Galaxy S24 Ultra display shows ‘washed out’ colors on purpose, Samsung says

Ben Schoon | Feb 5 2024 - 1:30 pm PT

Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 Ultra has a pretty stunning display, but for some users, the colors haven’t felt as vibrant and are described as “washed out.” Samsung, though, says that’s intended.

As the Galaxy S24 Ultra started shipping in the past couple of weeks, some users have noticed that colors on the display aren’t quite as vibrant as they were on previous models. The colors are described as “washed out” as they’re not as saturated as on older Galaxy devices. Comparisons showed that the difference between “Natural” and “Vivd” settings, for instance, were minor at best.

In my own personal experience with the S24 Ultra, I’ve not really noticed any big difference. Really, I’ve felt as though everything just looks better with the new anti-reflective glass and the flat panel.

But, according to Samsung, there have actually been changes to the display modes that were intentional. Speaking to TecknoFilio, Samsung explains that the color profiles for the display on Galaxy S24 Ultra (and the Galaxy S24 and S24+) have been adjusted to be “more accurate and comfortable.”

We have adjusted the colors and brightness of Galaxy S24 series products to provide more accurate and comfortable viewing during use. Some changes have been made to the display technology to provide a more natural viewing experience, so users may notice differences in color depth compared to older devices.

This display behavior is an intentional color adjustment and is not a product defect, so it can be used safely.

To offer our customers the best possible experience, we value your feedback and continually improve our software (UX) as the market and consumer interests evolve.

An apparent Samsung employee claims that the company is set to possibly change this in an update to provide a bit more pop to the “Vivid” mode, but the two statements are conflicting.

Ultimately, we’d argue that most customers probably won’t notice a major difference between the Galaxy S24 Ultra and any other flagship, but ultimately the problem doesn’t boil down to the hardware. It’s all just software, and if customers continue to take issue with the change, it’s entirely possible Samsung will just revert it.