very old pixel display screens quotation
“Are you breaking stuff over there?” my wife said, seconds after my phone hit the ground. Sadly, though, I was. My Pixel 6 Pro’s display was dead and, for the first time in years, it was time to figure out the cost and time it would take to repair my daily driver. Here’s my experience with a walk-in Google Pixel 6 Pro repair and screen replacement went.
Wrapped up in a case and Whitestone screen protector, I figured my Pixel 6 Pro would easily survive a drop from a small side table down around three feet to my wood floors, as it has a few times before. But somehow, this time was the exception. Turning on my screen revealed that there were no cracks or other signs of physical damage, but that the underlying display panel had died. The majority of the display went black, with only a small sign of life in the top left corner, and a black streak emanating from the selfie camera. It was left unusable.
As weird of a situation as it was, the next obvious step way to get a repair on the books. My first thought, of course, was to get a repair going with Google directly. However, because I didn’t have Preferred Care on my Pixel 6 Pro, I figured any repair would very likely be out of warranty, and through Google, that would probably mean swapping out the device entirely and waiting on shipping. I quickly came to the conclusion that it would be faster and probably easier to just do an in-person repair. Still, I decided to do a quick chat with Google Support to explore my options.
That chat went pretty well, with the representative taking my information and a picture of the display to offer some troubleshooting. The first suggestion was to perform a factory reset, which I found odd, but that turned out to be something I couldn’t actually do as I couldn’t even get the phone to fully power off. A few more exchanges later, and it was agreed that a repair would indeed be needed. I was offered the option to do a mail-in repair or a walk-in through Google’s partners. The chat also offered a glimmer of hope that the repair might be covered under my warranty.
As I had figured out earlier, an in-person repair seemed ideal. So, I went to uBreakiFix to schedule an appointment at my local shop which, notably, just opened up in my hometown in the past couple of years. Google has partnered with uBreakiFix since the original Pixel, but the two-hour drive to my nearest location previously made it not very useful.
Of course, I still didn’t know for sure if my repair would be covered by Google’s warranty or if I’d be shelling out for the full cost of a Pixel 6 Pro screen repair. At one time, uBreakiFix conveniently offered price ranges for screen replacements and other repairs when setting up an appointment, but that’s no longer offered for devices including the Pixel 6.
Getting to the uBreakiFix location, I explained to the employee what happened and mentioned that Google had hinted in-warranty coverage might be possible. He took a look, mentioning how this sort of display damage isn’t uncommon. He then got a second opinion from another employee that also thought it might be covered under the warranty.
Had I not been covered under warranty, I was told that a screen repair, and by repair we mean Pixel 6 screen replacement, would have cost $280 for the Pixel 6 Pro, while the regular Pixel 6 would have been $200. That’s not awful, but also not a charge anyone wants to have unexpectedly thrown at them.
Just a few hours after I’d dropped off the phone, I received a text saying that it was repaired and ready to go. When I arrived at the store, the new display was in perfect working order and the fingerprint sensor was too. After a quick conversation about the initial damage, look at the old panel, and a signature later, I was on my way. The employees at this store in particular were pleasant and impressively versed on Pixel issues in particular.
The last time I had to get a Pixel repaired, it was not fun. I was without my main phone for a few days waiting on shipping, and the replacement unit ended up being defective. Years before that, our former staffer Justin Duino reported on a nightmarish experience trying to get his original Pixel repaired not long after launch. And those two instances were not alone. It doesn’t take much to find horror stories stemming from Pixel repairs over on Reddit.
Google still has a long way to go to match the ease of getting an iPhone repaired. One can hope that the rise of Google-owned stores and the continued expansion of the company’s partners will only improve this process going forward. Plus, Google is improving your DIY options for getting a Pixel fixed. Just this month, the company announced a partnership with iFixit which will bring detailed guides and easy-to-buy parts to fix a Pixel at home.
Tip: After you start your trade-in process, you’ll get a confirmation email. To send your old phone to us, we’ll send you a kit with a prepaid envelope.
Before you send your old phone to us, you may want to transfer data from your old phone to your new one. Learn more about how to set up your Pixel phone.
If the trade-in device"s value matches the estimate: If you purchase a Pixel, we’ll credit the Post-Inspection Value (PIV) to the form of payment used for your phone purchase.
When you sign up for Pixel Pass, you’ll get a trade-in value estimate for your phone. You can choose to keep your prior phone or trade in your phone when you upgrade to reduce your monthly Pixel Pass bill going forward. Learn more about Pixel Pass subscriptions.
If your device is traded in before your first billing cycle: The estimated trade-in value is spread over the next 24 months of your Pixel Pass subscription, reducing your monthly bill.
After 24 monthly Pixel Pass payments, you fully own your phone. At that time, you decide if you want to stay subscribed and receive a new Pixel phone as an upgrade.
There are a plethora of new and exciting smartphones that have just come onto the market (or are about to), and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to find out that you are planning to upgrade from your current phone. Samsung has introduced two new high-end phones, the Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus, that our reviewer Allison Johnson says are the default Android phones to buy. Meanwhile, Google is still going strong (although with occasional glitches) with its latest flagships, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
Whether you want to go with Samsung, Google, or a different manufacturer, trading in your old phone — or selling it — is a smart way to do that, especially since there are those who will decide instead to buy a lightly used phone from an older generation that will suit their needs without breaking the bank.
If you’ve got an older model and are ready for an upgrade, here are a few steps to take in order to get your device ready to sell, followed by how much cash you can expect to earn back. We’re going to concentrate on Samsung and Google Pixel phones here, but you can probably expect similar results with phones from other vendors.
If your old device is in good condition, you shouldn’t have much of a problem finding a new owner. As mentioned in our guide on selling your iPhone, having a phone in good condition is crucial to finding a buyer who’s willing to pay top dollar.
There are three steps involved in securely wiping your Android phone. These steps can vary slightly depending on whether you have a Samsung, a Pixel, or a phone from another manufacturer.
To test Google’s trade-in for a Pixel 6, I pretended to have a Pixel 4 XL with 128GB storage that was in working condition and free of cracks, and I was offered $115, while a Pixel 5awith 128GB brought a quote of $150. A Pixel 3 with 128GB storage got me an offer of $56, and finally, an original unlocked Pixel with 32GB or 128GB was worth a big $25.01.
As for where you can sell your old phone, Swappa is a top pick with a healthy community of buyers and sellers. With Swappa, you create a listing along with a price; when your device is sold, you receive payment from Swappa and then ship the phone directly to the buyer. Swappa charges a fee from the buyer, depending on the price of the phone, but you are responsible for shipping costs.
Meanwhile, an original Pixel XL with 32GB of storage brought a low asking price of $76, while an unlocked Pixel 2 with 64GB rated a low price of $52; the 2 XL version was quoted with a low price of $62. An unlocked Pixel 3 with 64GB in good condition had a low price of $71; the 3 XL version in good condition brought a low selling price of $73. Finally, you could score a Pixel 4 XL in fair condition with 64GB for $160.
Whether you use one of the resources listed here to make up the cost of a new Google Pixel 6 or decide that the convenience of trading in the phone is worth the extra bucks is up to you.
We can easily list a ton of reasons why the Google Pixel 6a won AP"s best budget phone award for 2022. There are so many of them! While its price is one important factor, what helps it stand out among the best budget Android phones is its superb software and camera experience. There is simply no other smartphone in its price range that can claim to take better photos than the Pixel 6a or provide day-one Android updates.
It"s been nearly six months since I first put my SIM card into the Pixel 6a, and I still don"t have any plans to switch to any other phone full-time. The reason? It"s the whole package: that beautiful theming engine, the surprises in Pixel feature drops, and all the camera tricks. Everything!
While the Pixel 6a has so much to like, it doesn"t come without its shortcomings. A few of them rarely get highlighted. And no, its 60Hz display isn"t one of them.
There"s a reason the Pixel 6a got such a high score in our review. It"s a good phone! It gets you a unique package like no other, and Google"s version of Pixel-ized Android plays a big part in that. But other things will make you want to pick up and use your Pixel 6a every morning.
The bigger, the better, has usually been the norm with smartphone screens. But with its compact 6.1-inch screen, the Pixel 6a feels just right. The size nicely fits between the two extremes of the iPhone 13 Mini and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. What particularly works is how narrow the Pixel is. Even with single-handed use, I can easily reach the other side of the phone without weirdly flexing my fingers.
And for pulling down the notification shade, there"s the handy double tap on the back gesture. For someone who doesn"t watch many videos or TV shows on their phone, the Pixel 6a is a perfect match.
The stereo speakers on the Pixel 6a sound the best of any phone in its class. They"re sufficiently loud, sound fuller, and the bass doesn"t overshadow other sounds. More importantly, the speakers don"t crack at full volume, and the stereo output is balanced between the bottom-firing speaker and the earpiece.
There are two kinds of smartphones. Ones that are normal and others that aggressively keep killing apps, sometimes even preventing important notifications from coming through. The Pixel 6a is on the good side of the fence.
I had little to no issue with notifications being delivered on time, and the phone doesn"t jump to kill the apps as soon as they go to the background. The 6GB RAM capacity on the Pixel 6a may seem less than what many mid-range Android phones offer, but with fine-tuned RAM management, it"s more than enough.
I can"t stress enough how exemplary the Pixel 6a is at everyday performance. Quickly switching between apps, opening and closing them, and the animations work without a hiccup. I haven"t experienced many frame drops in my regular use, and the Pixel 6a doesn"t feel much different from a phone with a higher refresh rate screen, barring quick scrolls.
It did take some adjusting when I switched from 120Hz all the time to a measly 60Hz on the Pixel 6a. But after a few hours of use, it stopped bothering me. And given how quick the Pixel feels, I don"t think it will be a problem unless you simultaneously use a second phone with, say, a 90Hz display.
Google"s software magic that we often speak of is, in part, the operating system"s ability to learn and adapt to your usage pattern. The Pixel 6a is an excellent example of that. I had earlier complained about its sub-par battery life. But now I"m happy to report that the battery anxiety is now fully gone, and I don"t feel the need for midday recharges with my routine use. That happened because the phone learned from my typical usage and adjusted the battery drain accordingly to make the best of the available power.
And those feature drops from Google make the Pixel phones even more desirable. Getting new features on a months-old phone and between major Android updates is a treat for all Pixel owners.
I don"t usually pay much attention to the vibration motor because it"s always bad enough on mid-range phones for me to keep it off for most things. But on my Pixel 6a, the haptic feedback is enabled for almost everything. It"s sharp and not something that would rattle your desk with a loud buzzing sound.
The display on the Pixel 6a just isn"t bright enough. When out in the sun, I constantly want to slide the brightness further up when it"s already at full. And that"s true even indoors, where the phone needs to stay at the 70% level in a brightly lit room for it not to feel too dim.
I"m not even complaining about its 60Hz refresh rate when it comes to the things this display doesn"t get right. But considering what other brands like Samsung and OnePlus have been doing with their OLED screens in the same price bracket, we"re left wishing for more from the Pixel 6a. Hopefully, the upcoming Pixel 7a will fix some of these shortcomings.
For the first few days after it arrived, my Pixel 6a was in its case on my desk. I occasionally picked it up to check out an Android 13 beta feature. When I was ready to move my SIM cards, I noticed that the phone had picked up a couple of scratches along the top edge of the back (inside the case!) and a few minor ones on the front too. After that, I ordered a screen protector to prevent it from worsening.
In a classic JerryRigEverything durability test, we learned that the Pixel 6a"s iconic rear visor is made of plastic, with only the camera lenses covered in glass. I can see that exposed area looking ugly with several minor scratches after a year of use.
The Google Pixel 6a says "charging rapidly" and "full in 2 hours" in a single line. One of the recent phones I reviewed had 150W charging and would top up entirely in half the time the Pixel takes to go from 80% to 100%.
While 150W charging is surely a novelty, most phones in the same segment as the Pixel 6a in India come with at least 30W charging (proprietary), with many going for as high as 65W. Even within the standard PD charging realm, Google could"ve gone for a higher wattage or the newer PPS standard for a better charging speed.
That"s what Apple had to say about the antenna problem on the iPhone 4. But in 2022, it"s the same with my Google Pixel 6a. When I cover the top of the phone with my hand, the Wi-Fi signal (5GHz) goes down by one bar. It goes back up as soon as I change the hand position. That happens even when the phone is a few feet away from the router, with only a door between the two.
Even the 4G network strength on both of my SIM cards is not as strong as I"ve seen on other phones, which worsens in areas with low reception, like an underground train station. The modem inside Google"s Tensor chip is weaker than what Qualcomm offers. So, it wasn"t a surprise since the Pixel 6 series phones also went through the same ordeal.
The optical fingerprint scanner on the Pixel 6a was no less than a nightmare to use during the phone"s early days. With never-ending failed attempts, I was forced to punch in my PIN more times than I remember doing on any other phone. The September update finally brought a fix to the fingerprint woes. While the situation improved after the update, the issue isn"t completely gone.
The Pixel 6a sometimes refuses to recognize my thumb impression. After several tries, I must enter the PIN, which isn"t ideal. Even registering my fingerprint again hasn"t fixed the issue. We"re well into the Pixel 6a"s lifecycle, and it"s a shame that a basic problem like this remains.
One hundred percent! After spending close to six months with the Pixel 6a, I can firmly say that this is the phone I"d come back to without a second thought. Pixel phones are filled to the brim with lots of software features, but at the end of the day, it"s how the phone feels that matters the most. And the Pixel 6a scores full marks on that front. There has rarely been any occasion where it felt slow. Its dynamic theming gives it a fresh vibe when you change the wallpaper. Could anyone ever get tired of it?
Google has lately been extra generous with offers on the Pixel 6a. While the baby Pixel is a fantastic deal at its full price, it"s been discounted by as much as a third on several occasions in the last few months. And at $300 (or even $350), the Pixel 6a is a steal. At this price, it"s easy to overlook its minor shortcomings, and we have no reservations about recommending it, even if you have a budget of around $400. But if you want something slightly more premium and don"t mind paying a little extra, the Pixel 7 makes for a perfect upgrade pick for you.
The Pixel 6a isn"t just the best smartphone you can get for $450, it"s probably the best value you can get in an Android phone, with a great camera, good performance, and fantastic software features.
Editor"s note, Nov. 18: The combination of price, design, cameras, processor and software make the Google Pixel 6 one of the best value phones you can buy, which is why we"ve given it a CNET Editors" Choice Award. The original review follows.
The Pixel 6 exemplifies the best of what Google services and Android 12 have to offer. So much so that I"d claim that the Pixel 6 is the most significant phone upgrade Google has made since it launched the Pixel line in 2016. The phone"s
Previous Pixel phones have lived in that safe, quiet and crowded midtier space where phones cost between $600 and $800. For most people, they were good and sometimes great phones but lacked the luster, specs and appeal of more premium phones from Samsung and Huawei.
So what"s the problem? Well, in short, Pixel phones haven"t sold well. It reminds me of the early days when Michael Jordan joined the Chicago Bulls but they weren"t winning championships yet. The Pixel 6 is an attempt to build the phone up to be more successful and appealing. It"s like when the Bulls decided to build a team around Jordan to help him win championships.
Google extended its three years of OS and security updates to five. In the US, the Pixel 6 is available both through Google and all major carriers. And Google even created a subscription program a la Apple"s iPhone Upgrade program. It"s called
Even the Pixel"s crown jewel -- its cameras -- got upgraded lenses and hardware that"s more premium. Now that Google has improved everything in, on and around the Pixel, is it ready for its championship? (I promise that"s the last Bulls reference.) In short, yes.
This is the Pixel phone I always wanted from Google. I spent over a week with the new phone and it lives up to a lot of the hype. The Pixel 6 starts at $599 (£599, AU$999) and comes with 128GB of storage. For that price, I can"t think of a better phone to recommend right now.
The Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch, 1080p screen. It can be set to automatically switch from 60Hz to 90Hz depending on the content onscreen. There"s an hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera and the screen is flat with thick, Sharpie-like bezels that bleed into the matte-finish aluminum sides. For comparison"s sake, it reminds me a bit of the iPhone XR and
The back is where the phone"s design really makes me swoon. It"s made of Gorilla Glass 6 and has a two-tone color scheme. My review unit is Sorta Seafoam, which means the bottom of the back is sort of light gray or sort of light blue depending on the lighting. The top back strip is a light lime green, which contrasts nicely against the deep black of the camera bar. The overall look of the Pixel 6 reminds me a tad of the Pixel 2 XL and its panda color.
The horizontal camera bar runs across the width of the back and looks bold and different. The camera bar isn"t just designed to be a Google branding element; you can put the Pixel 6 without a case on a table and it doesn"t wobble.
There are so many more camera features that I wasn"t able to highlight in this review, like Face UnBlur. But CNET will have an even more in-depth look at the Pixel 6 cameras soon.
Below is a photo taken with harsh backlight. Admittedly, this isn"t a great way to take a photo, but I wanted to see what would happen. Google said the Pixel 6 handles stray light better. See how it did against a photo taken with the iPhone 13 below.
The differences between the two photos aren"t drastic, but Eric, who is the subject, preferred the photo from the Pixel 6. He liked how it handled the color and highlights in his skin. You can really notice this in his arms.
The Pixel 6 records the best video from any Pixel phone. Details and color accuracy are better. In terms of comparing the image quality between photos and videos, there is a smaller difference than there has been on prior Pixels. Don"t get me wrong, photos are still the strength of the Pixel.
When recording video in medium and low light, image noise is pretty apparent. Also, the improvements Real Tone brings to photos are unmatched with how videos handle different complexions. Take a look below at some sample videos I recorded with the Pixel 6.
The Pixel 6 doesn"t run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip found in nearly every other flagship Android phone like the Galaxy S21 and OnePlus 9 Pro. Instead, it runs on Google"s Tensor processor. It"s the first chip Google has made and was specifically designed by Google for the Pixel. I found the Tensor chip and the 8GB of RAM made the phone peppy to use. Opening the camera app is fast, app animations look smooth and it handles games well.
Google quotes a day on a fully charged battery and in regular use I"d say that is accurate. But in heavy use, like shooting lots of photos and videos, it had a battery life of more like three-quarters of a day. During the 10 days I tested the phone, the Pixel 6 averaged a screen-on time of 6 hours, which is good, but not great.
Android 12 combined with the Tensor processor provides a number of welcomed privacy and security upgrades. The Pixel 6 comes with several of its own Android 12 special features, some of which are powered by Tensor. A standout for me is voice recognition. I found there to be a lot of improvement with translation, especially when I had a conversation with a Portuguese speaker. Translations were fast and accurate. For voice typing in particular, it seems to understand context better and punctuate more accurately and it"s easier to command it and clear mistakes.
With all of the upgrades to software and hardware, you have to wonder if that will be enough to make the Pixel 6 successful. And that"s really the only thing I can"t answer. I can say this is the best phone Google has ever built. As tempting as the Pixel 6 is, for $300 more you can upgrade to the slightly more premium Pixel 6 Pro, which adds a telephoto camera; a 6.7-inch display with curved edges, a higher resolution and high refresh rate; more RAM; an ultrawideband chip and Gorilla Glass Victus on the back. But if you have $600 and are looking for a new phone, the Pixel 6 is my recommendation.Google Pixel 6 specs vs. Google Pixel 6 Pro, Google Pixel 5, Apple iPhone 13
Over the past 20 years, cell phones have evolved from simple devices made for mobile calling to smartphones that serve as mini computers. As phones got smarter, so did their screens. Take a journey back in time to see how modern phone displays came to be.
For the rest of the 1990s and into the 2000s, black-and-white passive matrix screens were the norm. The rows and columns combined to create text, giving off a blocky appearance.
In 2001, Nokia released the first smartphone to feature a monochromatic display. The Nokia 8250 allowed users to change the background from gray to a bright blue. That same year, the Sony Ericsson T68m and Mitsubishi Trium Eclipse were released, offering 256 colors.
Released in June 2007, the iPhone introduced many firsts. It was the first phone with an operating system, responsive touchscreen, and touch interface that replaced the traditional QWERTY keyboard. The phone screen itself comprised a video graphic array (VGA) display and offered a resolution of 320 x 480 – far exceeding other phones at the time.
In the next few years, phone manufacturers followed iPhone’s example and began making devices with multi-touch interfaces, higher screen resolutions, and larger phone screen sizes. In 2011, Samsung unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S2, which featured a 480 x 800 resolution. Then, in 2013, Motorola’s Moto X was thrust onto the scene with a screen size of 720 x 1280 pixels.
Let’s start with LCDs. TFT LCD displays are considered the most common. They deliver quality images and higher resolutions. IPS LCDs, which are mainly found in higher-end smartphones, offer improved battery life and deliver wider viewing angles. These types of displays are often found in iPhones, but by Apple’s proprietary names, “Retina,” or “Super Retina.” Then, there are capacitive touchscreen LCDs, which rely on the touch of a human finger for input.
OLEDs are considered an up-and-coming display technology – they don’t require any backlighting to display pixels. Fundamentally, each pixel emits it own light, allowing for darker blacks and brighter whites. AMOLEDs combine a TFT display with an OLED display for energy savings, while Super AMOLED displays deliver even brighter screens and more power savings.
When choosing a new Net10 phone, you may feel overwhelmed with all the display options available. First, consider the phone screen size. The bigger the phone screen, the bigger the phone. If you’d like to be able to slip your phone easily inside a pocket or purse, opt for a smaller phone size, such as 4-inch, 4.7-inch, or 5-inch. If you’d prefer a bigger screen size for gaming or watching videos, you’ll benefit from choosing a phone with a 5.5-inch, 6.4-inch, or similar size.
Next, you’ll need to consider the display technology. OLED screens are known for their faster response times, better contrast, and longer battery lives. LCD screens, on the other hand, are better for outdoor viewing, deliver a natural color reproduction, and offer sharper images.
Last up? Resolution. If you’re looking for a phone with higher levels of pixel detail, you’ll want a screen resolution of at least 1920 x 1080, or full HD. If picture quality isn’t on the top of your must-have list, you should be safe choosing a lower screen resolution.
Screen burn, also called screen burn-in, ghost image, or display burns are images or icons that are displayed on a screen when they should not be there. Screen burn comes on gradually and gets worse over time and is most common on OLED screens. The navigation bar, the top status bar, or home screen apps are frequent images that get “burned” into the display.
1. You aren’t looking at your phone screen with a white display. Screen burn is easiest to notice on an all-white or blank screen with no icons on it. And it is rare that your phone will display an all-white screen. This is why SmartphonesPLUS uses industry-leading phone diagnosis software and other tools that allow us to see phone screens on an all-white screen, along with other tests, to examine each phone we receive thoroughly.
2. You do not change your home screen layout or background image. You look at the same phone, with the same background every day, and can’t notice the screen burn because the icons and apps on the phone are always in the same position. It is much easier to notice screen burn when you shift the layout of icons and apps on your home screen.
Here’s an example we think relates to screen burn to help explain why it’s not as noticeable: when you see a person every day that is losing weight you don’t notice how much weight they lost, but if you saw a person you haven’t seen in over a year that lost 50 pounds you would notice right away. In the same way, your eyes and mind adjust to the screen burn as it gradually burns into the display over months or years.
Screen burn is caused by pixels displaying the same image or icon for an extended period of time. Static images such as apps, navigation bars, and keyboards can deteriorate pixels in the display from overuse. This causes these over-used pixels to look darker in color than others around them. Certain areas of the screen like status bars are more susceptible to screen burn as they are constantly displaying the same image.
As you can tell from the photos, screen burn can make the display look discolored with darker pink or gray hues. Because of its gradual onset, many users don’t even realize their display has screen burn. If you would like to check for screen burn on your phone, put your phone on a white screen. A white screen will provide contrast making the discolored pixels more noticeable.
You can avoid the deterioration of pixels by changing the image that your device displays. Try to change the positions of apps and backgrounds periodically.
Lowering the brightness will lengthen the life of the pixels in your display. Keeping the brightness as low as possible will ensure that screen burn won’t happen as quickly.
Avoid screen savers when your screen times out as they are generally static images that are displayed for a long period of time. Screen savers will cause the pixels of your display to be overworked when you are not even using your device. If you have a phone that uses always on display, make sure to turn this off to prolong the life of your screen’s pixels.
There are some apps and videos out there that claim they can fix screen burn, however, the results tend to be insignificant as it is a hardware issue of the display. The only way to truly fix screen burn is to replace the entire display of the phone. If you’d like to speak with a technician to see the cost of replacing a screen you can make an appointment or contact us.
For screen sizes (typically in inches, measured on the diagonal), see Display size. For a list of particular display resolutions, see Graphics display resolution.
This chart shows the most common display resolutions, with the color of each resolution type indicating the display ratio (e.g. red indicates a 4:3 ratio).
The display resolution or display modes of a digital television, computer monitor or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by different factors in cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, flat-panel displays (including liquid-crystal displays) and projection displays using fixed picture-element (pixel) arrays.
It is usually quoted as width × height, with the units in pixels: for example, 1024 × 768 means the width is 1024 pixels and the height is 768 pixels. This example would normally be spoken as "ten twenty-four by seven sixty-eight" or "ten twenty-four by seven six eight".
One use of the term display resolution applies to fixed-pixel-array displays such as plasma display panels (PDP), liquid-crystal displays (LCD), Digital Light Processing (DLP) projectors, OLED displays, and similar technologies, and is simply the physical number of columns and rows of pixels creating the display (e.g. 1920 × 1080). A consequence of having a fixed-grid display is that, for multi-format video inputs, all displays need a "scaling engine" (a digital video processor that includes a memory array) to match the incoming picture format to the display.
For device displays such as phones, tablets, monitors and televisions, the use of the term display resolution as defined above is a misnomer, though common. The term display resolution is usually used to mean pixel dimensions, the maximum number of pixels in each dimension (e.g. 1920 × 1080), which does not tell anything about the pixel density of the display on which the image is actually formed: resolution properly refers to the pixel density, the number of pixels per unit distance or area, not the total number of pixels. In digital measurement, the display resolution would be given in pixels per inch (PPI). In analog measurement, if the screen is 10 inches high, then the horizontal resolution is measured across a square 10 inches wide.NTSC TVs can typically display about 340 lines of "per picture height" horizontal resolution from over-the-air sources, which is equivalent to about 440 total lines of actual picture information from left edge to right edge.
Some commentators also use display resolution to indicate a range of input formats that the display"s input electronics will accept and often include formats greater than the screen"s native grid size even though they have to be down-scaled to match the screen"s parameters (e.g. accepting a 1920 × 1080 input on a display with a native 1366 × 768 pixel array). In the case of television inputs, many manufacturers will take the input and zoom it out to "overscan" the display by as much as 5% so input resolution is not necessarily display resolution.
The eye"s perception of display resolution can be affected by a number of factors – see image resolution and optical resolution. One factor is the display screen"s rectangular shape, which is expressed as the ratio of the physical picture width to the physical picture height. This is known as the aspect ratio. A screen"s physical aspect ratio and the individual pixels" aspect ratio may not necessarily be the same. An array of 1280 × 720 on a 16:9 display has square pixels, but an array of 1024 × 768 on a 16:9 display has oblong pixels.
An example of pixel shape affecting "resolution" or perceived sharpness: displaying more information in a smaller area using a higher resolution makes the image much clearer or "sharper". However, most recent screen technologies are fixed at a certain resolution; making the resolution lower on these kinds of screens will greatly decrease sharpness, as an interpolation process is used to "fix" the non-native resolution input into the display"s native resolution output.
While some CRT-based displays may use digital video processing that involves image scaling using memory arrays, ultimately "display resolution" in CRT-type displays is affected by different parameters such as spot size and focus, astigmatic effects in the display corners, the color phosphor pitch shadow mask (such as Trinitron) in color displays, and the video bandwidth.
Most television display manufacturers "overscan" the pictures on their displays (CRTs and PDPs, LCDs etc.), so that the effective on-screen picture may be reduced from 720 × 576 (480) to 680 × 550 (450), for example. The size of the invisible area somewhat depends on the display device. Some HD televisions do this as well, to a similar extent.
Computer displays including projectors generally do not overscan although many models (particularly CRT displays) allow it. CRT displays tend to be underscanned in stock configurations, to compensate for the increasing distortions at the corners.
Interlaced video (also known as interlaced scan) is a technique for doubling the perceived frame rate of a video display without consuming extra bandwidth. The interlaced signal contains two fields of a video frame captured consecutively. This enhances motion perception to the viewer, and reduces flicker by taking advantage of the phi phenomenon.
Progressive scanning (alternatively referred to as noninterlaced scanning) is a format of displaying, storing, or transmitting moving images in which all the lines of each frame are drawn in sequence. This is in contrast to interlaced video used in traditional analog television systems where only the odd lines, then the even lines of each frame (each image called a video field) are drawn alternately, so that only half the number of actual image frames are used to produce video.
Many personal computers introduced in the late 1970s and the 1980s were designed to use television receivers as their display devices, making the resolutions dependent on the television standards in use, including PAL and NTSC. Picture sizes were usually limited to ensure the visibility of all the pixels in the major television standards and the broad range of television sets with varying amounts of over scan. The actual drawable picture area was, therefore, somewhat smaller than the whole screen, and was usually surrounded by a static-colored border (see image below). Also, the interlace scanning was usually omitted in order to provide more stability to the picture, effectively halving the vertical resolution in progress. 160 × 200, 320 × 200 and 640 × 200 on NTSC were relatively common resolutions in the era (224, 240 or 256 scanlines were also common). In the IBM PC world, these resolutions came to be used by 16-color EGA video cards.
One of the drawbacks of using a classic television is that the computer display resolution is higher than the television could decode. Chroma resolution for NTSC/PAL televisions are bandwidth-limited to a maximum 1.5MHz, or approximately 160 pixels wide, which led to blurring of the color for 320- or 640-wide signals, and made text difficult to read (see example image below). Many users upgraded to higher-quality televisions with S-Video or RGBI inputs that helped eliminate chroma blur and produce more legible displays. The earliest, lowest cost solution to the chroma problem was offered in the Atari 2600 Video Computer System and the Apple II+, both of which offered the option to disable the color and view a legacy black-and-white signal. On the Commodore 64, the GEOS mirrored the Mac OS method of using black-and-white to improve readability.
Programs designed to mimic older hardware such as Atari, Sega, or Nintendo game consoles (emulators) when attached to multiscan CRTs, routinely use much lower resolutions, such as 160 × 200 or 320 × 400 for greater authenticity, though other emulators have taken advantage of pixelation recognition on circle, square, triangle and other geometric features on a lesser resolution for a more scaled vector rendering. Some emulators, at higher resolutions, can even mimic the aperture grille and shadow masks of CRT monitors.
In 2002, 1024 × 768 eXtended Graphics Array was the most common display resolution. Many web sites and multimedia products were re-designed from the previous 800 × 600 format to the layouts optimized for 1024 × 768.
In 2010, 27-inch LCD monitors with the 2560 × 1440 resolution were released by multiple manufacturers, and in 2012, Apple introduced a 2880 × 1800 display on the MacBook Pro. Panels for professional environments, such as medical use and air traffic control, support resolutions up to 4096 × 21602048 × 2048 pixels).
The following table lists the usage share of display resolutions from two sources, as of June 2020. The numbers are not representative of computer users in general.
In recent years the 16:9 aspect ratio has become more common in notebook displays. 1366 × 768 (HD) has become popular for most low-cost notebooks, while 1920 × 1080 (FHD) and higher resolutions are available for more premium notebooks.
When a computer display resolution is set higher than the physical screen resolution (native resolution), some video drivers make the virtual screen scrollable over the physical screen thus realizing a two dimensional virtual desktop with its viewport. Most LCD manufacturers do make note of the panel"s native resolution as working in a non-native resolution on LCDs will result in a poorer image, due to dropping of pixels to make the image fit (when using DVI) or insufficient sampling of the analog signal (when using VGA connector). Few CRT manufacturers will quote the true native resolution, because CRTs are analog in nature and can vary their display from as low as 320 × 200 (emulation of older computers or game consoles) to as high as the internal board will allow, or the image becomes too detailed for the vacuum tube to recreate (i.e., analog blur). Thus, CRTs provide a variability in resolution that fixed resolution LCDs cannot provide.
As far as digital cinematography is concerned, video resolution standards depend first on the frames" aspect ratio in the film stock (which is usually scanned for digital intermediate post-production) and then on the actual points" count. Although there is not a unique set of standardized sizes, it is commonplace within the motion picture industry to refer to "nK" image "quality", where n is a (small, usually even) integer number which translates into a set of actual resolutions, depending on the film format. As a reference consider that, for a 4:3 (around 1.33:1) aspect ratio which a film frame (no matter what is its format) is expected to horizontally fit in, n is the multiplier of 1024 such that the horizontal resolution is exactly 1024•n points.2048 × 1536 pixels, whereas 4K reference resolution is 4096 × 3072 pixels. Nevertheless, 2K may also refer to resolutions like 2048 × 1556 (full-aperture), 2048 × 1152 (HDTV, 16:9 aspect ratio) or 2048 × 872 pixels (Cinemascope, 2.35:1 aspect ratio). It is also worth noting that while a frame resolution may be, for example, 3:2 (720 × 480 NTSC), that is not what you will see on-screen (i.e. 4:3 or 16:9 depending on the intended aspect ratio of the original material).
Electrically operated display devices have developed from electromechanical systems for display of text, up to all-electronic devices capable of full-motion 3D color graphic displays. Electromagnetic devices, using a solenoid coil to control a visible flag or flap, were the earliest type, and were used for text displays such as stock market prices and arrival/departure display times. The cathode ray tube was the workhorse of text and video display technology for several decades until being displaced by plasma, liquid crystal (LCD), and solid-state devices such as thin-film transistors (TFTs), LEDs and OLEDs. With the advent of metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), integrated circuit (IC) chips, microprocessors, and microelectronic devices, many more individual picture elements ("pixels") could be incorporated into one display device, allowing graphic displays and video.
One of the earliest electronic displays is the cathode ray tube (CRT), which was first demonstrated in 1897 and made commercial in 1922.electron gun that forms images by firing electrons onto a phosphor-coated screen. The earliest CRTs were monochrome and were used primarily in oscilloscopes and black and white televisions. The first commercial colour CRT was produced in 1954. CRTs were the single most popular display technology used in television sets and computer monitors for over half a century; it was not until the 2000s that LCDs began to gradually replace them.
A derivative of CRTs were storage tubes, which had the ability to retain information displayed on them, unlike standard CRTs which need to be refreshed periodically. In 1968, Tektronix introduced the Direct-View Bistable Storage Tube, which went on to be widely used in oscilloscopes and computer terminals.
1968Direct-View Bistable Storage Tube CRT retains static information displayed upon it, written using a steerable electron beam that can be turned off. The DVBST was used in vector displays of early computers and in oscilloscopes.
1984 Super-twisted nematic display (STN LCD) to improve passive-matrix LCDs, allowing for the first time higher resolution panels with 540x270 pixels.
I don’t want to waste anyone’s time with a 5,000 word review. There’s plenty of other reviews out there where you can find all of that word vomit. With this review, I want to get you in and out with the facts you need to know about the Pixel 7 Pro from Google if you happen to be on the fence.
Display– I thought the Pixel 6 Pro’s display was a solid panel of pixels to look at last year, but I did have a slight issue with the brightness levels. It wasn’t a very bright device. Google called that issue out directly with the Pixel 7 Pro, claiming that this display gets 25% brighter (even in sunlight). I can confirm that the display gets plenty bright now (1500 nits peak brightness), still with rich colors, a deepness of black only seen with OLED panels, and of course, support for up to 120Hz refresh rate. While large compared to smaller devices, the 6.7-inch QHD+ display is easily maneuverable and the display’s edge isn’t as drastic as you’ll find on some other phones with curved glass.
Specs – At $899, the Pixel 7 Pro comes packed with most everything a user might need. Well, so long as you don’t mind the lack of headphone jack and expandable storage. I’m sorry, but we’ve stopped counting those things. Anyway, here’s an overview of what Google has packed into here. There’s a 6.7-inch QHD+ OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, Tensor G2 chipset, 12GB RAM, 128GB+ storage, 5,000mAh battery, stereo speakers, triple rear camera system (50MP wide + 12MP ultra wide + 48MP telephoto), 10.8MP front camera, in-display optical fingerprint reader, Face Unlock, eSIM support, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth v5.2, NFC, wireless charging, wireless power share, IP68 rating, and Android 13. That’s a lot of good stuff.
Software and Performance – Pixel phones are always the most Googley of Android software experiences, given that Google wants the hardware to showcase all of its Google things like Google Assistant, Google apps, and Google services. Thankfully, Assistant has only become better and more helpful over the years, Google apps are some of most widely used apps across the planet on both Android and iOS, and Google’s services are also extremely popular around the world. When you have the company making the phone that is running these softwares and programs, you should expect it to run smoothly. In the case of the Pixel 7 Pro, powered by a Tensor G2 chip and 12GB RAM, it runs nearly flawlessly. In my day-to-day usage, I’ve honestly not come across a moment of jank, which is a relief considering I cannot stand stuttered performance. Animations on the 7 Pro are smooth, swiping through apps is fast, and that 120Hz display is very much noticeable when doing various tasks throughout the phone.
On the software side, I would say things become a bit more subjective, simply because it’s entirely fine if someone prefers the look of Samsung’s One UI versus Google’s Pixel Experience. However, what I’d hope we can all agree on is Android 13 in general. It’s so far been a lovely iteration of Android, with the dynamic themes playing a big role in why I enjoy it so much. Being able to simply swap a wallpaper and get a whole fresh new vibe for the device is so cool. Android 13 feels so matured, too, with easy access to smart home controls, smart recommendations for media, and a settings menu that is concise. Years from now, I know that I’ll look back on Android 13 the same way I look back at KitKat. It was a big jump forward back then and while the jumps may not seem as big now, this is a really solid and well performing step for Google’s Android team.
It’s no shock to me, but Google brought the heat (