What is Mobile HDR? Why Samsung’s Note 7 screen is a window into high dynamic range’s future

If you’re up to speed with current television technologies, then you’ll be aware that HDR – which stands for high dynamic range – is the latest and greatest thing for picture quality, promising the broadest range between the brightest whites and deepest blacks and maximum colour.

And now HDR is coming to phones, with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 the first available device to feature Mobile HDR. What does it mean for the future of mobile screen technology?

What is Mobile HDR? Screen requirements

HDR requires a screen capable of exhibiting brighter whites and deeper blacks than a standard screen is capable. In televisions there are differing levels of HDR ability, with Samsung’s SUHD panels, such as that of the KS9500, offering greater-than 1,000-nits output (that’s the measure of maximum brightness).

In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which uses a Super-AMOLED screen, it’s capable of 800-nits at its brightest. As this is an OLED panel, however, that level of brightness is still considered to be a premium grade.

• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 preview
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Release date, specs and everything you need to know

What is Mobile HDR? Versus 4K / UHD Premium

With televisions and UHD Blu-ray, HDR goes hand-in-hand with 4K content. In the case of the Note 7, those are two separate entities, because the phone’s 2560 x 1440 resolution doesn’t achieve 4K resolution.

Furthermore 4K screens and content adhere to a wider 10-bit colour gamut, meaning a potential palette of over 1-billion colours – that’s far more of the visible spectrum than is available from the 8-bit standard of most current LCD screens.

The Note 7 uses a Super-AMOLED panel, meaning more colours are available than a standard LCD panel, but not as many colours as true 10-bit colour of the best 4K TVs.

However, Sony is rumoured to be releasing a 4K HDR capable phone, the Xperia X Premium, later this year. That, potentially, could be the reference device for Mobile HDR’s potential – from a resolution, colour and dynamic range perspective.

• What is UHD Premium and why does it matter?
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7: What’s new?

What Mobile HDR content is available?

Just because you have an HDR-capable screen – whether TV or otherwise – doesn’t mean it’s always active. Content needs to be produced for HDR output – and currently there are only a handful of shows available via Netflix, Amazon and others.

So at present it’s all theory, because at the early demo of the Galaxy Note 7 we attended there was no Mobile HDR content available. Not even YouTube HDR, which was confirmed by Google in January 2016, was available.

The key take-away, therefore, is which content providers will produce content for Mobile HDR and make it accessible via mobile devices. We fully expect a partnership with relevant providers to be announced in due course. That’s when it will get truly exciting.

• What is HDR and what TVs support HDR content
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 hub