Phil Schiller on iPhone XR Display: 'If You Can't See the Pixels, at Some Point the Numbers Don't Mean Anything'

[MacRumors]

Engadget's Chris Velazco recently sat down for an interview with Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller to discuss all things iPhone XR. We've rounded up some of Schiller's comments about the device below.

What the "R" stands for in iPhone XR:

I love cars and things that go fast, and R and S are both letters used to denote sport cars that are really extra special.

How the iPhone X led to the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR:

We had this technology we were working on for many years to be the future of the iPhone. It was a huge ask of the engineering team to get it to market last year, and they did. ... We knew that if we could bring that to market and it was successful very quickly after that, we needed to grow the line and make it available to more people.

Making sure the iPhone XR is still "the best phone":

If we're going to push the upper boundaries with XS and XS Max to make something the best, how do we make something that's more affordable for a larger audience? To make the overall iPhone audience even larger? What choices can we make and still make it a phone that people can hold and say, "I have the best too"?

Expanding on that:

We don't think about categories. We think the iPhone X technology and experience is something really wonderful, and we want to get it to as many people as possible, and we want to do it in a way that still makes it the best phone.

Addressing concerns about the iPhone XR's lower-resolution display:

I think the only way to judge a display is to look at it. ...

If you can't see the pixels, at some point the numbers don't mean anything. They're fairly arbitrary.

As far as the iPhone XR launching over a month after the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, Schiller simply said "this is when it's ready."

iPhone XR pre-orders began last Friday in over 50 countries. The first deliveries to customers and in-store availability will begin Friday, October 26. The colorful device starts at $749 in the United States.

Full Article: With the iPhone XR, Apple broadens its 'best'

Article Link: Phil Schiller on iPhone XR Display: 'If You Can't See the Pixels, at Some Point the Numbers Don't Mean Anything'

 

[Baymowe335]

He's right. iPad Pro 10.5 is 264PPI and looks fantastic.

 

[Zandros]

You're not wrong Phil, but I can tell you that I can in fact see the pixels on a 326 ppi display, especially when I use it in bed.

 

[sundog925]

what's PPI? i only know basic marketing ploy names like retina, super retina and liquid retina, oh my!!

 

[zorinlynx]

He's right. iPad Pro 10.5 is 264PPI and looks fantastic.

Also, the 5K iMac's display is 218PPI and you really have to get close to the screen to see pixels.

If anything, I'd rather have the lowest number of pixels needed to not see the pixels. This results in the best performance possible since the GPU is pushing less data per frame.

 

[AngerDanger]

Think the XR screen is too low-res? I managed to find an instructional guide on a particularly unstable Apple support page.

1. Firmly grasp the XR in your dominant hand.
2. Move it a little farther from your bloody face.

If you're unable to follow the instructions above, there's an Optimal iPhone XR Viewing Distance (OIXVD) spot check your friends can perform on the fly. Apparently, your pose should approximately match the illustration below:

 

[Tsuchiya]

I don't think Apple should try and go for the "more affordable" angle when it comes to a $749 phone...I mean it's technically true considering their flagship starts at $999, but still...it's $749.

 

[RogerWilco]

$749 is “affordable” ... sure Phil, whatever.

 

[yesjam]

Look at a stock iPhone display versus an aftermarket iPhone display with exact same on-paper specifications. There are massive differences. Certain things that make a display look better - e.g. contrast ratio - are virtually unquantifiable in terms of numbers (1000:1; 10,000:1, 1,000,000:1; these figures are basically meaningless in terms of their translation to observable quality). Like Schiller says, the only way to judge a screen is to look at it.

To my eyes Apple ships the best LCD screens on the market across all product lines.

 

[phr0z3n]

My iPhone 8 has the same PPI as the XR and I think it looks fine.

 

[bladerunner2000]

Great, now use the same logic with phones being thin.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Great, now use the same logic with phones being thin.

They did!

What the "R" stands for in iPhone XR:

I love cars and things that go fast, and R and S are both letters used to denote sport cars that are really extra special.

They changed the iPhone from thin to thinR.

(I'll get my coat)

 

[Whoakapi]

The whole 400/500+ PPI on smart phones is somewhat pointless.

 

[NIKKG]

He is right, once your eyes can't detect the difference, than you're just wasting extra battery life and graphics performance for no reason other than to play the specs game.

 

[Scottsoapbox]

And yet they increased the PPI for the X and XS... Apparently Apple's design team could still see the pixels.

 

[tromboneaholic]

He is right, once your eyes can't detect the difference, than you're just wasting extra battery life and graphics performance for no reason other than to play the specs game.

I'm not a huge fan of Phill, but he is right about this.

 

[thering1975]

but can ya watch even 1080p youtube on it, nope. PPI is a misleading reference when (according to macrumours text) they were discussing resolution, i cant see the pixels on my 4k tele, but i sure as hell can tell the picture quality between that and 1080p

 

[pika2000]

You're not wrong Phil, but I can tell you that I can in fact see the pixels on a 326 ppi display, especially when I use it in bed.

Unless you put the screen right in front of your eyes, that's BS.

 

[Scottsoapbox]

Great, now use the same logic with phones being thin.

If you can't see the iPhone, then it's thin enough.

 

[frou]

Retina generation N+1: We Mean It This Time!

 

[sinsin07]

$749 is “affordable” ... sure Phil, whatever.

In order for anyone to comprehend Phil’s statement on affordability you need to first enter Apple’s Reality Distortion Field.
Then it will make sense.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

$749 is “affordable” ... sure Phil, whatever.

Technically he said more affordable, not affordable. But yeah, he's a millionaire like all the other Apple execs, and financially they don't live in the real world.

 

[StellarVixen]

You're not wrong Phil, but I can tell you that I can in fact see the pixels on a 326 ppi display, especially when I use it in bed.

I can distinguish individual subpixels at 500+ PPI.

 

[Unami]

but can ya watch even 1080p youtube on it, nope. PPI is a misleading reference when (according to macrumours text) they were discussing resolution, i cant see the pixels on my 4k tele, but i sure as hell can tell the picture quality between that and 1080p

when making that comparison, do you rule out that a lot of 4k material also comes with a higher bitrate and in another color space ? personally i prefer 720p at a high bitrate to heavily compressed 1080p...

(and yes, 4k usually looks sharper, even if you can't see the individual pixels)

 

[subjonas]

As far as the iPhone XR launching over a month after the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, Schiller simply said "this is when it's ready."

Not sure he’s being totally forthcoming here.