Is 1080p on a phone even noticeable?

[0000757]

Going off the displays of the iPhone 5 (1136x640) and LG Nexus 4 (1280x768), is 1080p even noticeable on a phone? The displays of the Nexus 4 and iPhone 5 look exactly the same if not better than the HTC Butterfly, Samsung Galaxy S4, etc., in terms of quality. Why does a 1080p resolution on a phone matter? Are my eyes underdeveloped, is this just an advertising gimmick, or is everybody else's eyes overdeveloped?

 

[nepalisherpa]

Going off the displays of the iPhone 5 (1136x640) and LG Nexus 4 (1280x768), is 1080p even noticeable on a phone? The displays of the Nexus 4 and iPhone 5 look exactly the same if not better than the HTC Butterfly, Samsung Galaxy S4, etc., in terms of quality. Why does a 1080p resolution on a phone matter? Are my eyes underdeveloped, is this just an advertising gimmick, or is everybody else's eyes overdeveloped?

On phones (even the ones with 5" screens), it does not matter. Like you guessed, it is just a marketing gimmick.

 

[El3ctronics]

Depends how close you use your phone to your face. When the font is a little larger and I hold it further away from my face I don't notice the difference. When I'm reading emails or smaller text webpages I need to hold it a bit closer and I could absolutely tell a difference. Everything just looks crisper.

 

[paulbennett95]

Screen resolution, megapixels, GHz, "4G", etc are all marketing gimmicks nowadays so people have justification or desire to buy the latest and greatest smartphone.

I can't notice pixels on my iPhone, and if I could, I wouldn't care. Nearly all of the media I watch doesn't even utilize the resolution of my 4S, so why would I care if resolution was doubled? It's mostly gimmicks IMO. I also have an Android tablet with a resolution of 1024x600, the same applies.

To be honest I'd prefer if phones just stayed with lower resolution displays (720p), because more pixels = less battery, and battery life is vastly more important to me for a mobile device than if I can see pixels or view "true" HD video. What's next, 4k resolution phones?

 

[El3ctronics]

Screen resolution, megapixels, GHz, "4G", etc are all marketing gimmicks nowadays so people have justification or desire to buy the latest and greatest smartphone.

I can't notice pixels on my iPhone, and if I could, I wouldn't care. Nearly all of the media I watch doesn't even utilize the resolution of my 4S, so why would I care if resolution was doubled? It's mostly gimmicks IMO. I also have an Android tablet with a resolution of 1024x600, the same applies.

To be honest I'd prefer if phones just stayed with lower resolution displays (720p), because more pixels = less battery, and battery life is vastly more important to me for a mobile device than if I can see pixels or view "true" HD video. What's next, 4k resolution phones?

The Nexus 4 with a 720p screen has much worse battery life than the HTC One with 1080p screen.

 

[paulbennett95]

The Nexus 4 with a 720p screen has much worse battery life than the HTC One with 1080p screen.

I don't recall making the statement that the Nexus 4 has a better battery life than the HTC One

What I was saying was that the more pixels the phone has to render, the more power it has to expend. Differing phone technologies allow improved battery life, and I know the N4 and HTC1 use different screen technologies, but referring to the same type of screen, more pixels = less battery.

And there are a plethora of different factors BESIDES screen resolution that determines battery life.

 

[sentinelsx]

On a pentile screen, I would say it is noticeable. Text on gs4 looks much sharper than gs3 in many cases.

On a non-pentile screen, perhaps not.

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Screen resolution, megapixels, GHz, "4G", etc are all marketing gimmicks nowadays so people have justification or desire to buy the latest and greatest smartphone.

I can't notice pixels on my iPhone, and if I could, I wouldn't care. Nearly all of the media I watch doesn't even utilize the resolution of my 4S, so why would I care if resolution was doubled? It's mostly gimmicks IMO. I also have an Android tablet with a resolution of 1024x600, the same applies.

To be honest I'd prefer if phones just stayed with lower resolution displays (720p), because more pixels = less battery, and battery life is vastly more important to me for a mobile device than if I can see pixels or view "true" HD video. What's next, 4k resolution phones?

Cars were gimmicks too until the horse riding population finally embraced them.

 

[paulbennett95]

Cars were gimmicks too until the horse riding population finally embraced them.

The difference between a horse and a car is so vast as apposed to the difference between 720p and 1080p on a 4"-5" screen.

A horse needs food, water, physical and mental care, etc, while a car runs on gasoline (one of the most energy dense resources) and is a friggin' machine that doesn't think.

A 1080p screen has slightly more pixels (don't know nor care the exact number) than a 720p screen...


Your comparison is laughably moot, you're comparing apples and rocks here

 

[cynics]

I can notice a difference immediately. Everything looks sharper. Just picking up some of these phones in a store and I notice.

That said I don't really care too much. As long as it doesn't look bad I'm happy.

The biggest thing I notice is the screen size. I'd rather have a 4" screen at 720p then a 3.5" screen at 1080p.

 

[Stuntman06]

Apple claimed that 300 dpi at one foot was the limit that the human eye can distinguish individual pixels. That claim was refuted by a scientist soon after, but most people only remember "retina" display.

 

[lazard]

A 1080p screen has slightly more pixels (don't know nor care the exact number) than a 720p screen...

720p = .9 megapixels (921,600)
1080p = 2.1 megapixels (2,073,600)

125% more pixels is a bit more than "slightly more".

 

[paulbennett95]

720p = .9 megapixels (921,600)
1080p = 2.1 megapixels (2,073,600)

125% more pixels is a bit more than "slightly more".

Must've missed the disclaimer stating: "(don't know nor care the exact number)"
I don't notice much of a difference.

 

[maximus96]

i held my note 2 up to a gs4, for some 720p vs 1080p. there is a slight difference in the fonts that is noticeable only when i had the two together. looking at the 720p then 1080p, at the distance i normally use my phone, the difference was not immediately apparent...

 

[sentinelsx]

The difference between a horse and a car is so vast as apposed to the difference between 720p and 1080p on a 4"-5" screen.

A horse needs food, water, physical and mental care, etc, while a car runs on gasoline (one of the most energy dense resources) and is a friggin' machine that doesn't think.

A 1080p screen has slightly more pixels (don't know nor care the exact number) than a 720p screen...


Your comparison is laughably moot, you're comparing apples and rocks here

Not really. If a horse rider thinks a horse is fine for their needs, a car is not needed to be made at all.

We are talking the general aversion to progress, not arguing micro differences.

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Must've missed the disclaimer stating: "(don't know nor care the exact number)"
I don't notice much of a difference.

The problem is your "I" is not my "I".

I DO notice a difference between a GS3 and GS4. In fact i was surprised to see how sharper the messaging app looked to me with a GS3 and 4 side by side. Given the choice, i would rather take the S4.

 

[sk1wbw]

Screen resolution, megapixels, GHz, "4G", etc are all marketing gimmicks nowadays so people have justification or desire to buy the latest and greatest smartphone.

I can't notice pixels on my iPhone, and if I could, I wouldn't care. Nearly all of the media I watch doesn't even utilize the resolution of my 4S, so why would I care if resolution was doubled? It's mostly gimmicks IMO. I also have an Android tablet with a resolution of 1024x600, the same applies.

To be honest I'd prefer if phones just stayed with lower resolution displays (720p), because more pixels = less battery, and battery life is vastly more important to me for a mobile device than if I can see pixels or view "true" HD video. What's next, 4k resolution phones?

Uh, 4G is not a marketing gimmick. That's like saying a V-8 is a marketing gimmick over a 2 cylinder .08 liter POS with square tires. I'm referring to Sprint, but you get the idea.

 

[PollyK]

Speaking for my own eyes, I will say the GS4 is easily a better display than that of the GS3. For me, the higher PPI on the GS4 rids the effects of pentile screens. it's night and day for me. You get the amazing contrast of Amoled screens without the negatives of a pentile matrix.

 

[paulbennett95]

Not really. If a horse rider thinks a horse is fine for their needs, a car is not needed to be made at all.

We are talking the general aversion to progress, not arguing micro differences.

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The problem is your "I" is not my "I".

I DO notice a difference between a GS3 and GS4. In fact i was surprised to see how sharper the messaging app looked to me with a GS3 and 4 side by side. Given the choice, i would rather take the S4.

My original post was about my opinion, so what's the argument? You care about 1080p while I don't, and that people have differing opinions? I was never saying no one cares about the difference.

I was just saying that 1080p is a marketing gimmick (because it is, its there so people will buy product X instead of product Y) and that I don't notice or care for the difference in screen resolution.

And I still think the car and horse are poor analogies. That is talking about resistance to change while I was talking about resisting an option (you were talking about someone not jumping ship from horse to car because a horse is effective for them, while I was talking about choosing between 720p and 1080p, not upgrading from 720p to 1080p)




And so I've read, 4G defines 100mbps+, which is not yet achieved by the marketed "4G" so...

 

[Explicitic]

The difference between my DNA and One X displays are easily visible. If you can't tell 1080p from 720p on the larger display phones, I have no idea what to say.

Screen resolution isn't a "marketing gimmick". Let's all buy phones with 480 x 360 displays!

 

[sentinelsx]

My original post was about my opinion, so what's the argument? You care about 1080p while I don't, and that people have differing opinions? I was never saying no one cares about the difference.

I was just saying that 1080p is a marketing gimmick (because it is, its there so people will buy product X instead of product Y) and that I don't notice or care for the difference in screen resolution.

And I still think the car and horse are poor analogies. That is talking about resistance to change while I was talking about resisting an option (you were talking about someone not jumping ship from horse to car because a horse is effective for them, while I was talking about choosing between 720p and 1080p, not upgrading from 720p to 1080p)




And so I've read, 4G defines 100mbps+, which is not yet achieved by the marketed "4G" so...

And I am giving mine. Are you having an issue with that?

I am sorry but 1080p is no more of a gimmick than "retina display".

 

[Southernboyj]

Going off the displays of the iPhone 5 (1136x640) and LG Nexus 4 (1280x768), is 1080p even noticeable on a phone? The displays of the Nexus 4 and iPhone 5 look exactly the same if not better than the HTC Butterfly, Samsung Galaxy S4, etc., in terms of quality. Why does a 1080p resolution on a phone matter? Are my eyes underdeveloped, is this just an advertising gimmick, or is everybody else's eyes overdeveloped?

Don't listen to the 2nd poster. As someone who has owned a Galaxy S3, iPhone 5, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy Nexus, and now an HTC One.. it's very noticeable.

It's like looking at my retina MacBook/iPad screens. I love it.

Sidenote: I originally bought an S4 but exchanged it.

I feel the One's display is superior to the S4.

 

[rhinosrcool]

For me, it's readily apparent. When reading with my Kindle app and comparing 1080p to 720 and the iPhone4S, I definitely notice the sharpness of the text.

Also, especially when I read a novel, I set the font settings to the smallest available, so I have clearer nearsightedness (?).

 

[LorPGDL]

easily noticeable between the iphone 5 and the htc one. not like the jump from 800x480 to 720p, but i wouldnt want to go lower in my next generation phone anymore. and why should i?

now apple, listen up, how about a "retina" screen for the macbook air, its quite ridiculous that my air has a way worse resolution at more than double the size than my phone.

 

[ChazUK]

I can visually see a difference on the wife's Xparia Z compared to my Nexus 4 but, it;s a very minor thing and wouldn't ever tip me towards one or the other.

 

[mattopotamus]

Just to mimic others, there is a small noticeable difference. It is mostly noticeable in the clarity of text...detail is more fine and crisp.

 

[MRU]

now apple, listen up, how about a "retina" screen for the macbook air, its quite ridiculous that my air has a way worse resolution at more than double the size than my phone.

It doesn't look like were getting one though