Rumor: Apple to double 'iPhone 5S' Retina resolution to 1.5M pixels
A new report claims Apple is planning to increase the resolution of a future iPhone model to 1.5 million pixels ??double that of the pixel count on the current iPhone 5.
The details come from a report by Chinese-language Weiphone (via Unwired View), which claims that the next-generation Retina display will be featured on Apple's next-generation handset, whether it be known as the "iPhone 5S" or "iPhone 6." The report claimed that the next iPhone will continue to have the same 4-inch display as the iPhone 5.
In addition, the report claimed that the iPhone 5 will have an even thinner bezel than its current design, suggesting Apple will borrow design elements from its popular iPad mini. Finally, it was claimed that Apple's next iPhone will begin shipping in September.
The current iPhone 5 has a pixel count of nearly 730,000 thanks to its screen resolution of 1,136 by 640 pixels. That works out to 326 pixels per inch on the 4-inch display.
Apple introduced the "Retina display" branding for its screens with the launch of the iPhone 4 in 2010. That handset featured a 3.5-inch display with a resolution of 960 by 640 pixels, double that of its predecessors.
At the time, Apple's Retina display was a market leading feature for the iPhone. But since then, devices like the HTC One, with a 468-pixel-per-inch display, have hit the market.
The HTC One crams a 1080p-resolution screen, the equivalent of a full-fledged high-resolution television, into a 4.7-inch space. That's more than 2 million pixels, putting it at a density substantially higher than Apple's iPhone 5.
The details come from a report by Chinese-language Weiphone (via Unwired View), which claims that the next-generation Retina display will be featured on Apple's next-generation handset, whether it be known as the "iPhone 5S" or "iPhone 6." The report claimed that the next iPhone will continue to have the same 4-inch display as the iPhone 5.
In addition, the report claimed that the iPhone 5 will have an even thinner bezel than its current design, suggesting Apple will borrow design elements from its popular iPad mini. Finally, it was claimed that Apple's next iPhone will begin shipping in September.
The current iPhone 5 has a pixel count of nearly 730,000 thanks to its screen resolution of 1,136 by 640 pixels. That works out to 326 pixels per inch on the 4-inch display.
Apple introduced the "Retina display" branding for its screens with the launch of the iPhone 4 in 2010. That handset featured a 3.5-inch display with a resolution of 960 by 640 pixels, double that of its predecessors.
At the time, Apple's Retina display was a market leading feature for the iPhone. But since then, devices like the HTC One, with a 468-pixel-per-inch display, have hit the market.
The HTC One crams a 1080p-resolution screen, the equivalent of a full-fledged high-resolution television, into a 4.7-inch space. That's more than 2 million pixels, putting it at a density substantially higher than Apple's iPhone 5.
Comments
I'd rather they improved battery life and/or capacity, and used elsewhere the cost savings associated with keeping the retina display as is. (They could even use it to cut prices a bit....)
Seems like a silly thing to do, so probably is not true. They spent so much time explaining that this was the highest that was needed by the human eye.
I think they could rather go straight to full HD or some nicer resolution like 1600 by 900.
But if this happen or not, most people will not tell the difference, unless Apple will improve the display in other areas as well.
Wouldn't they have to quadruple the pixel count? And to what end? Why would this even be worth doing?
That would be completely pointless; it would just squander GPU and battery performance for no perceptible benefit to the end user. I don't believe it for a moment.
I think the "report" is bs too, but, if Apple is going to release a completely new less expensive model, maybe they "should" release more than a refresh to keep the interest on it's flashship premium model with higher margins rather than just the less expensive model with lower margins. AND the new resolution could pave they way for a larger screen iphone if one is ever released.
"Let's add 2-3mb/file graphics to the mix as well -- just to shake to things up"... No, let's not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoolook
Why?
That was my thought... when you currently cannot perceive the pixels, why double it... likely more power use with no gain other than on a spec sheet. I can see doubling camera pixels... doubling battery life... all good, but the screen dpi? Why indeed.
Well, at least it's a rumour about a new Apple device!
I cant find the pixels on an iPhone 5 with a magnifying glass. This indicates to me that when Apple says "Retina Display" means that it surpasses the limits of human vision, they are telling the truth. Making the ppi any higher is just taxing the processing resources for no visible purpose.
It's like all that "frame rate" hooey that was so big a few years ago. People perceive motion to be continuous at 24-30 frames per second. Those who say they can detect an improvement at higher rates are either liars or outliers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoffdino
Isn't Retina supposed to be the limit of our eyes. Details at that level aren't distinguihsable by the eyes anymore.
"Retina" depends on distance. It uses the same calculations that were used for "print quality".
The assumption is that at 12", 300 PPI is the average person's eye resolution. (For people with better eyesight, it would have to be denser.)
The closer you get, the smaller that pixels must be. At 6", a "retina" display would require 595 PPI.
That said, this rumor sounds a bit crazy. Apple would be far, far better off promoting resolution independence in developer apps, to give themselves future flexibility in screen sizes.
Pros
Nothing that our eyes will notice.
Cons
Higher power consumption
...which requires a bigger battery
...which adds weight
Loss of storage capacity (as apps increase in size)
However, increased display resolution would benefit something closer to our eyes.
Like glasses.
I also heard that the battery will be larger than the phone itself. This will increase the battery life by 100%. Oh, and it will be called the iPhone Tardis.
Would this be something that would possibly allow for development of true "resolution independence"? I don't know enough about that technology to say.