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"The iPhone 5 doesn't have a HD Screen" - What? Can someone explain this to me?

I

iFanboy

Guest
Original poster
"The iPhone 5 does not have a HD Screen" was one of the first criticisms I saw of the iPhone 5 - closely followed by the assertion that Android phones like the GS3 and One X do, but the iPhone 5 doesn't.

I don't understand what this means? Can someone explain?

I thought the iPhone 5 had a 16:9 aspect ratio with "retina" ppi? Is this not HD? In which case, what is? What is the downside to it not being HD?

Clarification appreciated! :)
 
Maroonie

Maroonie

macrumors member
Sep 18, 2007
70
24
London
iFanboy said:
"The iPhone 5 does not have a HD Screen" was one of the first criticisms I saw of the iPhone 5 - closely followed by the assertion that Android phones like the GS3 and One X do, but the iPhone 5 doesn't.

I don't understand what this means? Can someone explain?

I thought the iPhone 5 had a 16:9 aspect ratio with "retina" ppi? Is this not HD? In which case, what is? What is the downside to it not being HD?

Clarification appreciated! :)
Click to expand...

There are two resolutions commonly classed as 'HD'

- 1280 x 720 (Low HD / 720p)

- 1920 x 1080 (High HD / 1080p)

The iPhone 5's screen (1136 x 640) falls just short of 720p so therefore isn't technically 'HD' - But still looks great :)
 
S

slrml617

macrumors member
Mar 12, 2011
32
0
iFanboy said:
"The iPhone 5 does not have a HD Screen" was one of the first criticisms I saw of the iPhone 5 - closely followed by the assertion that Android phones like the GS3 and One X do, but the iPhone 5 doesn't.

I don't understand what this means? Can someone explain?

I thought the iPhone 5 had a 16:9 aspect ratio with "retina" ppi? Is this not HD? In which case, what is? What is the downside to it not being HD?

Clarification appreciated! :)
Click to expand...

It's just a technicality

HD general refers to resolution
720p 1280x720
1080p 1920x1080

if you do some calculation

1280/720=1.777
1920/1080=1.777
1136/640=1.775

there is virtually no difference. Ignorant people are just trying to find something to criticize every little way they can
 
A

absynth

macrumors regular
Nov 8, 2009
165
43
MacDawg said:
They want the 720 as the spec, but the difference is imperceptible to the eye on that screen
Click to expand...

the difference is perceptible with larger screen sizes...the iphone 5 has a smaller screen "real estate" (total information displayed) compared to the competition.
 
Maroonie

Maroonie

macrumors member
Sep 18, 2007
70
24
London
they've basically kept the same pixel width and ppi while pushing the aspect to 16:9 instead of 4:3 - Making the screen wider would make the phone ungainly in the hand - how it feels is one of the reasons I like it. If I wanted to roll around with a plasma screen in my pocket I'd get an S3!
 
S

stuffradio

macrumors 65816
Mar 17, 2009
1,016
6
slrml617 said:
It's just a technicality

HD general refers to resolution
720p 1280x720
1080p 1920x1080

if you do some calculation

1280/720=1.777
1920/1080=1.777
1136/640=1.775

there is virtually no difference. Ignorant people are just trying to find something to criticize every little way they can
Click to expand...

Technicality or not, it's not ignorance if it's true...
 
mattopotamus

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,666
5,879
absynth said:
the difference is perceptible with larger screen sizes...the iphone 5 has a smaller screen "real estate" (total information displayed) compared to the competition.
Click to expand...

this. If we were looking at a 32" screen, I am sure we would notice....but on a 4" screen no one will be able to tell a difference.
 
DirtySocks85

DirtySocks85

macrumors 65816
Mar 12, 2009
1,441
82
Wichita, KS
absynth said:
the difference is perceptible with larger screen sizes...the iphone 5 has a smaller screen "real estate" (total information displayed) compared to the competition.
Click to expand...

Well yes, but we have to remember here that the 720p and 1080p specs have been established for MUCH larger devices, as in TV screens in excess of 40" in diameter. For a 4" screen, using this as a sticking point is ridiculous. When talking in pure terms of ppi the iPhone display is AMAZING!
 
E

ethana

macrumors 6502a
Jul 17, 2008
836
0
Seattle, WA
HD = High Definition. It's a term to describe high quality video. You often see it quoted as 720p, 1080i, or 1080p. But the term is SUBJECTIVE.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_video

Many "Fandroids" claim that the iPhone is not HD because it doesn't have 720 pixels in resolution. The "not HD" claim is NOT TRUE.

Remember, Apple uses the "Retina Display" marketing term, which really describes ppi, or pixels per inch. The iPhone has 326ppi. The reason they use the word retina is because your retina in your eye can't discern the pixels when holding the phone away from your face. This is critical, because it means that Apple DOESN'T NEED to go to 720p to get an HD quality image.... you already have an HD screen as much as it's ever going to be. Your eyes can't see any more than that.

The only way to get the 720p that is discernible that Fandroids talk about is by making the screen even bigger, beyond the 4''. But they are just quibbling about pixels... not actually what HD actually means.

Remember, 720p and 1080p are terms used to describe TV viewing from long distances... that is why they were made up. The farther away you sit from a TV, the less resolution you need on your TV. That is why new 4K TV's need to be at least 75'' for consumers to notice a different... any smaller and you wouldn't even be able to see the 4K resolution!

The term HD is really irrelevant when it comes to modern mobile devices, because most new phones have a high enough ppi. If anyone tells you otherwise from what I just said, they are uneducated.

Ethan
 
Prime85

Prime85

macrumors 6502a
Mar 1, 2012
652
0
What really matter is the PPI (pixels per inch) since that compares the resolution to the screen size. When looking at the PPI the iPhone screen is much better then the S3. Just looking at resolution is misleading.
 
Rizzm

Rizzm

macrumors 6502a
Feb 5, 2012
618
41
slrml617 said:
It's just a technicality

HD general refers to resolution
720p 1280x720
1080p 1920x1080

if you do some calculation

1280/720=1.777
1920/1080=1.777
1136/640=1.775

there is virtually no difference. Ignorant people are just trying to find something to criticize every little way they can
Click to expand...

You're only commenting on aspect ratio, which has little to do with "HD." An 18 x 10 resolution would nearly have that aspect ratio but says nothing about the definition (clarity) of the display.

To answer the OP's question the term "HD" has been popularized to mean a certain resolution of a display but this shouldn't be the case.

Similar to how the term "Full HD" has been coined for the resolution of 1920 x 1080, even though displays far surpass this resolution.

In reality the iPhone display may not be "HD" (by commonly known meaning) but it is actually much higher definition than most displays. Anyone complaining that the iPhone screen isn't "HD" is just playing semantics games.

TLDR: The iPhone screen is HD, but not "HD." Only PPI (pixels per inch) vs viewing distance matter when seeing if a display is HD.
 
T

terraphantm

macrumors 68040
Jun 27, 2009
3,814
663
Pennsylvania
sand_man said:
It's 2 pixels shy of 720p. Even Clarke Kent would have a hard time noticing the difference.

No doubt the Apple detractors will remind us at every opportunity that is it not 720p.
Click to expand...

More like 200k pixels... Or to put it another way, approximately 30% more pixels than the entire iPhone 2G/3G/3GS displays.

The iPhone 5 screen does display less information than a 720p display. Sure at 4" the difference wouldn't be perceptible (at typical viewing distances), but that's why other companies are using 4.5" and larger displays.
 
E

ethana

macrumors 6502a
Jul 17, 2008
836
0
Seattle, WA
terraphantm said:
The iPhone 5 screen does display less information than a 720p display. Sure at 4" the difference wouldn't be perceptible (at typical viewing distances), but that's why other companies are using 4.5" and larger displays.
Click to expand...

Although I agree with this, the argument against the iPhone 5 should be screen size and not about HD. I've seen many comments about HD and the iPhone 5 and it's simply misguided.
 
J

jeremyka

macrumors newbie
Jun 26, 2012
18
0
iFanboy said:
"The iPhone 5 does not have a HD Screen" was one of the first criticisms I saw of the iPhone 5 - closely followed by the assertion that Android phones like the GS3 and One X do, but the iPhone 5 doesn't.

I don't understand what this means? Can someone explain?

I thought the iPhone 5 had a 16:9 aspect ratio with "retina" ppi? Is this not HD? In which case, what is? What is the downside to it not being HD?

Clarification appreciated! :)
Click to expand...

Majority of media content (movies, etc) is optimized for one of standard resolutions (480p, 720p, 1080p, etc). It will need to be cropped or resized for non-standard display. That will result in loss of quality but I doubt the difference will be noticeable on 4" screen.
 
BoxerGT2.5

BoxerGT2.5

macrumors 68020
Jun 4, 2008
2,104
14,136
It's a technicality that people like point out as a negative about the iPhone. Much like those with iPhones hang on a difference of 10 ppi between screens. It's all petty really.
 
G

Gnobiwan

macrumors newbie
Jan 18, 2013
1
0
lulz

Prime85 said:
What really matter is the PPI (pixels per inch) since that compares the resolution to the screen size. When looking at the PPI the iPhone screen is much better then the S3. Just looking at resolution is misleading.
Click to expand...

iPhone 5 = 326 ppi
HTC Rezound = 342 ppi 720p screen
HTC Droid DNA = 440 ppi 1080p screen


I guess we see where the FruitiPhone sits.
 
vastoholic

vastoholic

macrumors 68000
Jan 28, 2009
1,957
1
Tulsa, OK
Gnobiwan said:
iPhone 5 = 326 ppi
HTC Rezound = 342 ppi 720p screen
HTC Droid DNA = 440 ppi 1080p screen


I guess we see where the FruitiPhone sits.
Click to expand...

Did you really join just to bring up an old thread and say that?

Yes, those phones have a higher PPI. Yes those phones have a larger screen. I'm glad that you prefer Android over the iPhone. But the PPI of the iPhone is just fine for viewing HD content.
 
I

irDigital0l

Guest
Dec 7, 2010
2,901
0
Retina is just a marketing term used by Apple.

Current iPhone 5 screen resolution is just under 720p with a ppi of 326.

326 is good but not the best as many phones are coming out with 1080p HD screen with ppi's as high as 400+
 
Menel

Menel

Suspended
Aug 4, 2011
6,351
1,356
ethana said:
HD = High Definition. It's a term to describe high quality video. You often see it quoted as 720p, 1080i, or 1080p. But the term is SUBJECTIVE.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_video

Many "Fandroids" claim that the iPhone is not HD because it doesn't have 720 pixels in resolution. The "not HD" claim is NOT TRUE.

Remember, Apple uses the "Retina Display" marketing term, which really describes ppi, or pixels per inch. The iPhone has 326ppi. The reason they use the word retina is because your retina in your eye can't discern the pixels when holding the phone away from your face. This is critical, because it means that Apple DOESN'T NEED to go to 720p to get an HD quality image.... you already have an HD screen as much as it's ever going to be. Your eyes can't see any more than that.

The only way to get the 720p that is discernible that Fandroids talk about is by making the screen even bigger, beyond the 4''. But they are just quibbling about pixels... not actually what HD actually means.

Remember, 720p and 1080p are terms used to describe TV viewing from long distances... that is why they were made up. The farther away you sit from a TV, the less resolution you need on your TV. That is why new 4K TV's need to be at least 75'' for consumers to notice a different... any smaller and you wouldn't even be able to see the 4K resolution!

The term HD is really irrelevant when it comes to modern mobile devices, because most new phones have a high enough ppi. If anyone tells you otherwise from what I just said, they are uneducated.

Ethan
Click to expand...
QFT

The use of PPI is much more intelligent.

720P on a 4" handset vs stretched across a 60" LCD TV is completely different.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

----------
Gnobiwan said:
iPhone 5 = 326 ppi
HTC Rezound = 342 ppi 720p screen
HTC Droid DNA = 440 ppi 1080p screen


I guess we see where the FruitiPhone sits.
Click to expand...
And. Since beyond 300ppi is imperceptible; then you're just paying for marketing fluff because they cant sell an uninteresting phone otherwise.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2
 
bonskovsky

bonskovsky

macrumors 6502
Dec 31, 2012
453
2
I could tell the iPhone's screen was not HD, even with the MacBook Pro, the retina resolution could be much better. I mean even my Dell laptop had better resolution.

They say we don't notice the difference on a 4 inch screen, but we do. I mean even the Nokia Lumia had a better resolution and you could tell.

It's just like how Apple calls their cameras Eye Sight but there is no eyes in the camera.

And it really disappoints me because I thought retina was enought to was 4K (more HD than an HDTV) but it can't, let alone play 720.

:(
 
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