iPhone 4 claims based on real human eyes

Retinal neuroscientist Bryan Jones late Thursday posted a direct study of the iPhone 4's screen that rebuffs concerns of Apple exaggerating claims about its 'pixel-free' Retina Display. He acknowledged that DisplayMate's Raymond Soneira was right about the resolution of the human retina's photoreceptors but observed that it didn't reflect the entire performance of the eye. The optics beyond the retina roughly halve the actual resolution the eye can perceive and mean the eye can see considerably less detail than thought.

With 20/20 vision and at about a foot away, the resolution would let a human eye see points about 89 micrometers apart, or about 287 pixels per inch. At 326 pixels per inch, the iPhone's 960x640 screen would be sharp enough for most owners to have no way of distinguishing pixels without moving up close; Jones verified this by using a microscopic look at the display that showed two pixels were just over 180 micrometers apart, even with the necessary gap between the two. Apple's decision to link the touch and glass layers together also helps with the perceived sharpness as there's less between the LCD and the viewer.

Jones checked the iPad's screen in the process and noted that it's using not just the expected larger pixels but a "herringbone" shape that's common on many higher-quality desktop displays.

By Electronista Staff