OLED quality issue

It's up to you, but if it's objectionable, consider returning the system rather than accepting a replacement of the screen.  There is a certain subjectivity to perception of image quality.

Returning the computer is not an option (since I use it to work). I asked to see if other had this issue, since I only read positive review on the screen. If it's only my unit that has the issue I think it should be replaced under warranty.

You will need to contact Dell support to see what they say.  They'll no doubt want photographs of the screen, so prepare those before contacting them.

The effect has been noted before -- and it sounds like the screen is simply prone to the effect, so expect any replacement screen to be the same way.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DellXPS/comments/oh8ycg/screen_door_effect_on_xps_9510_oled_could_be_a/

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@alerighi wrote:

Dell XPS 15 9520

It seem to have a consistent "dot" pattern to all the screen, especially noticeable on white/gray backgrounds.

 

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I have this screen in mine:

15.6in UHD+ LCD (3840x2400 60Hz Touch Anti-Reflective 500nit )

But I don't think it is OLED. I never touch it and it looks great. 

Reason I'm posting is because @ejn63 seemed to think you were talking about "screen door effect". I have an old Inspiron like that. The panel is either TN or IPS, but it's the Touch-Screen layer that makes it look like that. I came to that conclusion because others has same model with no-Touch and they said screen looked fine. 

That Reddit thread does mention it being an OLED display, not TFT (TN/IPS).  And since the OLED option on this model is a touchscreen, it could well be an artifact of the digitizer, meaning that the solution may well be to return the system and order with a non-OLED screen, particularly if the owner wants the touch feature.

It seem to me that the issue is related on how the pixel are disposed. They are not arranged in a classical square grid but rather in a diamond pattern. That makes the effect more or less noticeable based on how the screen is focused. When taking pictures to it there are ones that is perfectly fine and one that is visible much more than in real life.

I asked coworkers and friend and they seem to make it not so much a big deal. Is it possible that this is a combination on how my glasses focus the screen?

Overall the screen is great, and to be fair I mostly use dark themes so it's only noticeable on white webpages, still I think that a laptop that costed me more than 3000$ shouldn't have these problems...

Every display technology has advantages and disadvantages.  OLED panels excel in rendering true black, which backlit LCDs do not do anywhere near as capably.  There are trade-offs, however:  OLED displays generally have shorter lifespans, are still susceptible to burn-in that conventional LCDs are not, and they're more expensive.

You need to prioritize your needs -- if the appearance of the lighter screens on OLED are not acceptable, you do have the option to return the system and order one with a backlit LCD display.  Only you can decide what's acceptable and what is not.

What you're calling problems are simply limitations of OLED technology.  If they're not acceptable, order a system accordingly. 

> What you're calling problems are simply limitations of OLED technology

Well I'm not complaining about the life span, or the possibility of burn-in, or the extra cost, since these are all things that I knew before making my choice. What I'm complaining is about something that I've never seen mentioned, that is that the pixel layout produces this effect that I didn't even know it existed.

Anyway, I will keep the laptop, since I need it and otherwise everything else works very well, and still I consider this the best laptop on the market, but I'm not that happy with it.

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@shortshrift99 wrote:

1. It's mentioned in the Ars Technica review, so does not sound like yours is defective:

"You may notice a slight “graininess” to the screen when you’re looking at the monitor up-close, especially when viewing solid colors. This is a side effect of some OLED screens’ subpixel layout.

2. It’s not a deal-breaker for most uses but it’s something you may want to avoid for high-end photo editing or graphic design,

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@alerighi ,

1. So, Ars caught it. Notice they say "some OLED screens" . Could very-well be just the ones with the Touch-Screen overlay (it doesn't work by magic you know) from various laptop manufacturers. To verify, you would have to see identical OLED Panels ... one with Touch-overlay and one without.

Personally, I would rather non-touch as I don't touch mine (who wants finger-prints on their laptop screen?). In fact, I doubt many users touch theirs. This is not a iPad or tablet (not even a Surface tablet or Yoga convertible). The laptop form-factor is not really conducive to touch anyway... Non-Touch and slightly matte would be perfect.

2. Yikes. Did you catch that?

You can do what you want, but this is a lot of money to not be happy with it. Especially if planning to use it's screen mostly (and not an external monitor).

Like I said ... I got this display/panel:

15.6in UHD+ LCD (3840x2400 60Hz Touch Anti-Reflective 500nit )

Pretty sure it is an IPS-Panel. The brightness and colors are good, as are the viewing angles. It's Touch, but I never touch-it. Sure, it's glossy (due to the Touch-layer), but the Anti-Reflective treatment really helps it not be so "mirror like". It's very close to the Retina-class screens on the Apple MacBook Pros. It's like a screen from a mobile-phone (except much bigger). In Windows-11, the Windows Scaling works fine on modern programs and apps. You just turn-up the Scaling until the text is not too small the read any more.
Maybe go to a local store and view it with one-or-the-other (display panels)

The problem that I see is not slight to me. I can see from a distance of about a meter, and it becomes obvious at a distance of 60cm.

> avoid for high-end photo editing or graphic design,

Well I don't do a lot of photo editing, but my problem is that even looking at simple text on a white background (such as a webpage or a text  document) is difficult, and worse I think in the long run it will have negative effects on my sight, since I have more difficult focusing the fonts. I bought this screen hoping that it would be better and now it's showing worse than the LCD I had before. 

Anyway I've contacted support and they said they will send a technician to evaluate it, I will update with what it tells me, if it's normal or not. If it is normal I'm sorry to say that this panel is no good to me, and I will have to ask if they can swap it with an LCD panel.

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@ejn63 wrote:

Every display technology has advantages and disadvantages.  OLED panels excel in rendering true black, which backlit LCDs do not do anywhere near as capably.  There are trade-offs, however:  OLED displays generally have shorter lifespans, are still susceptible to burn-in that conventional LCDs are not, and they're more expensive.

 

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True, but you never hear that OLED panels have a bad picture. They use them in large displays like 4K and 8K TVs, high-end computer monitors, smaller things like laptops, tablets, and phones.

Even with all those drawbacks, they still use OLED panels (well, for now) because they HAVE A GOOD PICTURE.

Without them excelling at picture quality ... why exactly would we be using them anyway?

Keep a sharp eye on your return period -- if they deem the panel is within specification, you will need to return the system and re-order with the LCD panel you want.  They will not change the as-shipped display type.

You have 30 days from shipment to return a system -- if that time passes and they deem the OLED panel within specification, you will have no recourse.  If that time is coming near, return the system and reorder, now -- don't wait the situation out, or you will end up disappointed.

Rather than steering people away from Dell, perhaps a more credible thing would be to recommend avoiding OLED technology if you think someone would be similarly unhappy with the appearance of an OLED screen.

There's nothing inherent to Dell about the screen -- in fact, there are only a couple of OLED screen manufacturers, and the vast majority of all of them come from a single manufacturer:  LG.

More than 30 days are passed. Even if they didn't I can't return the computer, since I use it for work and I currently don't have a substitute laptop (and even if I had, I don't want to move all my stuff, reinstall everything, that would make me loose at least 2 days). When it arrived I noticed the issue, but I needed a computer (and still I waited for this more than a month, thus having to return it and waiting another month it was not an option).

If they say it's not a defect, I will keep it, but I will not recommend to other people to buy a Dell again, since it would not be honest to not recognize the issue. Yes, it's not a big deal and I can live with it, but to me a device of this price range (payed it 3000 euros) should be flawless.