Objective Evaluation of the Motorola Droid IPS LCD Display

The display on a smartphone is one of the most important and visible features. It is also one of the most easily abused. This article objectively evaluates the performance of the Motorola Droid IPS LCD display based on extensive scientific lab measurements together with side-by-side visual tests.

The color generally shifts with viewing angle because the Red, Green and Blue sub-pixels each shift independently and vary with intensity level.

Brightness

The brightness of an LCD display is largely dependent on the backlight that illuminates the screen from behind. If the backlight is turned off, the display can be dimmed by manually adjusting the brightness slider or using a feature like automatic brightness control (Automatic Brightness), which uses a sensor to adjust the Peak White Luminance setting and black level as the ambient light changes.

The display’s maximum brightness is 449 cd/m2 in Peak White Luminance mode, which is on par with most current mobile displays and much brighter than the Galaxy S10+’s 397 cd/m2. However, the screen is likely too bright for comfortable viewing outdoors when set to its default brightness, so you may want to turn on the Droid’s Auto Brightness feature, which uses a light sensor to adjust the settings.

For example, it boosts the screen’s Peak White Luminance to 504 nits for short periods of time in direct sunlight. That’s on par with the Galaxy S7 edge’s 591 nits, but at 50% APL, it falls well below the 580 nits LCD panels in the Galaxy Note5 and OnePlus 3.

One problem with this value is that it is quite dark for an outdoor display, but if you find the brightness too harsh, try using the Accessibility shortcut option to increase the screen’s white point and subsequently lower its peak brightness. This will make it easier to read the screen without straining your eyes.

Adaptive brightness is a clever feature that relies on machine learning to determine when the screen should be adjusted, so it takes some getting used to. If it is constantly misaligning with your preferences, you can reset it to the factory defaults by navigating to Apps > See all apps and tapping Device Health Services.

Overall, the Motorola lcd is very bright and fairly color-accurate for its price class. It’s also HDR capable and reaches its top brightness with a full white background across the entire screen, a feat that only a few smartphones in this category are able to achieve.

However, it’s worth noting that the colors are a bit saturated and whites appear a little blue-ish. You can try using the Natural color preset to make the colors look more neutral.

Contrast

The contrast of a mobile display is largely determined by the brightness of the screen, but it also depends on the backlight, which illuminates the pixels in the display panel from behind. The brightness of the display can be enhanced with features like Dynamic Contrast and Automatic Brightness, which automatically adjust the power consumed by the backlight as the ambient light changes.

The best mobile displays can achieve Motorola lcd peak brightness levels of more than 600 cd/m2 or more, which makes them ideal for use outdoors. They also have deep blacks, which can improve screen readability in dimly lit conditions.

A mobile display’s Black Level is the closest approximation it can get to “true black.” Unfortunately, almost all mobile LCDs produce a very visible dark gray on-screen, which is the reason why a mobile device with a high Black Level rating is a major plus.

Thankfully, Motorola’s Droid has the best mobile display in its class. This display’s Black Level is a very impressive 0.165 cd/m2 which is one of the darkest values we have ever measured, and it is accompanied by the most impressive Bright Contrast Ratio, which stands at 380 cd/m2.

The most important feature of all is arguably the color accuracy of the display. The Droid can deliver a very impressive (and impressive looking) Avg Delta E of 3.8 for the primary colors, and an equally good 8.5 for the whites. These numbers are pretty impressive for a mobile device, and we can only hope that they will continue to get better as time goes on. The color quality of the display is excellent, and you will notice it as soon as you pick up your Droid and start to navigate your apps and settings.

Color

Color is a major consideration in smartphone displays because it determines how well an image is displayed. In order to deliver a high quality color experience, a display must adhere closely to the industry standard and be carefully calibrated.

For example, a high quality LCD screen must have a good gamma curve (a ratio of red and green pixels to light). This allows the display to maintain shadow details and highlight highlights in an image.

However, a good gamma curve requires more than just the right amount of red and green output – it must also be balanced and accurate. This is an area where Motorola has really impressed us with its attention to detail, and the results of our laboratory tests show that they have done a great job.

The lcd’s most impressive display performance feat is its ability to deliver true black, which it achieves by a process called subpixel dimming. This is accomplished by the use of an internal phosphor that converts light from an LED backlight to black, and then to white.

Another display technology that deserves a look is Dynamic Contrast, which allows the display to automatically adjust backlight brightness as ambient lighting changes. This reduces power consumption and increases battery life.

Likewise, Dynamic Contrast also improves the viewing experience by improving image contrast by changing the brightness of the red and green sub-pixels independently as the user shifts their position in front of the screen.

Overall, the display is very well-calibrated and the colors are relatively free of objectionable artifacts compared to other smartphones. It also has an excellent pixel density and a good resolution.

The display is also one of the most energy efficient in our lab – thanks to its low-power backlighting and dynamic contrast. It can consume just over 200 mW of power when fully on and only about 60 mW when off. This is a very good result for such a small and thin device.

Viewing Angle

The viewing angle is one of the most important aspects of LCD display technology, and it is critical for a good user experience. It is defined as the maximum viewing angle at which an individual can see the screen with acceptable picture quality.

Depending on the type of matrix, LCDs can exhibit different levels of brightness drop-off, color shifting and contrast reduction with viewing angle. IPS panels generally offer less of these effects than TN and VA panels, although some models may still have issues with the color shift phenomenon.

When a display reaches the end of its viewing angle cone, the Motorola lcd image dims dramatically. This can be caused by various reasons including low screen gain, insufficient light diffusion and a lack of a polarizer.

Viewing angles are also influenced by the pixel pitch and the amount of ambient light a screen receives. Typically, the higher the pixel pitch, the better a monitor’s viewing angle will be.

For most people, this is not a big deal, but for those who have trouble with the difference in contrast between the top and bottom of an LCD screen, or if they want a wider viewing angle, it may be worth looking for a model with a greater pixel pitch.

A major problem with most displays, especially LCDs, is that they tend to change in brightness and contrast with viewing angle. This can be problematic for those who use them in bright environments.

As a result, they can be difficult to read when viewed from a distance. Additionally, the color can change in a way that makes it hard to distinguish between different colors and even the colors of objects on the screen.

The best way to avoid this problem is to make sure that you are within the maximum viewing angle of your device when it is in use. This should be somewhere between eye level and thirty degrees below your line of sight.

Aside from a few exceptions, most of the newer generation of IPS-type displays sport pretty decent viewing angles, with the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and Motorola Moto Z Droids being two standout examples. Unfortunately, these displays are also some of the most expensive on the market.