[thecaringkind]

OK first things first, I enjoy 1080p 'true' HD as much as the next guy. However, after playing with my S8 for a couple of days, I realized that the screen is of such good quality overall especially with it covering most of the color gamut and its brightness and contrast...the 720p setting looks GOOD. Now I must also admit that this realization comes with a big caveat. I'm nearsighted and at normal usage distances to my eyes with glasses on, it is VERY difficult for me to distinguish between 720p and 1080p. What can I say? I'm getting old.

I'm looking at my screen right now and it looks GREAT even at the lower resolution. Now when it comes to HD content from Netflix and YouTube and other streaming apps? Yeah its nice to look at but I don't view most of my media on my phone anyway, (I use my iPad Pro for that).

What I am REALLY looking forward to is a boost in battery life from the phone having to push less pixels. Will have to do a full 24 hour testing of the battery life on that and get back to you guys but for now, I'm a 720p man.

Who's with me? ;-)

[Almeuit]

I just kept mine on default and called it a day.

[Kalvin Kerns]

Giving it a try

[oldmick]

I wondered what the S8 screen would look like in 720 p and how the battery life would go , look forward to your experience with it.

[EMGSM]

it is VERY difficult for me to distinguish between 720p and 1080p.

This is because you will only really notice on bigger screens like a tv. There are many articles questioning the need for such a high resolution on such a small device. On a phone the screen is so compact that you'd have to have eagle eyes to tell the difference. That said, if you want to save battery life, this is a good way to do it.

[the_munc_e]

I like the reviews that state they can tell a difference between 1440p and 1080p on a smartphone.

The phone being AMOLED makes the biggest difference.

[ODog2323]

The phone being AMOLED makes the biggest difference.

Yup! AMOLED vs LCD is the biggest factor for me too, aside from size (and now aspect ratio) of course.

I wish more flagship phone makers would have the guts to ship lower res displays in favor of battery life gains!

[the_munc_e]

Yup! AMOLED vs LCD is the biggest factor for me too, aside from size (and now aspect ratio) of course.

I wish more flagship phone makers would have the guts to ship lower res displays in favor of battery life gains!

I think the only reason Samsung does it, is because of VR, and then just to have that +1 on apple.

[ODog2323]

Doing it for VR makes sense. It's good that more companies are letting users set the screen resolution nowadays. Now hopefully they don't all go with these narrow aspect ratios from here on out.

[Extremevl]

OK first things first, I enjoy 1080p 'true' HD as much as the next guy. However, after playing with my S8 for a couple of days, I realized that the screen is of such good quality overall especially with it covering most of the color gamut and its brightness and contrast...the 720p setting looks GOOD. Now I must also admit that this realization comes with a big caveat. I'm nearsighted and at normal usage distances to my eyes with glasses on, it is VERY difficult for me to distinguish between 720p and 1080p. What can I say? I'm getting old.

I'm looking at my screen right now and it looks GREAT even at the lower resolution. Now when it comes to HD content from Netflix and YouTube and other streaming apps? Yeah its nice to look at but I don't view most of my media on my phone anyway, (I use my iPad Pro for that).

What I am REALLY looking forward to is a boost in battery life from the phone having to push less pixels. Will have to do a full 24 hour testing of the battery life on that and get back to you guys but for now, I'm a 720p man.

Who's with me? ;-)

No way!!!

I keep mine on Entertainment Mode all day every day (under the Performance mode option in settings) because I like to get the most use out of whatever I'm using since I'm paying/paid for it. I keep my location accuracy to high, everything turned on, screen brightness at 70% and my battery life is still around 30% when I'm heading to bed.

Another reason I keep my screen maxed out is because I enjoy watching YouTube videos in 1080p 60FPS or 1440p resolutions. I'm just waiting for the YouTube app to update so we can see 4K 60FPS videos in the app instead of having to use the Chrome browser in desktop mode.

Entertainment Mode:

Increase Brightness - 10%
Screen Resolution - WQHD+
Video Enhancer - On
UHQ Upscaler - On

Why have all these amazing features just to turn off the majority of them, if I was going to do that I would have just purchased a lower spec phone...

[neil74]

Has anyone actually managed to confirm any battery saving from lowering the resolution yet?

[theelite1x87]

OK first things first, I enjoy 1080p 'true' HD as much as the next guy. However, after playing with my S8 for a couple of days, I realized that the screen is of such good quality overall especially with it covering most of the color gamut and its brightness and contrast...the 720p setting looks GOOD. Now I must also admit that this realization comes with a big caveat. I'm nearsighted and at normal usage distances to my eyes with glasses on, it is VERY difficult for me to distinguish between 720p and 1080p. What can I say? I'm getting old.

I'm looking at my screen right now and it looks GREAT even at the lower resolution. Now when it comes to HD content from Netflix and YouTube and other streaming apps? Yeah its nice to look at but I don't view most of my media on my phone anyway, (I use my iPad Pro for that).

What I am REALLY looking forward to is a boost in battery life from the phone having to push less pixels. Will have to do a full 24 hour testing of the battery life on that and get back to you guys but for now, I'm a 720p man.

Who's with me? ;-)

I tried it. But 720p looks blurry as hell on this phone. Text is super fuzzy to me. No way will I use 720p. 1080p looks alright but I appreciate the extra crispness that full QHD gives me (full disclosure, my eyesight is excellent). If your eyesight is such that you can tell the difference then go for it. I imagine you'll get decent battery savings running in that mode. But I'll skip it.

[thecaringkind]

Well here's GSM battery data from when I took the phone off the charger at 100% around 1:30AM EST. Judge for yourselves and let me know what you think!

[thecaringkind]

No way!!!

I keep mine on Entertainment Mode all day every day (under the Performance mode option in settings) because I like to get the most use out of whatever I'm using since I'm paying/paid for it. I keep my location accuracy to high, everything turned on, screen brightness at 70% and my battery life is still around 30% when I'm heading to bed.

Another reason I keep my screen maxed out is because I enjoy watching YouTube videos in 1080p 60FPS or 1440p resolutions. I'm just waiting for the YouTube app to update so we can see 4K 60FPS videos in the app instead of having to use the Chrome browser in desktop mode.

Entertainment Mode:

Increase Brightness - 10%
Screen Resolution - WQHD+
Video Enhancer - On
UHQ Upscaler - On

Why have all these amazing features just to turn off the majority of them, if I was going to do that I would have just purchased a lower spec phone...

I agree with you for the most part Extremvl but my sensibilities lean more towards the practical, however I'd rather have a flagship like the S8 that gives me more options to tweak to my usage than anything else. ✌️

[jshah500]

Has anyone actually managed to confirm any battery saving from lowering the resolution yet?

Exactly my question

[ClintRo]

Well here's GSM battery data from when I took the phone off the charger at 100% around 1:30AM EST. Judge for yourselves and let me know what you think! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d0afc9a429.jpg

How does this compare to a day on higher resolution.

[Almeuit]

To be honest battery isn't a concern for me. With a charger at work, home, and my truck.. also with how fast it charges.. it isn't a huge concern.

[ClintRo]

I don't really have to worry about battery, however I like to know in case I have a day out so I can plan.

I have two chargers on my desk at work....LMAO!!!!

[Zendroid1]

I'm using WQHD+ resolution and pretty much everything turned on and am seeing 6 hours SoT. I have no need to go to 1080p or 720p.

[theelite1x87]

I work in a warehouse. Phone must be in locker when not on break or lunch. No ability to charge during day. And when I'm out at a convention or something if rather not worry about battery life.

[Viscomi4444]

My vision is very good so I instantly can see the difference. I put mine on WQHD+.

[EMGSM]

Doing it for VR makes sense. It's good that more companies are letting users set the screen resolution nowadays. Now hopefully they don't all go with these narrow aspect ratios from here on out.

I completely agree. Since VR magnifies what's on the phones screen, it would make sense to use a higher resolution to get that detail. I also hope narrow aspect ratios will not be the norm.

[Jason Fournier1]

I'm using WQHD+ resolution and pretty much everything turned on and am seeing 6 hours SoT. I have no need to go to 1080p or 720p.

I am at max resolution since the battery life has been so good. I might drop down if that changes.

[thecaringkind]

Where I am now. I suppose I do have to monitor a day using higher resolutions lol I appreciate all of the feedback. The general sense I'm getting is that battery life is really good overall and that's a win for us and Samsung.

[thecaringkind]

A full day. Approx 24 hrs off charger.