, G:10, B:0
Did anyone else notice similar issues ? Would you guys mind trying to create a R:0, G:10, B:20 (#000A14) background and check the result on your tab S in a low light environment ? On mine, it results in an obvious gradation from dark blue to green.

Attaching some pictures. The rendering is not the best especially in the darkness, but the issue remains clearly visible.

There is something very wrong with your screen. Return it.

suzook said:
There is something very wrong with your screen. Return it.
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Click to collapse
I second that, that is not normal

I concur with the others, get it replaced.
AMOLED screens can fail for any number of reasons (pixel death is the main one) , if yours is showing problems get it replaced now rather than live with it and have a more serious problem later.

We've seen this yellow color issue reported by a few others. Looks like Samsung let a few diseased horses out of the barn. I concur with the others. Return it.

Thanks for your feedback, guys.
I'd like to highlight the fact this issue goes completely unnoticed in most scenarios. A friend I showed it on white background didn't notice it at all, in movies/games/pictures I don't see it at all. I only felt it while reading, and even then it was not obvious, just a persistant feeling that led me to further testing.
Only the extremely dark colors seem to be affected, and even then it's only noticeable in the darkness. I will go back to the store tomorow and exchange it for a new one, but I'm wondering if the issue isn't widespread and simply went under the radar as its effect is hardly noticeable in 99.9% of the situations.
Did anyone else check at an homogenous R:0, G:10, B:20 image in the darkness with their tab ?
I personnally used Moon+ Reader's background color settings for testing purpose, pretty easy to set up.

New Tab S, same issue
I changed my Tab S 8.4 today for a brand new one. Same test, same issue: the background is still not homogeneous. The issue is visible in the darkness on dark colors such as the one used for the settings menu, which seems naturally gradated from deep to lighter blue on my screen.
Could someone else test and reproduce the issue on their tab ?

I have tried to reproduce what you're seeing on my 10.5 and honestly I can't. I'm not going to say the white is always 100% pure white but it's close enough. At the same time I'm trying to avoid looking for something that's not there for my Tab.

ukael said:
I changed my Tab S 8.4 today for a brand new one. Same test, same issue: the background is still not homogeneous. The issue is visible in the darkness on dark colors such as the one used for the settings menu, which seems naturally gradated from deep to lighter blue on my screen.
Could someone else test and reproduce the issue on their tab ?
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Click to collapse
Maybe you can go into Settings / Accessibility / Vision / Color Adjustments and see if your calibration is off. There is a test there where you arrange tiles by color gradation and it adjusts your screen. I am having none of the issues you mentioned, but my 10.5 Tab also passed that test with no color adjustments required. Give it a try.

mitchellvii said:
Maybe you can go into Settings / Accessibility / Vision / Color Adjustments and see if your calibration is off. There is a test there where you arrange tiles by color gradation and it adjusts your screen. I am having none of the issues you mentioned, but my 10.5 Tab also passed that test with no color adjustments required. Give it a try.
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Click to collapse
Test completed successfully. The calibration is fine, and the issue is not noticeable during the test. The issue is actually not noticeable in most usages, I only see it on homogenous very dark color backgrounds (the 10% darkest colors), and while in a dark environment myself. In most common usages, the screen looks fantastic and flawless.
Unfortunately, I often use my toys in my bed in the darkness. AND I am concerned about a possible defect that would get worse over time.
That said, tests on similar colored backgrounds on other AMOLED screens (PS Vita, Galaxy SII) lead me to think this could be a global issue with AMOLED.

Unfortunately, I often use my toys in my bed in the darkness.
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Lol, to those of us with a perverse sense of humor we would refer to that as a hanging curveball.
Whatever issues you are experiencing I would take that over LCD light bleed any day.

ukael said:
Test completed successfully. The calibration is fine, and the issue is not noticeable during the test. The issue is actually not noticeable in most usages, I only see it on homogenous very dark color backgrounds (the 10% darkest colors), and while in a dark environment myself. In most common usages, the screen looks fantastic and flawless.
Unfortunately, I often use my toys in my bed in the darkness. AND I am concerned about a possible defect that would get worse over time.
That said, tests on similar colored backgrounds on other AMOLED screens (PS Vita, Galaxy SII) lead me to think this could be a global issue with AMOLED.
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Click to collapse
Dear Friend. Like you I am very sensible in that point. I have a lot behind me and I can tell you, that homogeneity is something we can not expect from all types of modern displays, except the pro ones with a special function that takes care about this issue. Any screen has such issues, the question is just what type of and the intensity differs. The lower the light in our environment the more sensible our eyes get. The longer we stare into the screen the better we see all color details. Worst case scenario is a totally darkened room. Your eyes won´t get more sensible than in such a situation. Especially AMOLED displays will show the strangest kind of irregularities you would never see normally. I remember the Tab 7.7 -- in a dark room the screen was over and over covered with black circles. Wow ! The Vita shows strange textures instead. It is horrible.
My advice to you would be to start trying to avoid using your tablet or any display in a dark room. Turn a light on, it will be nice for your brain and eyes and you will not see the described things. It´s just a matter of habit, nothing else. You will get used to it and probably feel very well with it. Anyway there will still be the green haze.... Not to talk about the yellowish etc. stuff.
I returned the Tab S for a MiPad and it´s much better, really nice homogeneity (compared to other actual devices).
I had 4-5 iPad Mini Retina and all of them have horrible yellowish/blueish tint.
I had 4 iPad Airs, 3 were horrible in a similar way, now the 4th one is okay, I finally had luck.
I had 2 Galaxy 12.2 - the first one yellowish in a quarter, the second has just a slight, short yellow stripe on the bottom border.
I had a Kindle Fire HD + HDX - both with bad, ugly green spots at borders and corners. Also partially yellowish.
Once I held a Galaxy Tab 3 in my hands that was actually flawless. I was shocked. It never happened again. Was from a classmate.
Today I guess it was a mistake since I could not test in in a home-at-night-environment.
I checked dozens of Tablets in big stores here - guess what I found ???
Look at the iMacs .... Horrible yellowish tint. Horrible. It´s a shame.

I use my Tab S 10.5 in a dark room with some regularity. I've never experienced any of these odd artifacts you guys are discussing. My black screen is just black. Colors look right. White is white. I think its a fallacy to claim that all amoled screens face these issues. The amoled screen on the Tab S is the best most advanced amoled screen ever created. Problems from older devices shouldn't apply here.
Please remember based upon other user input, Samsung did seem to have a run of defective screens on these tabs they put out.
Here's a quick video test taken in a pretty dark room (it's daytime here). As you can see the screen is just black. There is absolutely no reason to avoid viewing your Tab S in a dark room. If you are not seeing the solid black I have demonstrated in this video I suggest exchanging your possibly defective unit.

ukael said:
Did anyone else check at an homogenous R:0, G:10, B:20 image in the darkness with their tab ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my experience 100% of AMOLED displays exhibit this behaviour, i.e. both Tab S 8.4 I've had! The first one (exchanged because of unhappy whites) had it so obviously that it looked like a diagonal gradient fade to one corner. The second tablet shows it as a slightly patchy screen, see attached photo which looks worse than the reality.
This is only visible in a completely dark room with the display set to its darkest (or close to), displaying a very dark image (my photo is of the spec. you mentioned - hence blue/green colour). To show this I needed to use an exposure of about 1 second, if you use less the image will appear black, likewise (probably) if you try to capture it as a video using normal ISO values in camera, the camera won't pick up the background.

Armpowered said:
In my experience 100% of AMOLED displays exhibit this behaviour, i.e. both Tab S 8.4 I've had! The first one (exchanged because of unhappy whites) had it so obviously that it looked like a diagonal gradient fade to one corner. The second tablet shows it as a slightly patchy screen, see attached photo which looks worse than the reality.
This is only visible in a completely dark room with the display set to its darkest (or close to), displaying a very dark image (my photo is of the spec. you mentioned - hence blue/green colour). To show this I needed to use an exposure of about 1 second, if you use less the image will appear black, likewise (probably) if you try to capture it as a video using normal ISO values in camera, the camera won't pick up the background.
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Click to collapse
All I can say is that is seriously messed up. My screen looks nothing like that and just as pitch black as in my video. Considering black pixels in amoled screens are basically turned off, they should be utterly and completely black and devoid of light. Am I misunderstanding and your picture is of a blue background?
All other dark colors should be solid without strange light effects as well.

mitchellvii said:
All I can say is that is seriously messed up. My screen looks nothing like that and just as pitch black as in my video. Considering black pixels in amoled screens are basically turned off, they should be utterly and completely black and devoid of light. Am I misunderstanding and your picture is of a blue background?.
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It's daytime for me at the moment but yes from memory, if you display an actual black image then it will appear as black, you see this effect when trying to display an image that is almost black, at very low levels of light output the (my!) panel isn't even.
The attached image is R0 G10 B20 and on my PC looks black - it isn't I just used "ColorPic" to check the screen colour and it shows those values.
It's not a big issue but does appear when using in fully dark room with brightness turned down, I notice it in some apps that have very dark background colours (which you'd assume were black and see as such in daylight, but aren't).
Obviously under these circumstances an LCD would appear as a (relatively) bright grey !

Armpowered said:
It's daytime for me at the moment but yes from memory, if you display an actual black image then it will appear as black, you see this effect when trying to display an image that is almost black, at very low levels of light output the (my!) panel isn't even.
The attached image is R0 G10 B20 and on my PC looks black - it isn't I just used "ColorPic" to check the screen colour and it shows those values.
It's not a big issue but does appear when using in fully dark room with brightness turned down, I notice it in some apps that have very dark background colours (which you'd assume were black and see as such in daylight, but aren't).
Obviously under these circumstances an LCD would appear as a (relatively) bright grey !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK I'm a bit confused. The image you attached looks either black or very very dark gray on my screen. No color variation at all. Oh well

mitchellvii said:
OK I'm a bit confused. The image you attached looks either black or very very dark gray on my screen. No color variation at all. Oh well
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Same on my tab in daylight, it only appears patchy when in a very dark room with brightness turned right down. Maybe amongst the variations some will be perfect?

Armpowered said:
Same on my tab in daylight, it only appears patchy when in a very dark room with brightness turned right down. Maybe amongst the variations some will be perfect?
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Click to collapse
Still beats LCD light bleed

[Q] White balance tweak ?? (SM- T705)

Hello ..., is there any way to tweak the white balance ? I just got my tablet, it' s amazing by the way, but i want to make the white color a little bit cooler! Thanks!!

johnpaok said:
Hello ..., is there any way to tweak the white balance ? I just got my tablet, it' s amazing by the way, but i want to make the white color a little bit cooler! Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is possible by adjusting color temperature by by available yet atm

ykkfive said:
It is possible by adjusting color temperature by by available yet atm
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Click to collapse
Can you explain to me how i can do the adjustment?
Do i need to root the tablet or from the menu? (The only tweak i found from menu is the color profiles : amoled basic, amoled cinema, etc) I have a sony xperia phone and it has an option to adjust the white balance with a slider!
Thanks..

johnpaok said:
Can you explain to me how i can do the adjustment?
Do i need to root the tablet or from the menu? (The only tweak i found from menu is the color profiles : amoled basic, amoled cinema, etc) I have a sony xperia phone and it has an option to adjust the white balance with a slider!
Thanks..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
needs kernel support, so be patient and wait until someone make it

Today I got two 8.4 Tabs, both wifi only versions in my hands and I was impressed, that the white color was different. Sadly, the whites on mine were a little bit more yellowish, warmer, and a little bit dirtier. Is this normal for samoled?

Frantic_kr said:
Today I got two 8.4 Tabs, both wifi only versions in my hands and I was impressed, that the white color was different. Sadly, the whites on mine were a little bit more yellowish, warmer, and a little bit dirtier. Is this normal for samoled?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my experiences tell not all screens produce the same color, some are yellowish, while others are slightly blue, which can make white color a bit grey, etc
once i wanted to buy a note2 but i found its so bluish and therefore no deal
so each time I buy a phone, esp amoled, I will check the screen (and other things of coz) before I pay

I currently have 2 Galaxy Tab has 10.5 inch at home and deciding which one to keep. The main difference between the two is that one has a newer build date and love one screen seems to be a little more orange brown tint to the white versus the other tablet seems to be a little more blue yellow intent. Other than that perform identically however I did notice that when I run the CPU temperature app that the one with the yellow blue tinted screen seems to run a few degrees cooler most of the time except when using Chrome when where the other tablet seems to run several degrees cooler but only when JavaScript is activated.
One little trick in addition to adjusting the temperature using the adaptive display were changing from AMOLED basic to Evelyn cinema to make it cooler, is to go into the accessibility settings and then go into divisions section and then go into the area where one can do a test of their color as if they needed adjustments because of their own visual impairment. If you run that test and intentionally miss order the color tiles, and then will activate the option to allow you to adjust a slider which can further give you A white screen that seems to be somewhere in between the really blue display and the really warm AMOLED basic
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

Old thread i know but i just wanted to thank you for that tip Canadoc. I've been struggling with the excessively warm image from my Tab S for a year now and while putting it into "Cinema" mode fixes the white balance it also destroys the contrast by making all subtle dark detail just disappear. This accessibility method has given me much nicer whites without affecting the contrast other than removing the orange haze. I assume the colours are going to be slightly different now but i can't say i've noticed anything there. I wish the Tab S had the same display options as the Galaxy S5 has where you can choose the cooler white level without hammering the contrast too. Maybe it's something Samsung do in order to protect the lifespan of the blue sub-pixel?
So thanks again

When the tab s 8.4 came out the screen quality was a bit variable, but it's been months since I have have read of anybody having a problem, see if you cab get a replacement.
John

Tinderbox (UK) said:
When the tab s 8.4 came out the screen quality was a bit variable, but it's been months since I have have read of anybody having a problem, see if you cab get a replacement.
John
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Click to collapse
Mine's the 10.5 and this is the second one i got which was exactly the same as the first one in screen tone.

I always wondered if third-world country`s got B-C grade stock, as the consumer protection can be poor or non-existent, maybe it`s cheaper for the re-seller to buy this lower grade stock with screen color problems ect, I dont know?
John.

Tinderbox (UK) said:
I always wondered if third-world country`s got B-C grade stock, as the consumer protection can be poor or non-existent, maybe it`s cheaper for the re-seller to buy this lower grade stock with screen color problems ect, I dont know?
John.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UK here and bought from John Lewis. I've heard plenty of issues with screen temp on these ones so it's fairly common. Just using it this morning and thinking it perhaps wasn't quite as white as i'd like it and checked the settings to see if it was still in the proper mode and it was, switched it back to the old one and don't know how i ever lived with that brown tone!

Under different light sources it can take a few minutes for your eyes to adapt to the screen, so white can look a little off while this is happening, as the human eye will normally auto white balance anything you look at.
Does you screen when browsing with a white background at night, but not totally dark still not look perfectly white after a few minutes of looking at the screen.
Everybody seems to see colors slightly differently, and some not so slight, did you see the white/gold blue/black dress debate.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...er-you-see-says-a-lot-about-you-10074490.html
John.
Shriker said:
UK here and bought from John Lewis. I've heard plenty of issues with screen temp on these ones so it's fairly common. Just using it this morning and thinking it perhaps wasn't quite as white as i'd like it and checked the settings to see if it was still in the proper mode and it was, switched it back to the old one and don't know how i ever lived with that brown tone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Tinderbox (UK) said:
Under different light sources it can take a few minutes for your eyes to adapt to the screen, so white can look a little off while this is happening, as the human eye will normally auto white balance anything you look at.
Does you screen when browsing with a white background at night, but not totally dark still not look perfectly white after a few minutes of looking at the screen.
John.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it never looks like clean white to me unless i tilted it slightly back or forward and then i could see the tone shift to a cooler temp. I do keep the brightness down to under 10% most of the time and that doesn't help the white level either.
I can't say i ever understood the dress image, you can factually measure and define the colour on that one so i don't know why people were confused.

Have you had anybody else check your screen, do they see the same problem, though at 10% brightness the screen is never going to look really white, I always keep mine on Auto -5 , I have the RGB sensor set on Auto i cannot even remember what it`s really called as i have never changed it, but in Auto it is supposed to keep the whites looking white, what is yours set too.
John.
Shriker said:
No it never looks like clean white to me unless i tilted it slightly back or forward and then i could see the tone shift to a cooler temp. I do keep the brightness down to under 10% most of the time and that doesn't help the white level either.
I can't say i ever understood the dress image, you can factually measure and define the colour on that one so i don't know why people were confused.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Warm colours
My tab s 8,4 screen has a brownish layer, which makes whites mor brown and the colours less sharp. But when I put pressure on my tab, the "layer" goes away.

Tinderbox (UK) said:
Have you had anybody else check your screen, do they see the same problem, though at 10% brightness the screen is never going to look really white, I always keep mine on Auto -5 , I have the RGB sensor set on Auto i cannot even remember what it`s really called as i have never changed it, but in Auto it is supposed to keep the whites looking white, what is yours set too.
John.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for not getting back to you earlier, car knocked the phone pole down and been without for 12 long days. *sigh*
Anyway, i haven't had anyone else look at mine but i don't need anyone to anyway, it's a very overly warm tone. I've never used the RGB adaptive sensor thingy as it only works in a few apps that i never use anyway.
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ozkarorv said:
My tab s 8,4 screen has a brownish layer, which makes whites mor brown and the colours less sharp. But when I put pressure on my tab, the "layer" goes away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you see a much whiter tone when you choose Cinema mode? If so and you like it then you really should try the method in this thread to keep it without also cranking up the contrast.

Considering a return because of the ambient screen :(

It's a shame really, since I love EVERYTHING else about this watch - good price, snappy processor, GPS, WiFi (not even sure what that will bring eventually), NFC.
But with this thing serving primarily as a watch on my wrist, I just can't stand the ambient screen. From pretty much any angle it is a low-contrast, mustard-y yellow.
I'm looking at the LG R watch now. It's $50 more, and is missing a bunch of features, but the screen is GREAT. :'-(
I really wanted to like this watch! Please XDA, talk me into keeping it!!

** Delete **

loneBoat said:
It's a shame really, since I love EVERYTHING else about this watch - good price, snappy processor, GPS, WiFi (not even sure what that will bring eventually), NFC.
But with this thing serving primarily as a watch on my wrist, I just can't stand the ambient screen. From pretty much any angle it is a low-contrast, mustard-y yellow.
I'm looking at the LG R watch now. It's $50 more, and is missing a bunch of features, but the screen is GREAT. :'-(
I really wanted to like this watch! Please XDA, talk me into keeping it!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The LG P-OLED screen can burn in... Otherwise I possibly had bought it aswell.
I love the sw3 and especially the ambient mode screen and GPS. Its looks like a compromise between a e-ink and LCD..
But maybe it's a kind of different tastes.
Send with Tapatalk on Sony Z2

djgodlike said:
The LG P-OLED screen can burn in... Otherwise I possibly had bought it aswell
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point about the burn-in. I just searched over on the LG R watch forums and there's some horror stories of burn-in after just a week. :-o That may be a deal-breaker for me.
Hah! You may have talked me into staying on SW3 just as I requested - thanks! :highfive:

It's a garbage screen on a first-gen looking product. I returned mine for the same reason.

foxfire235 said:
It's a garbage screen on a first-gen looking product. I returned mine for the same reason.
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Click to collapse
I haven't gotten mine yet but have played with it in store. I wouldn't say it's garbage. Is it on par with other android wear devices? Probably not. However, just as another user stated above, its sort of a mix between e ink and color. It seems to be helping to deliver great battery life with it too. Also, with the update it seems you guys can turn off the feature of activating the screen arm movement. So with this screen you can leave it on always on mode and still be able to see the screen without killing battery. All the android wear devices are first gen tech, but the Sony SW 3 still offers so much more than any of the other watches. For that, I can certainly deal with the screen negatives. Even though it does offer positives so its not completely bad, therefore back to my point that I wouldn't call it garbage.

I like the screen...in my office or while outdoor, I can look at it at any time and almost any angle and can see the time w/o artifiially tilting my arm, or pressing a button. The screen is always on and I get easly 2 days...that is worth a lot to me. My 2 cents....

No matter how you look at it the pro's outweigh the con's.And if you can't live with then just return it and I'll keep mine.

techrider6262 said:
No matter how you look at it the pro's outweigh the con's.And if you can't live with then just return it and I'll keep mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 :good:
---------- Post added at 10:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:30 AM ----------
djgodlike said:
The LG P-OLED screen can burn in... Otherwise I possibly had bought it aswell.
I love the sw3 and especially the ambient mode screen and GPS. Its looks like a compromise between a e-ink and LCD..
But maybe it's a kind of different tastes.
Send with Tapatalk on Sony Z2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. It's a major flaw of OLED screen. SW3's transflective screen is the perfect choice for ambient mode. It's more readable in bright sunlight. Honestly, transflective LCD is born for outside activities.
I got my first SW3. The screen is too yellow with a small dark spot at the bottom of the screen. I returned it immediately and now the 2nd one is really good.

I disagree. Try taking your smartphone and let the sun shine on the screen (or a bright lamp) and lower the brightness. The whites and blacks will be very similar in color to the SW3's screen. I'm currently using the Odyssey watchface and sometimes it takes a while for the full watchface to turn on so I get the opportunity to seen the ambient screen with the backlight on. Whites are white on it. What I would like is for the ambient light sensor to turn on the backlight at minimal brightness in low light conditions.

my device is very white. It is of course no OLED screen that are over saturated mostly but i definetly see no yellow tint there on white (maybe a really tiny bit more yellowish but really nothing i notice at all in normal use).
And having the watch always on is such a huge + in my opinion. Yes you can't see the screen in low light situations. But honestly.
People are never happy. When the backlight would be always on some people would complain that the watch is always making light in the dark.
(which would annoy me probably more)
If you want correctly displayed colors you would need to calibrate your screens.
Who does that for home usage here?

It's definitely not first gen. I had first gen smartwatch from Sony, this one is ten times better

I would like the option for a low backlight on low light (current low backlight settings are too bright to begin with). I suppose that's what custom ROMs/root apps are for.

I like it on mine. The default faces are pretty bad on it in ambient mode, but I built ones for it on Facer that make it really easy to read.

vitaminxero said:
I would like the option for a low backlight on low light (current low backlight settings are too bright to begin with). I suppose that's what custom ROMs/root apps are for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if you had something like this in mind ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=57615301 ) ...but I'm using this app and it lets me lower the brightness down to where it's much more comfortable for using my watch in bed at night. The developer is letting us try it out for free until 12/21... but I went ahead and bought it for a buck from the Play Store.

Grown to love ambient mode, except for complete darkness I can read the watch fine.
I have a Gear Live, try to go out in the sun and read the time, this watch no problem.
I purchased Facer, made myself a digital watch face with huge numbers that makes the watch even more visible in direct sun

vitaminxero said:
I disagree. Try taking your smartphone and let the sun shine on the screen (or a bright lamp) and lower the brightness. The whites and blacks will be very similar in color to the SW3's screen. I'm currently using the Odyssey watchface and sometimes it takes a while for the full watchface to turn on so I get the opportunity to seen the ambient screen with the backlight on. Whites are white on it. What I would like is for the ambient light sensor to turn on the backlight at minimal brightness in low light conditions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed! I live in Florida (the sunshine state) and spend lots of time outdoors. Our days are long, it's almost always sunny, and the sun is INTENSE! I got this watch specifically because of this display. Try reading an OLED display outdoors in Florida sun. Even my Note4 with its high-brightness outdoor mode is barely readable. Yet my SW3 is clear as day, with or without the backlight. Yes, it definitely doesn't look as pretty indoors as the OLED screens, but for my use its perfect. Not like I'm watching movies on it or anything. I'm glad Sony decided to carry over the transflective tech from the SW2...it was a bold move but it's one of the things that sets this product apart. If you don't like it, there are plenty of competing products on the market.
I just wish there was a way to disable the backlight under any ambient light conditions, like my SW2. One of the firmware updates for the SW2 introduced a smarter backlight that stayed off, even when in use, when there was enough ambient light, like outdoors. While it makes no difference in appearance, it helps conserve battery.

Calvin Gross said:
+1 :good:
---------- Post added at 10:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:30 AM ----------
Good point. It's a major flaw of OLED screen. SW3's transflective screen is the perfect choice for ambient mode. It's more readable in bright sunlight. Honestly, transflective LCD is born for outside activities.
I got my first SW3. The screen is too yellow with a small dark spot at the bottom of the screen. I returned it immediately and now the 2nd one is really good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Transflective screens are also installed on all Garmin outdoor standalone GPS: if you want a well readable screen on EVERY situation you need a transfective.... NOT a AMOLED.
Amoled is much contrasted and wonderful on artificial light or on low natural light, but is a pain during summer outdoor activity (and need maximum power consumption to be barely readable)

heavyhms said:
Transflective screens are also installed on all Garmin outdoor standalone GPS: if you want a well readable screen on EVERY situation you need a transfective.... NOT a AMOLED.
Amoled is much contrasted and wonderful on artificial light or on low natural light, but is a pain during summer outdoor activity (and need maximum power consumption to be barely readable)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The transflective display is one of the big selling points of this watch if you ask me. It's visible in pretty much any light except very low. I don't have to turn the backlight on to see it (saves battery) and it's viewable in direct sunlight. This is a huge plus for anyone taking this thing out for runs or bike rides. I'm a long distance runner and use this watch exclusively for tracking and music, it works great!

The screen on the Sony Smartwatch 3 is the best, hands the fak down!! Always on and viewable, just as watch suppose to be.
Its comical sporting a watch thats turned off until you put it up in front of your grill to turn ON...gayness to the fullest.

Screen slightly flickers when WHITE face is displayed

Has anyone worn a bright white face here yet using WM? Every time I set a bright white face, the screen flickers a little when dim mode is active. It is so hard to see it but it's definitely there. I have troubleshot for 12+ hours and have determined that it just can't be a hardware issue because any other bright face is fine and in normal/non-dim mode, everything is perfect! Plus, when I use a chronograph with bright white dials, the flicker isn't there at all. I know one thing: I'm NOT RMA'ing this thing until the 11th month OR if ti fails, lol. Thanks in advance for your input!

Yes, I have seen this too. It only happens with a white face in dim mode.
I don't think it's a big deal as I am not sure that we should be using a white face in dim mode, as it "could" cause burn in (but not sure about that).

I have the same thing on my watch. I tought it was my Android phone at first so I did a factory reset on the watch and tried it on an iPhone 6 running iOS 9 and still saw this issue.
You can clearly see the flickering on Catchcat watchface app. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dd.watchdesigner.catchcat
It's really annoying and I'm hoping there's a software fix so I don't have to return my watch.
Would this also happen on the moto 360 2nd Gen? I know the screen is not AMOLED...

Thanks guys, I was starting to think it was me since no one else saw it when I posted on G+! I'm hoping it is a software issue at this point.

Hey Jeff! Just chiming in here. Like you, I do change up my faces and have tried to troubleshoot and replicate the flicker. I think my eyes are going so I don't really notice it. Did you try using the animation boost in Watchmaker to see if that does anything? I personally think it's a refresh issue, because of the res of the Huatch, it can't handle it when going into dimmed mode. Just thinkin out loud lol.

kpjimmy said:
Hey Jeff! Just chiming in here. Like you, I do change up my faces and have tried to troubleshoot and replicate the flicker. I think my eyes are going so I don't really notice it. Did you try using the animation boost in Watchmaker to see if that does anything? I personally think it's a refresh issue, because of the res of the Huatch, it can't handle it when going into dimmed mode. Just thinkin out loud lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, long time to hear I definitely misunderstood you on that one...I thought you meant the bright>dim animation transitions, which I don't use. I actually didn't try the animation boost yet under settings, will try that! For the record, I still find this to be my favorite smartwatch:good:

tgcid2040 said:
I have the same thing on my watch. I tought it was my Android phone at first so I did a factory reset on the watch and tried it on an iPhone 6 running iOS 9 and still saw this issue.
You can clearly see the flickering on Catchcat watchface app. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dd.watchdesigner.catchcat
It's really annoying and I'm hoping there's a software fix so I don't have to return my watch.
Would this also happen on the moto 360 2nd Gen? I know the screen is not AMOLED...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Moto 360 2 has a very "dim" ambient mode so no, it definitely will not flicker but who cares when you can't even see it, LOL. Please let us know if you decide to return it and/or contact Huawei about this.

There is one solution that works quite well.
Place a solid black circle on the top layer (actually below the hands layer).
Make the layer dimmed only.
Use opacity to suit eg 60%.
When watch goes to dim or wakes up from dim, the flicker will be much less noticeable. 

niteowl360 said:
There is one solution that works quite well.
Place a solid black circle on the top layer (actually below the hands layer).
Make the layer dimmed only.
Use opacity to suit eg 60%.
When watch goes to dim or wakes up from dim, the flicker will be much less noticeable. 
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice to see you here too The flicker only occurs when a white face is sitting in dim mode. (not the transition) What's really odd is the fact I can still see the flicker after adding a circle at 80% opacity in dim only...weird issue. (almost like it cant handle any whites in dim mode/low power mode) As I mentioned on Google+ it's not a big deal, I never wear white faces. (was just testing them) Thanks anyway!

niteowl360 said:
There is one solution that works quite well.
Place a solid black circle on the top layer (actually below the hands layer).
Make the layer dimmed only.
Use opacity to suit eg 60%.
When watch goes to dim or wakes up from dim, the flicker will be much less noticeable. 
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, it works :good:

Great. Thanks for feedback. Cheers

My watch also flickers but only in sunlight. If I'm somewhere indoors I can barely see it but its definitely there. It also happens with black watchfaces and white numbers. Anyone with the same problem?

I know this is old post, but mine also does that. Black face with white numbers and hands. It flickers only when outside in sunlight.
So what's the solution? I modify my watchmaker face to put a black circle with an opacity on top of everything?

Again, sorry for raising a dead thread, but these are my thoughts:
I think the hwatch is just lowering the refresh rate of the screen in dim mode as to preserve battery life. Instead of running at 60hz it's probably clocking down to 30hz or something of that nature.
Just a guess.

My Huawei Watch slightly flickers when activate the dimmed mode. Only in faces with clear backgrounds

pretty sure some talanted dev can just look into the kernel/settings because its just a refresh rate setting.

I think its absolutely normal unless its literally flickering right infront of your eyes all the time...it depends when your eyes catches the screen (on a white background ) the level of degree you see it. Im sure it flickers but our eyes cant see it
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

My watch has the same thing but you can see the flicker really good when using a white watchface in dim mode.
So this is "normal" and i don't have to RMA it?

Check flickering under normal light. Outside. Mike

Great "fix"
niteowl360 said:
There is one solution that works quite well.
Place a solid black circle on the top layer (actually below the hands layer).
Make the layer dimmed only.
Use opacity to suit eg 60%.
When watch goes to dim or wakes up from dim, the flicker will be much less noticeable. 
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks ! That's an easy and effective fix...

Green tint on dark background low brightness

Man I hate OLED lottery.
Does anyone else have this issue? It's something similar to this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-7t/help/green-tint-issue-oneplus-7t-t3986231
I'm debating if I should exchange it or just keep it, it's only noticeable at low brightness

vwite said:
Man I hate OLED lottery.
Does anyone else have this issue? It's something similar to this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-7t/help/green-tint-issue-oneplus-7t-t3986231
I'm debating if I should exchange it or just keep it, it's only noticeable at leow brightness
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same effect in original Youtube app. It is just a bad background gradient in the application. Don´t blame the phone....
When I open Messenger with black background and grey status bar at the top of the app in the same brightness level, there is no greenish effect.

I am also having uniformity issues. Very noticeable, unfortunately. As there are no 512GB Ultras available anyway ATM, O will just have to live with it for the moment. Maybe I get used to it...

buddy66 said:
I have the same effect in original Youtube app. It is just a bad background gradient in the application. Don´t blame the phone....
When I open Messenger with black background and grey status bar at the top of the app in the same brightness level, there is no greenish effect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mm weird, I see it in every single app with dark grey background, even in settings (w/Dark mode on), the bleeding is a lot bigger from the top right corner.
EDIT: Just checked the messenger app (FB messenger) and background is completely black so most pixels are off except for the letters and gray search bar but bleeding wouldn't be noticeable.

vwite said:
mm weird, I see it in every single app with dark grey background, even in settings (w/Dark mode on), the bleeding is a lot bigger from the top right corner.
EDIT: Just checked the messenger app (FB messenger) and background is completely black so most pixels are off except for the letters and gray search bar but bleeding wouldn't be noticeable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just checked it with Gmail since it is also a Google application and you can notice the bleed when the lights in the room are turned on and I try to cover the top of the phone to see it. After turning the lights off, whole app is equally gray so in my opinion it is just an optical illusion. If I recall well the AMOLED displays use some kind of dimming (tinkering with the frequency) in order to reach a lower point of the brightness that is not noticeable for human eye. Probably this can be seen when covering a gray part of Google apps in a room that has another not so bright light source.

buddy66 said:
I've just checked it with Gmail since it is also a Google application and you can notice the bleed when the lights in the room are turned on and I try to cover the top of the phone to see it. After turning the lights off, whole app is equally gray so in my opinion it is just an optical illusion. If I recall well the AMOLED displays use some kind of dimming (tinkering with the frequency) in order to reach a lower point of the brightness that is not noticeable for human eye. Probably this can be seen when covering a gray part of Google apps in a room that has another not so bright light source.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made a picture. It is showing a 5% gray test pic and supposed to be uniform. It is easy to see and I was kind of shocked when instantly noticing it the first time I was using it in the dark. Settings and many parts of the dark one UI are using grays in that range.
Anybody else? If it is rare, it will be worth pushing for an exchange.

corwin_amber said:
I made a picture. It is showing a 5% gray test pic and supposed to be uniform. It is easy to see and I was kind of shocked when instantly noticing it the first time I was using it in the dark. Settings and many parts of the dark one UI are using grays in that range.
Anybody else? If it is rare, it will be worth pushing for an exchange.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the same test, I'm attaching a picture of my Note 10+ and the S20 Ultra side by side. Uniformity seems a lot better on the note 10+, however on white background the Note 10+ turns more red when I slightly tilt it while the S20 Ultra seems to shift colors a lot less and still white overall.
Still not sure if it's worth the hassle to return.

Ok, the fact, that it looks very much like mine can be good and bad ?
Could you please check, if is different at 60Hz? For me, it is clearly different.

corwin_amber said:
Ok, the fact, that it looks very much like mine can be good and bad
Could you please check, if is different at 60Hz? For me, it is clearly different.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wow, you're right! I set it to 60 hz and QHD+ and uniformity on the gray test got noticeable better, still some green on top right corner and around the punch hole but noticeable less. I love reaaally 120 hz during normal use though.

Thanks for confirming, same here. I wonder, if this is something, that can be fixed in software... And if the rumoured 'dynamic refresh raze' update might change things.
Could please note people check their Ultras displays?

Same here with my s20 more visible at 12hz refresh rate with dark theme

Damn it, ok, then I really hope that it is fixable... Weird.
I am using smiled displays since Symbian Nokias, never had one, where I noticed it so much.

I remember all the Mate 20 Pros with LG screen had this issue buy way worse in some cases
https://www.google.com/search?q=mat...JtXpfSDsL9sQXomrbgDQ&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS731US731
In some cases they were normal during the first days but the problem evolved until the display was unsusable in low light conditions, hope the same won't happen to our phone during the next weeks.

yeah I don`t have this issue I did the screen test in Gmail and download the app that does all the different colors including gray, at the lowest brightness and at other levels of brightness at 120hz its all uniform.

2003vstrom said:
yeah I don`t have this issue I did the screen test in Gmail and download the app that does all the different colors including gray, at the lowest brightness and at other levels of brightness at 120hz its all uniform.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is most noticeable at around 35-40% brightness and with 120 hz but still noticeable with 60 hz while on the note 10+ I can't see any green at all at any level of brightness. I think it's a quality issue and variation of OLED screens but not sure if it would count as "defective". Samsung doesn't do exchanges so it would be a pain to return everything and recorder without the promotions and reservation/pre-order credits. Ugh not sure what to do yet.
EDIT: Btw I tested with gmail and didn't notice the green in the app since it's light gray but as soon as I drop down the notification panel (w/dark mode on) the green is immediately noticeable. It's only with very dark gray that lookd almost black which is what Samsung use for all their apps (settings, calculator, messages, etc.) when dark mode is on. I wish they used true black so pixels were completely off like with facebook messenger.

I am also unsure what to do. I have to say, however, that this is the device that gives me the most uncertainty ever. For this opportunity price I want a good to perfect display. @vwite Don't you think that the dark grays are too bright as well? It wouldn't be so visible otherwhise. I also sent my picture to the 'write the CEO' address and a pledge to be aware of the issue:
https://www.samsung.com/uk/info/contactus/email-the-ceo/ (example: UK)
I will try checking in a store, which will be totally hard because of the light there. Maybe I will just order another one... Or a plus ?

Made another picture 'for the CEO' :silly: and will also attach the source image I showed on screen. To replicate:
- 25% brightness
- Show 5% picture in a dark room
- made picture with an S10+ on full auto

corwin_amber said:
Made another picture 'for the CEO' :silly: and will also attach the source image I showed on screen. To replicate:
- 25% brightness
- Show 5% picture in a dark room
- made picture with an S10+ on full auto
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Please let me know what they say.

Actually I ordered an S20+ now and will most likely just give the Ultra back in the first 2 weeks. Yes, it is a pain, but I really can not stand the screen as is. I am even putting it in its box before I have the plus and using my S10+ in the meantime - the green tint is driving me a little nuts.
I am having a hard time justifying the thickness and weight for a feature I hardly use (amazing zoom) while having an inferior main camera at the same time (focus issues).

i noticed this issue too on my 20+
it seems to be worse some days less bad other days
it also is very dependable on how much ambient light is around - eg is much more noticeable in dark rooms
and yes is an issue with Samsung dark mode that isn't true black but some dark greyish
other then this - all other colours look amazing = so not sure if the screen itself is defective
I do hope there will be a software update that will fix this or make it less visible