The best phone displays in 2024
What constitutes a great phone display? Is it the high resolution and pixel density? These days, it seems that most phones have that figured out with crisp detail on most phones out there.
So is it about the high brightness and contrast that offer good outdoor visibility in the sun outdoors? That is certainly a competitive area as each year we are getting slightly brighter displays.
But then we have other considerations like color accuracy and calibration. Throw in dynamically-adjusted refresh rate based on the content displayed in the mix, and now, you've narrowed it down to only the best choices. We have rounded them right below.
Smartphones with the best quality displays:
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra — innovative display with anti-glare coating and excellent other characteristics
- iPhone 16 Pro Max — bright screen with great color accuracy
- Google Pixel 9 Pro XL — top three color-credible display in PhoneArena's benchmark database, 120Hz 1440p display
- OnePlus 12 — great quality display on a less expensive flagship
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
- 6.8-inch LTPO 12-bit HDR panel
- Granular 1Hz-120Hz dynamic refresh rate
- Resolution: 1440p
- Pixel density: 501ppi
- Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass Armor (Anti-glare treatment for amazing outdoor visibility)
- Very bright mobile panel
- Active digitizer with S Pen stylus support
Pay attention to that “brightest” part and the 1Hz-120Hz specs at the full 1440p resolution. Yes, that means that the S24 Ultra is equipped with the newest LTPO OLED display technology that allowed for high 1750nits of peak brightness and 15% less battery consumption. Also, the dynamically-allocated refresh rate that can go down to 1Hz when you are looking at static images, or rev up all the way to 120Hz when you scroll.
But the real star of the show here is the new anti-reflection coating that just destroys reflection and makes this screen very easy to use outdoors. No other phone is using this technology yet, but we wish they would.
iPhone 16 Pro Max
- Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion technology (adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz)
- Size: 6.9-inch (diagonal) all-screen OLED display
- Resolution: 2868-by-1320-pixel resolution
- Pixel density: 460 ppi
- Protection: Ceramic Shield (better protection against drops)
The iPhone 16 Pro Max display is similar in quality to the previous generation, but that doesn't make it any less impressive.
The one key difference is that this newer display can go down to a minimum brightness of 1 nit, which helps tremendously with bedtime use.
Otherwise, you have excellent color accuracy and crispy clear detail.
Pixel 9 Pro XL
- LTPO OLED with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and HDR10+
- Size: 6.8 inches
- Resolution: 1344 x 2992 pixels
- Pixel Density: ~486 ppi
- Aspect Ratio: 20:9
- Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
The new Pixel flagship phone raises the bar with screen quality.
As with many phones, screen panels are sourced from multiple companies, so there might be some slight differences between units. For the Pixel 9, it's either a Samsung display or one made by BOE.
On a 20% white window, we measured brightness reaches nearly 2,700 nits, the brightest on any phone we have tested so far. You don't get Samsung's excellent anti-reflective coating, but that boost in brightness certainly helps with outdoor viewing.
OnePlus 12
- Type: 6.8-inch 2K 120Hz ProXDR Display with LTPO
- Resolution: 3168 x 1440 pixels (QHD+)
- Aspect Ratio: 19.8:9
- Pixel Density: 510 ppi
- Refresh Rate: Adaptive 1-120Hz
- Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- Other features: 2160Hz PWM dimming for reduced eye strain
The OnePlus 12 delivers excellent display quality at a much lower price than other flagships.
It gets plenty bright, reaching levels similar to that of other flagships, and it uses high-frequency PWM dimming, so users who might have more sensitive eyes, will feel more comfortable using this screen.
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