A smartphone is nothing without its display – it’s probably the most important part of a device; it wouldn’t function without one. While all smartphones have a display, sometimes they just don’t deliver in quality. There’s no use in owning a smartphone with an excellent processor capable of delivering amazing graphics if the screen can't display them.

That being said, it’s not essential to own a device with the best display possible, unless you specifically want a great viewing experience. But, if you’re planning on using your smartphone for gaming, streaming or photography, a good-quality display is the way to go.

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Related blog: Why Are Smartphones 'Going Slim'

What is high quality display?

So, what makes a good display? You should be looking for devices which sport great colour reproduction, high brightness capabilities, sunlight visibility, saturation and adaptable features, such as blue light filters and automatic brightness. Whilst it’s not always possible to try a smartphone out before purchasing, there are a few specs that indicate whether or not a device sports a top-of-the-line display – as a rule of thumb, OLED or AMOLED screens can provide a cleaner and crisper image than an LCD using less power. A higher resolution and pixel density (PPI) is also preferable.

However, looking for a high-quality screen can get a little technical, so we’ve collated a list of smartphones currently on the market with the best displays – to point you in the right direction!

 

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

• 6.9” OLED screen
• 1140 x 3120 pixels
• Always-on display DX anti-reflective coating

 

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

• 6.9” LPTO XDR OLED screen
• 1320 x 2868 pixels
• Offers Dolby Vision and over 16 million colour

 

OnePlus 13

• 6.8” AMOLED screen
• 3168 x 1440 pixels
• Top brightness of 4500 nits

 

Google Pixel 8a

• 6.1” OLED screen
• 2400 x 1080 pixels
• 2000 nits and 16 million colours

 

Google Pixel 9

• 6.3” OLED screen
• 1080 x 2424 pixels
• Offers HDR10+

 

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

• 6.8” LPTO AMOLED 2x screen
• 1440 x 3120 pixels
• Up to 2600 nits

Related blog: What Happened To The iPhone Mini?

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Conclusion:

While all of these displays are ridiculously impressive and provide more clarity, colour and accuracy than arguably any other tech we’ve seen before, there are new smartphones on the way that you're going to love.

Whether it be design or quality, manufacturers are pushing out the boat further and further. The upcoming Sony Xperia 1 and Huawei Mate 30 Pro devices set to be released later this year are going to be 4K ready, and devices following trends of screen-embedded scanners and tiny, hole punch notches, we’re sure to only get bigger, better screens in the future.