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

[Xenomorph]

Well, I know that with my old-man eyes, I can definitely see a difference between the 326 ppi iPhone models and the 401/458 ppi iPhone models.

326 ppi isn't bad, per se, it just isn't as sharp as 401/458 ppi.

That being said, I cannot tell a difference between 401 and 458 ppi. The both look just as sharp as each other.


I'd still like it if the iPhone XR had been 401 ppi like the Plus models, and it had 3D Touch.

 

[TehFalcon]

The issue isn't if near 720p is usable on a 6.1" display but the pricing at $750 starting when other 720p devices start around $50.

If Apple sold TVs, they'd market you a 720p LCD TV at 4K OLED prices and tell you the resolution doesn't matter if you sit back far enough.

Those $50 720p android phones have generally pretty bad display, let alone the specifications of the rest of the devices. You are paying for a way better phone. Not quite a fair comparison.

We haven't had a problem with 326dpi before, why now? I'll have my XR Friday to go along with my XS Max and I can guarantee that I won't mind the screen, my second phone right now is a 7 which also has the 326dpi display. People are ridiculous.

 

[garoto]

Macrumors Ignoring the lack of 3D Touch... again.

 

[TehFalcon]

Macrumors Ignoring the lack of 3D Touch... again.

This is the only kind of frustrating thing missing from the XR, the rest of the complaints are a non-issue that people are overreacting about.

 

[GoodWheaties]

I'm don't want to pull a "you're holding it wrong" here but it really sounds like you're holding the device way too close to your eyes if you're seeing individual pixels on a 326 PPI display.

Sure, but when one doesn’t have their contacts in or glasses on, then you have to hold it closer to see anything. Such as in bed like he mentioned. I do the same thing.

 

[kazmac]

They did!


They changed the iPhone from thin to thinR.

(I'll get my coat)

 

[Feyl]

It's funny that people were blown away by the same PPI when iPhone 4 came out and now they see pixels. iPads and Macs have displays with much lower PPI and nobody's complaining about that.

 

[Jimmy James]

I knew it but I was thinking motorcycles instead of cars. Instead of future “s” models we’ll have the XRR.

 

[dk001]

Well, I know that with my old-man eyes, I can definitely see a difference between the 326 ppi iPhone models and the 401/458 ppi iPhone models.

326 ppi isn't bad, per se, it just isn't as sharp as 401/458 ppi.

That being said, I cannot tell a difference between 401 and 458 ppi. The both look just as sharp as each other.


I'd still like it if the iPhone XR had been 401 ppi like the Plus models, and it had 3D Touch.

Add to that, I have a Razer and it's LCD screen (5.7-inch 120 Hz Ultramotion IGZO IPS LCD display (513ppi)) makes the 8+ screen look sad.
It is much more than just the ppi. But that does help.
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It's funny that people were blown away by the same PPI when iPhone 4 came out and now they see pixels. iPads and Macs have displays with much lower PPI and nobody's complaining about that.

Been able to see them since day 1.
Still, it is what people get used to and what they come to expect.

 

[tipoo]

I'm staring at my iPhone 7 at the same PPI as this and I'm frankly baffled. I don't have superhuman eyes, just normal decent 27 year old eyes, and the jaggies around text and round objects are very clear to me at a comfortable distance. Look at a notification dot. I'd be shocked if anyone with normal vision couldn't tell that's not a perfect circle.

I've had people flat tell me I was lying about this on the internet, but it's in front of me, I can see it right now...


Anyways, had beyond 326PPI not mattered, why do the Plus at 400 and the X both look so much sharper? Particularly the X does, since it doesn't have to downscale from 3x to 2x like the Plus.

 

[Techwatcher]

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

So this is where we’re at now huh, lol

 

[Khedron]

For the tech inside, it is...it's a bargain too.

Think about your smartphone. You take it wherever you go. It replaces your every day camera. It replaces your music player. Your alarm. Your web browser. You watch videos. You shop. You order things. You get support and software updates. You use it more than any device you own. You can use it for years. Is $749 really that expensive when it's such a useful device?

We pay $400 for blenders in America.

Why are you comparing iPhones to blenders and not $500 smartphones that do most of the things just as well and many things even better?

 

[clauzzz203]

I can distinguish individual subpixels at 500+ PPI.

I can also feel processor cycles under 2GHz

 

[Khedron]

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.

The GPU is having to interpolate every single frame to the iPhone's non-standard dimensions rather than just display it at a native 1080p.

 

[ChrisMoBro]

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

Only if you’re close enough. If you’re sat over a certain distance (it’s less than you think) then the human eye can’t tell the difference

 

[clauzzz203]

Everybody is ignoring that, due to OLED having half precision on 2 out of 3 red-green-blue colours, the iPhone X and XS have a real world resolution somewhere 70% of the paper spec one, so basically the same as XR and every other iPhone since 6.

 

[Khedron]

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.

When watching video the GPU is having to interpolate every single frame to the iPhone's non-standard dimensions rather than just display it at a native 1080p.

 

[Zaft]

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

It’s fine until you use a display that has a higher resolution.

 

[Baymowe335]

Why are you comparing iPhones to blenders and not $500 smartphones that do most of the things just as well and many things even better?

The $500 smartphones that compare with iPhone? Where?

The top flagship Androids are all over $800 and the Xr is $750. It runs iOS and has Apple security and support. Those are enough for me to not even consider Android.

 

[Khedron]

Not talking about the notch, look at the chins on the bottom of all these Android phones. The iPhone X/XS/XR is a far better way of making a "near" edge to edge display.

No it isn't IMO. A small chin helps with holding the phone, and with swiping up from the bottom.

What's the point of reducing the chin if you then have to make your interface like this?

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The $500 smartphones that compare with iPhone? Where?

The top flagship Androids are all over $800 and the Xr is $750. It runs iOS and has Apple security and support. Those are enough for me to not even consider Android.

The XR isn't a flagship. It's a mid-tier phone.

 

[Sadman88]

If Apple does a VR headset it’ll probably be a standalone one because clipping the XR would be awful if it was something like Google Daydream or Gear VR.

 

[Zaft]

No it isn't IMO. A small chin helps with holding the phone, and with swiping up from the bottom.

What's the point of reducing the chin if you then have to make your interface like this?

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The XR isn't a flagship. It's a mid-tier phone.

The keyboard needs to be raised for comfortable typing. That’s really the only place where there is dead space, and it’s for a good reason.

 

[[AUT] Thomas]

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

Especially when it's PenTile.
Frankly, that's among the first things I noted on the XS Max. Superb screen, but even at those high PPI I somehow noticed the PenTile -especially at grey background vertial lines looked slightly frayed. Had to think of the first Galaxy Note that I owned as launch customer (400bucks launch price at the time!). The PenTile performs excellent on pictures and other graphics, but straight lines, especially horizontal or vertical, lack sharpness.
What once has been seen can not be unseen and it bothers me even on an XS (Max). Looking forward to the XR.

 

[MacLoveMacHate]

Every Apple interview: "We’re right, you’re wrong."

 

[nutmac]

iPhone XR's screen size and pixel density are no accident.

Screen points:

• iPhone XR, XS Max: 414 by 896
• iPhone 8 Plus: 414 by 736

Pixen density (pixels per inch):

• iPhone XS Max: 458 (green pixels), 324 (blue and red pixels)
• iPhone XR: 326
• iPhone 8 Plus: 401
• iPhone 8: 326

Point to pixel scaling:

• iPhone XS Max: 3x
• iPhone XR: 2x
• iPhone 8 Plus: 3x then downsampled by 1.15
• iPhone 8: 2x

If anything, iPhone 8 Plus is the oddball here. I am not sure why Apple chose not to go either full 3x at 1242 by 2208 (instead of downsampling to 1080 by 1920) or go 2x at (828 by 1472).