Both LG and Samsung have announced that their new flagship smartphones – the LG G6 and Galaxy S8 respectively – have displays that can support UHD HDR content streaming. They going to work with partners like Amazon Video to bring the magic of UHD HDR to mobile devices. Netflix already offers UHD content streaming on select devices but that’s not going to be supported on the aforementioned handsets, at least initially.
The Galaxy S8 with its HDR10 certified display and the LG G6 with its Dolby Vision screen both boast support for High Dynamic Range content. In theory, they should be able to support HDR streaming on Netflix but it’s not as simple as that.
The folks over at PhoneArena reached out to Netflix to inquire if UHD titles can be streamed in their full glory on these handsets. The Netflix customer support representative confirmed that while UHD streaming is available for some TVs and monitors, these devices are not compatible with the UHD feature yet.
Netflix’s representative did add that the company plans on updating the service so that it’s supported on more devices but don’t expect to take full advantage of your new flagship’s HDR certified display at least on Netflix right after launch. Netflix made a joint announcement with LG when the G6 launched, but no similar plans have been made public for the Galaxy S8.
It’s not like you’ll be missing out on much, though, considering the fact that there are only 20 shows on Netflix right now that are offering for streaming in HDR.