When do we finally get a good screen? (P50 4K)

[ibmthink]

According to Lenovo, the AdobeRGB coverage should be even greater on the P50 4k (compared with the P70 4k). No tests on the 4K display until now though.

[flycoop]

Really? I didn't realize that but that's good news.

Where can I find Lenovo specs?

I had been relying on the NotebookCheck review of the P70 4K display (sRGB = 99.7%; AdobeRGB = 76%) and the NotebookCheck review of the Sharp LQ156D1JW04 display (sRGB = 96%; AdobeRGB = 61%).

However, the P50 has, apparently, the Sharp LQ156D1JW05, not the JW04 display that NotebookCheck reviewed.

I don't know how similar the Sharp JW05 and JW04 displays are or how they compare.

Any light that can be shed on the quality of the P50 display would be appreciated. I'm especially curious about  the color coverage. On paper, the P70 display looks pretty good & I would want something comparable in the P50.

[trevorg]

From the PSREF specification:

P50:

Some: 15.6" (396mm) 4K (3840x2160), anti-glare, LED backlight, IPS, 300 nits, 16:9 aspect ratio, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 100% gamut, 178° viewing angle

P70:

Some: 17.3" (439mm) 4K (3840x2160), anti-glare, LED backlight, IPS, 300 nits, 16:9 aspect ratio, 800:1 contrast ratio, 90% gamut, 170° viewing angle

[archon810]

I found the screen to be pretty bad too https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-P-and-W-Series-Mobile/Lenovo-P50-4K-vs-Dell-Latitude-E6520-108... When my 4-year-old Dell Latitude has a better screen (except for sharpness, obviously, since 1080p vs 4K), it's pretty sad.

[tk-don]

Flycoop,

Indeed that is the only unknown parameter here. No-one knows the actual difference between the 04 and 05 panel, except for what is promised regarding color gamut. I.e. no datasheet available for the 05. My point is just that such a small change in numbering unlikely means that the panel technology is different, etc.

When I receive my P50 with 4K panel, hopefully near the end of next week, I'll make some measurements of the screen. Not with the Fisher-Price colorimeter that one is forced to buy with the P50, but with a Quato DTP94. It is unsuitable for wide gamut displays, but it is more than fine for gamma/gray level tracking and contrast measurements, which is what I'm looking for. Unfortunately, much more expensive equipment would be required for contrast loss measurements as a function of viewing angle.

I will likely be able to do a direct comparison with a colleague's W541 with 3K panel and hopefully grab some photos and post here.

On paper the Sharp 4K panel is the BEST PANEL Lenovo has ever offered in a laptop. It therefore feels completely crazy to hear about these complaints, which are completely valid.

[flycoop]

Thanks Trevorg for the specs. On paper, the P50 display seems very strong. (I know that some P50 owners have been disappointed with the actual display.)

TK-don, I look forward to your review of your new P50 display.

If some folks have had a positive experience with P50 displays, it would be helpful to hear about those experiences.

Thanks all for your help.

Flycoop

[tk-don]

By the way: Things may not look as good in the other "camp" either: http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/xps-15-9550-igzo-terrible-view-angle-color-shift-red-tint.78...

Here's an image of the 04 display on a Clevo notebook:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/media/xmg-u505-clevo-p751zm-3.1200/full?d=1448585539

Definitely some severe sort of gamma shifting going on here. So this is just how IGZO-based panels from Sharp are like, I suppose.

[Silvenga-ng]

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freakwave10 wrote:

2) Contrast and  viewing angles. I have a LG 21" screen, at least 10 years old. That has about the same contrast and quality. It is really bad. one inch movement of your body and colors change. The contrast is just horrible.

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My screen is currently getting replaced (unfortunately, the screen is on back order for a month) - I'm assuming it's a screen defect as it will be the worst screen I've ever seen. 

[tk-don]

Silvenga-ng,

Ouch! And having to wait for one month is kind of insane, considering that they have no problem building and shipping laptops within a week or two.

What was the screen like - color inversion? bad light uniformity?

[Silvenga-ng]

It took me a month to get this laptop and now a month to get it repaired. From a $4k Thinkpad, I expected a lot more.

This is a shot of the P50 next to my old W520 (with a TN screen, known for bad viewing angles), P50 is on the right. If anything, the camera makes it look better. The viewing angles are so distracting whenever there's solid colors. I primarily code on pure white, so the text kind of blends in with the shadows. I find myself moving windows to my second monitor to just read the text. When I'm testing websites I have to use my secondary also (making my P50's screen useless). It is my personal belief that on a Thinkpad, the same color should look the same on two different parts of the screen.

It's an amazing screen for Starcraft 2 though.

http://i.imgur.com/9TcQ5ha.jpg

This is an image of the screen from my perspective (2-3 feet away, looking directly at it). No matter where or how I look I see shadowing on all the edges.

http://i.imgur.com/CjZ6O85.jpg

I don't really care about backlight bleed, but I took this image to compare with the replaced panel. There's a lot of bleeding that can be seen.

http://i.imgur.com/utyGQdj.jpg

Some on the forums say this is completely normal and occurs in all 4K screens like the P50's. I don't know if I can believe that, screens like this shouldn't be sold.

Someone on Reddit posted their screen (P50, 4K) and it had none of my issues - so I'm assuming it's a defect. I guess the repair depot believed the same.