Believe the hype. The iPhone 4’s Retina Display is sharper than a pointy lime, and twice as tasty. Apple boss Steve Jobs made a big deal of the iPhone 4’s increased resolution at its launch earlier this month, and with it clasped firmly in hand, we can confidently say you should believe every word. Read on for the full skinny in this part of our iPhone 4 review.
Read the rest of our iPhone 4 review
iPhone 4 review
iPhone 4 review: New design
iPhone 4 review: HD video and iMovie
iPhone 4 review: Worth the upgrade?
iPhone 4 review: Electricpig staff opinions
iPhone 4 review: Sample photos
iPhone 4 review: Live Q&A
The iPhone 4 Retina Display has 326 pixels per inch. According to Jobs, that’s a level that makes individual dots imperceptible to the human eye. There’s still some debate surrounding that, but from our experience, holding the iPhone 4 at arms length as you would to browse the web or tap out texts, it’s an incredible experience.
The first few people we showed the iPhone 4 to asked if the display was “printed on” and we can’t blame them. With the brightness cranked up, the iPhone 4’s Retina Display looks like a sticker has been placed over the screen. Colour gradients are smooth, text is eye-poppingly sharp, and the iPhone 4’s LED backlighting makes everything leap from the screen.
The viewing angle of an iPhone 4 is just as impressive. Apple uses IPS technology to improve the wide-angle viewing of its LCD screens, and while that might seem a jumble of letters, it means the iPhone 4 looks great, no matter how you look at it. We’ve already been thankful for IPS technology using the iPhone 4 on a cramped tube, viewing it from an almost-vertical position.
A side-effect of having such a lip-smacking display is that the iPhone OS, newly christened iOS 4, seems even more polished than before. The transparent menu bar, reflective dock and rounded app icons all have a new-found clarity. After a few days using the iPhone 4, it’s impossible to look at a previous generation iPhone or iPod touch without feeling sullied and dirty.
And iOS 4 adds its Retina Display sheen to more than the interface too. Apps automatically benefit from increased resolution for text and photos, while in-app graphics are scaled up so they look no worse than on a last-generation iPhone 3GS. Those apps that’ve been updated sport even better visuals, and a surprising number of games coders and app developers have already cranked out high-res versions specifically for the iPhone 4.
Overall, it’s tricky to imagine an iPhone 4 without the Retina Display having the same appeal. It’s such a monumental leap forward in handheld clarity, and easily one of the core reasons for an Apple-flavoured upgrade.
As ever, though, seeing is believing. We urge you to stop by an Apple Store or mobile retailer, clap eyes on the iPhone 4 for yourself and compare it to your current phone’s crumbly display.
Better yet, compare it side by side with the Samsung Galaxy S, replete with a state of the art Super AMOLED screen, and you’ll see Jobs and Co are clear winners here.
Read the rest of our iPhone 4 review
iPhone 4 review
iPhone 4 review: New design
iPhone 4 review: HD video and iMovie
iPhone 4 review: Worth the upgrade?
iPhone 4 review: Electricpig staff opinions
iPhone 4 review: Sample photos
iPhone 4 review: Live Q&A
