Introduction
The iPhone 5 has been the most anticipated mobile device of 2012 together with its cousin the iPad Mini, which we expect to be seeing shortly. Apple has made displays their most prominent marketing feature because it determines the quality of the visual experience for everything on a Smartphone or Tablet – including Apps, web content, photos, videos, and its camera. The Retina Displays on the iPhone 4 and the new iPad were significant advancements – not just in sharpness but in picture quality and color accuracy, which is what provides the display’s real Wow factor.
So how good is the display on the iPhone 5? There has been an incredible increase in competition since the introduction of the iPhone 4 in 2010: displays have gotten a lot bigger (possibly too big), more manufacturers are using similar high-end IPS LCDs like Apple, and many Smartphones are using the latest OLED displays manufactured by Samsung – with the Samsung Galaxy S III as the premier Flagship product.
First we’ll compare the display on the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 4 to see if it is indeed much better, which could be an important factor for those considering whether to upgrade. Then we’ll compare the iPhone 5 to its primary competitor, the Samsung Galaxy S III, and we’ll also see how well it compares to the outstanding display on the new iPad.
The Shoot-Out
To compare the performance of the Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S III we ran our in-depth series of Mobile Display Technology Shoot-Out tests on them. We also included the iPhone 4 in order to determine how the display on the iPhone 5 has been improved. We take display quality very seriously and provide in-depth objective analysis side-by-side comparisons based on detailed laboratory measurements and extensive viewing tests with both test patterns and test images. To see how far Smartphones have progressed in just two years see our 2010 Smartphone Display Shoot-Out, and for a real history lesson see our original 2006 Smartphone Display Shoot-Out.
http://www.displaymate.com/Smartphone_ShootOut_2.htm