Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission.Learn more.
iPhone X tops Galaxy Note 8 to claim the best smartphone display, says DisplayMate
July 14, 2025
It’s barely been two months sinceDisplayMateanointed theSamsung Galaxy Note 8’s 6.3-inch Super AMOLED screen as thebest display ever made for a smartphone.
Now,DisplayMatehas once again awarded that title and an A+ grade to a display built by the experts at Samsung Display, only this time it’s not for its work on a Samsung flagship, but for the Samsung-made OLED display found onApple’s iPhone X.
Following 2017’s hot trend, the iPhone X’s 5.8-inch OLED display has a taller height-to-width aspect ratio of 19.5:9 offering a ‘bezel-less’ look (as long as you ignore the notch).DisplayMatefound that the 2.5K Higher Resolution Full HD+ display comes in at 1125 x 2436 pixels with a pixel density of 458 ppi.
DisplayMate’s extensive research suggests that the iPhone X sets OLED display records for the highest full-screen brightness (634 nits), lowest screen reflectance (4.5 percent), the smallest brightness variations from different viewing angles, and several others. The biggest factor that puts the iPhone X’s display above the Note 8 though, is apparently Apple’s own color calibration.
As with the Note 8, the iPhone X supports both sRGB/Rec.709 and DCI-P3 color gamuts, with the former used for standard visual content, and the wider, latter gamut found mostly in 4K TV sets and digital cinema screens.
While the Note 8 was also roundly praised for its color accuracy, the folks atDisplayMatebelieve the iPhone X goes above and beyond in this regard, stating:
“It is the most color accurate display that we have ever measured. It is visually indistinguishable from perfect, and is very likely considerably better than any mobile display, monitor, TV or UHD TV that you have.”
Samsung will no doubt be looking to regain its title next year with theGalaxy S9, but it’ll be interesting to see if the South Korean giant can match Apple’s impressively precise color calibration. Does Samsung have what it takes? Let us know in the comments.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read ourComment Policybefore posting.
