Samsung phones are known for their vibrant AMOLED displays. By default, you have two screen modes to select: Vivid and Natural. However, not everyone may like Vivid’s oversaturation and color inaccuracy. While Natural offers more accurate colors, it can appear washed out and less visually appealing. Fortunately, there is a trick to unlock 3 additional hidden display color modes I found for my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
What Are Hidden Screen Modes in Samsung’s One UI
While the Galaxy S24 series allows adjusting saturation in Vivid mode, this option isn’t available on other models. This is where hidden screen modes like AMOLED Cinema, AMOLED Photo, and Basic come into play. I’ll show you how to enable these using ADB. But first, here’s a brief overview of each mode, including the default ones. This will help you choose the right one.
Natural Mode
- Color Space: Adheres to the sRGB color space with tweaks from Samsung.
- Benefits: Generally accurate color representation for web browsing, reading, and general use.
- Ideal For: Users who prefer decent color accuracy and a slightly muted color profile.
Vivid Mode (Default)
- Color Space: Wider gamut than sRGB, utilizing the full capabilities of the AMOLED display.
- Benefits: Offers vibrant and saturated colors that make visuals pop.
- Ideal For: Users who prefer a bolder, more colorful display for everyday use.
AMOLED Cinema
- Color Space: Adheres to the DCI-P3 color gamut, a standard used in the film industry.
- Benefits: Offers a more cinematic look with a good balance between Vivid and Natural mode. It can be considered a middle ground between the two.
- Ideal For: Watching movies and TV shows.
AMOLED Photo
- Color Space: Utilizes the Adobe RGB color space, which is wider than sRGB and DCI-P3.
- Benefits: Displays a wider range of colors, making photos look more vivid and true to life.
- Ideal For: Viewing and editing photos, especially those taken in RAW format, as Adobe RGB is a common color space for professional photography.
Basic Mode
- Color Space: Strictly adheres to the sRGB color space.
- Benefits: Provides the most accurate color representation among all modes.
- Ideal For: Tasks where color accuracy is paramount, such as professional photo editing or referencing color swatches. However, it offers a very muted color profile for everyday use.
How to Enable These Hidden Screen Modes
As mentioned, the AMOLED Cinema, Photo, and Basic modes are hidden from the Settings menu. Previously, you could change them using the SetEdit app, but that doesn’t work anymore.
Here’s how to enable them using ADB (you can also watch this YouTube video). It’s completely safe, and you can always revert.
1. Go to Settings > Display > Screen mode and set it to Natural. Our tweaks won’t work if it’s set to Vivid.
2. Turn on Developer Options, then enable USB debugging on your phone.
3. Connect your phone to your PC. Ensure your computer has ADB installed—you can check XDA’s guide on how to set it up for commands on both operating systems.
4. Open Terminal on your PC. Verify your phone is connected by typing adb devices (or ./adb devices on Mac). If your phone isn’t recognized, double-check your ADB setup.
5. Enter the following command:
adb shell settings put system screen_mode_setting <a number from 0 to 4>Replace <a number from 0 to 4> with the corresponding number for the mode you want to switch to:
- 0 – AMOLED Cinema
- 1 – AMOLED Photo
- 2 – Basic
- 3 – Natural
- 4 – Vivid
For example, to switch to AMOLED Cinema, type and enter:
adb shell settings put system screen_mode_setting 0
6. Once done, disconnect your phone. You should now see AMOLED Cinema (or the selected mode) under Screen mode in Settings > Display.
If the changes don’t appear immediately, lock your phone and unlock it again. The new display mode should persist even after restarting your phone.
Here’s how the different screen modes look on the base Galaxy S24. I’ve done my best to capture the variations on camera, but this should only give you a general idea of how each mode works. I highly recommend trying them yourself, as each panel can vary slightly.
Make Your Samsung Display Your Own
AMOLED Cinema offers balanced and visually pleasing colors, while AMOLED Photo delivers a more vibrant and saturated experience for viewing photos. I’ve personally set my Galaxy S23 Ultra to AMOLED Cinema, and it’s been a delightful experience. I no longer have to constantly switch between Vivid and Natural – the colors are just right.
So, go ahead and experiment with both AMOLED Cinema and AMOLED Photo to discover which setting best suits your preferences and makes your Samsung display truly your own. Let us know in the comments which mode you prefer!
