This part of the Samsung Galaxy S8+ review focuses on screen and battery tests. How successful was Infinity Display in terms of color reproduction, brightness, readability in the sun? How long will the Samsung Galaxy S8+ last on a single charge under different usage patterns?
Samsung Galaxy S8+: screen
The screen of the Galaxy S8 + received a beautiful, sonorous and memorable name Infinity Display. The infinity display stretches from edge to edge. The side bezels are missing, and the top and bottom bezels are so small that they even had to remove the Samsung logo that annoyed so many fans of the brand.
You probably know the passport data of the Galaxy S8 + screen, but according to the laws of the genre, they need to be voiced. Diagonal 6.2 inches at QHD + resolution gives the pixel density in the area 530 ppi. The panel is, of course, Super Amoled, which guarantees maximum black depth and excellent contrast.
We'll get to the tests, but for now, let's say a few words about the resolution and aspect ratio of the Galaxy S8 + screen. The default resolution is not QHD+, but 2220 x 1080 pixels, i.e. FHD+. This permission is used for Android and all applications. You can manually set a lower resolution 1480 x 720. Whether it is necessary to do this is another question ... during battery tests, reducing the resolution did not extend the battery life.
Galaxy S8+ screen aspect ratio (18.5:9) is a topic for a separate discussion, therefore, within the framework of this article, we will voice the main points. It will not be difficult to adapt applications and games to the new resolution, there will be no problems here. But media content is more difficult to remake, as are the photos taken by the Galaxy S8 + camera. When viewing videos and photos, black bars cannot be avoided.
Galaxy S8+ screen does not support Dolby Vision, but does support Dolby Vision HDR10, which guarantees maximum saturation, realism and brilliance of the image. According to DisplayMate screen experts, Infinity Display can render more colors (142%) than the standard sRGB color space can accommodate. The S8's screen received the highest A+ rating from DisplayMate and is ideal for viewing HDR content.
The problem is that HDR content is scarce, and what is available is only available in UHD packages (on Netflix, for example) and requires a 4K screen resolution, which the Galaxy S8 + cannot boast of. However, the lack of HDR content is unlikely to be a weighty argument against the Korean flagship, so we will not focus on this.
At the sub-pixel level, the Galaxy S8+ screen matrix uses the Diamond Pixel layout. Its peculiarity is that the elements responsible for displaying blue, red and green colors (sRGB) differ in size and shape. The largest sub-pixel is blue, followed by red, and green is the smallest. The shape is also different: the blue and red sub-pixels are made in the form of a rhombus, green in the form of an oval.
This layout allows you to achieve maximum image brightness and avoid artifacts when drawing small details, in particular, straight and diagonal lines. As for color reproduction, it is excellent on the Galaxy S8 + screen: the average color accuracy coefficient is 3, the maximum is 5.6. DeltaE less than direct competitors; despite the traditional saturation of colors for the Amoled matrix, it conveys colors better than the LCD panels installed in almost all the flagships of spring 2017.
Samsung Galaxy S8+: Display Tests
They said about good color reproduction, the brightness of the image is also in full order. When testing the Galaxy S8+ screen in DisplayMate Labs, we managed to achieve a brightness of 1020 nits. The GSMArena experts were able to squeeze a fantastic 870 nits out of the S8+'s display. True, cosmic brightness indicators are achieved only in specific conditions, in particular, when only a small white rectangle is highlighted on a black screen.
In real life, Galaxy S8+ screen brightness will be lower: 442 nits in standard mode and 647 nits at automatic settings to the maximum. Since the Amoled matrix allows you to get, in fact, absolutely black, the display contrast is at an infinitely high level, which once again justifies its name - Infinity Display.
| Black, cd/m2 | Brightness, cd/m2 | Contrast | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S8+ | 0.00 | 442 | ~ |
| Galaxy S8+ (max auto) | 0.00 | 647 | ~ |
| Galaxy S7 | 0.00 | 391 | ~ |
| Galaxy S7 (max auto) | 0.00 | 563 | ~ |
| Galaxy S7 edge | 0.00 | 392 | ~ |
| Galaxy S7 edge (max auto) | 0.00 | 610 | ~ |
| LG G6 | 0.228 | 468 | 2053 |
| LG G6 (max auto) | 0.277 | 564 | 2036 |
| HTC U Ultra | 0.539 | 428 | 794 |
| HTC U Ultra (max auto) | 0.564 | 507 | 899 |
| Xperia XZs | 0.461 | 564 | 1223 |
| Huawei P10 Plus | 0.335 | 547 | 1633 |
| Huawei P10 | 0.416 | 592 | 1423 |
| iPhone 7 Plus | 0.41 | 573 | 1398 |
| iPhone 7 Plus (max auto) | 0.50 | 681 | 1362 |
The readability of the Galaxy S8 + display in the sun, as predicted, is beyond praise. The best on the market right now! In terms of readability in the sun, the S8+ outperformed its predecessors and confidently came out on top in the current rankings. S6 + and S7 edge are located next. Samsung's closest competitor, the OnePlus 3T, is 400 points behind, although it also features Samsung's Amoled display.
Sun contrast ratio
At the end of the conversation about the S8 + display (which, in fact, we can continue indefinitely) let's say that minimum brightness was 3.30 nits. In the evening and at night, the S8+ screen will not blind you, it is quite comfortable to work with the phone.
The Galaxy S8+ screen has four display modes. Cinema Mode is tailored for movies, Photo - for viewing and working with photos. There are also Basic and Adaptive modes. For daily work with the phone, it is better to choose the latter. In adaptive mode, the Galaxy S8+ analyzes what is shown on the display and improves the picture based on it.
Samsung Galaxy S8+: battery, battery life
Today it is customary to criticize phones for low autonomy, and you can’t say that criticism is not on the case. Many smartphones, even astronomically expensive ones, barely make it to the evening. When the screen is active, the battery is discharged in 7-9 hours. It's better to keep silent about games in general - it's good if the battery lasts for 3-4 hours. So, the Galaxy S8+ outperformed its competitors in this component as well - with battery life it is in full order, at least for a phone with a diagonal of 6.2 inches.
Galaxy S8+ battery tests showed that when the screen is on 3500 mAh is enough for 12-16 hours of work. When working on the Internet, the operating time is less (12 hours), which is explained by the additional load on the modem. When watching a video, the figure, frankly, is impressive - not every smart phone with a diagonal of 5.0-5.2 inches can work for 16 hours. You don’t expect such high autonomy from large phones ...
| Galaxy S8+ (Exynos 8895) | |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 3500 mAh |
| fast charging | Quick Charge 2.0 |
| Wireless charger | Supported |
| Autonomy rating | 88 hours |
| Autonomy with AOD | 58 hours |
| Calls | 23:43 |
| Internet | 12:16 |
| Video | 16:03 |
Overall autonomy rating at disabled Always-On-Display was 88 hours. This means that if you watch video for 1 hour, chat on 3G networks for 1 hour and surf the Internet for another 1 hour, the Galaxy S8+ battery will last more than three days. Of course, in real life, the battery life will be less, because dozens of applications running in the background also consume the battery.
When the Always-On-Display function is enabled, the autonomy rating drops to 55 hours, which, in principle, is normal. According to the developers, AOD consumes approximately 1% of the battery per hour, so reducing the Galaxy S8 +'s battery life is an inevitable price for the convenience that this option provides.
In good tradition, the Samsung Galaxy S8+ supports wireless charging. The version of the smartphone on Exynos 8895 supports QC 2.0 and adaptive fast charging (Adaptive Fast Charging). From zero to 100%, the Galaxy can be charged in an hour and a half. Considering the S8+'s battery capacity, it's not bad overall.
This concludes this part of the large review of the Galaxy S8 +. If you find inaccuracies or errors in the material, please write in the comments, we will correct it.
It seems that of the new flagships, not only will the non-standard screen differ. This feature is also relevant for the Samsung Galaxy S8, which has already been confirmed by another photo of the smartphone. It shows all three resolution options available to the user. Maximum - QHD+ or 2960x1440 pixels, but HD+ (1480x720) or FHD+ (2220x1080) can also be selected to save power.
This suggests that the aspect ratio of the display will be non-standard. Samsung, like LG, has decided to move away from the usual 16:9 widescreen type. The Galaxy S8 display will be more elongated, which seems to be the trend this year.
For comparison, the LG G6 has a display resolution of 2880x1440 pixels - this is an 18: 9 ratio, while the Galaxy S8 at 2960x1440 - 18,5:9 . This format was repeatedly mentioned in insiders, but it was only now confirmed.
Along with a snapshot of the display, a photo of the packaging of the flagship Galaxy S8 Plus with 64 GB of internal memory got on the Web. The box is made in the traditional Samsung style. No special conclusions can be drawn from it. Everything is as usual.
Let's supplement these insiders with a fresh render from Evan Blass, who finally showed all three debut color options for the smartphone. It is purple, black and silver. Such images no longer cause doubts.
Several new photos showcase the battery capacity and display resolution, with the ability to downgrade if necessary.
A week later, the presentation of the Samsung Galaxy S8 will take place, and there are more and more leaks about the upcoming flagships. This time, a photo of a smartphone screen has leaked to the network, which displays a menu section dedicated to setting the resolution. As we can see, the maximum display resolution will be 2960×1440 pixels, or WQHD+. As in the current generation of flagships, if necessary, users will be able to reduce it to 2220 × 1080 pixels (FHD +) and 1480 × 720 pixels (HD +).
In addition, photos of the batteries that will be used in the devices were published. The pictures confirmed that the Galaxy S8 will have a 3000 mAh battery. The Galaxy S8+ variant will be equipped with a larger 3500 mAh battery, as the device has a larger display.
Recall that the new flagship generation will be announced at the Samsung Unpacked 2017 special event, which will be held on March 29. New items will go on sale only in a month - on April 21 or 28. In the meantime, you can familiarize yourself with all the previous ones.
And S8 Plus have many interesting features. One of them is the non-standard aspect ratio of the display. Many may think that the LG G6 looks no less interesting in this parameter, but it is not. The guys from Samsung went further, because in the case of the G6 we are talking about an 18:9 aspect ratio, the Samsung Galaxy S8 received an 18.5:9 display aspect ratio, in other words, the device is even longer than its competitor.
This is done to make it convenient for users to hold a device with a large diagonal with one hand. Given the almost complete lack of framework, such a step is fully justified and the result will be noticeable. The display in the S8 takes up 84.26% of the front panel.
Our colleagues from phonearena did some calculations and came to the following conclusion. If the Galaxy S8 received a standard display aspect ratio (16:9), the diagonal of the device would be equal to 5.57 inches. In other words, the S8 would be identical in this respect to the Galaxy S7 edge. The diagonal of the Galaxy S8 Plus display at a normal ratio would be 5.95 inches.
16:9 videos running on the Galaxy S8 will look like this:
Due to AMOLED technology, the black frames on the sides will not be visible and when watching a movie, they will simply merge with the frames of the device. At the same time, these black frames make up 13.5% of the entire display area. In addition, the problem can be solved by scaling the image. At the same time, we note that almost all new films have a ratio of 18:9, not 16:9.
And this is how the Galaxy S8 would look like at 5.5 inches - slightly wider and much shorter. However, let's face it, the regular 5.77-inch S8 looks much more interesting and modern. And what do our readers think about the non-standard aspect ratio? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of this ratio?
A photo has surfaced showing the Galaxy S8 has received a screen resolution tweak. It is represented by a slider that ranges from HD+ to WQHD+, with Full HD+ in the middle. This is the average value set by default. Apparently, this feature was adopted from the Galaxy S7, which acquired it after upgrading to Nougat.
With the official release of Android 7.0 Nougat for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, Samsung fans are in for a great treat with over 20 new features and redesigned visuals. However, some users have encountered an issue where their device's display resolution has dropped after the update. However, this was not a bug to worry about, but a new feature that allows you to change the screen resolution yourself. We do not always need the highest resolution, and low has a positive effect on battery life.
As you can see from the image, the Samsung Galaxy S8 can do the same, but what's more interesting is the new display resolutions. The actual screen resolution of WQHD+ or the unorthodox 2960 x 1440 pixels suggests that the 18.5:9 aspect ratio rumors may be true after all. This new ratio, called Univisium, is similar to what LG proposed with the G6. It makes smartphones taller but narrower. The default FHD+ screen resolution is actually 2220 x 1080 pixels, while the new HD+ is 1480 x 720.
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