Buying a new phone - OLED vs IPS?

[zedlu]

Hello guys. I really like the Poco X3 NFC. I'm thinking of getting this phone coming from a Samsung A30. I loved having the AMOLED screen on the Samsung and the ability to use Always On Display. So i went into the store to test out the Poco X3. To my surprise the IPS looks pretty good. At one point i couldn't really tell it wasn't OLED. I have a few android enthusiast friends who talk as if OLED is the absolute best and IPS is inferior. I do not share this view, though...

What do you guys think?

 

[Mooncatt]

I would tell your friends to look at any photo/video editing computer monitor and see what type of screen they use.

About the only thing OLED has going for it is the "inky blacks" and potential energy savings. For the contrast and pure blacks, that is only really noticeable in low ambient light. In moderate lighting, you won't notice much of a difference compared to OLED (and true black is not always used anyway. Dark themes often use greys). The energy savings is debatable and variable based on individual usage habits.

OLED's biggest trade-off is the risk of screen burn in, which IPS doesn't have.

Things like color accuracy are more to do with specific panel designs than inherent technological differences. This is evident in my initial comment about monitors for editing. Doing that kind of work requires a high level of color accuracy and calibration. Most, if not all editing monitors are IPS designs. Even my entry level LG editing monitor is IPS. Not only for their accuracy and viewing angles, but also no risk of burn in when working with largely static items on the display.

Granted the usage patterns on a phone are different than on a computer, but my point is that IPS panels can be great screens with highly accurate colors. That is, of course, assuming the manufacturer designs and calibrates it properly. The LG V20 was IPS, but a design flaw often caused a washed out look and somewhat temporary image retention, so there are always exceptions to the rule.