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The Flex ships with a calibration data sheet for each sample. I noticed that mine was calibrated to 8500K, which is cooler than the typical standard of 6500K. It is simple to adjust the Standard and sRGB picture modes to the correct specs.
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
Standard is the mode to pick if you want the Flex’s full-color capability. It covers almost 100% of DCI-P3, so I expect most users will go that route. The default grayscale is visibly cool with blue errors from 40 to 100% brightness. Gamma tracks almost perfectly except for a tiny rise at 90%, which only the meter can see. Calibration sets the white point to the correct 6500K with all errors below 1dE.
In sRGB mode, the white point is warm in tone with visible errors between 40 and 100% brightness. Gamma tracks well except for the 10% step, which is slightly light in tone. Calibration gets the error below 1dE and lightens gamma a bit across the range. In practice, shadow areas occasionally look a tad light, but this is a minor issue.
Overall grayscale and gamma performance in both Standard and sRGB modes is excellent.
The Flex’s default grayscale error of 4.62dE is due to its factory calibration to 8500K rather than 6500K. The other monitors can be used without calibration, but the Flex should be adjusted for the best possible picture. Once completed, it rises to second place here and is equal in quality to any professional screen.
In all cases, gamma tracking is nearly perfect, with a miniscule 0.07 range of values and average tracking just 0.45% off the 2.2 standard. The actual value was 2.19. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Color Gamut Accuracy
Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.
The Flex has superb color coverage in Standard mode and out of the box; it just needs some tweaking to its secondary hues. This is accomplished by grayscale calibration, which takes color gamut accuracy to the reference level. Unlike most wide-gamut LCDs, the Flex has a fully saturated green primary.
sRGB mode exhibits similar behavior but is closer to the mark before calibration. After grayscale calibration, it’s even better, with one of the lowest error levels I’ve recorded for any monitor’s sRGB mode. This is excellent performance.
Comparisons
Clearly, the OLEDs here have a color accuracy advantage. This is partly due to their superior gamut volume, which covers the entire green primary in all three cases. That the Flex is in third place with a volume score of almost 100% speaks volumes about the technology. The bit of extra volume in the sRGB test is from some bonus green. The Flex can easily be used for color-critical applications without a software profile.
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