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jrswizzle

macrumors 603
Aug 23, 2012
6,107
129
McKinney, TX
Am I the only one who thinks Apple are taking the easy option by putting a half-decent resolution on a tiny screen so they can beast about high PPI levels?

A 1136x640 screen on a high-end android device would be laughed at...

No you aren't, but this is a backwards way of thinking about it simply to make Apple look worse.....

The resolution didn't come first, the screen size did. The ppi needed to achieve retina status then is calculated and the resolution comes from that.

I fully expect (when IGZO is introduced) Apple's future products to have higher resolutions though - regardless of if its needed or not (which it's not).

I find it hilarious that many of the Android fans who bash Apple users as "iSheep" are themselves duped by the "need" for 1080p smartphone screens and the claim the iPhone can't play "HD" videos.....

It's like those who get tricked into thinking HSPA+ is true "4G" - marketing terms are whatever the marketer wants them to be.....the fact that HD only includes resolutions of 720p and higher is an outdated definition that is perpetuated by makers of these Android phones to win the spec sheet wars.

The reality is, HD (720P+) was defined on a TV screen many magnitudes larger than your smartphone (even your Note 2) and can in no way be translated equally to said smaller screens. PPI is a much better measure and, like-it-or-not, the term "retina" has a lot more science backing it than "HD" does.
 

Kariya

macrumors 68000
Nov 3, 2010
1,820
10
Am I the only one who thinks Apple are taking the easy option by putting a half-decent resolution on a tiny screen so they can beast about high PPI levels?

A 1136x640 screen on a high-end android device would be laughed at...

1080p on anything less than 40 inches is largly a waste of time anyway. Provides very little benefit other than to suck GPU and consequently battery power. Its a spec sheet filler for Fandroids to eat up.

Same can be argued for Quad Core CPUs. Few software can take advantage of the power. Are you running After Effects on your phone? so why do you need a 4 core (or 8 core CPU to make a Call, surf the Web, check mail and open a Calender app.

I'm all for improving technology but at some point you reach diminishing returns and you're left with tech for tech sake.
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,422
1080p on anything less than 40 inches is largly a waste of time anyway. Provides very little benefit other than to suck GPU and consequently battery power. Its a spec sheet filler for Fandroids to eat up.

Same can be argued for Quad Core CPUs. Few software can take advantage of the power. Are you running After Effects on your phone? so why do you need a 4 core (or 8 core CPU to make a Call, surf the Web, check mail and open a Calender app.

I'm all for improving technology but at some point you reach diminishing returns and you're left with tech for tech sake.

You do realize there's something between 1080x1920 (or 1920x1080, depending) and the i%'s resolution, right? Maybe... 720p?
 

Kariya

macrumors 68000
Nov 3, 2010
1,820
10
You do realize there's something between 1080x1920 (or 1920x1080, depending) and the i%'s resolution, right? Maybe... 720p?

iP5 for all intents and purposes can be considered a 720p screen. Its still 326ppi 16:9 screen. Adding 144x80 pixels isn't something you'll notice. Unless you have cyborg eyes.

Apple didn't need to add it just to please spec whores whilst consequently breaking backwards compatibility to their existing ecosystem.
 

Markyboy81

macrumors 6502a
Oct 30, 2011
514
0
1080p on anything less than 40 inches is largly a waste of time anyway. Provides very little benefit other than to suck GPU and consequently battery power. Its a spec sheet filler for Fandroids to eat up.

Same can be argued for Quad Core CPUs. Few software can take advantage of the power. Are you running After Effects on your phone? so why do you need a 4 core (or 8 core CPU to make a Call, surf the Web, check mail and open a Calender app.

I'm all for improving technology but at some point you reach diminishing returns and you're left with tech for tech sake.

I hear lots of contradictions on here, such as some people saying that the s3s screen appears pixilated, and that 1080p is overkill. Both statements can't be true, so which is it?
 

Kariya

macrumors 68000
Nov 3, 2010
1,820
10
I hear lots of contradictions on here, such as some people saying that the s3s screen appears pixilated, and that 1080p is overkill. Both statements can't be true, so which is it?

There isn't really any contradiction. SIII screen may appear pixelated to some because of its PenTile pixel arrangement instead of stripe RGB. But even then very few will actually notice.

1080p still a spec sheet filler. PenTile or RGB.

However more elbow grease to the OEMs...I just know a phone having 1080p screen wouldn't be a major deciding factor in my purchase of a smartphone. Personally.
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,422
iP5 for all intents and purposes can be considered a 720p screen. Its still 326ppi 16:9 screen. Adding 144x80 pixels isn't something you'll notice. Unless you have cyborg eyes.

Apple didn't need to add it just to please spec whores whilst consequently breaking backwards compatibility to their existing ecosystem.

Have you actually seen a 720p phone?

I have, those pixels do make a bit of a difference.

Or is it just okay because it's the iPhone?
 

Kariya

macrumors 68000
Nov 3, 2010
1,820
10
Have you actually seen a 720p phone?

I have, those pixels do make a bit of a difference.

Or is it just okay because it's the iPhone?

No...i actually just imagine them whenever i drop LSD.

To the average human eye, 144x80 pixels makes negligible difference on a 4-inch 16:9 screen with 326 ppi.

Or do they suddenly "make a bit of a difference" to you simply because the iPhone didn't add them?
 

onthecouchagain

macrumors 604
Mar 29, 2011
7,382
2
I find it hilarious that many of the Android fans who bash Apple users as "iSheep" are themselves duped by the "need" for 1080p smartphone screens and the claim the iPhone can't play "HD" videos.....

No one needs to be "duped" to want or get 1080p. It's just the general direction of technology advancing. All flagship smartphones from the major players are releasing 1080p. It's not like those are the only Android phones you can get. If you really feel the need to not get 1080p, you have other choices. It's just a feature to stay competitive with the competition.

The reason it's far more applicable to call people sheep for buying whatever Apple releases is because it's the only option. Apple doesn't offer choice (or if you wanna get technical, "many" choices) when it comes to the iPhone. And so people just settle with whatever Apple decides, be it screen size or resolution or whatever else. It's all Apple dictating it, and people agreeing. That's being sheep-like.

Hey, if Apple doesn't want to do it, someone's gotta push the technology. Why should we not desire better? That's not being sheep-like. Accepting less because one company says that's the "right size" or "right way" is.
 

jrswizzle

macrumors 603
Aug 23, 2012
6,107
129
McKinney, TX
No one needs to be "duped" to want or get 1080p. It's just the general direction of technology advancing. All flagship smartphones from the major players are releasing 1080p. It's not like those are the only Android phones you can get. If you really feel the need to not get 1080p, you have other choices. It's just a feature to stay competitive with the competition.

The reason it's far more applicable to call people sheep for buying whatever Apple releases is because it's the only option. Apple doesn't offer choice (or if you wanna get technical, "many" choices) when it comes to the iPhone. And so people just settle with whatever Apple decides, be it screen size or resolution or whatever else. It's all Apple dictating it, and people agreeing. That's being sheep-like.

Hey, if Apple doesn't want to do it, someone's gotta push the technology. Why should we not desire better? That's not being sheep-like. Accepting less because one company says that's the "right size" or "right way" is.

You completely overlooked my point - 1080p as an "HD" standard means absolutely nothing on a smartphone. Yet the competitors and Android enthusiasts here tout it as some necessary feature to be competitive and that the iPhone can't play "HD" content because its not even 720p.

I just take issue with that last part. The term "HD" as it relates to resolutions has absolutely ZERO bearing on the smartphone industry. There should be no correlation to what is considered "HD" on a 20 - 80+" TV screen, generally viewed from multiple yards away and what can be considered "HD" (or high qaulity) on a 4 - 10" screen normally viewed at less than a foot away.
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,422
In what way do those pixels make a difference, and on what phone?

Galaxy Nexus.

Have you watched a 720p movie on a 4.65" screen?

No...i actually just imagine them whenever i drop LSD.

To the average human eye, 144x80 pixels makes negligible difference on a 4-inch 16:9 screen with 326 ppi.

Or do they suddenly "make a bit of a difference" to you simply because the iPhone didn't add them?

It'd make a difference to me regardless.
 

zbarvian

macrumors 68010
Jul 23, 2011
2,004
2
Galaxy Nexus.

Have you watched a 720p movie on a 4.65" screen?



It'd make a difference to me regardless.

So it's the size of the screen then? Both displays are 16:9 and the 5 actually has a sharper display than the Galaxy Nexus, so I'm not sure why else you would think the video looks better on the Nexus.
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,422
So it's the size of the screen then? Both displays are 16:9 and the 5 actually has a sharper display than the Galaxy Nexus, so I'm not sure why else you would think the video looks better on the Nexus.

Maybe it is the size of the screen.

I have to admit, I like the colors of the i5... it's just... something seemed off when I was playing with one at AT&T.

*shrugs*
 

mib1800

Suspended
Sep 16, 2012
2,859
1,250
You completely overlooked my point - 1080p as an "HD" standard means absolutely nothing on a smartphone. Yet the competitors and Android enthusiasts here tout it as some necessary feature to be competitive and that the iPhone can't play "HD" content because its not even 720p.

I just take issue with that last part. The term "HD" as it relates to resolutions has absolutely ZERO bearing on the smartphone industry. There should be no correlation to what is considered "HD" on a 20 - 80+" TV screen, generally viewed from multiple yards away and what can be considered "HD" (or high qaulity) on a 4 - 10" screen normally viewed at less than a foot away.

You are right to a certain extent. Dont forget Android screen is much larger than iphone. If Samsung keep the 720p for S4 it shouldn't make much different at all compared to S3. But for the 5.5in Note2 (or bigger one for Note3), the 1080p certainly will be an improvement. You cant have your flagship S4 having a lower resolution than your competitors.

What is more important is the pixel count/resolution. In this case S3/S4 screen is certainly better than Iphone non-standard resolution for a 16:9 ratio screen. To make long story short, iphone5 has LESS pixel and hence a lower resolution screen (i.e. you have less information on the screen).
 

sentinelsx

macrumors 68010
Feb 28, 2011
2,004
0
I don't know how people can find a significant difference between 480p and 720p (and even more subtle 1080p) movies on a 4-5 inch screen. I have mostly started to convert and watch standard def videos on my phone, did it on iPhone 5, Galaxy S 3, and Nexus 4, and 480p does the job fine.

The upside is that i can fit in 2-3 videos for every 720p one if i did. The space savings are great too.
 

daneoni

macrumors G4
Mar 24, 2006
11,844
1,579
I don't know how people can find a significant difference between 480p and 720p (and even more subtle 1080p) movies on a 4-5 inch screen. .

Easy. Because Apple doesn't ship a 5" 1080p screen whilst Android/WP8 OEMs do. For this reason non-Apple enthusiasts have developed ultra cyborg vision that can 'easily' detect the 'difference'
 

mib1800

Suspended
Sep 16, 2012
2,859
1,250
Easy. Because Apple doesn't ship a 5" 1080p screen whilst Android/WP8 OEMs do. For this reason non-Apple enthusiasts have developed ultra cyborg vision that can 'easily' detect the 'difference'

I seem to remember many ifans saying the 720p screen of S3 is pixelated. Now suddenly they changed their tune that you don't need anything more than 720p for a phone now that you have 1080p on a non-Apple phone.
 

daneoni

macrumors G4
Mar 24, 2006
11,844
1,579
I seem to remember many ifans saying the 720p screen of S3 is pixelated. Now suddenly they changed their tune that you don't need anything more than 720p for a phone now that you have 1080p on a non-Apple phone.

They said its pixelated because of the PenTile arrangement not because its a 720p screen. The HTC One X screen for example was widely praised because it was a true, gorgeous, RGB 720p screen.

1080p/4-5" screen whether from Apple or Kyocera is largely pointless. Its a technology solution looking for a problem.
 
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thejadedmonkey

macrumors G3
May 28, 2005
9,240
3,499
Pennsylvania
I used a Nokia Lumia 820, which has a 480x800 LCD screen. Before that, I was using a Samsung Focus with a SMOLED screen (I don't believe this one is pentile though). My girlfriend has a 4s, and I can honestly say that while the 4s looks more "lickable", to use an OS Xism, the AMOLED screen on my focus is by far the nicest screen out of the bunch.

Just my 2 cents.
 

mib1800

Suspended
Sep 16, 2012
2,859
1,250
They said its pixelated because of the PenTile arrangement not because its a 720p screen. The HTC One X screen for example was widely praised because it was a true, gorgeous, RGB 720p screen.

1080p/4-5" screen whether from Apple or Kyocera is largely pointless. Its a technology solution looking for a problem.

I thought PenTile is about sub-pixels. instead of having 3 leds at one pixel location you have 2.5. But you still have effective 720pixels across the screen. So how can it be any more pixelated than rgb arrangement given that a pixel is already too fine. :p
 

daneoni

macrumors G4
Mar 24, 2006
11,844
1,579
I thought PenTile is about sub-pixels. instead of having 3 leds at one pixel location you have 2.5. But you still have effective 720pixels across the screen. So how can it be any more pixelated than rgb arrangement given that a pixel is already too fine. :p

Simple. 3 RGB pixels > 2.5 RG BG pixels.

Dedicated 720p pixels > Virtual/Effective 720p pixels

Especially when compared side by side.

That difference is what makes images look discernibly fuzzy/pixelated to the eyes that search closely.
 

hyteckit

Guest
Jul 29, 2007
889
1
You do realize there's something between 1080x1920 (or 1920x1080, depending) and the i%'s resolution, right? Maybe... 720p?

What's so important about 720p? Because I plan on watching a lot of 720p movies on my smartphone?

I don't remember people talking about importance of 720p on computer monitors.

About 6 years ago, 1024x768 was the most common resolution for a computer monitor.

720p 16:9 is an ATSC HDTV standard.

Common resolution for computers use to be 4:3 aspect ratio: 1024x768, 800x600, 640x480.
 
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