Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad Pro When will there be an Ultra-Retina/Higher Res iPad Pro?
- Thread starter rhyzome
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
ericwn
macrumors G5
Viewing distance is usually further away with tablets - rendering higher resolutions useless.
Curious why you'd want one. The idea of the existing "Retina" screens is that they got the pixels so small that they can't be individually identified. What does making the pixels smaller accomplish? I can't think of any pros, but I can think of some cons like higher price, worse performance, and decreased battery life.
Now if you're asking for a larger screen than the 12.9" (and, with it, higher resolution to provide more screen real estate at the same pixels per inch), then that could happen in the future.
Now if you're asking for a larger screen than the 12.9" (and, with it, higher resolution to provide more screen real estate at the same pixels per inch), then that could happen in the future.
AutomaticApple
Suspended
aevan
macrumors 601
Not anytime soon. The cost in terms of battery life and performance do not justify the benefits. Also, keep in mind that iPhone 11 Pro has an OLED display with pentile structure, it needs a higher ppi to look good.
Really, why do you need a higher ppi? The image quality is great.
Really, why do you need a higher ppi? The image quality is great.
Meh...maybe I have unusually good eyes, but I think the current resolution is just OK. I can see the pixels, particularly with text/websites and small print a lot. Better resolution would make reading a much better experience. I think iPhone 11 Pro resolution/ppi on the iPad Pro (11 inch) would be just perfect.
In the past Apple brought Retina from smaller devices to larger ones. I imagine back then battery life, cost, etc were obstacles. There was also a great recession just like there's a pandemic recession now. But Apple overcame all that. I don't see why this time is any different...
Hmm...maybe you're right. I just checked Apple's Tech Specs pages for both the iPad Pro 11 and the iPhone 11 Pro and there *is* a significant difference between the PPI numbers (264 PPI for the iPad, 458 PPI for the iPhone), which surprises me. One would think that if Apple didn't think there was *some* value in going from 264 to 458, they would save themselves (and consumers) some amount of money and battery life by using a lower-res screen on the iPhone.
Although it's also possible that a significant factor is just for them to use it as a marketing advantage when comparing against Android phones, for example.
Still, I'm looking at my older 9.7" iPad Pro (also 264 PPI) right now, and I have good near-vision and I really can't make out any pixels. Fonts look razor-sharp to me.
Last edited:
458 PPI on OLED pentile is more like 300’ish PPI on an RGB display. It’s still very good, but PPI between the two display technologies isn’t a direct comparison.
264 PPI on a tablet display is extremely high/good at the expected viewing distances. One wonders how close the OP is viewing the screen to be worried about the PPI.