Should Handheld multimeters have color LCD displays?

This is wonderful, I think one of your lastest photos summarizes my experience with multimeter displays:

(Source:  Easy Grounding for USB Soldering Irons ) 

It is easier to see the display on your soldering iron versus your multimeter!

That's a very nice looking multimeter!

Not exactly color LCD, but different! : ) I recently bought a multimeter with OLED display. Mainly because it was cheap for the features!

It's model PCE-ODM 10 from the dodgiest looking website ever - even after ordering, I still wasn't convinced that I had not fallen for a scam, but surprisingly it was delivered swiftly. It is a rebadged CEM DT-9968 (but the CEM specification is incorrect; it states that the granularity is 100mV for instance, but I wouldn't have bought it if it was!). 

It seems fine, usable, but the menu system is pretty bad, I can't even figure out how to set the time correctly, and whoever coded the software didn't do a good job handling user input versus display update.

But, as long as I stick to normal measurements, it seems fine. It also came with a load of accessories (even an AC current clamp! and case) so I can't complain for the price. 

The display is really nice, readable from all angles and from a distance, indoors (where I will be using it). Even under desk lighting it is readable. However, the plastic panel over it is curved, which doesn't help with taking photos of it, there will be some discoloration due to polarization (the photo above shows it on the battery indicator, and the digits 2 and 3 at the bottom). Also, it flickers at video frame rates (fine for very short videos perhaps).

Inside photo:

There's a Bluetooth version too, but I don't see the point, it's not going to be a meter I'm going to use for (say) logging functions, due to the menu being not that great.

Also, I wish the firmware would display the meter range (it uses the decimal place to imply it, versus just displaying the max value like normal Fluke, Keysight meters, etc), and I really don't like that.

Nice work! Very neat seeing that is possible on a handheld instrument. 

My Keysight is super waterproof, so it is a bit of an exercise to get at the battery. Fortunately its battery lasts a long time. It does raise the question, Should a waterproof meter use a color display?

Happy new year and new scope day to you! 

I still enjoy using it, I love the display! I was just probing usb-pd

Working on my own pd interface too...

My scope arrived!

Funny you mention this ... I've just reviewed the Fluke 279 FC/iFlex -  Experimenting with Thermistors – Grand Prize Pt.2: Fluke 279 FC/iFlex DMM Review

Using that as my reference point for a colour LCD DMM, I guess the 279 FC/iFlex has no choice as the thermal imager really needs a colour LCD to truly shine. But the colour LCD is a compromise - for use outside in direct sun, its contrast is barely enough for reading DMM digits. Power consumption means that the lifetime of a 22Wh battery is only about 13-14h so charging becomes necessary (although if not using continuously, you can still get quite a bit of mileage). Unfortunately, the 279 FC/iFlex doesn't make the most of the LCD either - colour is only used for the "danger" icon, and there is no bar graph as you may see with segment mono LCDs.

In the end, for a plain DMM, I still find monochrome segment LCDs preferable - they're just more readable in more situations (backlights help in the dark) and they consume much less power. Simple technology, low-cost ... nothing wrong with that.

- Gough

Woohoo! I am excited for you! We are twins for Scopes (DS1054z), I have the big sister to your function generator and now you have the big brother to my scopemeter! Excellent choice, can't wait to hear your opinion of the meter:)

Nice specs! Looking forward to hearing what it's like.

I ordered one of that family. MP720783