High resolution display, can you tell the difference?

[jjboy]

Can you tell the difference between a low dpi display (say <120 dpi) and a “retina” display (say > 240 dpi). I am not only referring to Apple products but to all the high resolution displays that came out in the last year.

An easy way to find out if you can tell the difference is to take a look at the screen of the New IPAD and the IPAD 2. My limited anecdotal experience tells me that most people can’t immediately tell the difference. Some even claim they see absolutely no difference.

I personally can see the difference 2 feet away. Granted I have slightly average vision (20/15), but I think most people with normal vision should be able to see the difference if they know where to look

[balance]

It should in theory look bit sharper but i can't tell either but i do hate glossy screen...

[ppl4golf]

It's all about what you are displaying.
In landscape mode using safari, there is no difference; in portrait mode the difference is obvious.

[MkmBandit]

I think the quality of the panel matters more then resolution in most cases. I have nothing to say when it comes to tablets/handsets but when it comes to desktop displays, for example, it's really hard to tell the difference between 1080p on a 23" display and 1080p on a 27" display. Anything larger and the lack of pixel density becomes more apparent. I have an easier time discerning an IPS panel from a TFT panel, even at the same res. 20/20.

[Kinki]

I can tell right away, when the two are side by side (text). Surprisingly one of my co-worker couldn't tell no matter how I point out the difference. But I assume it's his less then perfect vision.

[Jucius Maximus]

For a while, I was working on contract at a customer and they gave me a laptop with a 1366 x 768 screen. This is after years of working at another office with 2 x 1280x1024 LCD panels.

Let's just say it was like being in a prison cell with a tiny window, sized 1366 x 768. :eek:

[jjboy]

I can tell right away, when the two are side by side (text). Surprisingly one of my co-worker couldn't tell no matter how I point out the difference. But I assume it's his less then perfect vision.

As we age our visions get worse. Even wearing the correct prescription doesn't mean you can get "normal" vision. Is your coworker an older person?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_acuity

For me it's quite obvious even when its not side by side. Just focus on a character and see if you can see a pixel. Also English texts are not as obvious as Arabic or Chinese characters.

I think the quality of the panel matters more then resolution in most cases.

If your eyes are sensitive to color and contrast a better panel makes a big difference. I am actually using a Dell 27" SIPS panel at home with a very low PPI (<100)
It looks fine to me because the monitor is placed very far from me.:D

[kingofwale]

Can you tell the difference between a low dpi display (say <120 dpi) and a “retina” display (say > 240 dpi). I am not only referring to Apple products but to all the high resolution displays that came out in the last year.

An easy way to find out if you can tell the difference is to take a look at the screen of the New IPAD and the IPAD 2. My limited anecdotal experience tells me that most people can’t immediately tell the difference. Some even claim they see absolutely no difference.

I personally can see the difference 2 feet away. Granted I have slightly average vision (20/15), but I think most people with normal vision should be able to see the difference if they know where to look

can i tell? hell yes.

Is it useful?? Hell no.

Yes, I would love to have super-speed cable i.e. Thunderbolt. but have I used it even once on my MBP??? Well, maybe I am just not ready to fork over 500 dollars for an external harddrive yet.

[aviador]

Yup.

The difference is notorious in pdf and ps documents, specially it they contain super- and sub-indexes and symbols and charts with many curves.

Also, in drawings and 3D designs (oblique lines aren't jagged, for example) and embedded symbols and text are neater to read.

In programming IDEs and CAD/CAM/CAE environments, the icons are easier to distinguish and more toolboxes can be opened simultaneously. More programming lines can be displayed, bigger areas of the model can be displayed in detail without need for zooming.

In graphics processing, the images are less grainy and better defined, with more detail.

The list is pretty long. I have just included some examples.

Why is it that most people prefer a 1080p monitor over a VGA one, can you tell the difference?

Why do you prefer a 20 megapixels photo camera to a 1 megapixels one, can you tell the difference?

Isn't it obvious?

Regarding computer monitors with Retina resolution the problem is not that people are unable to tell the difference, the problem is that the content is still designed for lower resolution displays (characters and images, etc.) As high resolution content become more popular the differences will become more obvious.

[ShadowVlican]

i can tell the differences easily

it's night and day when comparing the iphone 3gs with the iphone 4.... and the ipad 2 with the new ipad

i'd expect the same when desktop lcd displays catch up

[LeeBear]

For a while, I was working on contract at a customer and they gave me a laptop with a 1366 x 768 screen. This is after years of working at another office with 2 x 1280x1024 LCD panels.

Let's just say it was like being in a prison cell with a tiny window, sized 1366 x 768. :eek:

We use to have 19" (1280x1024) monitors at my work, half the people there would be running them at 1024x768. I tried to explain to them that if you don't run at the native resolution the image will look blurry and distorted. I even put two monitors side by side to show them the difference and all they can tell is "the text and icons are smaller". Since then I've replaced most of the 19" with 23" and 24" 1080p widescreen monitors... sadly a few of the people are running them at 1024x768. For most people on this forum a high res display would be easy to spot but I would say for the majority of people (your mom and grandmas) they wouldn't know 1920x1080 from 1024x768, IPS from TN, they will know things like size... this screen is bigger then that one, etc.

-LeeBear

[aviador]

Most people change the resolution from high to low not because they don't see a deterioration in image and display quality but because the characters at higher resolutions appear smaller by default in some computers, and the other way around in lower resolutions. These people change their display resolution to a lower one where the same default size for characters makes them appear be bigger and easier to read (more marked issue for older people as vision deteriorates with age.) At 96 dpi standard font size, in a 1080p resolution display the characters might seem small to some people, at 768p characters seem larger. These people can just adjust the default character size in Windows (font size DPI settings) but they probably don't know how to adjust the default font size and just change the monitor's resolution to get bigger fonts (this somehow have the same effect but at the same time deteriorates the display useful real state and the image quality.)


We use to have 19" (1280x1024) monitors at my work, half the people there would be running them at 1024x768. I tried to explain to them that if you don't run at the native resolution the image will look blurry and distorted. I even put two monitors side by side to show them the difference and all they can tell is "the text and icons are smaller". Since then I've replaced most of the 19" with 23" and 24" 1080p widescreen monitors... sadly a few of the people are running them at 1024x768. For most people on this forum a high res display would be easy to spot but I would say for the majority of people (your mom and grandmas) they wouldn't know 1920x1080 from 1024x768, IPS from TN, they will know things like size... this screen is bigger then that one, etc.

-LeeBear

[hugh_da_man]

resolution matters to me but pixel density doesn't really...especially in laptops and computer monitors that are far away from my face. I'd love to have a higher resolution display but I'm not dying for a 1080p panel with double the pixel density.

I actually couldn't really tell the difference between the ipad 2 and 3 until I looked really closely but my vision isn't perfect so that's probably why.

[Jucius Maximus]

We use to have 19" (1280x1024) monitors at my work, half the people there would be running them at 1024x768. I tried to explain to them that if you don't run at the native resolution the image will look blurry and distorted. I even put two monitors side by side to show them the difference and all they can tell is "the text and icons are smaller". Since then I've replaced most of the 19" with 23" and 24" 1080p widescreen monitors... sadly a few of the people are running them at 1024x768. For most people on this forum a high res display would be easy to spot but I would say for the majority of people (your mom and grandmas) they wouldn't know 1920x1080 from 1024x768, IPS from TN, they will know things like size... this screen is bigger then that one, etc.
Sadly most people's ignorance is what drives a lot of trends in the electronics / computing markets.
At least I work in the office of an engineering services company so most people don't do BS like that.

I remember seeing some study somewhere that showed around 75% of people could not tell the difference between VHS and 1080p. :facepalm:

[CMvan46]

Yeah depends on the person. I have a 768p laptop and a new iPad. The difference to me is unbelievable and even 1080p to something running at native resolution is notably clearer to my eye but to others not so much.

Depends on the usage and if your using things that take advantage of those resolutions or not.

[hackoder]

I've found the difference to be very obvious between iPhone 3GS and the 4, and then iPad 2 and 3. The difference is there on the new Macbook Pro vs the Air as well, but it doesn't seem as pronounced for some reason.

[wilsonlam97]

As a I do Photoshop work sometimes I really notice the difference. Its day and night. High-res monitors show a lot more detail and its easier to work with.