Unveiling the Smartphone: 14-Year-Old Journey Leads to Outstanding Outdoor OLED Device
Tech Talk: Embracing the Outdoors with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Step into the sunshine and embrace the great outdoors with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Despite the plethora of top-tier Android phones bombarding the market, this powerhouse stands out as a beacon of visibility, thanks to its unrivaled anti-glare layer that makes it a cinch to see in the sun's glare.
Now, let's unlock the secrets behind its luminous display and shed light on the aspects it aces outdoor conditions, as well as the areas where it may falter indoors.
Stay Iconic in Bright Light
In the modern tech landscape, flagship phone displays all seem to boast stunning aesthetics. But, what truly differentiates these devices usually boils down to a few select strong points. For the Galaxy S25 Ultra, that's its stellar anti-glare filter, first introduced on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Ever tried using your phone in broad daylight, only to be blinded by its screen? Well, worry no more, because the S25 Ultra's display outshines most competitors, even those that boast higher peak brightness capabilities. Check out the image comparison of the S25 Ultra against the OnePlus 13 to witness the S25 Ultra's crisp, vibrant, and distinctly easier-to-see display. Although the OnePlus 13 may be a brighter screen, its reflective glass makes it difficult to see when exposed to sunlight, while the S25 Ultra's anti-glare layer shines as the cleanest and most visible option.
Note, however, that many screen protectors don't feature an anti-glare layer. To ensure your outdoor viewing experience remains top-notch, grab an official Samsung anti-reflection film to protect and retain that game-changing attribute.
Comfort Zone
When it comes to display evaluation, the focus is often too heavily placed on lab tests that miss out on the human element entirely. Most users couldn't care less about the nuances of a 97% color accuracy or even spot the difference between two similar devices side-by-side. Instead, let's talk about the human quotient in these display reviews.
Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra display, while excelling in several areas, presents some challenges in the comfort department. But, don't be disheartened, as it also boasts some worthwhile highlights. Let's kick off on a positive note!
Reflectivity
The Galaxy S25 Ultra's display is at its weakest in the comfort category; however, it outdoes others in more than just one region. For our benefit, let's begin by discussing its panel's remarkable anti-glare filter. Introduced on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, this filter is the bedrock of spectacular sunlight visibility on Samsung's latest flagship device.
In the above images, I pit it against the OnePlus 13, our current favorite Android phone, which boasts a brighter display but suffers from reflectivity due to the nature of its glass. By contrast, the S25 Ultra remains exceptionally clear and vibrant, while the OnePlus 13 is almost impossible to view under direct sunlight. It's important to note that this isn't an attack on OnePlus; nearly every phone available experiences the same difficulties, as only a handful employ the type of anti-glare glass the S25 Ultra showcases.
Bear in mind that most after-market screen protectors for the phone lack an anti-glare layer. If you want to preserve that display's ultimate outdoor attribute, then make sure you opt for the official Samsung anti-reflection film.
Eye Comfort Settings
Samsung's "Blue Light Filter," also known as "Eye Comfort Shield," aids in restricting blue light emissions by reducing the intensity of blue sub-pixels. This modification imparts a significantly yellower appearance to the screen and is effective in reducing blue light emissions.
You can observe this change in the image above, which was captured using a microscope and a pure white image on the screen. Compare the renditions of the blue sub-pixels with the filter enabled and disabled.
By default, the mode will automatically adjust blue light based on the time of day. During daylight hours, blue light will be close to the default setting, like the mode is inactive. At night, blue light will automatically decrease to reflect the Circadian rhythm of the human body, as most natural blue light only occurs during the day from sunlight.
Unfortunately, that's where Samsung's sole eye-care solution falls short. Read on, and you'll understand more about the drawbacks it faces in the brightness section below.
Maximum Visual Appeal
When the Galaxy S24 Ultra was initially launched, some long-time Samsung fans criticized the device's display as "washed out." Samsung later introduced a vividness slider and fine-tuned the colors of the display to cater to these complaints. These same improvements have found their way into the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
The color calibration looks identical between both phones; however, the S25 Ultra performs better at preserving color accuracy when viewing the screen from an angle compared to the S24 Ultra.
Samsung's AMOLED panels on both the S24 and S25 Ultra exhibit signs of color banding, which is rarely observed in most modern flagship devices. The issue stems from Samsung's persistent use of 8-bit panels, despite the industry's full-scale transition to 10-bit as the standard.
For the test, I used an 8-bit and 10-bit gradient comparison image found on GitHub. The S25 Ultra's panel shows little difference between the 8-bit and 10-bit gradients. The OnePlus 13, on the other hand, showcases additional colors throughout all the gradients. However, it's worth noting that the green gradient was more visible on camera.
Many users have groused about color banding on wallpapers and other images, including those captured with the Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera, since the camera can capture 10-bit images. Samsung urgently needs to upgrade to 10-bit panels to stick with the competition. Nonetheless, I want to credit Samsung for bypassing color dithering, a tactic employed by some competitors, like Xiaomi, to mimic 10-bit color, which is unpleasant due to the flickering pixels it causes for some users.
Light it up
Everything this phone claims about display brightness levels is untruthful, even if only a slight exaggeration. The 100% brightness level, as indicated by the slider, doesn't ever truly reach the advertised full brightness under any circumstances.
Normal "100%" brightness, equivalent to most phones, falls significantly short of the promised brightness. This output is typically reserved for the dedicated "sunlight mode," which is triggered when a bright light sensor detects intense ambient light. You can force this by holding a flashlight up to the display to examine the nit output. Even in sunlight mode, the display barely approaches 2,000 nits.
The standard 100% brightness level, as common with most phones, peaks around 800 nits, which is surprisingly low for a top-tier device. An additional "extra brightness" mode tackles this issue, elevating brightness closer to an assumed "100% brightness" level (~1,500 nits); however, this isn't the main issue with the display's brightness capabilities.
Instead, the true vexation lies in Samsung's use of pulse-width modulation (PWM dimming) to control brightness. This change means that the display never reaches its optimum instantaneous brightness potential.
Worse still, Samsung continues to employ a relatively low PWM dimming frequency of 480 Hz, while competitors like the Honor Magic 7 Pro opt for 4320 Hz to maintain stable colors and uniform pixel lighting. Although this high-frequency dimming is employed only at low brightness levels by Honor's devices to ensure accurate colors and even pixel illumination, Samsung's decision is still a step backwards in terms of display quality.
Despite all this, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s display still grapples with mura (uneven luminance) and potential flicker or visual artifacts at lower brightness levels[2]. These issues are especially prominent at low brightness and may cause issues for sensitive users, although some may find these effects less bothersome based on their specific usage patterns.
In conclusion, the Galaxy S25 Ultra display is a mixed bag. It excels outdoors with its anti-glare filter, but falters at low brightness,. Additionally, issues have persisted regarding color accuracy and uniformity, dimming, and PWM dimming frequency, which detract from the overall experience. Despite these shortcomings, the Galaxy S25 Ultra represents the best Samsung phone the company has ever produced, and I eagerly anticipate further improvements on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Use the Galaxy S25 Ultra's anti-glare filter when viewing gadgets like smartphones outdoors as it outshines most competitors, even those with higher peak brightness capabilities, in direct sunlight.For superior outdoor visibility, consider using the official Samsung anti-reflection film on your Galaxy S25 Ultra to protect and preserve its impressive anti-glare attribute.
