Retina HD display

DID YOU KNOW?

Pixel density is the number of pixels in a fixed area. Resolution is the pixels over the width and height of a device

Retina HD displays

Is Apple’s invention better than its counterparts?

Intoday’sworldofsmartphonesand tablets, a top-notch display is essential to watch the latest Vine or check out Instagram updates. Since 2010 Apple’s iPads and iPhones have used a Retina display, which was considered by many to be the fi nest screen type on the market. After being upstaged by the likes of 4K and 1080p resolutions, it has now made a comeback in the form of Retina HD.

Apple claim that this new version of Retina fools the human eye into thinking that it is looking at a real object rather than a picture on a screen. This is due to the incredibly high pixel density, meaning the brain can’t distinguish between individual pixels. At 401ppi (pixels per inch) the screen of the new iPhone 6 Plus is reportedly the sharpest display available.

The Retina HD display also uses IPS (in-plane switching). This allows the LCD to be seen from a much wider range of angles than a regular screen. The downside to it is that the new display uses up a lot of precious battery and compatible apps take up much more of your device’s space. Essentially, if an image looks better under Retina HD, it will take up a whole lot more space, for better or worse. So make sure pictures of your cats are kept to a manageable amount on your new iPhone!

How do pixels work?

The golden rule is the more pixels you have, the sharper the display. Pixels are made up of red, green and blue sub-pixels and signals in a device tell each when to light up. In its Retina display, Apple uses Super High Aperture (SHA) technology, which places a layer of resin between the pixels and signal lines. The pixels are so tightly packed in this system that the resin is needed to keep everything in order.

A possible downside to Retina technology is that the more pixels you squash in, the more likely they are to cause interference with each other and affect the image. SHA helps avoid this. Apple believes that a person cannot differentiate between individual pixels from one of their Retina HD devices at a normal viewing distance – around 25 centimetres (ten inches) for an iPhone and 38 centimetres (15 inches) on an iPad.

It remains to be seen whether technology companies can keep pumping in pixels or whether a maximum level will be reached in the next few product generations.

Apple products that use Retina display technology produce images that are clear and crisp

History of the Retinadisplay

401 PPI

iPhone 6 Plus

The fi rst to contain a polarized layer to reduce refl ections

326 PPI

iPod Touch / iPhone 4, 4s, 5c, 5s, 6

Twisted nematic LCDs became IPS to reduce glare

264 PPI iPad Air

The same resolution as the iPad mini 3

227 PPI

MacBook Pro (3rd generation)

MacBook needs fewer PPI as it’sviewedfromfurtheraway

An enhanced depiction of a Retina pixel, made up of blue, green and red sub-pixels