MBPr screen not as good as iPad 4/iPhone 5?

[washburn]

The retina screens on those devices just seem more vivid, responsive, crisp and more pleasant to use plus they look really nice behind the glass…

The screen on the MBPr just seems a bit dull/dim and has this murky feel to it…
Its like its unfinished and not refined enough…

do you think it would have been better if it was behind a glass like on the iPad etc? Sharp has teamed up with corning for that new IGZO monitor to use a glass, I think Apple should have done this also.

 

[MacKid]

Short answer: It's easier to backlight a smaller screen, and design-wise, you're willing to accept more robust screen components in tablets/phones because their thickness is "hidden" in the body of the device, unlike that of a laptop.

Shortest answer: Yes, the screens on mobile devices are better than the screens on laptops.

Also note that the PPI on the rMBP is much lower than on the iPhone and the iPad, with the idea being that as you interact with a device from further away, pixels can be larger and still create that "Retina" effect. And it's cheaper. =)