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Doug Demagistris
Guest
During the company’s keynote held on March 21, Apple unveiled new hardware including the iPhone SE and iPad Pro 9.7.
There’s just something off about that new iPad Pro.
The smaller iPad Pro 9.7 combines the portability and lightweight of the iPad Air 2 with the fastest hardware internals and features of the iPad Pro that launched last year.
Updated hardware specs aren’t the only upgrades Apple brought to the new iPad Pro. Apple also slipped in a short demo of a new software feature coming to the iPad Pro. True Tone technology is new for Apple, making its first-ever debut on the iPad Pro. Apple described it as ‘a first of its kind display’ that it’s calling ‘Pro display.’ Its Oxide TFT display has better contrast, higher brightness, and is less reflective than older iPad models. However, what we really want to focus on is the technology built-in called True Tone.
Apple’s True Tone display measures the color temperature of incoming ambient light and adjusts to match the current conditions. Apple said that this technology is a “breakthrough, that has never appeared on any other device before.” Can you think of a similar technology? I have, and it’s called Samsung Adaptive Display. Samsung showcased a new display mode called Adaptive Display a few years ago. So is Apple’s True Tone display actually new? Nope.
Not everyone has heard of Samsung’s Adaptive Display. The technology can actually be found even on current Samsung devices; you just have to dig a little deep to find it. Samsung’s Adaptive Display even comes activated by default on most of those devices. It can be found by going into your device’s settings under Display and then Screen mode.
In the menu there are several display modes than can be enabled. Depending on the age of your Samsung device, you may see options like Adaptive Display, AMOLED Cinema, AMOLED Photo, and Basic. Adaptive Display is the most popular mode, hence why it’s at the top. The technology optimizes the contrast, saturation, and sharpness of your display automatically to adjust to surrounding conditions. In other words, it’s essentially the same thing as Apple’s newly announced True Tone display that comes on the iPad Pro 9.7.
Even though the technology may be hard to spot at times, it can be easily noticed when switching between screen modes. Clicking on AMOLED Cinema will alter your display to include a smaller range of colors. AMOLED Photo works similarly and Basic will lower contrast to make colors look less vibrant and more flat.
Adaptive Display will adapt your device’s screen to ensure the best experience possible. On the other hand, Apple’s True Tone display uses two four-channel ambient light sensors that measure both brightness and color temperature. This is then used to make your device’s colors either warmer or cooler. Both methods are similar in the way they collect information and change the screen based on that information. The purpose and function are essentially the same.
Now that both Samsung and Apple each have a screen mode like this of their own, it should only be a matter of time before other manufacturers jump on the train. However, from our point of view, screens have gotten quite impressive enough by themselves, making this not a must have feature and more or less just a nice addition to have. The technology is undoubtedly innovative and cool, we just don’t see it as one that’ll swing someone’s decision on what and what not to buy.
Whether Apple knew about Samsung’s Adaptive Display or not, the answer will remain unheard. From a consumer’s perspective, we want the best products. And in order for that to happen, tech manufacturers must look at each other and compete with one another. This pushes innovation and marketing, ultimately resulting in better products and services for all.
Come comment on this article: Apple’s new iPad Pro has a True Tone display claimed as new, but is it really?
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