iPhone X vs. Galaxy Note 8 Screen: Which Is More Prone To Burn-Ins?

Ever since Apple launched its 10th anniversary iPhone in November, many consumers have been pitting it against Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 flagship handset. The two devices have their own appeal, so comparing them could be an endless debate. However, it also good when quantifiable data establish the advantage one has over the other.

Just this Wednesday, results of an extreme OLED test proved that the iPhone X’s display is actually better than the Galaxy Note 8’s screen in terms of preventing burn-ins. South Korean website Cetizen conducted a 510-hour marathon test to see which display is capable of preventing an image burn-in for the longest time. Among the handsets subjected to the extreme stress test were the iPhone X and the Galaxy Note 8.

At the 17-hour mark of the test, the Cupertino giant’s first OLED handset showed very faint signs of screen burn-in. On the other hand, the Galaxy Note 8 only started showing signs of burn-in at the 62-hour mark. However, when the outlet asked random people to identify the burned in parts while displaying white images on both handsets, the testers did not have a hard time identifying the burn-in on the Note 8’s display. As for the iPhone X’s burn-in, it was very faint that it was not visible to testers.

The test lasted for 510 hours or more than 21 days like what its name suggests. Though the approach is very unrealistic since it would be impossible for any average user to show a static image on their OLED handset for that long period of time, the test successfully established which phone will have no problem with screen burn-ins in the long run.

Apple Insider says results of the extreme OLED test just show that Apple’s effort to equip the iPhone X with anti-burn-in capabilities paid off. The outlet went as far as saying that what Apple did to the screen of its latest flagship has definitely put it ahead of its rivals. While it doesn’t necessarily mean that the iPhone X won’t have burn-ins in the long run, the device’s OLED screen is still admirable for it can outlast the OLED displays of its competitors.

Apple has also acknowledged that its iPhone X isn’t free from display issues. “With extended long-term use, OLED displays can also show slight visual changes. This is also expected behavior and can include ‘image persistence’ or ‘burn-in,’ where the display shows a faint remnant of an image even after a new image appears on the screen,” Apple wrote in a public support document published on its website.

It’s good to know that the 10th anniversary iPhone won’t really suffer screen burn-ins that much. On the contrary, this is bad news for Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8. The phablet ended up showing the worst signs of burn-in after the marathon test. Even the Galaxy S7 Edge, which was released in 2016, did better than the South Korea giant’s latest flagship offering.