iPhone 11 Pro Max screen secures 'highest ever A+ grade' in lab testing
The iPhone 11 Pro Max has the best smartphone display available in a mobile device, DisplayMate has declared following lab testing of the OLED display.

Apple's iPhones have a formidable track record when it comes to the quality of the screen, with the iPhone X and iPhone XS Max OLED panels both securing the coveted titles of the "Best Smartphone Display" when undergoing testing by DisplayMate. For the iPhone 11 Pro Max, its display has once again taken the top ranking.
The iPhone 11 Pro Max OLED Display Technology Shoot-Out report by DisplayMate president Dr. Raymond M. Soniera reveals the latest screen offers a number of improvements over the display used in the iPhone XS Max, including a 71% higher peak brightness of 821 nits for a typical Average Picture Level of 50%, which is said to be an improvement of screen visibility in high ambient light.
For the Home Screen, the iPhone 11 Pro Max now provides a high brightness of 902 nits, again higher than the XS Max. Under a test for HDR Peak Brightness, the iPhone achieved 1,290 nits for the standard HDR 20% APL, and 1,090 nits when the entire screen is set to white with a 100% APL. The power efficiency is also up 15% compared to the testing of the iPhone XS Max.
Along with the improvements, the iPhone 11 Pro Max also set a number of smartphone display records, including the lowest screen reflectance at 4.5%, smallest brightness variation with viewing angle of 25% at 30 degrees, and the highest visible screen resolution of 2.7K.

Charts showing the iPhone 11 Pro Max display color accuracy for sRGB and DCI-P3 (source: DisplayMate)
For two categories, the Shift in Color Accuracy with the Image Content APL at 0.3 JNCD (Just Noticeable Color Difference) and the Absolute Color Accuracy of 0.9 JNCD, the display is said to be "Visually Indistinguishable from Perfect," which DisplayMate considers a match or tied performance record with other screens reaching that level.
"Apple has continued to raise the on-screen Absolute Picture Quality and Absolute Color Accuracy of their displays by implementing Precision Factory Display Calibration," writes Soniera, "moving the overall iPhone 11 Pro Max display performance up to record-setting outstanding levels, and setting or matching many display performance records."
The iPhone 11 Pro Max is also deemed to have an "impressive top-tier display with close-to-textbook perfect calibration and performance," and earns the highest ever A+ grade by "providing considerably better display performance than other competing smartphones."

Apple's iPhones have a formidable track record when it comes to the quality of the screen, with the iPhone X and iPhone XS Max OLED panels both securing the coveted titles of the "Best Smartphone Display" when undergoing testing by DisplayMate. For the iPhone 11 Pro Max, its display has once again taken the top ranking.
The iPhone 11 Pro Max OLED Display Technology Shoot-Out report by DisplayMate president Dr. Raymond M. Soniera reveals the latest screen offers a number of improvements over the display used in the iPhone XS Max, including a 71% higher peak brightness of 821 nits for a typical Average Picture Level of 50%, which is said to be an improvement of screen visibility in high ambient light.
For the Home Screen, the iPhone 11 Pro Max now provides a high brightness of 902 nits, again higher than the XS Max. Under a test for HDR Peak Brightness, the iPhone achieved 1,290 nits for the standard HDR 20% APL, and 1,090 nits when the entire screen is set to white with a 100% APL. The power efficiency is also up 15% compared to the testing of the iPhone XS Max.
Along with the improvements, the iPhone 11 Pro Max also set a number of smartphone display records, including the lowest screen reflectance at 4.5%, smallest brightness variation with viewing angle of 25% at 30 degrees, and the highest visible screen resolution of 2.7K.

Charts showing the iPhone 11 Pro Max display color accuracy for sRGB and DCI-P3 (source: DisplayMate)
For two categories, the Shift in Color Accuracy with the Image Content APL at 0.3 JNCD (Just Noticeable Color Difference) and the Absolute Color Accuracy of 0.9 JNCD, the display is said to be "Visually Indistinguishable from Perfect," which DisplayMate considers a match or tied performance record with other screens reaching that level.
"Apple has continued to raise the on-screen Absolute Picture Quality and Absolute Color Accuracy of their displays by implementing Precision Factory Display Calibration," writes Soniera, "moving the overall iPhone 11 Pro Max display performance up to record-setting outstanding levels, and setting or matching many display performance records."
The iPhone 11 Pro Max is also deemed to have an "impressive top-tier display with close-to-textbook perfect calibration and performance," and earns the highest ever A+ grade by "providing considerably better display performance than other competing smartphones."
Comments
What universe are we living in?
Congrats to Apple for aiming for top-quality.
Never met an iKnockoff moron have you?
"Samsung develops the displays LOL!"
Even though that's not true. Samsung (NOT Samsung mobile) has dumb factories that fulfills orders. Apple DOES NOT own manufacturing plants (why the fuck should they?). By this stupid iKnockoff logic, Foxconn invented the iPhone, iPad, Nintendo Wii, Switch, Sony Playstation, Microsoft XBox etc. etc.
These are the same morons who claimed Samsung developed the A-Series chips.......
Samsung isn't involved in iPhone development. They just own plants that fulfill orders. That's it. Anyone else (LG, Japan Display, etc.) could do this if they were capable of fulfilling the large orders Apple demands. Right now only Samsungs plant can fulfill these large orders, They have absolutely nothing to do with iPhone development. Heck, they don't even develop Samsung displays, they just fulfill orders.
Apple isn't a parts manufacturer so it would be stupid for them to open a manufacturing plant just to shut up iKnockoff trolls. The screens would also be 100% identical.
His first sentence was funny and mocking iKnockoff morons.
Relevant excerpt: "... Galaxy Note10+ sets or matches 13 Smartphone Display Performance Records, earning DisplayMate’s highest ever A+ grade."
You're living in a universe where Displaymate says the Samsung Galaxy was the best... then iPhone... then Galaxy... then iPhone... then Galaxy. For a number of years Displaymate said Apple had the best LCD display, but Samsung had the best overall display. Fast forward to Apple using Sammy panels and the Displaymate overall crown has seesawed back and forth between Apple's and Samsung's latest releases. If history is an indicator, it's pretty much assured the crown will pass back to Samsung in the spring when they release the S11 and back to Apple in the fall when they release the 12P and 12PM. The only mystery regarding the overall crown is whether Samsung will intro the Note before or after the iPhone. Whichever is last to be intro'd is the one that will hold the crown until the S13... wash, rinse, repeat.
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I think what makes Apples displays better is color accuracy.
Color accuracy for me, has been the most important factor since I got into display tech in 2004.
Samsung will always win with "color" as people tend to be attracted to over-saturated color for some reason. Samsung has always had a way of tricking less-intelligent people with specs etc.
Not gonna lie when I was a kid (maybe 7 years old) I used to love turning up the "color" control. Looked cooler until I understood the tech later.
Unfortunately in every era, cheap tricks will always win the crowd. It reminds people that colourful toys are fun. Samsung knew this the best, and exploit it freely. They won't care being called cheap trick by 10%, because 90% of others would love it.
Relevant. Color Accuracy
Note 10: DCI-P3 0.4 JNCD sRGB 0.4 JNCD
Pro Max DCI-P3 0.8 JNCD sRGB 0.9 JNCD
There are plenty more stats in the links, but they all pretty much tell the same tale. Data says Samsung screens are more color accurate.
Of course there is Samsung technology within the display that Apple buys from Samsung, as there’d be LG or JD with their displays. They’re not exactly alike nor too different and I’m not expert in display panels. But if they can’t fulfill apples demanded specs it tells that their panel tech is behind Samsung, i.e. not as well developed.
I dont understand the saltiness, Apple didn’t develop the GPS chip, it buys chips and whatnot from Broadcom, mediatec, Texas instrument and intel and so on, how is the display different? No one spoke of iKnockoffs. Just speculated over what apple did with displays, since very likely panel is the same to note 10, but as I was earlier noted *display driver* likely is very different to Samsung’s solution which makes it even better than what Samsung had done with it.
Who even cares who makes and has developed individual parts since we can’t really twiddle with OS and the quality is maintained and Apple has the skills to take most out of them. In this case better screen package than Samsung has from their own panels.
That’s only partly correct. While it’s true that Apple uses panels manufactured by Samsung, at least with OLEDs, Apple has several dozen patents, and they claim that the OLED panels manufactured for them use Apple technology. Under a microscope, while Apple’s LED layout look similar to Samsung’s, there are differences. Considering that small visible differences can mean some different technology, I believe Apple’s claims. The fact that Apple’s latest displays are the brightest, and show larger LED sites, shows that they aren’t standard, off the shelf, Samsung panels.
samsung has now shown all of its latest devices, and Apple’s screens are on top. I’m sure that this will spur Samsung to attempt to equal, or move ahead, next year, and so will Apple.