2K screen worth it?

[96Firebird]

Do you think a 2K (2560x1440) resolution will be worth it over a 1080p resolution on a 5.5" screen? Obviously, more dpi is usually better. But will the higher resolution screen strain the GPU more, or drain the battery faster?

Reason I am asking is because the LG G3 is rumored to have a 2K screen, which is scheduled to be announced at the end of this month. I have an upgrade with Verizon, who I plan on staying with and I don't have unlimited data so one way or another I'll be upgrading with the 2-year contract. I wanted to get a new phone before I go to Florida for vacation on May 19th, so I was thinking of just getting the Galaxy S5 and calling it a day. But now I am wondering if I should wait for the LG G3 announcement...

My Galaxy Nexus is getting absurdly laggy and I'm not sure how much longer I can wait.

 

[darkewaffle]

No. Until you get one and then you do brain gymnastics to convince yourself it was so worth it.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Well you're not going to get it by May 19, that's for sure. The official announcement is probably going to happen on May 27, at which point they will reveal the availability date (likely in late June or July).

Personally I don't really care, at least not enough to spend extra or wait a long time just for a few more pixels that I know I won't notice. Then again, I'm on a 480x800 phone and even that doesn't bother me.

 

[dawheat]

5.5" is the borderline I think - phablets seem to be at 5.9" regularly now and I do think you'll start seeing some benefit there.

However - and this is yet to be shown - is that there aren't any corresponding trade-off from these first 2K screens - like lower brightness, worse contrast, worse viewing angles, or substantially more power draw. It may be you get all benefit and little to no trade-off at which point I'd rather have it than not, all things being equal. However, I expect there to be some overall trade-offs in this first round.

I'd look at the OnePlus phone as a 1/2 price option to the G3 - general availability will probably be similar for both phones in late June. If the G3 really is 5.5" as rumored, it's going to be a pretty big phone.

 

[s44]

No. Until you get one and then you do brain gymnastics to convince yourself it was so worth it.

Basically this.

Just get the S5. You'll be able to play Swappa bingo with it in a few months if you decide you like the G3 better.

 

[sweenish]

The GNex can be helped with root and the app LagFix. It will run the TRIM operation for you, and it helps a lot.

But, if you're going through the trouble of rooting (I'm assuming you're stock), the Shiny 4.3 ROM would be worth considering.

As of February, I never liked a KitKat ROM on the GNex enough to justify it. Always buggy.

Even with all that, you'd probably have to get rid of a few apps to keep the OS slim.

As for the which phone question. I would NOT lock yourself in to a 2 year contract unless you're confident that you'll be fine with what you get. If it means holding out one more month to see the G3 in person and compare it against an S5, I say do that.

 

[Apex]

I'm not sure the screen itself is worthwhile, but LG's phones are pretty nice.

I like my LG G2 way WAY more than my Galaxy S4. If the difference is as big on the G3/S5, it'll be worth waiting for the G3.

 

[desura]

Nope. THe most you need on a phone is 720p.

 

[Zaap]

Nope. THe most you need on a phone is 720p.

No, the most YOU need on a phone is 720p. I like my 1080p Note 3's screen quite a lot more than my old 720p Note 2.

 

[Zaap]

No. Until you get one...

...and listen to all the brain gymnastics of people stuck with lesser screens trying to convince you that you shouldn't like having a higher res screen.

Incidentally I don't know if 2k screens are needed or not, but I know this was certainly the speil from 720 to 1080p.

 

[shortylickens]

Id like to see more 720p on small phones, like 4 inches and under.

 

[Sheep]

If I'm not mistaken the Nexus 7 (2013) has a 1080p screen and looks absolutely fantastic to my old eyes. 2K on a smaller screen is total overkill and only there for e-peen as others have noted.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Seems like it wasn't that long ago I was wondering if a 1080p display was worth it. I like having a 1080p display, I do see a small difference over 720p. Though it's not a situation were I could never go back to 720p if needed. Though now that I've been using 1080p a while I do notice the improvements a bit more. Seems my eyes can get used to the extra pixels.

1440p will probably feel like an even smaller change. I think it'll be something I'd definitely like to see on a phablet. However for a 5 inch or smaller phone I'm not sure I'll really care much other than it being a cool spec on the feature list.

 

[Kenmitch]

1080p seems fine to me on my OGP. The G3 looks interesting to me as long as the 5.5" rumor holds true. Would need to see 2k in person to see if it would work for me.

 

[bearxor]

I think once you hit 500dpi or so with a screen, there's not much point in going over that until you hit 900+ dpi.

But that jump won't happen without everything in between so whateves.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I think once you hit 500dpi or so with a screen, there's not much point in going over that until you hit 900+ dpi.

But that jump won't happen without everything in between so whateves.

What happens at 900+ DPI?

 

[tvdang7]

What happens at 900+ DPI?

Your eyes start working better DUH.

 

[cliftonite]

I would rather have a better battery.

 

[bearxor]

What happens at 900+ DPI?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_density

Relevant part as far as I'm concerned:

Development of a display with ~900 ppi allows for three pixels with 16-bit color to act as sub-pixels to form a "pixel cluster". These "pixel clusters" act as regular pixels at ~300 ppi to produce true 48-bit color display.

Your eyes start working better DUH.

Actually, there is plenty of research that shows that a perfect human eye would need 800+ ppi. But most people's eyes aren't perfect, which is why I think ~500 is "good enough" until we can start using the extra subpixels for better color accuracy. Then somewhere around 1300ppi might be ideal.

Here's a nice summary.
http://www.cultofmac.com/173702/why-retina-isnt-enough-feature/

 

[jpeyton]

If LG is selling the G3 with a 2k screen for $ABC, and Samsung is selling the S5 with a 1080p screen for the same $ABC price, which would you buy?

Whether or not you need 2k, you're still going to buy it.

Now if LG was going to charge a hefty premium for 2k, you might think twice. But I don't think they want to, or need to. Display quality and pixel density is increasing on its own, which is something we can all applaud. As high definition as our devices may be, we're still a decade away from mistaking a displayed image for real life.

I say we push the display industry forward instead of saying "1080p is all we'll ever need".

 

[bearxor]

I say we push the display industry forward instead of saying "1080p is all we'll ever need".

Something I can agree with you on. I mean, who really wants to be the person who sits around and says "Well, I suppose this technology is good enough. Lets never push this forward again!"

2k screens, 4k screens, 8k screens and everywhere in between... Keep pounding. Solving engineering and manufacturing problems helps everyone in the long run.

 

[Sheep]

Something I can agree with you on. I mean, who really wants to be the person who sits around and says "Well, I suppose this technology is good enough. Lets never push this forward again!"

2k screens, 4k screens, 8k screens and everywhere in between... Keep pounding. Solving engineering and manufacturing problems helps everyone in the long run.

I wish someone would say that about something that would actually make a demonstrable difference that every user would notice, not just pixel hunters and e-peen geeks: Battery life. We're at a point where a large majority of the population won't be able to detect the difference between 1080p and 2k on a 5" screen yet the battery life of our devices hasn't improved at all.

 

[tsupersonic]

If I'm not mistaken the Nexus 7 (2013) has a 1080p screen and looks absolutely fantastic to my old eyes. 2K on a smaller screen is total overkill and only there for e-peen as others have noted.

I believe it's actually 1920x1200, but yeah, it is an excellent display. I remember Anandtech's review giving a thumbs up to the quality of the display in terms of color reproduction.

 

[zerocool84]

I wish someone would say that about something that would actually make a demonstrable difference that every user would notice, not just pixel hunters and e-peen geeks: Battery life. We're at a point where a large majority of the population won't be able to detect the difference between 1080p and 2k on a 5" screen yet the battery life of our devices hasn't improved at all.

Of course battery life of our devices has vastly improved from even just two years ago. Compare the battery life of the LG Optimus G to the G2, big difference.

 

[Sheep]

Of course battery life of our devices has vastly improved from even just two years ago. Compare the battery life of the LG Optimus G to the G2, big difference.

I based my statement on the endless complaints that smartphones (regardless of manufacturer) don't last much longer than a day unless you don't use it as a smartphone or have a large device with higher capacity battery like the Note. Since my first smartphone (the Evo 4g; I don't count the Palm Pre which was a piece of hot flaming garbage), we've seen huge advances in hardware (e.g., screen resolutions, CPU speed) but most of our phones still last about a day, give or take.