Some iPhone X Screen Burn-In Expected, Apple Warns
The highly anticipated iPhone X boasts a Super Retina display, but it may also experience some screen burn-in after a while, Apple warns. The smartphone just started shipping to customers and Apple is touting its advanced display technology, but the company has also posted some disclaimers noting potential issues with the screen.
The iPhone X is Apple’s first smartphone to come with a Super Retina OLED display, which should render rich visuals, high contrasts and vivid colors. At the same time, however, Apple also warns that the display might exhibit some color and hue changes at some angles, as well as some other issues. Although the iPhone X features the industry’s best OLED display according to Apple, the smartphone might still face screen burn-in issues in some cases.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, screen burn-in is a common issue with OLED screens, as in time an image gets stuck on the display after being there for long. Screen burn-in recently stirred great controversy with the Google Pixel 2 XL, which shows outlines of the navigation buttons even after they’re no longer active on the screen. The occurrence is an anomaly on the Pixel 2 XL because it appeared so soon, but screen burn-in does occur on OLED displays after a few months or years of heavy use.
So far, Apple has only used OLED screens on its Apple Watch and the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar, so it’s navigating new territories with the iPhone X and its Super Retina OLED display. To prevent issues with the OLED display, Apple recommends some precautionary measures such as setting shorter Auto-Lock times, relying on Auto Brightness, and ensuring that the smartphone is always running the very latest software update. It’s also best to avoid displaying static images for long at full brightness, as it might damage the Super Retina display of the iPhone X.
“If you look at an OLED display off-angle, you might notice slight shifts in color and hue. This is a characteristic of OLED and is normal behavior. 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 explains in a dedicated page on its support website. “This can occur in more extreme cases such as when the same high contrast image is continuously displayed for prolonged periods of time. We’ve engineered the Super Retina display to be the best in the industry in reducing the effects of OLED ‘burn-in.'”
Indeed, iOS 11 does have some special code designed to handle burn-in risks, which is probably why Apple recommends running the latest software version at all times. All in all, Apple suggests that screen burn-in would only occur in rare cases, but it does acknowledge the possibility. Changes in color and hue when viewed from an angle, meanwhile, are normal for an OLED display.
[Featured Image by Apple]
