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How does the OnePlus 13's display handle HDR content


HDR Support on OnePlus 13 Display

The OnePlus 13 supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) content, including standard HDR10 and the enhanced HDR10+ formats. This ensures that videos and images designed with HDR can be displayed with greater brightness, contrast, and color depth on the device. The HDR capabilities allow the phone to showcase content with more vivid colors and more detailed shadows and highlights compared to non-HDR content.

Display Specifications Impacting HDR

The OnePlus 13 features a 6.82-inch display with a Quad HD+ resolution (3168 x 1440 pixels) and a pixel density of 510 ppi. Its aspect ratio is 19.8:9, which offers a wide and immersive visual experience. The display technology, combined with HDR support, provides enhanced sharpness and color accuracy, making HDR content visually striking with an optimized dynamic range.

HDR Activation and Settings

Users can enable HDR through the device's display settings. Two relevant settings to improve HDR viewing are the "Image Sharpener" and the "Video Color Boost." These features enhance the sharpness and color vibrancy of HDR videos during playback, creating a more immersive experience. The device also adjusts the display brightness dynamically when HDR content is detected, further improving contrast and detail.

Performance with HDR Streaming Services

The OnePlus 13 supports HDR streaming from popular platforms like YouTube and Netflix where HDR content is available. When playing HDR videos on these services, the phone's display automatically switches to HDR mode, showing content with higher brightness levels and more vivid, lifelike colors. Checkmarks like the “HDR” tag on videos confirm HDR playback is active.

Dolby Vision and 4K60 HDR Video

Beyond HDR10 and HDR10+, the OnePlus 13 is capable of recording and displaying Dolby Vision HDR content, including 4K video at 60 frames per second. Dolby Vision is an advanced HDR format that provides dynamic metadata for scene-by-scene optimization of color and brightness, further enhancing viewing quality. Playback and editing of Dolby Vision content on the OnePlus 13 emphasize its superior display capabilities.

User Experience and Reported Issues

Despite the strong HDR specifications, some users have reported inconsistent HDR performance, especially with HDR content on YouTube. This issue primarily involves brightness dimming and color inaccuracies that affect the HDR viewing experience on YouTube videos, although streaming HDR content on Netflix is generally reported to be fine. OnePlus appears to have acknowledged this issue with YouTube HDR playback on some versions of the device, and the problem is linked to software or platform compatibility rather than hardware limitations.

Comparison to Other Displays

In comparisons within communities and user forums, the OnePlus 13's HDR display is praised for its brightness and color quality but can sometimes fall short of the HDR performance observed on flagship devices from other manufacturers, such as Apple's iPhone series. The HDR brightness and contrast levels on the OnePlus 13, while impressive, are sometimes described as less vibrant in direct side-by-side comparisons.

Technology Behind HDR Processing

The device employs a dual exposure algorithm that captures both long and short exposure images to enhance dynamic range and detail quickly. This algorithm processes images to optimize clarity, sharpness, and color depth, which contributes to the quality of HDR content viewed or captured on the device. It operates almost instantaneously, enhancing photos and videos with richer HDR effects without noticeable delay.

Practical Tips for Best HDR Experience

To get the most out of HDR content on the OnePlus 13, users should enable the device's video enhancer and color boost settings. These features increase vibrancy, brightness, and reduce pixelation to present more engaging HDR visuals. Streaming HDR content directly from supported platforms and ensuring the latest software updates are installed can also help mitigate playback and brightness dimming issues, particularly with YouTube HDR.

Summary

The OnePlus 13 offers a high-quality HDR viewing experience with support for HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision formats, a high-resolution Quad HD+ display, and specific enhancements like image sharpening and video color boost to elevate HDR content. While it generally performs excellently with HDR videos on Netflix and other platforms, there are some reported software-related issues with HDR playback on YouTube. The device's advanced image processing algorithms further enhance HDR content, making it one of the strong contenders for an HDR-capable smartphone in 2025.