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00:00I think if there's one question I get asked more than anything else, it has to be,
00:03Tom, tell me more about pixel substructures.
00:07Okay, no one's ever actually asked me that, but I thought a pixel was a pixel,
00:11um, but I couldn't have been more wrong. So the lovely people over at Samsung Display
00:15sent over the Fold 3 and also the Flip 3 and also this little guy, this loop microscope,
00:22and they told me to check out the diamond pixels in these latest foldable OLED screens,
00:27which they say displays complex detail more efficiently and accurately with sharper edge
00:32definition and more legible text than other screens, even at the same resolution.
00:37They also told me to check out their brightness and battery life boosting EcoSquare OLED tech,
00:43and also to test their claims that these two can fold up to 200,000 times.
00:48I really need to automate this test.
00:52The thing is, folding phones and tablets aren't for everyone, and
00:55the Z Fold 3 especially is quite pricey, but there's just nothing else quite like these,
01:00and in my opinion at least, as good as these in this form factor.
01:04And I really appreciate Samsung actually pushing beyond the usual copy and paste smartphone formula.
01:10And together with the hinge, it's the display that really sets these apart.
01:14Both of these phones get these special diamond pixels,
01:17the diamond bit being the shape of each RGB sub-pixel,
01:20as opposed to the more squared off layouts you find on other brand screens.
01:24And so the whole idea is that a diamond layout is much more efficient at drawing complex patterns,
01:29like text or diagonal lines, thanks to having fewer pixels.
01:32Meaning you should get less blur and more sharply defined edges to your
01:36photos and videos and, well, everything you've got on screen,
01:38and it should be noticeable to the naked eye.
01:40In fact, this patented layout is important enough that it comes with its own logo,
01:45which to me is maybe less of a diamond and more of an angry green-eyed falcon.
01:49So let's bring in this guy.
01:51It's the loop microscope, which can magnify up to 128 times.
01:56Pointing it the wrong way.
01:58That is pretty cool.
02:00I think there's like a million things I'd like to try this with.
02:02But for now, pixels are also fun.
02:05Do you want to come around, Pete?
02:06See if you can stick that camera lens in there.
02:10How's it looking?
02:13This thing is a little bit tricky to use and especially put a camera lens down it,
02:17but hopefully that gives you a bit of an idea of the pixel substructure of the Fold 3.
02:22And if we do focus in on this white screen at max brightness,
02:26all those tiny RGB nodes become clear.
02:30Now, side by side with another brand's phone screen,
02:33you can see that diamond shape is pretty unique,
02:35although straight away it's not obvious why it's better.
02:38However, if we move over to the edge of an on-screen button, for example,
02:42we can see that the edge of the diamond pixels is much more closely defined
02:46as it transitions between the colors.
02:48So you really can see that there's less blur, especially around fine hard edges.
02:53And to me, it looks like text benefits the most.
02:55Again, the edges are much more clearly defined.
02:59So getting back to the science for a moment,
03:01the number of luminous subpixels needed to draw an object or light an area
03:06seems to be narrower and more tightly controlled on this screen.
03:10Now, of course, there is a crease going down the middle of the Fold and also the Flip,
03:14but it's not that noticeable most of the time,
03:16although I was worried that it would skew the pixel structure slightly
03:20or we get some sort of smearing or blurring.
03:22But actually, even going between, well, the regular part of the screen and the folding part,
03:27there isn't any difference, even under a microscope,
03:29which is actually pretty impressive.
03:31The shape, the alignment, and brightness all seem consistent throughout.
03:36So obviously, me trying to demonstrate this over a YouTube video
03:39and looking down a microscope isn't necessarily the best way of showing off this technology,
03:43but essentially this diamond pixel substructure
03:45is making the most of this resolution that you have.
03:48It's the most efficient use of the resolution,
03:50so you're getting the sharpest text and the clearest images
03:52without possibly having to go up to a higher res
03:55and all the performance and battery impacts that has as well.
04:00Did you know that our eyes are actually more sensitive to the green wavelength
04:05than pretty much any other color,
04:06which is often why with night vision you have those sort of green goggles
04:10because we can see a bit better in the dark with green light.
04:13And actually, another advantage of this diamond pixel substructure
04:16on these foldable OLED screens
04:18is that it's much better at balancing that green light that it emits,
04:22which helps the screen display the correct level for our eyes.
04:25So sharper screens, a better balancing of the green light,
04:29but there's another benefit of the Fold 3, EcoSquare OLEDs,
04:33which is Samsung Display's push towards efficiency and eco-friendly components,
04:38specifically using less plastic overall.
04:40And actually, the efficiency part is a lot more interesting
04:43as versus their regular OLEDs,
04:45EcoSquare OLEDs ditch the polarizing layer between the OLED panel itself
04:50and the UTG, or ultra thin glass, which sits on top.
04:54And this polarizer actually reduces how much light the screen can emit,
04:57so removing it boosts the brightness.
05:00So an EcoSquare OLED can be just as bright as a regular OLED
05:03while using 25% less power.
05:06And that's on top of the fact that the latest Z Fold 3
05:09is already 29% brighter than the Z Fold 2.
05:12So you're essentially getting extra brightness
05:14at no extra cost to the battery life.
05:17And of course, the other added benefit to removing the polarizer on the Z Fold 3
05:21is that Samsung were able to place the selfie camera under the screen.
05:24Although weirdly, in order to actually integrate the EcoSquare tech,
05:28Samsung Displays have had to redevelop their RGB subpixels
05:31to make them round rather than square,
05:33which you can actually easily see under the loop
05:35if you compare the fold and the flip.
05:38Now, I don't pretend to understand why,
05:40but it doesn't seem to make any difference to the overall result.
05:43So all that would be a bit pointless
05:44if the screen was brittle and it was going to break easily.
05:47But as Samsung say,
05:48they've tested this folding and unfolding mechanism 200,000 times,
05:53which I did the calculations,
05:55works out to be 110 one of these every single day for five years.
06:01And of course, the Fold 3 has that water resistance
06:03and also a more durable screen even over the Z Fold 2.
06:06For me, the screen is the most impressive part of the Z Fold 3 and the Z Flip 3.
06:11I get that the mechanism needs to be robust as well,
06:14but that's made of solid parts.
06:15But it's the screen that's a flexible sandwich of layers,
06:18including their ultra thin glass,
06:20that has to bend within this tight radius.
06:23It's genuinely impressive stuff.
06:26That's it.
06:27We're done.
06:28We did it.
06:28And congratulations,
06:29your elementary pixel substructure diploma is in the mail.
06:32But seriously,
06:33we don't usually spend this much time talking about the engineering
06:36and how all this actually works.
06:38So if you did enjoy the video and want to see more of these,
06:40then a cheeky little like and subscribe will be very much appreciated.
06:43And what do you think?
06:44Are you tempted to buy one of these?
06:45Or maybe you already have one?
06:46Let me know what you make of the Z Flip 3 and the Fold 3 in the comments below.
06:50Thank you so much for watching, guys.
06:51And I'll see you next time,
06:52right here on the Tech Chat.
06:55Your diploma for elementary pixel...
06:58Diploma in elementary subpixel structures is on the mail to you.
07:02One more time.
07:03Structure pixel subpixel structure into quantum dynamics.
07:08Elementary pixel substructures is on the mail.
07:12It's in the mail.
07:13I can't say it.
07:14Pete, I'm not saying it.
07:15We're moving on.
07:16That's the end.