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"Diamond pixels:" here is a close-up of the Samsung Galaxy S4's display

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By Victor Hristov

Published: Apr 30, 2013, 6:01 AM

"Diamond pixels:" here is a close-up of the Samsung Galaxy S4's display

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has one of the best displays out there, confirmed after rigorous testing of its 5-inch Super AMOLED panel and comparison against the class-leading well-calibrated 4-inch LCD on the Apple iPhone 5.

The S4 features a 5-inch 1080 x 1920 pixel screen, extremely sharp and vivid. But it is also just Super AMOLED and not a Super AMOLED Plus. What this means is it uses a PenTile matrix arrangement with less subpixels than the traditional RGB one. What went a bit under our radar is the actual arrangement of the pixel.

It’s something Samsung refers to as “diamond pixels” and a recent DisplayMate study reveals the actual arrangement in detailed pictures of the display under a microscope.

What’s interesting about it is the different size of the sub-pixels. Blue is the largest one since it has the lowest efficiency and in contrast green is the smallest one.

Here is DisplayMate expert’s comment on this type of arrangement:

The alternating Red and Blue sub-pixel PenTile arrangement discussed above leads to a 45 degree diagonal symmetry in the sub-pixel layout. Then, in order to maximize the sub-pixel packing and achieve the highest possible PPI, that leads to diamond rather than square or stripe shaped Red and Blue sub-pixels. But not for the Green sub-pixels, which are oval shaped because they are squeezed between two much larger and different sized Red and Blue sub-pixels. It’s display art…

source: DisplayMate

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.

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"Diamond pixels:" here is a close-up of the Samsung Galaxy S4's display

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