iPad 2 is a major improvement over the the first generation iPad, its 33% thinner, 15% lighter than the original iPad, features Apple’s new dual-core A5 chip for faster performance and better graphics, comes with front facing camera for FaceTime and PhotoBooth and a rear facing camera that captures 720p HD video.But some of our readers were disappointed to find out that the resolution of iPad 2's screen is the same as the original iPad - 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi) instead of the rumored iPhone 4 like Retina Display.
Display expert Raymond Soneira from DisplayMate has just published an article, which provides an in-depth side-by-side comparison of iPad 2 and iPhone 4 displays based on a series of tests.
There is no question that a higher ppi is better, but the real question is whether the iPad 2 delivers good display performance when considering its price point and battery power constraints (and also availability in sufficient quantities for Apple).
He explains that the anti-aliasing incorporated in iPad 2 makes images appear less pixelated. It is also important to note here that one tends to hold the iPad 2 further away compared to iPhone 4 due to the size of the screen. He believes that Apple can improve the anti-aliasing on iPad 2 via an iOS software update.
He also points out that automatic brightness is very poorly implemented or buggy in iPad 2 and iPhone 4:
[..] both the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 have an Auto Brightness Bug, where they lock onto the brightest ambient light sensor value that has been measured at any point starting from the time unit was awakened and hold that peak value even after the ambient light decreases substantially afterwards. This keeps the screen overly bright for the current conditions and wastes precious battery power.
Based on the results, Soneira concludes:
iPad 2 delivers almost identical performance to the impressive iPhone 4 Retina Display.
Although the iPad has a higher pixel resolution than the iPhone 4, the screen is much larger so the number of Pixels Per Inch is only 132 ppi compared to the iPhone 4 Retina Display value of 326 ppi. Lower ppi makes the pixels more apparent, an effect called pixelation. The very high ppi is a major marketing feature for the iPhone 4, but it’s actually something of an overkill (and primarily there for App compatibility) because existing anti-aliasing methods can successfully reduce noticeable pixelation at lower resolutions and ppi.
While the iPad 2 has excellent LCD display hardware, there are two significant shortfalls in the OS display software that Apple could “easily” fix with a software update that would notably improve the already excellent iPad 2 display performance.
What do you think? Please share your views in the comments section below.
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