Super-sharp displays on Android phones take on Apple

HTC, Sony, and Huawei are leading the charge
into large, full high-definition phone displays,
said DisplayMate Technologies. It's a market
Apple has yet to enter.
"With the iPhone 4 Retina display, Apple
pioneered the previous generation of
smartphone displays in 2010," wrote Raymond
Soneira in DisplayMate Technologies' Full HD
Flagship Smartphone Display Technology Shoot-
Out released on Tuesday.
"This time the pioneers are all Android devices,
with the iPhone still not even at the basic HD
resolution of 1,280x720," he said.
Apple has some catching up to do to achieve
"true Retina," as Soneira puts it.
As I have pointed out before, the
effective resolution of the human retina
is much higher than Apple's Retina
Display, and corresponds to somewhere
around 600 PPI [pixels per inch] at a 10
inch viewing distance, which is the limit
for the best human vision, around
20/10...On the other hand, very few
people have that level of 20/10 visual
acuity.
But lower visual acuity doesn't necessarily
mean you can't appreciate displays with very
high pixel density.
If you study and stare at the image on
the screen, move it closer, or move it
around, you'll be able to make out
considerably more fine image detail
because you are building an integrated
visual image map in the brain. So, when
you are looking at an image with finely
detailed graphics and small text, most
people with reasonably good vision will be
able to make out and appreciate the
extra sharpness and image detail if they
take the time to do so.
Super-sharp screens aren't the only criterion
for excellence, however. The iPhone 5's
display is still very competitive in other areas:
it has comparatively high peak brightness, high
contrast rating for high ambient light (bright
conditions), and low screen reflectance,
DisplayMate said.
The shoot-out itself compared the full HD
1,920x1,080 screens on the Huawei Ascend
D2, HTC One, and the Sony Xperia Z, with the
iPhone 5 serving as a yardstick of sorts.
The Ascend D2 came out on top.
"In our extensive side-by-side viewing test
comparisons the Ascend D2 was virtually
indistinguishable from the iPhone 5 and iPad
Retina Display, two of the most accurate and
high quality mobile displays we have ever
tested," DisplayMate said.
The Ascend D2 is Huawei's entry into the
premium smartphone market. "The Ascend D2
joins an elite group of smartphones with world
class displays. While Huawei is better known as
a manufacturer of low cost smartphones, their
Ascend D2 is aimed at the premium top tier, so
they managed to hit a home run with the
display the first time at bat."