All iPads Images look crisper in the Retina Mini than iPad Air

[ohenriquez]

Dear members

I am considering an iPad Air but I have read in few websites that images and text would look more "crisp" in the Mini Retina since it contains more pixels per inch due to the fact that the pixels are crammed in a smaller size of display.(264 vs 324 PPI)
I wonder if any of you may know that whether that technical difference will be discernible to the human eye and text, websites and images such videos and photos will look better in the Mini Retina?

I wonder if you have had the experience and compared between tablets of similar screen resolutions (264 vs 324)

 

[SamuraiMinis]

The retina screen is more then adequate on the full sized iPad. The mini retina will look even crisper if its less then a foot from your face, but with the air you have more screen real-estate with still a great screen. It is up to you

 

[rovex]

I put the iPhone and retina ipad at equal distance can barely notice a difference.

The iPhone and mini having the same ppi, unless I'm mistaken.

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

The perceived resolution will all depend on how close you hold the device to your eyes. Generally you hold smaller devices closer to your eyes as the information on the screen is smaller, which offsets the increased pixels-per-inch of the device. So you probably will not notice a difference between the mini and Air in day-to-day use.

 

[ohenriquez]

Thanks

These are the very helpful responses that cannot be found in websites. It makes sense to me
I am inclined to the air as I am constantly resizing the screen

 

[Icaras]

The retina screen is more then adequate on the full sized iPad. The mini retina will look even crisper if its less then a foot from your face, but with the air you have more screen real-estate with still a great screen. It is up to you

You don't have a single more pixel of screen real-estate on the Air over the mini. Both have identical resolutions.

 

[SamuraiMinis]

You don't have a single more pixel of screen real-estate on the Air over the mini. Both have identical resolutions.

If I'm not mistaken, resolution in this case is the density/PPI. When I said more screen real-estate i was referring to the dimensions. Sure you have the same PPI, but the actual size is bigger on the Air up & down & side to side. Retina mini 7.9 inches diagonally. iPad Air 9.7 inches diagonally.

Sorry if I confused you about pixels vs actual tapping area of the display!

 

[ZBoater]

Ummmmm, I mean, if they are both "retina", it means they both are at the point where they human eye can't tell the difference, correct? Sooooooo, I'm thinking, ummmm, that this is a ppi "mine is bigger (or more dense) than yours" discussion.

Which is faster than me, a speeding bullet or a race car? Errr, I mean, both, and to the point where the whole discussion is kinda pointless?

 

[springsup]

The perceived resolution will all depend on how close you hold the device to your eyes. Generally you hold smaller devices closer to your eyes as the information on the screen is smaller, which offsets the increased pixels-per-inch of the device. So you probably will not notice a difference between the mini and Air in day-to-day use.

This.

The iPad Air has the same PPI as all other Retina iPads.

The iPad Mini Retina has the same PPI as an iPhone/iPod Touch.

Where PPI = 'crispness'. Look at a current iPad vs. an iPhone, that's what you'll be seeing.

 

[zbarvian]

As others have stated, the Mini will be significantly sharper, but only at a close distance of about a foot or less. At 1.5 feet or more, you probably won't be able to tell the difference between them.

 

[Buckster]

Resolution/PPI is plenty on both

is there a chance the display on the new Mini has better "other " display properties though - as its an all new screen

I'm thinking black levels, accuracy etc ? or could it in those respects be "cheaper" than the Air - I guess no-one will know till reviews come out

 

[Eth123]

Ummmmm, I mean, if they are both "retina", it means they both are at the point where they human eye can't tell the difference, correct? Sooooooo, I'm thinking, ummmm, that this is a ppi "mine is bigger (or more dense) than yours" discussion.

Which is faster than me, a speeding bullet or a race car? Errr, I mean, both, and to the point where the whole discussion is kinda pointless?

This is where I think people get the retina bit wrong.
Retina was released for iphone 4. It had a ppi where the text was extremely sharp and definitely retina as per Apples definition.

However it would seem that after the iphone 4 apple used the retina brand simply to mean HD. The full size ipad is definitely not retina as I can see that the text isnt sharp. Yes it is sharper but not sharp enough to remove the blur/pixels that is still obvious with the ipad 3 and 4.

The situation is the same with the retina macbook pros. The screen is still blurry/pixelated with regards to text and is far from true retina.

To my eyes a ppi of over around 300 is needed before everything is sharp. The high end smartphones, retina mini, nexus 7 2013, Nexus 10 and Note 10.1 2013 have true retina level screen whilst the air does not.

 

[rui no onna]

However it would seem that after the iphone 4 apple used the retina brand simply to mean HD. The full size ipad is definitely not retina as I can see that the text isnt sharp. Yes it is sharper but not sharp enough to remove the blur/pixels that is still obvious with the ipad 3 and 4.

The situation is the same with the retina macbook pros. The screen is still blurry/pixelated with regards to text and is far from true retina.

Not exactly. Apple justifies the 9.7" iPad and rMBP as retina based on viewing distance. Theoretically, you'll be viewing the iPad or rMBP farther than you would an iPhone so individual pixels are not noticeable despite the lower PPI. Of course, not everyone's eyesight is the same so the threshold for each person is different.

You likely just have really good eyesight (at least as far as near vision is concerned).

 

[HKPDW]

"Retina" is a marketing gimmick. Just compare the screen resolution of the iPhone 5 to that of the ipad 4. Anything less than 300 PPI will look pixelated at any distance (unless you're blind).

 

[Southernboyj]

I wouldn't let PPI be your buying factor.

My Galaxy S4 clocks in at 441 PPI, yet my iPad 3's display still looks amazing sharp to me.

 

[Rogifan]

"Retina" is a marketing gimmick. Just compare the screen resolution of the iPhone 5 to that of the ipad 4. Anything less than 300 PPI will look pixelated at any distance (unless you're blind).

I guess I'm blind then because my 3rd gen iPad looks incredibly sharp to me.

 

[robertpetry]

"Retina" is a marketing gimmick. Just compare the screen resolution of the iPhone 5 to that of the ipad 4. Anything less than 300 PPI will look pixelated at any distance (unless you're blind).

Total BS.

At a typical viewing distance very few people could see pixels. Very few. Now if you hold the iPad 10 inches from your face some things might be slightly fuzzy to some people. Maybe you are one of them.

But to say "Anything less than 300 PPI will look pixelated at any distance (unless you're blind)" is ridiculous nonsense.

 

[rui no onna]

"Retina" is a marketing gimmick. Just compare the screen resolution of the iPhone 5 to that of the ipad 4. Anything less than 300 PPI will look pixelated at any distance (unless you're blind).

So I'm guessing you can see pixelation on a 40+" 1080p HDTV sitting 12' away on the couch?

Also, Apple's definition of retina is based on 20/20 vision. Some folks have 20/15 or 20/10 so for them, resolution needs to be higher.

 

[TJ61]

"Retina" is a marketing gimmick. Just compare the screen resolution of the iPhone 5 to that of the ipad 4. Anything less than 300 PPI will look pixelated at any distance (unless you're blind).

Even two headlights will look like one when the oncoming car is sufficiently far away. And that's waaay less than 300ppi.

The term "retina" can be misused/misunderstood and therefore may seem like a marketing gimmick, but the basic concept is pretty straightforward.

 

[HKPDW]

Total BS.

At a typical viewing distance very few people could see pixels. Very few. Now if you hold the iPad 10 inches from your face some things might be slightly fuzzy to some people. Maybe you are one of them.

But to say "Anything less than 300 PPI will look pixelated at any distance (unless you're blind)" is ridiculous nonsense.

I pulled up Amazon's home page on an iPad 4 at Best Buy and it looked like I was playing a game of Minecraft. Got worse when I zoomed in...

On my iphone 5, there's no pixelation at all.

I encourage the op to check it out before he/she buys.

 

[rui no onna]

I pulled up Amazon's home page on an iPad 4 at Best Buy and it looked like I was playing a game of Minecraft. Got worse when I zoomed in...

On my iphone 5, there's no pixelation at all.

I encourage the op to check it out before he/she buys.

It's not the iPad's fault that Amazon uses low resolution images. Also, how did you zoom? Obviously, if you zoom so the image or text completely fills up the iPhone 5's 4" screen and the iPad 3/4's 9.7" screen, the iPad will look more pixelated. However, if you zoom so that the object is the same physical size on both the iPhone and iPad, pixelation would be more or less similar.

Just tried Amazon's full website on my iPhone and iPad and zoomed images look pixelated on both. No amount of PPI is going to solve the issue there since it's the source image that's the problem. Text is just ever so slightly smoother on the iPhone but unless I stare at the iPad too long, jaggies aren't really that noticeable.

 

[surjavarman]

I don't believe this statement. I can't even see the difference between my retina mbp and my iphone 5. Yet the mbp has a significant lower ppi.

 

[ZBoater]

I guess I'm blind then because my 3rd gen iPad looks incredibly sharp to me.

+1 for another blind guy. To say the iPad 4 is not really retina is crazy. But to each his own. If your superhuman eyes need 300+ ppi to not see pixels! then guess what? There's an iPad for that!

 

[Kauai]

I pulled up Amazon's home page on an iPad 4 at Best Buy and it looked like I was playing a game of Minecraft. Got worse when I zoomed in...

On my iphone 5, there's no pixelation at all.

I encourage the op to check it out before he/she buys.

You're ridiculous dude.

 

[JobsGang]

I pulled up Amazon's home page on an iPad 4 at Best Buy and it looked like I was playing a game of Minecraft. Got worse when I zoomed in...

On my iphone 5, there's no pixelation at all.

I encourage the op to check it out before he/she buys.

ridiculous.