Check if your Note 2 has dark blobs in the dark

Johnly

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I have a small blob. Its very tiny and is up in the corner on the right. You can only see it when the screen is displaying a very dark or black image. Even though the image is black you can still see it because the backlight is on. However you cant see it when the screen is on so its no big deal.

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Amoleds are not back lit. If you have that on a black screen, you could get it replaced very easy. Just download the app amoled screen test (something like that anyway) and on the black color, take it in and show them the defect. Black screens should be flawless and pitch black, after all, that is one of the hundreds of thousands of colors samsung amoled displays replicate perfectly, unlike a "backlit" display.
 

cobaltmarie

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Install the Screen Filter app and ramp your brightness down low. If you have any blobs you'll see them.

I had one small blob. Then I had an incident in which my phone was dropped and although the body is fine (I had a case on) I now have a second large patch of blobby lines on the bottom half of the screen.

Debating sending it in for warranty work.

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Eclipse2K

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I just wanted to thank you two for at least fessing up and admitting you DO have the spots even though initially you guys reported that your screen didn't have them. This is how I feel MOST people out there really do have it, they just don't have the required level of attention to detail to notice it.

And roberte haha sorry man I feel your pain. I wish I never found out about the black spots, but my OCD with a new phone especially towards looking for dead/stuck pixels lead me to the discovery of the annoying black spots. And now, they are always there haunting me reminding me that my screen is messed up lol. Hopefully by the time 1080p RGB AMOLED displays are being produced they can nip this issue in the butt for good.

I just found some myself but not on the original device because I had Verizon replace my device since the update caused some odd random rebooting. The original one didn't have the splotches but this one has a couple of small ones in the top left corner. I had to look for them though so no harm no foul. It's no where near as bad as my RAZR was.

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Dreamliner330

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I'm considering the Note 2 but am a bit nervous because of this reason. My RAZR MAXX and MAXX HD both have blotches and I really hated it. It's super noticeable when watching a video and the scene goes dark, or before fade up on a new video. Very frustrating.

Any more input on this?
 

DaRkL3AD3R

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I'm considering the Note 2 but am a bit nervous because of this reason. My RAZR MAXX and MAXX HD both have blotches and I really hated it. It's super noticeable when watching a video and the scene goes dark, or before fade up on a new video. Very frustrating.

Any more input on this?

When you say it's super noticeable in movies when it goes dark. Are you in a lit room when watching these movies or are you in pitch black?

For years I've been extremely hardcore about not wanting an AMOLED just because of the splotches. When I got my Note 2 I was disappointed to find several splotches/lines on my device. At first it was driving me nuts, just knowing they're there. But after about a week the thought slowly slipped into the back of my mind and now I don't even notice them or care. The reason I asked if you were in the dark when you notice them is that realistically it is the only time you could possibly notice them and only with the screen on the very lowest setting. Imho, it's not worth missing out on a great phone for.

Now Pentile, haha Pentile can shove it. I'll never go Pentile again.

Install the Screen Filter app and ramp your brightness down low. If you have any blobs you'll see them.

I had one small blob. Then I had an incident in which my phone was dropped and although the body is fine (I had a case on) I now have a second large patch of blobby lines on the bottom half of the screen.

Debating sending it in for warranty work.

This is actually really important evidence right here regarding exactly what the story is behind these spots. I have yet to see any detailed explanation of what they are exactly, but this post right here describing an increase in splotches AFTER physical shock to the screen, that is huge. This could mean that phones with 0 splotches/lines were never dropped or shocked during manufacturer/shipping and screens with heavy splotching really took a beating. That's what the evidence seems to point to and as of right now, I see no better explanation.

Really makes me not like the splotches even more.... well I'll consider warranty service if they get worse at some point down the line. Thanks very much Marie for this significant post.
 

Eclipse2K

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When you say it's super noticeable in movies when it goes dark. Are you in a lit room when watching these movies or are you in pitch black?

For years I've been extremely hardcore about not wanting an AMOLED just because of the splotches. When I got my Note 2 I was disappointed to find several splotches/lines on my device. At first it was driving me nuts, just knowing they're there. But after about a week the thought slowly slipped into the back of my mind and now I don't even notice them or care. The reason I asked if you were in the dark when you notice them is that realistically it is the only time you could possibly notice them and only with the screen on the very lowest setting. Imho, it's not worth missing out on a great phone for.

Now Pentile, haha Pentile can shove it. I'll never go Pentile again.



This is actually really important evidence right here regarding exactly what the story is behind these spots. I have yet to see any detailed explanation of what they are exactly, but this post right here describing an increase in splotches AFTER physical shock to the screen, that is huge. This could mean that phones with 0 splotches/lines were never dropped or shocked during manufacturer/shipping and screens with heavy splotching really took a beating. That's what the evidence seems to point to and as of right now, I see no better explanation.

Really makes me not like the splotches even more.... well I'll consider warranty service if they get worse at some point down the line. Thanks very much Marie for this significant post.

To a point but I highly doubt that's why so many phones have it.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II
 

Dreamliner330

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When you say it's super noticeable in movies when it goes dark. Are you in a lit room when watching these movies or are you in pitch black?

For years I've been extremely hardcore about not wanting an AMOLED just because of the splotches. When I got my Note 2 I was disappointed to find several splotches/lines on my device. At first it was driving me nuts, just knowing they're there. But after about a week the thought slowly slipped into the back of my mind and now I don't even notice them or care. The reason I asked if you were in the dark when you notice them is that realistically it is the only time you could possibly notice them and only with the screen on the very lowest setting. Imho, it's not worth missing out on a great phone for.

Now Pentile, haha Pentile can shove it. I'll never go Pentile again.
I have a MAXX HD now and I do notice it. I watch quite a bit of YouTube in bed before falling asleep, so the room is dark. I've been able to mitigate this by using max brightness but I still see it occasionally and it's frustrating.

I've considered getting a HTC DNA and not having to worry about this. But I want the bigger battery in the N2 I think.

I just hoped Samsung would have fixed the defect by now.
 

DaRkL3AD3R

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To a point but I highly doubt that's why so many phones have it.

I worked for UPS for a short while unloading the trailers in a warehouse. I can assure you, your phone saw quite a beating on it's way into your hands from the manufacturing plant. If you saw what happens to packages before they get to your door step you wouldn't want anything important shipped again lol

I have a MAXX HD now and I do notice it. I watch quite a bit of YouTube in bed before falling asleep, so the room is dark. I've been able to mitigate this by using max brightness but I still see it occasionally and it's frustrating.

I've considered getting a HTC DNA and not having to worry about this. But I want the bigger battery in the N2 I think.

I just hoped Samsung would have fixed the defect by now.


At this point ditching the Note 2 for anything would be a rather pointless move. I also don't expect this problem with the blobs to be fixed any time soon. But who knows, maybe there will be some breakthrough. I was about to skip the Note 2 because I figured well if the S3 went Pentile so will the Note 2. Then one day on a whim I decided to look up some information on the Note 2 and discovered it has an RGB stripe holy hell new phone time! Not to mention that they managed to use an Exynos processor on Verizon. Those two specific features were what made this phone the ultimate Samsung device purchasable on Verizon for me. And even with the Galaxy S4, I can still say it's the best as no other Verizon branded Samsung device has an RGB AMOLED screen but the Note 2.
 

DaRkL3AD3R

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What problem do you see with the S4 display?

Precisely what I pointed out in the sentence that you quoted. The Galaxy S4 is utilizing a Pentile matrix display which although better than past iterations, is still Pentile. It has an ugly side effect and even at 441ppi you still notice the odd discoloration and artifacts.

The Note 2 screen using RGB however does not possess these artifacts and looks leaps and bounds better even though it isn't as high a pixel density. Don't buy into the marketing terms, 1080p doesn't mean much on a 5" screen vs 720p. Ask yourself, do you notice pixelation on your 50" 1080p flat screen TV? Well, imagine it in a screen 1/10th the size. 720p is already overkill so all you're getting with higher resolutions in hand held devices is a higher draw on battery and performance for minimal gain.

What really distinguishes screens is more efficient and accurate representation of color.
 
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Was wondering what you all were talking about and I downloaded the screen tester and yup I got them....so what can we do about this issue than?

Sent from my SGH-I317M using Tapatalk 2
 

Dreamliner330

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Precisely what I pointed out in the sentence that you quoted. The Galaxy S4 is utilizing a Pentile matrix display which although better than past iterations, is still Pentile. It has an ugly side effect and even at 441ppi you still notice the odd discoloration and artifacts.

The Note 2 screen using RGB however does not possess these artifacts and looks leaps and bounds better even though it isn't as high a pixel density. Don't buy into the marketing terms, 1080p doesn't mean much on a 5" screen vs 720p. Ask yourself, do you notice pixelation on your 50" 1080p flat screen TV? Well, imagine it in a screen 1/10th the size. 720p is already overkill so all you're getting with higher resolutions in hand held devices is a higher draw on battery and performance for minimal gain.

What really distinguishes screens is more efficient and accurate representation of color.
You've got to pick a side. You can't say resolution doesn't matter because the screen is too small and you won't notice it and also say PenTile looks bad. Obviously you can see the grainy effect of the PenTile's non-uniform sub pixels....which means you'll be able to easily see 1080 over 720.

It does matter. The HTC DNA has the best looking display in the market, by far.... It's evident at arms length, too.

Hopefully the Note 3 will be RGB 1080 and Samsung will have solved the Blob issue, but I'm not counting on it.

Was wondering what you all were talking about and I downloaded the screen tester and yup I got them....so what can we do about this issue than?
Nothing.... It's just a normal part of Samsung crappy manufacturing process. It's just one of the reasons I hate AMOLED.
 

DaRkL3AD3R

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You've got to pick a side. You can't say resolution doesn't matter because the screen is too small and you won't notice it and also say PenTile looks bad. Obviously you can see the grainy effect of the PenTile's non-uniform sub pixels....which means you'll be able to easily see 1080 over 720.

It does matter. The HTC DNA has the best looking display in the market, by far.... It's evident at arms length, too.

Hopefully the Note 3 will be RGB 1080 and Samsung will have solved the Blob issue, but I'm not counting on it.


Nothing.... It's just a normal part of Samsung crappy manufacturing process. It's just one of the reasons I hate AMOLED.

RGB is unlikely in the Note 3, blob issue is even more so unlikely.

I did pick a side. Pentile has falsely inflated pixel densities. Pentile arrangements are not true pixels, they're only about half-two/thirds of a true pixel. This means you can take that 1080p 5" display's 441ppi and about cut it in half-two/thirds and that's what it really is next to an RGB panel. Also I say RGB is better not because of pixel density but because of more accurate representations of images and colors. There are countless pictures across the web showing how poorly Pentile screens render images when compared to an RGB stripe display. Here's a few for you to sample:

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x371/lscrb102985/note2-s3-rgb-pentile.jpg

http://www.mobiletechworld.com/word.../2010/06/Super-AMOLED-vs-Retina-Display-4.jpg

http://www.outofbounds.gr/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/N9vsE7.jpg <- the top display is using Pentile, notice the hideous green tinting

http://images.anandtech.com/doci/5198/AMOLEDs.jpg <- middle is RGB, left and right are Pentile, same story here

http://images.anandtech.com/doci/4165/Bayer-vs-PenTile2.jpg


There are countless more to be found that stand as evidence of how horrible Pentile is for displaying colors accurately. It is not an opinion that Pentile is wrong, it is fact. Try arguing with a Digital Arts major that there's nothing wrong with the way Pentile arrangements display images, see how well that goes for you lol

So for this reason alone, the Galaxy S4 screen is destined to be worse than the Note 2's screen. You can stare at your phone from 1 inch away and say "I don't see pixels hur dur" but you're still going to be looking at a discolored ugly image.
 

Dreamliner330

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^I 100% agree with you that PenTile is terrible. In fact I've used those pictures to explain the technology to others.

The problem is, you said 2 things: PenTile is terrible and you can't tell a difference between 720 & 1080.

My point was simply asking how you could notice PenTile but not 1080.
 

DaRkL3AD3R

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^I 100% agree with you that PenTile is terrible. In fact I've used those pictures to explain the technology to others.

The problem is, you said 2 things: PenTile is terrible and you can't tell a difference between 720 & 1080.

My point was simply asking how you could notice PenTile but not 1080.

I explained that topic slightly. The reason is pixel density is vastly overrated. The monitors we use for our computers range from 80-90 dpi, compared to our Note 2's 267. Do you notice pixels on your monitor? If you get unnaturally close to it, sure you might. But that's at 90 dpi. At 267, you'd have to be under a microscope to notice pixels. By increasing that number further you are putting extra tax on your battery life and system performance for something that's hardly even a gain at all.

The reason I can see the difference in Pentile but not 1080 is because Pentile's artifacts are visible in the screen as a whole. There is noticeable color tinting and patterns that develop and are visible at typical usage distances. You don't have to be ultra close up to the screen to notice the discoloration, you do have to be close up to notice pixelation.

Hope that clears it up a bit.
 

TheOtherBill

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Precisely what I pointed out in the sentence that you quoted. The Galaxy S4 is utilizing a Pentile matrix display which although better than past iterations, is still Pentile. It has an ugly side effect and even at 441ppi you still notice the odd discoloration and artifacts.
So you have seen the S4 side by side with comparison technologies?
Either way, it is NOT the same old pentile so many people hated on the S3. It's the new "Diamond Matrix" (stole this pic from another thread)
XGPDe6s.png
 

Dreamliner330

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Well, I can say, without any hesitation, I can absolutely see the difference between 720 & 1080 when comparing 2 devices using the same screen display technology (HTC One X / Droid DNA).

The Diamond matrix may be much better than traditional PenTile, I think it will...it just wont be as good as SLCD...and it will most likely have the 'dark blob' issue that every other AMOLED display has.

LCD is much preferred for the sake of clarity.
 

DaRkL3AD3R

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Well, I can say, without any hesitation, I can absolutely see the difference between 720 & 1080 when comparing 2 devices using the same screen display technology (HTC One X / Droid DNA).

The Diamond matrix may be much better than traditional PenTile, I think it will...it just wont be as good as SLCD...and it will most likely have the 'dark blob' issue that every other AMOLED display has.

LCD is much preferred for the sake of clarity.

Yes, I agree I'd much rather have a 1080p SLCD3 screen on my Note than an AMOLED anyday, even including RGB striped AMOLEDs. Don't feel a need for 1080p at all however. But to each his own.

Bill, I have seen the new matrix. No I haven't seen it in person but I've seen several recorded videos of the device being used in hand by journalists at the reveal. All I can say is yuck. The color distortion is so apparent through the video recordings that I wouldn't even want to see it in person.

Even with the new arrangement, there's nothing to argue. Pentile is going to display things "wrong." I really wish Samsung would offer SLCD3 screens instead of these old, problematic AMOLEDs...
 

ItsaRaid

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Yes, I agree I'd much rather have a 1080p SLCD3 screen on my Note than an AMOLED anyday, even including RGB striped AMOLEDs. Don't feel a need for 1080p at all however. But to each his own.

Bill, I have seen the new matrix. No I haven't seen it in person but I've seen several recorded videos of the device being used in hand by journalists at the reveal. All I can say is yuck. The color distortion is so apparent through the video recordings that I wouldn't even want to see it in person.

Even with the new arrangement, there's nothing to argue. Pentile is going to display things "wrong." I really wish Samsung would offer SLCD3 screens instead of these old, problematic AMOLEDs...

Been reading this thread... its awesome! So a good question. Why isnt Samsung usin SLCD3 screens. They would kill the competition completely, also "SoLux" displays? But I thought IPS was the king of the road?
 

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