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Glossary

Color gamut

The range of colors a display can reproduce, usually expressed as a percentage of coverage of a standard color space — sRGB (web), DCI-P3 (cinema), Adobe RGB (print), or Rec. 2020 (HDR).

A display's color gamut tells you which colors it can show and how saturated those colors can be. Different industries use different reference gamuts.

Reference gamuts

  • sRGB — the baseline for web content. 99–100% sRGB is now table stakes for any modern display.
  • DCI-P3 — cinema standard. Covers about 25% more color volume than sRGB. The most useful gamut for video and HDR work in 2026.
  • Adobe RGB — designed for print prepress. Important if you proof for print.
  • Rec. 2020 — wide-gamut HDR target. No display covers 100% Rec. 2020 in 2026; ~80% is excellent.

What to look for

For everyday work: 95%+ sRGB is fine. For photo and video editing: 95%+ DCI-P3. For print prepress: 95%+ Adobe RGB. Manufacturer numbers should be third-party-verified (Calman, X-Rite); marketing "120% sRGB" claims usually means the panel is oversaturated, not that it covers more color volume.

Buyer context

How to use Color gamut in a real comparison

The range of colors a display can reproduce, usually expressed as a percentage of coverage of a standard color space — sRGB (web), DCI-P3 (cinema), Adobe RGB (print), or Rec. 2020 (HDR). In practice, this is most useful as one part of a decision rather than a standalone quality badge. Compare it alongside the workload, room, ecosystem, budget, and ownership constraints that apply to you; the strongest published figure is not automatically the best outcome for every buyer.

What to check next

On vsMars, read together so the value has product-specific context. It is especially relevant in .

Avoid the one-number trap

Manufacturers can describe the same capability under different conditions. Compare like-for-like variants, check the unit and test condition where available, and use a head-to-head page to see whether a measurable difference is material for your own use.

vsMars presents structured catalog values to make trade-offs legible. The linked product and spec pages are the right place to inspect the underlying values before buying.

Where this matters

Categories that use color gamut

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