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Retina vs. Super Retina

macrem

macrem

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Mar 11, 2008
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Wasn’t the argument for the original Retina resolution (1334 x 750 pixels at 326 ppi) that the human eye cannot distinguish higher resolution; therefore, higher resolution [like that found in the Super Retina screen (2436x1125 pixels at 458 ppi)] would have an associated performance and battery hit with no real visual benefit? Or does LED to OLED somehow have an effect too? Obviously thanks to other improvements, the X has overall improved performance and battery life, but wouldn’t the original Retina resolution make the X even faster with offer longer battery life without us noticing a difference in resolution? I can’t say I find the X has higher resolution than my other Retina devices, but maybe because my eyes are getting older...
 
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Its called marketing, They came out with a new and improved enhancement to entice people to buy it.

As for the the retina display/human eye, that was also marketing, in that if you brought the phone closer to face you could see the pixels. They defined that if its an arms length (or something like that), you could not then see the pixels.
 
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I have to admit

The super retina was merely an incremental updates

There’s indeed very slight or minimal improvement over screen sharpness and details between the two

I know from 7 to 7 plus, the pixels are much closer and when u look close up, u know the difference was there

But from 7+ to X, unless i watch the screen very closely, I can’t really tell if there’s any difference at all

Weird is, my eyes are getting spoiled by the X and still trying to figure out what are the contributions to my conclusion

It’s very highly own humble opinions
 
tromboneaholic said:
LED to OLED does have an effect because of the way the pixels are laid out. You need higher resolution with OLED to achieve the same perceived resolution of LED.
Click to expand...

This is the correct answer.

With PenTile OLED, you lose 33% of the sub pixels.

The “Super Retina” term and higher PPI number is largely marketing. In reality, the sharpness is about the same as before.

  • LCD or “good” OLED has full RGB - each pixel has 3 subpixels (RGB)
  • Samsung/Apple PenTile OLED - each pixel has 2 subpixels (either RG or BG)
 
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jakontil said:
I have to admit

The super retina was merely an incremental updates

There’s indeed very slight or minimal improvement over screen sharpness and details between the two

I know from 7 to 7 plus, the pixels are much closer and when u look close up, u know the difference was there

But from 7+ to X, unless i watch the screen very closely, I can’t really tell if there’s any difference at all

Weird is, my eyes are getting spoiled by the X and still trying to figure out what are the contributions to my conclusion

It’s very highly own humble opinions
Click to expand...

It’s not your imagination, the actual benefits are negligible.
 
I think what they meant by Retina display is tha you can’t distinguish pixels with the human eye at the normal length that you hold your phone from your face. Which is maybe why Macbooks And iMacs have different ppi’s then iPhones and iPads but all are called retina (yes I know marketing)
[doublepost=1510500028][/doublepost]It is funny that they are calling it Super Retina. I could imagine them all in a meeting, “Phil any ideas on what we should call this new display that says it’s even better than Retina.” “Tim I got it! Super Retina!”
 
Marketing. And honestly, 326 ppi isn't that great, especially going into 2018. I can definitely see the pixels compared to higher PPI screens at arm's length or close to it.
 
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Stayfly2407 said:
Next year it’ll be called “Super Duper Retina”
Click to expand...

Apple does not change it's marketing terms that frequently.
Remember, retina display came with iPhone 4.
Before that was just standard LCD
So 7 years after using the term retina Apple changed to super retina. Personally I don't care what they are called as long as it does look good to me. The following years will be mainly minor enhancements
 
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gdjsnyder said:
You can see the pixels on the X but couldn’t on the lower-PPI 7 Plus?:eek:
Click to expand...

Not surprising.

True PPI on iPhone X is lower than 7 Plus. Basically, the marketing definition of "pixel" changed on iPhone X.
  • 1 pixel on iPhone 7 Plus = 3 sub-pixels
  • 1 pixel on iPhone X = 2 sub-pixels

Total sub-pixels
  • iPhone X = 5,481,000
  • iPhone Plus = 6,220,800

There's a reason why some people freaked out when they heard iPhone X uses PenTile OLED instead of RGB OLED like Apple Watch.
 
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gdjsnyder said:
You can see the pixels on the X but couldn’t on the lower-PPI 7 Plus?:eek:
Click to expand...
Yep, he made me laugh with that comment, too.
[doublepost=1510508910][/doublepost]
JPack said:
Not surprising.

True PPI on iPhone X is lower than 7 Plus. Basically, the marketing definition of "pixel" changed on iPhone X.
  • 1 pixel on iPhone 7 Plus = 3 sub-pixels
  • 1 pixel on iPhone X = 2 sub-pixels

Total sub-pixels
  • iPhone X = 5,481,000
  • iPhone Plus = 6,220,800

There's a reason why some people freaked out when they heard iPhone X uses PenTile OLED instead of RGB OLED like Apple Watch.
Click to expand...

A human eye cannot see the sub-pixels on a phone display. I can see them if I get close to my 55” TV but definitely not on a 5”-6” phone display.
 
macrem said:
Wasn’t the argument for the original Retina resolution (1334 x 750 pixels at 326 ppi) that the human eye cannot distinguish higher resolution; therefore, higher resolution [like that found in the Super Retina screen (2436x1125 pixels at 458 ppi)] would have an associated performance and battery hit with no real visual benefit? Or does LED to OLED somehow have an effect too? Obviously thanks to other improvements, the X has overall improved performance and battery life, but wouldn’t the original Retina resolution make the X even faster with offer longer battery life without us noticing a difference in resolution? I can’t say I find the X has higher resolution than my other Retina devices, but maybe because my eyes are getting older...
Click to expand...
I believe is that the argument applies to average human eyes, so to say, not all. Plenty of people can certainly notice a difference to one degree or another (just like plenty might not).
 
iamaydo said:
A human eye cannot see the sub-pixels on a phone display. I can see them if I get close to my 55” TV but definitely not on a 5”-6” phone display.
Click to expand...

The lower number of sub-pixels will translate to a more grainy picture. Perceived clarity will depend on the quality of your eyes.

HxD9cUM.png
 
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JPack said:
The lower number of sub-pixels will translate to a more grainy picture. Perceived clarity will depend on the quality of your eyes.

HxD9cUM.png
Click to expand...

Again, a human eye cannot zoom in that close to see individual pixels. Also, perceived clarity is not the quality of a person’s eyes, but how their brain puts together frames, colors, etc. to make a smooth picture. My eyes are 20/20 and I cannot see the pixels by holding my phone about a foot away from my eyes.

The picture you posted only proves to illustrate the sub-pixels between the 8 and X, by zooming in. Not how a human eye would see it.
 
iamaydo said:
Again, a human eye cannot zoom in that close to see individual pixels. Also, perceived clarity is not the quality of a person’s eyes, but how their brain puts together frames, colors, etc. to make a smooth picture. My eyes are 20/20 and I cannot see the pixels by holding my phone about a foot away from my eyes.

The picture you posted only proves to illustrate the sub-pixels between the 8 and X, by zooming in. Not how a human eye would see it.
Click to expand...

It can. You need to remember the “cannot discern” is at arms length.
I can easily see the pixels on my 7+ at 6”.
 
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BvizioN said:
Apple does not change it's marketing terms that frequently.
Remember, retina display came with iPhone 4.
Before that was just standard LCD
So 7 years after using the term retina Apple changed to super retina. Personally I don't care what they are called as long as it does look good to me. The following years will be mainly minor enhancements
Click to expand...

Not quite true. You skipped "Retina HD," which was used for the iPhone 6 through iPhone 8 Plus.
 
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macrem said:
Wasn’t the argument for the original Retina resolution (1334 x 750 pixels at 326 ppi) that the human eye cannot distinguish higher resolution; therefore, higher resolution [like that found in the Super Retina screen (2436x1125 pixels at 458 ppi)] would have an associated performance and battery hit with no real visual benefit? Or does LED to OLED somehow have an effect too? Obviously thanks to other improvements, the X has overall improved performance and battery life, but wouldn’t the original Retina resolution make the X even faster with offer longer battery life without us noticing a difference in resolution? I can’t say I find the X has higher resolution than my other Retina devices, but maybe because my eyes are getting older...
Click to expand...

The Super in Super Retina meant to focus on the OLEDs superior contrast ration and high dynamic range. In fact Apples own PR makes no mention of the PPI in regards to the Super Retina™ designation

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208191

The Super Retina display in iPhone X was engineered by Apple to meet our incredibly high standards. We believe this is the best OLED display that has ever shipped in a smartphone while offering the best color accuracy in the industry. The 5.8-inch Super Retina display has incredible contrast at a 1,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio, high brightness, and a cinema standard wide color gamut. Together with the best system color management, colors are precisely calibrated at all times to deliver an optimal viewing experience.

High Dynamic Range
Super Retina also features High Dynamic Range (HDR), which supports a broad range of dark and light areas in photos and video. This allows you to see from deep true blacks to pure bright whites while retaining dramatic nuances in between. Photos look more vivid, and everything you watch in Dolby Vision or HDR10 is more stunning than ever.
Click to expand...
 
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