[Galaxy S III General] BarryH_GEG:
PenTile isn't a thing and it's not variable. It's an algorithmic formula that's applied consistently that works with a display's drivers to illuminate sequences of pixels to represent color. PenTile is PenTile. There's no better or worse version of it. Since the SGS3's panel is brighter than the GN’s (and not as bright as the G-Note’s) it's safe to assume the panel itself is brand new. What PenTile does to it will be exactly the same.

---------- Post added at 06:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:47 PM ----------

When debates turn circular I like to dig up fact. Here’s some interesting stuff I found on PenTile and Samsung's use of it.

Yes guys you’re reading it right according to our sources the GT-i9500 does have a Super AMOLED HD Plus display! The GT-i9500 is the Tizen developers device that Samsung has handed out to developers on the Tizen Developers Conference in San Francisco. The internal code name for this device is Fraser.

The reason why Samsung has chosen to use a Plus variant for a developers device can be that this is a sort of a test as we believe that the production process of a Plus variant is more difficult and isn’t ready yet for mass market devices like the Galaxy S3.”

http://www.sammobile.com/2012/05/10/does-the-gt-i9500-has-a-super-amoled-hd-plus-display/

To me, this is something very different from “PenTile’s all you need on small HD displays.” I also read “production of a Plus variant is more difficult” to mean that it’s too expensive. So I guess when they do launch a SAMOLED HD Plus device the marketing will be “and now, with an even sharper and clearer display with more detail.” The same detail that's available today on LCD2 devices with a true PPI of 300+. What’ll you guys say then? “PenTile’s fine, all those extra pixels are just overkill?” Regardless the question would appear to be "when" is it going to happen, not "if." And once it does, all the defense of PenTile will seem kind of useless (at least as it applies to high-end devices).

“PenTile was invented by Candice H. Brown Elliott. The technology was licensed by the company Clairvoyante from 2000 until 2008, during which time several prototype PenTile displays were developed by a number of Asian LCD manufacturers. In March 2008, Samsung Electronics acquired Clairvoyante’s PenTile IP assets. Samsung then funded a new company, Nouvoyance, Inc. to continue development of the PenTile technology.”

I didn’t know Samsung bought the rights to PenTile. In my mind, their commentary on a technology their so invested in is no longer objective. It would be like HTC endorsing Sense as the best Android overlay. What would you expect them to say?

“The origin of the controversy surrounding measuring resolution lies in the fact that for RGB stripe color subpixelated displays, both definitions give the same measurement. However, owing to the significantly lower subpixel density on PenTile displays the pixel structure is significantly more visible when compared to RGB stripe displays with the same pixel density.

The display industry standard method of measuring and defining resolution in color displays, as originated by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) currently maintained by the International Committee for Display Metrology of the Society for Information Display, is to measure the contrast of line pairs, requiring a minimum of 50% Michelson Contrast for displays intended for

rendering text

.

The developers of PenTile displays use this VESA criterion for contrast of line pairs to calculate the resolutions claimed. However, for the same resolution and size the PenTile screen can appear grainy, pixelated, speckled, with blurred text

on some saturated colors and backgrounds

when compared to RGB stripe color. This effect is understood to be caused by the

restriction of the number of subpixels

that may participate in the image reconstruction when the color is fully saturated. In the RGBW case, this is caused as the W subpixel will not be available in order to maintain the saturated color. In the RGBG case, this will occur when the color is saturated red, as the fully populated (one green per pixel) will not be available. For all other cases, text and especially full color images are fully reconstructed.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PenTile

The interesting part (to me) of what I bolded is that PenTile would seem to have some drawbacks beyond the pixilation at close distances we’ve been discussing. It would appear that color saturation can make the graininess seem worse and, based on the color, not be rendered correctly because there simply aren’t enough pixels available because their doing double duty. Whether it’s noticeable or how noticeable it is when it occurs is a good question. It makes judging a PenTile display's effectivness based on a single photo seem like kind of a stretch though.

Not trying to further fuel the raging debate, or trying to change anyone's minds (like that could happen ;) ), just sharing some factoids that I found interesting.

P.S. - None of this changes my mind about trying the phone out.