Apple May Adopt 1704 x 960 Resolution Display for Upcoming iPhone 6

[chleuasme]

I'm not following you here, what are those numbers exactly?

The iPad Air's pixel density is a multiple of 132. I'm just saying on such an iPhone, the progression in size with the 4" is almost the same as the mini->air.

Well not only not lowering it, but also increasing it. The iPhone is falling behind Android flagships in pixel density. I don't think Apple should aim for a crazy 500PPI+ screen just to fight the Android flagships. You get diminishing returns with pixel density and at that point, the cons outweight the pros and it's more of a marketing bullet point than anything. However going in the ~400PPI range sounds reasonable.

I don't think they will force developers to accommodate it. "Unoptimized" apps will basically be the stretched-out 4" version, and IMO it's not a very big deal. There will probably be new tools for developers to make a big-iPhone-specific layout. Or Apple could just make you use separate Storyboards/XIBs as with iPhone vs iPad development.

Then the 1704x960 3x solution is only to match others' offering with higher resolution and pixel density. But brings no solution to take advantage of the larger screen. mmh....
My question was exactly about the 'new tools'.

 

[MythicFrost]

I've been saying this for ages. Though, if there's two models of iPhone coming (4.7 + 5.5) I'm not certain we'll see it on the smaller model. Or maybe we will. Maybe Apple will be happy with two smartphones with different PPIs. It's also possible the PPI at 4.7 inch will be too great.

 

[bigpics]

While 1080p would fill a tick-box of not downscaling full HD content, Apple has historically cared very little about those sorts of feature tick-boxes.

Would you really be able to tell a difference if the screen was 1080p?

Serious question: how accurate and processor/power use-intensive is downscaling 1080p content? Are noticeable artifacts introduced?

1080 is industry standard at the moment, and there are phones with 2k display just behind the corner yet apple cant even, according to these rumors, manage normal 1080 display? Apple would need to make a 2k display and leave the competition behind.

FYI/FTR: 1080p (at various horizontal factors besides 16x9) is "2K" resolution.

2160p is "4K" and 4320p is "8K"

No 1080p at least? Come on Apple get it together!

I would make the change to 1080p now. At some point developers are going to make a significant change (and deal with this pain) so now is as good a time as any.

On a 5.5" screen the minimum resolution should be 1080p in my opinion. It doesn't seem to make sense to have anything less than that.

Few are commenting on the fact if 4.7" is the 2014 target, Apple's probably looking ahead at least the possibility of a 5.5" (+/-) phablet-class device down the road, and so the 3x makes more sense for keeping devices that size "retina."

(The 5.5" could be a non-phone 4G revival of the iconic iPod name with a device better suited to run phone-scale apps than tablet apps, since I feel tablet apps would be too squished at that size) (and maybe with a super cam) (please!)

At 416 ppi, it won't matter, and will stress the SOC and battery less than 1080p.

4.7" and 5.5" devices will have more room for battery capacity.

Meanwhile, was playing around with some 16x9 pixel math FYI/FWIW:

568x320 = original iPhone (OiP)
1136x640 = 2x (OiP) = current iPhone (same "effective res" [ER] & "real estate")
1334 x 750 = 2.349 (OiP) = earlier rumor about iPhone 6
1704x960 = 3x (OiP) = putative next gen iPhone (again same ER)
1920x1080 = 3.375x (OiP) = HDTV = "2K"
2272x1280 = 4x (OiP) > HDTV < rMBA (same ER as existing iPhone)
3840x2160 = 6.76x (OiP) = "UHD" = "4K" (don't hold your breath)
7680x4320 = 13.52x (OiP) = "XUHD" = "8K" (bring plenty of oxygen tanks) (Sharp has produced a few of these in TV sizes)

Other Apple Rezes:

2048x1536 = iPad Mini/iPad Air res (2x orig. iPad res) 4:3, not 16:9
2880 by 1800 15" rMBP (16x10)
2560 by 1600 13" rMBP (16x10)

So. I'll assert "there's a chance" the iP6 will be one of the above.... :-D

Hoping for a 1080p but consistency is more important I think.

This resolution is near full HD. I'm pretty sure the difference can't be noticed. The difference between 720p and 1080p @ 4.7" is already hard too notice, let alone this faux-full HD resolution Apple is proposing.

This is true IMO. Content on a 720p Moto X looks PDG (pretty damn good).

Note: we have no idea what Apple is doing or proposing - but they haven't "proposed" anything except in internal staff meetings that we know of.

 

[xmichaelp]

2272x1280

This'll be iPhone 7 resolution I bet.

 

[217833]

We moving into 4K technology and OLED and Apple is looking at 1704 x 960 screen size resolution for iPhone 6 !!?

LOL... some of us still don't understand quite well the definition and meaning of Retina Display. Even for living room, 4K might not be necessary in some cases.

It's good for desktop displays for computers (for editing, etc...) but depending the screen size and distance, it's just a pure waste because human beings cannot see any difference.

Actually, in some case it's even worst, because the human being eye won't be able to see some of the details. Just for information, if you have a 65" TV with 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080), it will be Retina if you're sitting over 257cm (101 inches) from the TV... which is pretty much the case in a living room.

If you have a 1704 x 960 resolution on a 5.5" iPhone, it will be Retina when you hold it over 25cm (10 inches) away. So unless you want to wear your iPhone like the Google Glass.

 

[furi0usbee]

New rumors today that its gonna be 8k. Take it with a grain of salt.


/SARKASM

I actually would be so unhappy with 8k. I won't settle for anything less than 4k!

 

[bb-15]

I look my old Nexus 4, my Nexus 5 and my father iPhone 5 and I can clearly see the differences between all three screens resolutions

Fine. You have the eye sight so that you can tell the difference between higher screen resolutions by looking at a small patch of a smartphone's screen.

So by holding the phones close, you can tell the difference between;
The Nexus 5, 440 ppi,
And the iPhone 5's 326 ppi.
Most people can't (including me) but you can.
(Maybe you are looking at Asian language characters?)

* But the proposed resolution for the iPhone 6 that we are discussing is 416 ppi.
And I doubt you could tell the difference between that and the Nexus 5.

 

[nagypeter]

Retina display LOL.
For long time this is the truth

 

[juannacho]

2272x1280

Which INSANELY is actually LESS than the rumoured new resolution for the LG G3 which is meant to be getting a '2k' 2560x1440.

These 'over retina' resolutions all seem a bit needless unless we're entering a new era where our mobiles literally ARE our computers, and we simply slave larger displays, tablet screens etc. off the one device.

Which I'm all up for!

 

[jimbo1mcm]

Sir Jonny to the hardware team: " Yeah, I know it's thin, just give me as much resolution as you can with the same battery life as the Iphone 5s"

 

[zipa]

I remember when people said that 1080p was pointless on anything 32" and below...

It still is. When talking about TV's, that is.

----------

At 416 ppi, it won't matter, and will stress the SOC and battery less than 1080p.

It will. There will be 216 x 120 pixels less information visible on the screen, All FullHD-material will have to be resampled on the fly and it will not be compatible with any of the millions of apps, graphics and whatnots already designed for FullHD.

And please, 1080p is a video format, not a screen resolution.

 

[zipa]

Anyone complaining about no 1080p is just a spec-whore. 416 ppi will look exactly the same to your eyes as 1,000 ppi

No, it won't. First, the resolving power of the human eye is way more than what Apple claims. My eyesight isn't particularly good (I wear glasses), yet I have no problems seeing the "jaggedness" of the thin lines in iOS7. Second, given displays of equal size, the one with more pixels can present more data to the user. There's no way around that.

 

[MacrumoursUser]

Or, it could be that I simply want to watch 1080p videos that aren't downscaled at all. Why is that a crazy idea?

Because it's crazy.

----------

Fine. You have the eye sight so that you can tell the difference between higher screen resolutions by looking at a small patch of a smartphone's screen.

So by holding the phones close, you can tell the difference between;
The Nexus 5, 440 ppi,
And the iPhone 5's 326 ppi.
Most people can't (including me) but you can.
(Maybe you are looking at Asian language characters?)

* But the proposed resolution for the iPhone 6 that we are discussing is 416 ppi.
And I doubt you could tell the difference between that and the Nexus 5.

He can't tell. He just convinced himself he can just because he knows that one has more pixels than the other one. If you asked people to show a difference in a double blind study without giving any display specifications they wouldnt see a difference. Its just mind playing tricks thats all.

 

[Menel]

I would like it if they went for @4 instead. What would the resolution be then?

The pixel density would result in incredibly small pixels, that require a lot of battery draw for the backlight to push adequate brightness through. Among other things.

 

[Oletros]

He can't tell. He just convinced himself he can just because he knows that one has more pixels than the other one. If you asked people to show a difference in a double blind study without giving any display specifications they wouldnt see a difference. Its just mind playing tricks thats all.

Thanks for knowing better than myself that I can't see the difference between a Nexus 4 screen and a Nexus 5 screen.

 

[MacrumoursUser]

Thanks for knowing better than myself that I can't see the difference between a Nexus 4 screen and a Nexus 5 screen.

Happy to help.

 

[perealb]

You're ok about 32" TV a few feet away with 1080p resolution? Yeah, it's 70 dpi. Now, we talked about 326 dpi and you're not okay with it? Bigger epic fail.

To really understand what I meant, you have to read my response in the context of what I was replying to. The distance of what you see also matters. Technically that TV is 70 dpi but when you look at it from few feet away (where it should) the pixels become indistinguishable, therefore a retina display.

 

[DELLsFan]

Big screen - come to Papa

Bring it on. iPhone 6 will be a pivot point for me. Do I jump ship to Android for the more mature larger-screen selection of phones, or does Apple justify my faith (and investment in their music library and apps) and keep my business and money with the 5.5" model? The Galaxy Note (4) will be a compelling product - expected to release about the time they release the larger iPhone 6. Anticipated features on the Note 4 (unconfirmed):

• 
  Water-resistance

• 5.9" screen at 3480 x 2160

• 4GB RAM running on ether the Octa-core or big LITTLE 16-core processor on Exynos 64-bit chipset.

• storage capacity of up to 128 GB

• built-in fingerprint sensor

• hand writing recognition screen lock

• three-sided Youm flexible OLED display

Suffice to say: I'll sacrifice the small repertoire of iOS-specific apps I have, say goodbye to iPhone, iTunes, and take all my unlocked music and videos to the competition if I'm not impressed this fall.

 

[lolkthxbai]

The pixel density would result in incredibly small pixels, that require a lot of battery draw for the backlight to push adequate brightness through. Among other things.

Last I read, there were rumors they were looking into changing screen technologies to get the power efficiency and color reproduction up. I'm sure if anyone can figure it out, it's Apple.

 

[Tech198]

I can't see Apple having a 1920x1080 iPhone at any point so catch-up with Samsung. (imagine the text size)

It may be possible, but the resolution of 1704 x 960 for iPhone 6, i guess if start scaling up resolution too much, then by definition you would get to a point where you have a ‘non-Retina display wouldn't u ?… wouldn't be as sharp on same number of pixels. or you'd have to up the pixel count x times you increase the resolution by y times.

Thus, where really going backwards, not forwards..

how will Apple solve this ? or maybe they may just stick to their own resolutions, until they come up with something ‘mind blowing’

Apple’s always been good in that department,

 

[Nikiaf]

After watching "Game of Throne" on a 80" Sharp TV for a few months and then switching back to my 50" TV, I can say without a doubt that extra screen estate makes a difference, not resolution because both of them are 1080p and of course 50" have higher dpi, but the experience is much better with bigger screen.
So your analogy is correct on size, not resolution because 1080p won't be distinguishable from retina display at 10"-15" away just like 1080p on 80" (28dpi) and 50" (45dpi) TVs from 15" away.

You're comparing apples and oranges here. You're comparing 2 tvs that have the same resolution but differ in size. The Nexus 5 has a bigger screen but also has a much higher resolution. Yes, the DPI number makes a difference, but the higher resolution makes a difference when it comes to things like web browsing, for example.

 

[Parasprite]

You're comparing apples and oranges here. You're comparing 2 tvs that have the same resolution but differ in size. The Nexus 5 has a bigger screen but also has a much higher resolution. Yes, the DPI number makes a difference, but the higher resolution makes a difference when it comes to things like web browsing, for example.

Actually they are keeping one variable (resolution) the same while the other variable (screen size) is different. Nexus 4/5 and iPhone are much more like comparing Apples to oranges because the variables are all over the place.

This isn't to say that the whole thing isn't already a bad comparison.

 

[soulbearer]

Maybe next year

No 1080p at least? Come on Apple get it together!

Maybe next year will be 1080p, then the other smartphones have 4K resolution.

 

[Tech198]

Maybe next year will be 1080p, then the other smartphones have 4K resolution.

While you can get 4K displays, there not wildly available, and prince is still not for everyone.

I can't even imagine 4K on a phone, maybe 1080p or 720 at least. But when, and if, it does. then we know the display is too big..

No way can you get that resolution onto a 5.5-inch or even 6-inch phone. Just doesn't sound like it could even work, even if it is technically possible.

 

[soulbearer]

While you can get 4K displays, there not wildly available, and prince is still not for everyone.

I can't even imagine 4K on a phone, maybe 1080p or 720 at least. But when, and if, it does. then we know the display is too big..

No way can you get that resolution onto a 5.5-inch or even 6-inch phone. Just doesn't sound like it could even work, even if it is technically possible.

I don't mean that we currently have 4K on phones or TV, but probably when we all get 4K TV's and most of the smartphone get 2K or 4K resolution, then probably the iphone will get 1080p.