iPhone XR Display Zoom and screen PPI

[leezz]

On my iPhone 6 when I turn on Display Zoom I can notice some fuzziness around the edge of the (now enlarged) fonts. So the font, though larger, is slightly less sharp. For this reason I do not use the Display Zoom feature on my phone. I visited an Xfinity store today and tried the Display Zoom feature on a new iPhone XR and an iPhone 7 Plus.

The XR shows the same font fuzziness as in my iPhone 6. However the font on the 7 Plus is still pin sharp when Display Zoom is turned on. I suspect this is because the 7P has a higher resolution display. Does anyone else notice this?

I also checked out an XS but that phone does not have Display Zoom feature under setting.

 

[Shadow Jolteon]

I'm guessing this may be due to iOS not re-rendering the elements on the screen at a higher PPI when zooming, keeping the image you see at the same PPI when it's zoomed in. Because of that and the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max having a PPI way above that which is discernible to us, the image still looks smooth when zoomed in. The iPhone XR and older "Retina" iPhones have a PPI just around the maximum of what we can discern, so when you zoom in an image rendered on those phones, it'll be easier to see the pixelation.

Also, if you need to zoom in regularly to view text on your iPhone, you may want to check out the Settings » Display & Brightness » Text Size options if you haven't already tried it. It can make most of the fonts displayed show up larger all around, which might make you need to use Display Zoom a bit less.

 

[NorthSeaBeach]

Text clarity on the Plus phones is better than on the Xr. It was very obvious to me after comparing my Xr with my wife's 7 Plus. The ppi difference is there and makes a difference. Anybody that tells you otherwise either has bad eyes or is not being honest about it. If that difference is important enough to you to sway you off the Xr is a different matter.

I loved everything about the Xr except for the screen. And since I read a lot on my phone, screen clarity is paramount to me. I returned my Xr and bought a second hand mint 8 Plus. Saved me a lot of money too.