1280x720 in a 4.5 inch device is staggering.
Can you imagine having one of these just 10 years ago? (first ipod was 2001)
Makes me wonder what we'll have in 2020
Can you imagine having one of these just 10 years ago? (first ipod was 2001)
Makes me wonder what we'll have in 2020
I guess the iPhone resolution could be justified as an integer multiple of the original screen dimensions. And this one matches existing HD video streams, so it makes sense there. But in terms of raw pixels, I think only eagle-eyed teenagers are likely to see any usable benefit from these numbers.
I'm 39 years old, very slightly near sighted (which is a good thing for this application), and start to lose focus on the phone display when I hold it about 7" from my eyes. At that range, I can just barely perceive single-pixel transitions if the contrast is very high.
My eyesight is quite typical. Many (perhaps most, even) will have more difficulty seeing those pixels than I will. And they are your target market.
The extra resolution doesn't hurt anything, obviously. And matching existing content (e.g. 480x320 apps or 720p video streams) makes the higher pitch attractive for technical reasons.
But don't dare to assume that your per-pixel content is visible on an iPhone 4. For huge numbers of people, it isn't.
However, I strongly disagree that the target market should be these individuals, even if they are the typical/average consumer. Sure, there's some cost involved in making the screen this size, but that's no reason to make these people look at pixelated screens.
At this resolution, a tiny, tiny fraction of the population (if that) will feel that the resolution is too low. Don't aim for 50% of the market to feel that the pixel pitch is clearer than they can see and the rest accept it as typical, aim to have 99% of your market rave about the beautiful graphics.
Hey - me too!
At that range, I can just barely perceive single-pixel transitions if the contrast is very high
I can still see the vague indications of pixel boundaries in fine fonts on my iPhone 4, if I concentrate and squint my eyes. But I can't really see individual pixels with clarity.
And while I don't use one daily, I honestly can't tell the difference between that and the 30% larger pixels on my Galaxy S. I think we're well beyond the point of diminishing returns
I have both (well, I have an iPhone 4 and my wife has a Nexus S). Text on her Nexus S looks terrible compared to my I4. It's OK if I haven't been using my phone for a while, but if I pick up hers after using my I4 for a bit, the lower resolution and those terrible 2 colour pixels really stand out. White backgrounds look speckled, gradient transitions have banding, pure colours look impure, fine lines look stippled, and there are no smooth curves. Again - this is only when looking at her Nexus S after staring at my iPhone 4 for a while. The Nexus S is a fine phone otherwise - responsive, flexible, intuitive. And the OLED screen is arresting in low light conditions. But otherwise the screen looks noticeably worse than the I4's.
I didn't think that I had especially good eyesight - very slightly near sighted, as you said. But if you want to keep using your Samsung S, I wouldn't recommend spending any more time with an iPhone 4. Or just do yourself a favour and get this Galaxy-Nexus-Prime.
Highest density desktop screens you can find are still IBM's T220 and T221 (from back in 2001) with 204DPI in 22.2" screens (3840x2400 native resolution)
4.65", not 4.5
That's not really staggering, the screen is huge but at ~316dpi that's a lower density than a Sharp IS03 or an iphone 4.
Prime = 313 PPI
It's barely lower density and it's AMOLED. It's gorgeous.
it's still lower. I'm sorry about your hurt feelings, but that does not qualify as "staggering"
> and it's AMOLED. It's gorgeous.
Did not enter into the comment I replied to. At all. Again, I'm not saying it's not a great screen, I'm saying calling a 1280x720 4.65" "staggering" in 2011 is overstating it by a mile.
For Samsung AMOLEDs the plus branding means standard RGB rather than pentile RGBG. At the supposed density I don't think I see much gain from not using pentile. The stated reason for not using pentile in the Galaxy S II was that the large size of the screen combined with the relatively low resolution put it outside of the sweet-spot for pentile RGBG.