Almost all high-end smartphones and tablets are compatible with dynamic HDR in one of its formats like HDR10+ or Dolby Vision, but Android users are frustrated to have to enjoy this content.
For example, Netflix only shows 2 Android phones that support Dolby Vision. One is the LG G6 which was launched in 2017, the other is the Sharp Aquos R5G which was mainly sold in Japan. Netflix doesn’t even support HDR10+.
Of course, the list of smartphones that Netflix indicates on its website that support normal HDR is much higher, but “Dry” HDR isn’t as good as the HDR10+ or Dolby Vision standards, which support dynamic metadata.
However, the number of Android smartphones supporting HDR10+ may be higher than those supporting Dolby Vision due to licensing costs The problem is that there isn’t a lot of HDR10+ content.
We heard a while ago that Google is trying to introduce two new media formats to offer HDR video and 3D audio under a new, consumer-recognizable brand without the licensing fees that hardware manufacturers currently have to pay for Dolby. However, there has been no movement in this regard.
In the Apple world, iPhones support Dolby Vision, making it easy to enjoy content in this format on Netflix and other compatible services.
Amazon Prime Video and Google TV & Movies are in the same situation: both support HDR. Google TV does not indicate whether it is HDR10+ or Dolby Vision, most films only say HDR. Amazon Prime Video supports HDR10+, but there’s not a lot of content. Although YouTube supports HDR10+, playing content in this format doesn’t seem easy.