Lab Report Shows iPhone XS Max Screen Is Terrific

The iPhone XS Max has 1 of the finest OLED screens available today, according to a new lab analysis by Dr. Ray Soneira of DisplayMate Labs.

The XS Max has higher total-screen brightness and better color accuracy than the iPhone X, hitting a full-screen effulgence level of 652 nits in broad colour style to the previous phone's 634 (and the Samsung Milky way Annotation 9's 410 nits of total-screen brightness in adaptive display mode, its brightest mode.)

In that location'southward a tiny decrease in viewing bending and an increase in reflectivity betwixt the iPhone X and the XS, only Soneira said those moves were "minor and not visually significant."

(iPhone 8, X, XS, and XS Max)

Color accuracy is extremely good, with "excellent calibration and a broad color gamut," according to Soneira's report.

The XS Max's OLED display will exist a big bound in picture quality over earlier Apple phones and may likewise be an advantage the iPhone XS holds over the upcoming LCD-packing iPhone XR.

"OLED displays now have tremendous functioning advantages over LCDs, then loftier-terminate and flagship smartphones demand OLED displays in gild to compete at state-of-the-fine art functioning levels," Soneira writes in his report.

We at PCMag have used Dr. Soneira's screen testing data in our reviews for many years, and he has a library of test results on previous smartphones. Before the iPhone XS Max came out, he declared the Samsung Milky way Notation nine to have the best smartphone screen ever.

Apple vs. Samsung

The Milky way Note 9's screen is as well a spectacular-quality OLED. But Soneira points out that Samsung'southward default "adaptive display" manner has an intentionally bluish white point and "intentionally vivid colors," which are less accurate than the colors on an iPhone.

Changing the Note 9's color mode in settings to Picture palace Mode fixes the problem, giving the Samsung phone "excellent accuracy." The question remains how many Note owners carp to dig into settings to make colors more accurate, whereas Apple phones are more authentic out of the box.

That said, when the settings are put right, the Galaxy Note nine display gets an A+ rating from DisplayMate for its contrast and color accuracy, the same as the iPhone XS Max.

Nosotros agree with Dr. Soneira. The XS Max gets our Editor's Option for its fast processor and great screen, amid other things, but the Galaxy Note 9 has an EC accolade from us, as well. These are only 2 really good devices.