What Display Daily thinks: This is a milestone moment for BOE. Samsung displays, running on an iPhone have a slight advantage because Apple has a big advantage on software. Otherwise, apples to apples comparison, the panel tech is on a par, and BOE can claim to have squeezed ahead in some areas.
BOE gets the only A++ rating given by DisplayMate. BOE’s Q10 AMOLED display has better brightness, color accuracy, and lower reflectance. It all looks like celebration. And wherever BOE goes with technology, Tianma isn’t far behind. There was certainly a lot of national pride that went with the recent joint events that BOE held with local smartphone companies in China, a sense of collaboration that you won’t see from Apple or Samsung.
But at the end of the day, this is a huge marketing coup and not necessarily the compression of a timeline that would eventually see BOE erode Samsung’s marketshare in smartphone OLED panels. It just means that everything is on track for that eventuality and that there doesn’t seem to be much that Samsung will be able to do about stopping the onslaught. Maybe another reorganization.
From the outside it looks like Chinese manufacturers are just moving at pace while their Korean competitors are plodding along as usual. BOE was a long-run competitor to Samsung. It is definitely a much shorter-term threat now.
Comparing Display Technology in the OnePlus 13 and iPhone 14 Pro Max
DisplayMate’s stellar review of the OnePlus13 display comes on the heels of a major launch offensive by the phone maker and BOE in China where both companies teamed up to crown a moment of achievement, the realization of a pretty impressive homegrown premium product. We took a quick comparison of two reviews from DisplayMate, the OnePlus 13 and the iPhone 14d Pro Max, the newest reviews available, to see how BOE fares against Samsung.
| DisplayMate Review Results | OnePlus 13 | iPhone 14 Pro Max |
| Display Technology | OLED, Diamond Pixel Layout | OLED, Diamond Pixel Layout |
| Screen Size | 6.8 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Resolution | 3168 x 1440 pixels | 2796 x 1290 pixels |
| Pixels Per Inch (PPI) | 510 PPI | 460 PPI |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz to 120 Hz | 1 Hz to 120 Hz (ProMotion) |
| Peak Brightness | 2,691 nits (Vivid mode) | 2,307 nits (HDR mode) |
| Color Accuracy | 0.5 JNCD (sRGB), 0.6 JNCD (DCI-P3) | 0.2 JNCD (sRGB and DCI-P3) |
| Screen Reflectance | 4.6% (ambient light), 5.5% (mirror reflections) | 4.5% (ambient light), 5.5% (mirror reflections) |
| Always-On Display | Not available | Available |
| True Tone and Night Shift | Not available | Available |
| ProMotion (Dynamic Refresh) | Limited to 60-120 Hz | 1-120 Hz dynamic refresh |
These differences stem largely from how Apple’s software enhances performance, while the hardware itself remains comparable to that of the OnePlus 13. The OnePlus 13 supports a refresh rate of 60 Hz to 120 Hz, allowing for smoother scrolling and motion handling compared to phones with lower refresh rates. However, its refresh rate is limited to two main intervals—60 Hz or 120 Hz—depending on the content being displayed. In contrast, Apple’s ProMotion technology on the iPhone 14 Pro Max dynamically adjusts the refresh rate from as low as 1 Hz to 120 Hz based on the on-screen content. For example, while viewing static content such as the Always-On Display or reading text, the refresh rate can drop to as low as 1 Hz, conserving battery life. For high-motion content like gaming, it increases to 120 Hz, ensuring smooth performance. This dynamic refresh rate management is driven by sophisticated software algorithms that balance power efficiency with performance, providing a more flexible and energy-efficient experience compared to the OnePlus 13’s more limited dynamic range.
The OnePlus 13 achieves excellent color accuracy with 0.5 JNCD (Just Noticeable Color Difference) in sRGB and 0.6 JNCD in DCI-P3, making its color representation visually indistinguishable from perfect to the human eye. It includes multiple color modes like Vivid, Pro sRGB, and Pro DCI-P3, catering to different user preferences and content types. Apple has pushed color accuracy even further on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, achieving a 0.2 JNCD for both sRGB and DCI-P3, offering near-perfect calibration. Each display is individually calibrated at the factory, ensuring superior precision in color reproduction across a wide range of content. The device also includes automatic color management, where the system dynamically adjusts the color profile (sRGB or DCI-P3) based on the content being viewed, ensuring consistent and accurate color representation for all types of media.
The OnePlus 13 does not offer an Always-On Display, limiting its ability to display essential information while the phone is in standby mode; users need to wake the device to check notifications or time. The iPhone 14 Pro Max incorporates an Always-On Display feature, allowing the screen to stay on at a very low 1 Hz refresh rate, displaying minimal information like time and notifications without significantly draining the battery. This feature, combined with ProMotion’s ability to lower the refresh rate to 1 Hz, results in substantial power savings compared to other phones without this capability.
In terms of brightness and HDR performance, the OnePlus 13 delivers exceptional peak brightness, achieving up to 2,691 nits in Vivid mode for low APL (Average Picture Level) content. In typical viewing scenarios, such as 50% APL content, it reaches 2,077 nits. It supports HDR content, providing bright, vivid visuals with a wide color range. While the iPhone 14 Pro Max has a slightly lower peak brightness of 2,307 nits in HDR mode, it excels in typical content scenarios, achieving 1,028 nits for 50% APL content. Apple’s HDR tone mapping and brightness control are finely tuned through software, allowing for highly accurate brightness adjustments and improved visibility in outdoor or high-ambient light conditions.
The OnePlus 13 lacks features like True Tone and Night Shift, which are designed to adjust the display’s white balance based on the surrounding environment or time of day. Apple’s True Tone feature automatically adjusts the display’s color temperature based on ambient lighting conditions, ensuring the screen looks consistent whether viewed in bright daylight or indoors under artificial lighting. Night Shift reduces blue light output in the evening, helping to reduce eye strain and potentially improve sleep by making the display warmer at night. Both features are driven by software and are unique to Apple’s display system.
Both the OnePlus 13 and iPhone 14 Pro Max perform similarly in terms of screen reflectance, with the OnePlus 13 measuring 4.6% reflectance in ambient light and 5.5% for mirror reflections, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max shows 4.5% and 5.5%, respectively. This low reflectance helps improve readability in bright environments. Regarding viewing angles, both displays exhibit minimal brightness and color shifts at off-axis angles. However, Apple’s software calibration ensures more consistent performance in maintaining color accuracy and brightness under varied viewing angles.
