iPhone iPhone 4/4S Retina display vs the competition

Technarchy · Jul 14, 2012

One of the most common questions that frequently comes up is if the iPhone 4/4S Retina display can still hang with the competition in key areas.

The answer is yes.

*This has nothing to do with the OS, Apps, or anything else. Just pure display tech. Everyone's eyes are different, but this is how I saw it.

Key bullet points:
-Brightness
-Clarity
-Color reproduction
-Text legibility
-Level of artifacts during video playback

Rankings:

1. HTC One X/Evo 4G LTE
2. Motorola Atrix HD
3. iPhone 4S/4
4. Sony Xperia iON
5. Samsung Galaxy SIII
6. HTC One S
7. HTC Titan II
8. Samsung Galaxy Nexus
9. Nokia Lumia 900
10. Samsung Galaxy SII

Summary:
I think the One X has the best display in the business hands down. It's big, it's bright, and very clear and easy on the eyes. Video looks awesome too.

The Motorola Atrix HD was far more impressive than I expected. It's incredibly sharp, and the brightness was probably the best of all the phones.

Then comes the iPhone 4S. It's still one of the brightest, sharpest screens on the market, despite being released in 2010. Text looks great with a hint of anti-aliasing to soften the edges, colors are slightly understated, but natural looking, with great sharpness when content is zoomed in or out.

Very simply, the iPhone 4S screen is still one of the best in the business.

Edit: The Sony Xperia iON was a surprising sleeper in terms of displays.

utahman130 · Jul 14, 2012

I still think Retnia Display is crisper than any other display out there. Other displays come close, but I still think it is #1. I wish the Retnia Display had more Hue/Saturation and was a little brighter.

Mac.World · Jul 14, 2012

Looks pretty accurate to me.

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utahman130 said:
I still think Retnia Display is crisper than any other display out there. Other displays come close, but I still think it is #1. I wish the Retnia Display had more Hue/Saturation and was a little brighter.

No such thing as a retina display. The iphone is an lcd ips, just like the HOX, but the HOX is quite a bit bigger and still managers to match pixel density. (the difference of 15-20 pixels spread out over 1.5 inches would require a microscope to see the diffence.) Retina is just a term Apple uses.

Subjugator · Jul 14, 2012

I had the One X for awhile. I would say iphone 4/4s screen blows it away the X. Yes its nice and big, however rhe color are way over saturated to the point of being comical, and distracting.

blackhand1001 · Jul 14, 2012

Putting the galaxy nexus below the htc one s is boardline criminal. They're both pentile super amoled. The galaxy nexus is 1280x720 vs the one s pentile 960x540.

The same goes for the lumia 900 being below the titan II. The both an rgb 800x480 displays. The lumia uses super amoled+.

boomboom2 · Jul 14, 2012

The thing about the One X screen is that the images seems to be "floating" on the glass. It's definitely a beauty.

The iGentleman · Jul 14, 2012

Mine top 5 would be:

1. HTC One X
2. Galaxy S3
3. Galaxy Nexus
4. Atrix HD
5. Xperia Ion

RocketRed · Jul 14, 2012

The iGentleman said:
Mine top 5 would be:

1. HTC One X
2. Galaxy S3
3. Galaxy Nexus
4. Atrix HD
5. Xperia Ion

Mine would be

1. Docomo Sharp SH-01D
2. Sony Xperia S
3. HTC One X
4. Samsung Galaxy S3
5. Samsung Galaxy Nexus

The iGentleman · Jul 14, 2012

RocketRed said:
Mine would be

1. Docomo Sharp SH-01D
2. Sony Xperia S
3. HTC One X
4. Samsung Galaxy S3
5. Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Very intriguing list. Interesting perspective indeed. Great list.

swoosh0217 · Jul 14, 2012

Retina display is far better than the HTC One no doubt or any other competition.

Chundles · Jul 14, 2012

I'd put:

1. HTC One X/iPhone

2. Daylight

3. Anything OLED-based - they look oily and weird. Too green or too blue generally.

depths · Jul 14, 2012

blackhand1001 said:
Putting the galaxy nexus below the htc one s is boardline criminal. They're both pentile super amoled. The galaxy nexus is 1280x720 vs the one s pentile 960x540.

The same goes for the lumia 900 being below the titan II. The both an rgb 800x480 displays. The lumia uses super amoled+.

OP hates the Galaxy Nexus. I'm surprised it made the list.

RocketRed · Jul 14, 2012

The iGentleman said:
Very intriguing list. Interesting perspective indeed. Great list.

Thank you iGentleman~

I owned an SH-01D for a few months. It is a Japanese Android Phone. The screen is the most amazing I have seen on any android phone, as the screen is supplied by the makers of the phone (sharp). Too bad it's bloated with Docomo software and the Japanese Android community have yet to find a root for it.

The iGentleman · Jul 14, 2012

RocketRed said:
Thank you iGentleman~

I owned an SH-01D for a few months. It is a Japanese Android Phone. The screen is the most amazing I have seen on any android phone, as the screen is supplied by the makers of the phone (sharp). Too bad it's bloated with Docomo software and the Japanese Android community have yet to find a root for it.

That's interesting. I remember hearing about that phone a while back, but forgot about (since it's not available in the US). I like your list, because it involves more broad thinking and unconventional considerations.

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swoosh0217 said:
Retina display is far better than the HTC One no doubt or any other competition.

Sorry, but as nice as the iPhone's display is, it has been surpassed. With other screen technologies being utilized today, other phones are matching the retina display's crispness and clarity, but with a significantly larger display. Does this mean the retina display is bad? No. It just means it isn't top dog (or top 5 honestly).

Technarchy · Jul 16, 2012

All AMOLED screens are inferior to the iPhone Retina display.

The funky colors, the blue haze over everything, the dim darkness and lack of brightness.

It just doesnt make for as pleasant of viewng experience compared to LCD displays.

Dmaynard83 · Jul 16, 2012

Technarchy said:
All AMOLED screens are inferior to the iPhone Retina display.

The funky colors, the blue haze over everything, the dim darkness and lack of brightness.

It just doesnt make for as pleasant of viewng experience compared to LCD displays.

Agreed

Zaft · Jul 16, 2012

Amoled still has the annoying issue of sucking in direct light. My friends GS3 in minimal lighting looked washed out.

Technarchy · Jul 16, 2012

Zaft said:
Amoled still has the annoying issue of sucking in direct light. My friends GS3 in minimal lighting looked washed out.

Some claim AMOLED has lower glare.

I think that is completely irrelevent if visibility is shot to hell in sunlight, which was the case with my GS2, Nexus S and GNEX.

The iGentleman · Jul 16, 2012

Technarchy said:
All AMOLED screens are inferior to the iPhone Retina display.

The funky colors, the blue haze over everything, the dim darkness and lack of brightness.

It just doesnt make for as pleasant of viewng experience compared to LCD displays.

Of course this is a matter of opinion. I think the Amoled displays look better than the retina display. I'd much rather watch an HD video on the GS3, than watch the same video in standard def on the iPhone. It really just doesn't compare.

The iGentleman · Jul 16, 2012

Technarchy said:
Some claim AMOLED has lower glare.

I think that is completely irrelevent if visibility is shot to hell in sunlight, which was the case with my GS2, Nexus S and GNEX.

The sunlight argument is overblown. People act as if the screen disappears in the sunlight. The screen is visible in the sunlight. Sure an LCD panel may look a tad bit brighter in the sunlight, but not by much. I've yet to see any screen that looks excellent in direct sunlight. That said, I don't spend the majority of my time in direct sunlight, and nor does the vast majority of the population. Heck it isn't even sunny every day, so the whole direct sunlight comparison isn't nearly as important as some make it out to be. But playing devil's advocate, the amoled displays look better indoors and when not in direct sunlight.

skidbubble · Jul 16, 2012

Couldn't help but notice OP conveniently (and probably intentionally) left off "size" as one of the key bullet points. Yup, don't wanna put that on there, because that is an area where the iPhone falls short and we can't have that.

And before you try to say it isn't important, it is. Quite possibly one of the first things people notice when looking at a phone screen.

Technarchy · Jul 17, 2012

skidbubble said:
Couldn't help but notice OP conveniently (and probably intentionally) left off "size" as one of the key bullet points. Yup, don't wanna put that on there, because that is an area where the iPhone falls short and we can't have that.

And before you try to say it isn't important, it is. Quite possibly one of the first things people notice when looking at a phone screen.

Size is a factor. The One X looks great and is large. As is the Atrix HD. Notice they are 1 and 2.

However, for the rest under the iPhone 4S, bad image quality is bad image quality. Could be a 5" screen or a 77" screen. Makes no difference.

The iGentleman · Jul 17, 2012

Technarchy said:
Size is a factor. The One X looks great and is large. As is the Atrix HD. Notice they are 1 and 2.

However, for the rest under the iPhone 4S, bad image quality is bad image quality. Could be a 5" screen or a 77" screen. Makes no difference.

So then by that logic that means you'd take a 23" Samsung LED 1080p 240hz television over a 46" Vizio LCD 1080p 120hz, since it's about image quality and size makes no difference?

Savor · Jul 17, 2012

Sanders said:
The touchscreen is aptly named the Retina Display as it boasts an all-time high resolution of 960 x 640 pixels on its 3.5-inch touchscreen, which yields a record-setting image quality of 326 pixels per inch (ppi). This image quality is still unbeaten to date, although some competitors are drawing pretty close, such as Samsungs Galaxy Nexus with 1280 x 720 pixels on its 4.65-inch screen (316ppi).

The HTC Rezound from last year and Sony Xperia S are tied at 342ppi. Apple's highest density claim has already been beaten 8 months ago. The Motorola Atrix HD also matches the 326ppi of the iPhone 4/4s.

boss.king · Jul 17, 2012

The iGentleman said:
So then by that logic that means you'd take a 23" Samsung LED 1080p 240hz television over a 46" Vizio LCD 1080p 120hz, since it's about image quality and size makes no difference?

That's a pretty big jump you've made. The difference between a 3.5" and 4.8" display (with similar pixel density) is vastly different to a 23" vs 46" display (of the same resolution), to the extent that it's not really even relevant to the conversation.

What the OP is saying is that size was a factor in his decision, but a it's not the deciding factor. Image quality is important too, and I agree with him whole heartedly. What's the point of having a monster display if the image looks like crap? The iPhone display (while not the best) still offers better image quality than a large number of phones with bigger screens. They key is a balance between size and image quality.

iPhone iPhone 4/4S Retina display vs the competition

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