The Effects of Polarized Sunglasses on Smartphones!

I learned a valuable lesson about polarized sunglasses...

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[adrianburnett]

I tried doing this with my 60in TV. Turned out to be alot heavier than I thought. Now my TV is dark with or without glasses.

[BlackBullPistol]

Explanation:
LCD (TFT and TFT-IPS) is made out of different layers, two of them are polarized films (between them there is glass/liquid/RGB/glass layer) that are differently oriented (horizontal and vertical). One polarized film is 90° turned around so that light can come through.

So if you put another polarized film (layer, lens, whatever...) than the light can not get through if the polarization is oriented at the same direction as the top polarization on the LCD. Otherwise it can go through with small effect on the contrast.

Amoled (oled) displays have only one ambient light polarizated film that regulates the contrast so if you put any oriented polarizationed film on top of it it has no effect.

Q: But why are there some displays that are a little bit visible/colored when putting a polarization on it?
A: It is because of the different light source wave lenghts that are comming through the liquid crystal layer

Have a nice day

[squelchedotter]

Fun project: this happens because LCD displays have a polarizer built in for technical reasons (I suggest wikipedia). If you pull the polarizer off, the display becomes pure white.

Wearing polarized sunglasses rotated the correct way infront of a LCD with removed polarizer effectively makes the sunglasses replace the screens polarizer.

That way, anyone with polarized glasses sees the display normally, while anyone else only sees a white screen. — very fun project if you have an old monitor lying around

[joshlawls]

I assume these glasses are very expensive since you advise us to buy a phone to suit our glasses instead of buying glasses to suit our phones. lol

[Ubundu]

The LCD panel is made out of the LCD itself and several thin layers of "polarized" film. These films are needed so that you actually see color as they reflect light at specific angles (think of a prism splitting the visible light into all the components so you see a rainbow). If you take apart an LCD panel you will find that the actual LCD is emitting only white light (rather that is all our eyes can pick up). Essentially the glasses act like an additional layer and depending on the orientation of the previous layers you will get a black screen. All of the layers are polarized at different angles and the order they are in matters. That is why with the glasses only at specific angles you get a dark screen.
You should try rotating a full 180 each device as you might have missed the magic angle. Also the Fire tablet seems to be at 45 degrees where you loose the light.
This effect is also used by the privacy screens you can get for your devices and allow light only when looking perpendicular to the screen.

[MattiaRighetti]

That's physics, waves and optics!

[Rouverius]

Also keep in mind, polarized lens and some screen protectors can create some very strange effects. With mine, it's still readable but you have wavy rainbow lines al lover the screen where the surfaces of the screen protector and actual screen varies on some microscopic level.

[ruinfirefly]

okay, little bit information for you guys, polarized sunglasses block the light rays in a specific angle therefore only few days enter your eyes as sun throws light in all directions, you receive light in only one direction. Old black glasses just lower the brightness but polarized sunglasses block the rays entering into the glasses, thus protecting our eyes. I hope this information help you guys to choose better glasses.

[AureliusR]

The reason this happens is because LCDs have two polarizing filters in them. This is fundamental to the way they work. The reason the Samsung one works is because they use AMOLED technology, not LCD. EDIT: Wow, you said that in the video about 2 seconds after I typed that :P0

[evangraveley]

When you relize you have no idea why your watching this.

[joshie]

So,

LDC screens contain a separate polarisation filter on top of trhe actual LCD glass sandwich.
A polarisation filter is effectively bunch of horizontal or vertical strips that block reflected light from a specific angle, this matches up with the polarisation filter on the glasses and causes the effect.

You can get nice polarised glasses from ali express around 10 dolla.

[anneketaylor]

For my phone, it makes it rainbow looking

[charlestonvillamor]

Watching this using my polarized sunglasses 😄

[subbiahpalani]

These kind of videos are awesome! Some unexplored territory!

[wolf]

I know this is about polarized lenses, but I must say, your home looks very nice. Love the floors and the design of the desk. Just want to spread nice comments in such a negative world.

[alexzhao]

One of my friends got a pair of polarized sunglasses for driving. One day he needed to go somewhere new so he turned on his gps. Then, there was a panicky moment: )

[kevinpatrick]

There are polarized plastic lens sunglasses available in many retail drug stores that are under $20.00, just not many from which to choose.

[TheMickvee]

My prescription Oakley sunglasses are polarized, but as I don't use a smartphone, I was unaware of this side effect. However, I am aware of the weird effects that are produced on car windscreens!

[davidkrump]

Not all phones of one model are the same. I love my (expensive, prescription readers lenses) polarized sunglasses and never had a problem with any of my smartphones until I broke my HTC One M8 and bought another one. Apparently, the glass is turned 90º on this phone compared to the one I broke because I can't see it in portrait mode with the polarized sunglasses unless I turn it to landscape mode. I had to buy new, non polarized sunglasses. Bottom line, try to look at the phone with your glasses before you buy.

[chrisken]

the displays that turn black already have a polarized layer in the display, you cant polarize light twice very well, but if you remove that polarized lins from the display you will be the only person that can see the display with polarized glasses