![\"Low-and-High-resolution\"](\"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Low-and-High-resolution-1024x574.png\")
<\/p>\nYou\u2019ve seen the term in Mac names\u2014iMac with 5K Retina display, MacBook Pro with Retina display, and so on. But what\u00a0is<\/i>\u00a0a Retina display, and why should you care? The short answer is Retina displays are high-resolution screens on which graphics are extra sharp and text is super crisp. Here\u2019s the longer answer.<\/p>\n
First off, a little background. The LCD screens used in Apple\u2019s displays use a grid of \u201cpixels\u201d\u2014the smallest possible dot whose color can be controlled\u2014to create all the text and graphics you see. The first Mac needed 72 pixels in each direction to draw a 1-inch square, giving it a pixel density of 72 pixels-per-inch (ppi). Thanks to manufacturing advances in screen technology since 1984, the iPhone 6s Plus screen can fit a stunning 401 pixels into each inch. As pixel density goes up, the pixels get smaller. With a 72 ppi screen, it\u2019s easy to see each individual pixel in a character, and the higher the pixel density, the harder it becomes to pick out separate pixels.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone 4 in 2010, he said that for a screen that\u2019s held 10 to 12 inches from the eye\u2014about the distance at which many people hold their iPhones\u2014 the human eye can\u2019t resolve individual pixels if it\u2019s about 300 ppi. At longer distances, it becomes harder to discern small details, so most people won\u2019t be able to pick out pixels on a screen viewed at arm\u2019s length, such as an iMac display, if it\u2019s about 220 ppi.<\/p>\n
A \u201cRetina display,\u201d then, is any screen whose pixel density is high enough that someone with 20-20 vision cannot see individual pixels at the standard viewing distance used for that device.<\/p>\n
For the Mac, the necessary pixel density for a Retina display is about 220 ppi. Larger iPads have a pixel density of 264 ppi, and the iPad mini checks in at 326 ppi. From the iPhone 4 through the iPhone 6s, pixel density stayed at 326 ppi, but the iPhone 6s Plus upped it to 401 ppi. The tiny Apple Watch screen is about 330 ppi.<\/p>\n
Practically speaking, a Retina display looks better than a non-Retina display. Put a 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina display (218 ppi) next to a non-Retina 27-inch Thunderbolt display (109 ppi), and the difference will be noticeable, particularly with text. If you suffer from eyestrain, reading on a Retina display will likely be easier and less tiring, since the words will be clear and crisp, without any of the fuzziness on the edges that you see on lesser displays.<\/p>\n
Happily, there are few decisions to make when it comes to Retina displays. All recent models of the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple Watch have Retina displays, so you\u2019re good there. In the Mac world, however, not all MacBook models have switched, and Apple still sells some non-Retina iMacs and the non-Retina Thunderbolt Display. Plus, not all Macs can drive an external display that would be equivalent to a Retina display, even if Apple were to update the Thunderbolt Display to Retina. So if you\u2019re buying a Mac now and there\u2019s a choice between a Retina and a non-Retina option, be sure to compare them in person before deciding.<\/p>\n
One last thing. It\u2019s important to realize \u201cRetina display\u201d is an Apple trademark. So you won\u2019t see any other manufacturers talking about their products as having Retina displays.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You\u2019ve seen the term in Mac names\u2014iMac with 5K Retina display, MacBook Pro with Retina display, and so on. But what\u00a0is\u00a0a Retina display, and why should you care? The short answer is Retina displays are high-resolution screens on which graphics are extra sharp and text is super crisp. Here\u2019s the longer answer. First off, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[39,54,52,53,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-ipad-blog","category-iphone","category-mac-blog","category-tips"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Retina-eye-photo-1080x675.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6YLEm-pn","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27462,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/who-should-buy-the-new-imac-pro\/","url_meta":{"origin":1573,"position":0},"title":"Who Should Buy the New iMac Pro?","author":"computeradv","date":"January 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Apple\u2019s new iMac Pro has started shipping, and it\u2019s an astonishing machine. Put simply, it\u2019s the most powerful Mac ever, a title it will likely retain until Apple releases a new version of the Mac Pro, promised for sometime in 2018. But for now, what\u2019s special about the iMac Pro,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apple Pros"","block_context":{"text":"Apple Pros","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/apple-pros\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/2017-iMac-Pro-1080x894.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/2017-iMac-Pro-1080x894.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/2017-iMac-Pro-1080x894.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/2017-iMac-Pro-1080x894.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/2017-iMac-Pro-1080x894.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30171,"url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/apple-releases-redesigned-mac-pro-and-pro-display-xdr\/","url_meta":{"origin":1573,"position":1},"title":"Apple Releases Redesigned Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR","author":"computeradv","date":"December 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"If you\u2019re a creative professional who needs the ultimate in performance and display capabilities, Apple\u2019s latest pro hardware will give you the power to build your best. Coming Soon!","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/apple-releases-redesigned-mac-pro-and-pro-display-xdr.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/apple-releases-redesigned-mac-pro-and-pro-display-xdr.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/apple-releases-redesigned-mac-pro-and-pro-display-xdr.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/apple-releases-redesigned-mac-pro-and-pro-display-xdr.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/apple-releases-redesigned-mac-pro-and-pro-display-xdr.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27107,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/apple-introduces-iphone-8-iphone-x-apple-watch-series-3-and-apple-tv-4k\/","url_meta":{"origin":1573,"position":2},"title":"Apple Introduces iPhone 8, iPhone X, Apple Watch Series 3, and Apple TV 4K","author":"computeradv","date":"September 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"At its highly anticipated product announcement event at the new Steve Jobs Theater, Apple didn\u2019t disappoint. The big news was the revolutionary iPhone X, which eliminates the Home button and unlocks by recognizing your face. 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