Many people and tech bloggers say that they suffer from pixel burn-in and color changes when the screen is tilted. In addition, there are many fake posts on the Internet about “creepy” problems with OLED displays.
Ordinary users are afraid that their new phone with an OLED screen will have some problems. Today we will talk about why “broken” pixels appear and how to prevent them from burning out.
Problems with OLED screens
First of all, many OLED screens can leave outlines around text or marks in the button area and notification menu. Also, OLED displays at an angle produce blue, green or red color when tilted. But these shortcomings are inherent in all phones with such matrices, especially the Galaxy series or the new one.
blue iPhone screen X at an angle An artifact is a defect that is constantly visible on the screen. Defects are usually associated with the hardware of the smartphone, and not with the software. After all, if you don’t start looking closely at the screen, you won’t notice the contours and highlights on it.
Button outlines on Google Pixel 2 Causes of OLED burn-in
The cause of pixel burn-in in OLED screens is the life cycle of the components. All displays tend to lose color quality after a certain number of hours of operation. But deterioration in quality can be prevented with the help of software.
Also, such “errors” are due to the fact that one block constantly displays one color, while other blocks change colors while using different sites or applications. Due to the fact that colors change quickly, this leads to a shorter life cycle and poorer color rendition of the OLED display.
If you look at the problem from a technical point of view, it is that blue subpixels have a less strong degree of luminescence than red or green subpixels.
This means that the blue subpixel needs the same amount of light as the red and green pixels. But because of this, the lifespan of blue pixels can be noticeably reduced and ultimately the color degradation will be uneven. In other words, green and red colors will subsequently predominate.
How smartphone manufacturers fix problems with OLED screens
Many companies are aware of the problems associated with pixel burn-in and have already taken some measures to prevent it. For example, Samsung's PenTile subpixel circuit is designed so that by increasing the blue subpixel, less current is required to output the required amount of light. This increases the lifespan of the blue subpixels.
with Super AMOLED Since problems exist not only on phones, but also on smart watch under Android control Wear, manufacturers and they have built-in protection against pixel burnout. This mode periodically moves the pixels on the screen so that they display colors equally. By the way, TVs with an OLED matrix have the same problems as smartphones.
with AMOLED display If you've already experienced this pixel burn-in problem on your smartphone's OLED screen, there's not much you can do to change it. There are apps on the Play Store that promise to bring pixels back to life. But in fact, they simply stop the process of their burnout.
But if you are still concerned about this problem, there have long been a number of measures on the Internet that will help prevent pixel burn-in and with the help of these tips you can extend their life cycle:
- Try to keep the brightness level low, as increasing brightness will reduce the life of OLEDs;
- Set the sleep mode so that the screen goes into standby mode without leaving an outline of the images on the screen;
- Use wallpaper with a predominantly black color and constantly change the picture;
- Use keyboards with black color;
- When using a navigator during a long trip or while traveling, use one with fewer static images.
In the end
Don't get upset ahead of time. After all, pixel burnout will not affect absolutely all users who have a phone with an OLED screen. According to manufacturers, modern matrices are protected from pixel burnout, although if you remember the failure, it’s hard to believe.
The choice remains only for you, the users. Whether you choose a super-contrast OLED display with a bunch of shortcomings today or continue to buy time-tested phones with is up to you. I hope that OLED matrices in smartphones will not repeat the fate of plasma panels in TVs.
We love AMOLED displays. They are super clear, super bright and just awesome. But they have one big drawback - burnout. If you remember the days of CRT screens, then you remember the ghost images that appeared on the screen, and thanks to AMOLED, they are back. The good news is that it is fixable. Here's how to fix the AMOLED burn-in problem on Android displays.
What is AMOLED burn-in?
Younger readers may have never seen burn-in like this before because it doesn't happen with LCD displays (though it does happen with plasma TVs). If you're a little older, you know exactly what we're talking about. On cathode ray (CRT) monitors or televisions, in a place where the same thing is displayed every day, burn-in occurs and it remains on the screen. As a result, TVs had ghostly MTV logos burned into the corner that remained on the screen no matter what program you were watching. And on the monitor screens there was a constant reminder of Windows menu or WordPerfect 5.1.
Burnout is the reason screensavers exist, e.g. Microsoft Word flying toasters or carousels in landscape photos, the risk of burnout is significantly reduced. People pay real money for screensaver apps. Seriously.
As you can probably tell by the fact that your phone isn't two feet thick, we no longer use CRT displays. But the same problem that affects phosphorus in cathode ray tubes also affects AMOLEDs. The reason for AMOLED is the letter O, which stands for organic. Over time, connections in AMOLED displays deteriorate, just like battery components, and when this happens, they can leave ghostly images in areas that experience the most electronic wear and tear. This is AMOLED burn-in.
How can I avoid AMOLED burn-in?
The easiest way to avoid burn-in is to make sure your display doesn't show the same thing in the same place for a long time. For example, if you leave the screen active while charging, it's likely that you'll see ghost icons on your home screen even while you're doing other things on your phone. It will take a while before this happens, and they will be very faint at first, but if this happens to your phone, you will notice it when you do something on a white background, such as working in a text editing application: brownish spots where pictures burned through the display.
Charging isn't the only culprit. If you use Google Maps on your phone for hours on end, or using the same app for really long periods every day, this can also cause burn-in. It's not as bad as it was in the bad old days of CRT, but obviously it gets really annoying very soon.
How can I solve the AMOLED burn-in problem?
The honest answer is no, but there is a BUT so big that Sir Mix-A-Lot could write a song about it. Thanks to someone's truly inspired thinking, there is an app to solve the problem of screen burn-in. This won't get rid of the burnt-in area, but it will force your device to make it disappear. It's magic!
Okay, it's not really magic. But it's a pretty smart thing. The app is called AMOLED Burn-In Fixer, and if your device is running Lollipop or later, it will be able to take advantage of a nifty system trick called inverted colors. By changing the color underneath the burned area, the app can actually make it disappear. It's still there, but the screen effectively does what noise-canceling headphones do: analyze the signal and suppress it with a mirror image.
AMOLED Burn-In Fixer does three things. One of them is to check your device to show any burnt areas. Second, it can hide parts of the user interface to prevent even more burnout. And third, it is able to invert the colors on the navigation screen and other elements to make the scorched spot disappear.
This does not work on every device. If you don't have Lollipop, then you're out of luck, and if the place is already very badly scorched, then no useful applications won't fix the situation, but given that it won't cost any money, it's definitely worth a try. The app currently has 4.1 out of a possible five stars on Google Play, this suggests that it does the job well.
Have you experienced burnout on your phone? Have you tried using the apps and what was the result? Share with us in the comments below.
From possible display burnout. Now many consumers have begun to fear new problem. But is burnout really that bad? On what devices can such a disaster happen? And is there any way to protect the screen?
Modern screens consist of liquid crystals, which contain multi-colored pixels. Under the influence electric current The brightness of certain colors changes, due to which the desired picture is displayed in pixels. In the case of displays made using , PLS, TFT and some other technologies, it is additionally used LED backlight. This completely solves the problem of burnout. Something can happen to the pixels only after a very long time - the screen must be kept active for up to five years for at least some changes to occur. And there is a high chance that the backlight will fail faster.
Burnout can only happen to... The fact is that in such matrices the pixels glow independently under the influence of current. Over time, the brightness of the glow may decrease. The problem is that the brightness of pixels of one color decreases faster than the brightness of pixels of another color. If the screen is constantly kept active, then after a certain number of months certain areas of the display can actually burn out.
Maximum burnout
A good example is an old smartphone from the company, located in one of the British museums. Only one application was running on this device - the first Google version Wallet. The device almost never turned off, and the AMOLED screen was constantly on. Over the course of several years, the brightness of different pixels has changed quite significantly. As a result, application icons, numbers for dialing a PIN code, and the program logo seemed to be imprinted on the screen. But this is an extreme case - none of the ordinary people use a smartphone in this mode.
How to protect your screen from fading?
If the device has an OLED screen, then protecting against burn-in is very simple. It is enough to follow simple rules:
- Do not keep the display active for many hours at a time. The exception is the display of videos, which can be played around the clock.
- Change your desktop wallpaper and lock screen from time to time. The ideal option is to install live wallpaper, but this has a detrimental effect on the duration battery life. It is also recommended to use wallpaper with dark colors - for example, on the theme of space or night nature.
- The location of application icons on the desktop also needs to be changed from time to time.
- Try to use high backlight brightness less often. This should increase the lifespan of most diodes.
- Enable Immersive Mode if the firmware version you are using has one. In this mode, the notification panel and other static elements no longer appear. You can also install a launcher that has a similar mode.
- Reduce display turn-off time. This will reduce the duration of display of static elements.
- Install a virtual keyboard with a dark theme. This will slow down the degradation of pixels in cases where the smartphone is very often used for correspondence and typing. You can also sometimes change one keyboard to another.
Of course, it is not necessary to strictly adhere to absolutely all of the above rules. It is enough to follow only a few of them - this will definitely slow down the display burn-in. And if you never use one smartphone for more than two years, then you can safely not give a damn about any rules - any screen will last this long, even one belonging to one of the very first generations of AMOLED.
It's not all that scary
In fact, the smartphone operating system already combats screen burn-in quite successfully. For example, in Samsung Galaxy S8 special software monitors how much the brightness of each pixel has decreased. If something happens, the brightness of other pixels is adapted to the readings of neighboring pixels. The system is also capable of regularly shifting some static elements one or two pixels to the side - it is almost impossible to notice this, so the user experience does not deteriorate. Most often, such a shift occurs in the time and notifications displayed on the screen in Always On mode. In short, if you have a smartphone with an AMOLED screen, released in 2017 or even later, then you don’t have to worry about screen burn-in - the system will not allow this.
The user won’t even notice the time and date shift by a couple of pixels
Why did Apple have to notify consumers about possible problems in X? The fact is that the Apple giant is dealing with an AMOLED display for the first time. The smartphone entered the market in a great hurry, and therefore the developers from Cupertino simply did not have time to implement it in iOS needed innovations. At the time of the release of the iPhone X, the operating system did not learn to do anything to prevent display burn-in. However, this does not mean that owners of an expensive gadget should be afraid of such a problem. Place new wallpapers more often, and change the position of the icons - this will definitely protect the screen from burnout.
Conclusion
What to do if burnout has already occurred? Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely eliminate this effect. There are apps that claim to combat burnout. But in fact, they only send an increased current to the pixels located next to the burned-out ones, so that soon the brightness of their glow becomes equal. But in fact, this only reduces the service life of the device. And such programs do not work on all versions of the operating system - it is not without reason that many applications have already been removed from Google Play. In a word, there is no point in talking about them.
To sum it up, don't worry about display burn-in. If you follow simple rules, then such a disaster will definitely not happen to your smartphone. And you certainly shouldn’t expect problems if the device’s screen is active no more than three to four hours a day.
We have already appeared in the news a couple of times the best side. The first time this happened due to problems with the red color, and the second time due to burnout. The latest incident was reported on Reddit and was also mentioned in The Korea Herald.
What is burnout?
Don't confuse the term "display burn-in" with "fire." Sometimes, when viewing an image for a long time, its outlines are imprinted on the display, as if burned into it, even after the screen is locked or another picture is turned on. This problem occurs in almost all displays, but it should be noted that modern technologies they cope with this successfully.
Samsung warns its LED TV users not to leave the same image on for two hours or more. However, this does not make it any easier, because the manufacturer is simply playing it safe once again, rather than correcting the problem.
How does display burn-in affect the Galaxy S8?
In the case of the Galaxy S8, the flagship uses the Always On Display feature. This way, some parts of the display remain illuminated even if the screen has been locked. We're talking about the clock and the Home button. Yes, if desired, the Always On Display function can be disabled, but the display still works for several hours in one mode. This is why if a static image is left on, the LEDs will reproduce it. Shouldn't the S8 and S8 Plus be immune to this problem?
This is not a completely static image
Logically, the Samsung Galaxy S8 should not have problems with screen burn-in. The device is designed in such a way that it slowly but constantly changes the position of a static image on the display. For example, we are talking about a clock, it moves all the time. This information was recently confirmed on the Galaxy Club fan site. The manufacturer did this on purpose to avoid problems with burnout. The same update appeared on the Galaxy S7. Therefore, the current situation with display burnout on the Galaxy S8 is most likely simply a rare exception to the rule.
How Always On Display works
The Home button is part of the Always On Display, but it's not actually always on. It turns off when using certain apps and is even temporarily removed when you're on the unlock screen. Even if you use the display for a long time, for example, reading, the button will not work.
Based on this, the display will rarely create a static image over a long period of time. In fact, we still have to try to get the Galaxy S8 to do this.
Finally
No LED display is immune to burnout. Moreover, the company has taken special precautions for its new flagships. However, displays can still burn out. If you are worried about your S8/S8 Plus, simply turn off Always On Display or remove the navigation bar in settings to get rid of static images.
Probably, many mobile users have encountered the problem of smartphone screen burnout. This defect does not in any way affect the overall functionality of the display, but its presence greatly impairs the perception of the displayed image. Today we will try to find out what causes this problem, how to fix it and what can be done to delay its occurrence.
What is screen burn-in?
To put it as simply and clearly as possible, burn-in is the fading of the display in its specific area. If this defect is present in one or another part of the screen, color rendition deteriorates, and faded outlines or letters appear. The term “burnout” itself is not accurate. It has nothing to do with combustion or exposure high temperatures. In fact, this is a banal wear and tear of the light elements of the screen on mobile phones.
We can say that the term “burnout” developed historically. It appeared back in the era of cathode ray monitors (abbreviated CRT), as well as televisions. The fact is that the basis of these monitors and televisions were phosphorus components, the glow of which built the whole picture. Over time, these components lost their original properties, which is why the picture became faded. By and large, they burned out. Despite the fact that the technology for creating screens has changed, as well as the cause of the defect, wear of the light elements continues to be called by the indicated term.
How common is smartphone screen burn-in and why?
Unfortunately, every owner may encounter the problem in question. mobile phone. Devices that have OLED, AMOLED and Super AMOLED displays are most susceptible to burnout. Screens based on an IPS matrix suffer less from this defect, but it can also appear on them. Why are OLED, AMOLED and Super AMOLED sensors so susceptible to burnout?
It's all about their structure. The basis of such sensors are organic polymer compounds that emit light when an electric current passes through them. These connections are represented by LEDs of three colors:
- blue;
- red;
- green.
- All diodes have different shelf life, which is why they wear out unevenly. As a result, some elements, after a certain period of time, continue to work normally, while others lose their original properties. Therefore, differences in the saturation of the picture appear.
- Blue LEDs do not shine as brightly as red and green ones. To make the picture uniform, more current is supplied to the blue components. As a result, they wear out much faster, and the color palette of the screen goes into green and red tones.
Which part of displays is most likely to experience burn-in?
As a rule, those areas of the display that almost always display one picture come under attack. In such cases, the same pixels are used, and they work “without rest.” Often, the area where the touch buttons navigation, clock, notifications tab. The appearance of a defect is caused not only by the constant operation of some pixels, but also by the colors that are used during display. At the indicated points, the blue and white subpixels burn, and, as mentioned above, the blue elements initially wear out faster, because more electricity is supplied to them. White light also requires more current to pass through the polymer compounds, which also accelerates the wear of the screen's constituent particles.
Burnouts appear extremely rarely in the central part of the display. This is explained by the fact that in this area the picture changes frequently, the matrix uses different subpixels, so optimal performance lasts longer.
It's not just blue LEDs that can burn out. Both red and green elements can lose their properties ahead of schedule. As a rule, mobile gamers face this problem. As you know, modern entertainment applications have their own virtual navigation buttons or menu areas. At these points the picture also does not change, so the light components fade faster.
There is one more point worth mentioning. In areas prone to fading, not only color rendering problems arise. Also, specific “phantom” images appear there. As a rule, these phantoms are represented by dim silhouettes of virtual navigation buttons, search engine fields, and icons located at the top of the display. Essentially, what remains in the affected area is what it has been continuously displaying for a long time.
Is it possible to fix the display burn-in problem?
If this defect appears on a smartphone, then it will not be possible to completely eliminate it. Only a complete screen replacement will help. However, if there is no money for a replacement, you can use one useful program. It's called AMOLED Burn-In Fixer. No, it does not “revive” damaged LEDs, but it makes the burnt-out areas less noticeable. In general, the application mentioned does three things:
- Checks the device and shows in which areas there are burnt-out spots.
- If necessary, partially hides the user interface in order to slow down further burnout.
- Corrects the colors in the burned areas so that the defect disappears.
- It effectively copes with its task in the early stages of burnout.
- It is free, so this kind of “repair” can be carried out without any monetary costs.
- Doesn't work on all smartphones. The device must have operating system at least Android Lollipop(released November 2014). This application will not help owners of Apple phones.
- It is absolutely useless in the later stages of burnout, when the pixels have practically lost their functionality.
Is it possible to prevent screen burn-in?
But here the situation is more pleasant. The user can perform several actions that will delay burnout or completely protect the gadget from the manifestation of the defect in question. The list of these actions looks like this:
- Lower the display brightness. It's simple here - the higher the brightness level, the more current is required, and this speeds up the wear of the LEDs. Owners of the iPhone X can set this parameter to be automatically adjusted, which will also protect the device from burnout.
- Set the minimum time for the screen to turn off automatically, so that the diodes do not have to display static textures for a long time when you are not using the device.
- Use Immersive Mode whenever possible. This is the so-called immersive mode, in which the device will hide the notification panel and navigation buttons when not in use.
- Choose wallpaper for the main menu in dark colors. Dark shades practically do not wear out LEDs; black color doesn't affect them at all. Also, change your wallpaper periodically to complement other lighting elements.
- Use a virtual keyboard that has dark shades. With this approach, the degradation of diodes will occur even more slowly.
- Install a navigation application without bright colors. To a greater extent, this recommendation applies to ardent travelers who often need a navigator.
Is it possible to completely eliminate burnout in the future?
It is almost impossible to completely protect OLED, AMOLED, and Super AMOLED displays from the defect in question. This is due to the peculiarities of their design. However, manufacturers are already using some tricks that can slow down the aging process of light elements. For example, Samsung is increasing the size of blue LEDs. Thanks to this step, the elements begin to glow brighter, but at the same time less current passes through them, which means wear takes longer.
Certain actions were taken to extend the shelf life and Apple company. On the same tenth iPhone there is a mode automatic adjustment brightness, thanks to which the load on the LEDs always remains optimal.
Well, we found answers to two main questions: how to fix screen burn-in programmatic method and how to prevent its occurrence. Since progress does not stand still, in the future it is possible to completely get rid of the problem considered. But for now, almost all smartphones are at risk, so it is better to follow the recommendations mentioned so as not to encounter this unpleasant defect.