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All iPads Is it possible that in the future the screen resolution will improve?

Perene

Perene

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 29, 2015
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Netherealm
I mean in the 11' and smaller iPADs

The new IPP 11 for example

Has 1668 x 2388 pixels (~265 ppi density)

Could Apple change this to a 4K resolution and also increase ppi or it's impossible with a screen of this size?

I am not asking in terms of what a future iPAD might have

Only if (technologically speaking) this is feasible.
 
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Of course it is possible. They probably won't until micro LED and when they can keep the same battery life with the increased resolution.
 
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Lobwedgephil said:
Of course it is possible. They probably won't until micro LED and when they can keep the same battery life with the increased resolution.
Click to expand...
Wait, do we have 4K tablets out there? I thought a 4K resolution was impossible due to how small the screen actually is. Does that mean Apple could have delivered a much better image than what we have today, and only the battery is what's preventing them?

If that's the case then I was right to wait at least 3-4 years between replacing my current devices.
 
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They can't just adopt a "name brand" resolution like 4K (3840x2160) because a) it's too wide - iPad is not a 16:9 device and b) a new resolution generally needs to be an exact multiple of a previous resolution for Apple's UI scaling approach to work well.
 
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frou said:
They can't just adopt a "name brand" resolution like 4K (3840x2160) because a) it's too wide - iPad is not a 16:9 device and b) a new resolution generally needs to be an exact multiple of a previous resolution for Apple's UI scaling approach to work well.
Click to expand...
If they want to mantain a 4:3 AR then the resolution can be 3840 x 2880...

5K resolution is 5120 x 2880 (16:9).
 
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I would say it's practically guaranteed.

The iPad follows in the iPhone's footsteps, which with the implementation of OLED uses 3x scaling.

Provided there are no further aspect ratio changes by Apple on the iPad lineup :rolleyes:, the likely new resolutions will be

11" iPad Pro - 3582 x 2502.
12.9" iPad Pro - 4098 x 3072.

Interestingly enough, that means the 12.9" iPad Pro fully subsumes the 4k UHD resolution of 4096 x 2160.
 
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This discussion seem to suggest we will never have 4K tablets:

https://www.quora.com/When-will-we-have-tablets-with-4K-displays

One thing we should note is that since the 1st iPAD release in 2010 the screen resolution remains the same, with a few technological improvements (such as low reflectance), but not the default resolution. What is always improving is the camera, which in the new iPAD Pros is now capable of 4K@60fps, against the 2017 iPP which could only record 4K at 30 fps.

Here's what the quote says:

*********
We won't.

There is a big difference between pixel resolution and pixel numbers. 4k TV's are about pixel numbers, what's needed on tablets is density.

TV's talk about the total numbers of pixels or lines, for a few reasons.

- There are more variables, TV's can be bigger or smaller, people may want to sit closer or further away. Having the number of pixels or lines set allows people to make comparisons across different models and makes in a meaningful way, i.e HD or SD or 4K.

- TV's take broadcast signals in this set quality or resolution, we get HD channels, SD channels etc, there would be no point making a device that has better resolution than channels can make.

And when TV's get bigger, it becomes more important to have more pixels because each pixel becomes larger. Above 32 inch for example HD TV makes a difference, below it, not so much. Again about about 70 inches, people can start to see pixels.

Tablets (and phones) by definition are a relatively set size so people talk about the need for a certain density of pixels in order to be able to see tiny things. After all a piece of font or a line on a page is not a size set by a broadcaster using a camera, it's set by the computer program you are using, which if it wanted to, could create almost infinitely small items...

However past a certain density the pixels become so small we can't see them.

Apple by calling it Retina is pretty much describing what they view to be the smallest pixel size that counts, given a likely viewing distance

The iPhone Retina display is 326 pixels per inch, the iPad's is 264, the MacBook Pro's is 220.

In total, of these devices have about 730,00 , 3.1m & 5.2m pixels in total.

In contrast, 4K TV is about 3840 × 2160 pixels, so a total of 8.3m pixels.

A 4K Tablet would just have pixels so small, that it's pointless.

*********
 
Newtons Apple said:
I am pretty happy with what it is today. More resolution will need more CPU power or it will slow down the device. That would require more power.
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Yeah I don’t understand the obsession with PPI on devices. Sure, the iPhone XS screen is sharper on paper, however I don’t feel like I am using THAT inferior of a display on any of my (including 3) pixel dense iPads.
 
Would 4k in any of the current iPads make a difference? No, the diminishing return is so small that it’s pointless. Retina is plenty and will stay at around 264 ppi. 4k makes sense in a TV or monitor, where the ppi will still be lower than on iPad despite the 4k resolution.

Also 4k works with 16.9 display. And its 3840X2160.
How about a wide screen monitor 3840X1080p? Is it still 4k or is it 1080p? Or both?
And what about a 3.2 display with a 2160p panel? (double 1080p)
My Surface Book 2 15in is 3240X2160, is it 4k? Is it more 4k than the 1080p monitor above?

Maybe people should stop drinking the 4k marketing and talk about ppi instead….
 
I doubt your eyes could see it TBH, its just a numbers game on such a small screen, unless you want an 80 inch ipad.
 
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