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iPhone 4 Retina Display vs 3GS vs HTC Incredible

You really have to see it in person.

By Norman Chan  |  June 25, 2010

The iPhone 4's most notable feature is arguably its 960x640 pixel Retina display. It's certain the most immediately noticeable difference between it and other phones ( and possibly print, too). But Apple's website does a poor job giving you an accurate example of the actual difference-- their Photoshopped visual approximations exaggerate reality. It's not that the pixels are impossible to see with the naked eye on the Retina display, but they are small enough that you really have to squint to see them. We decided to try our hand at showing you how text and images look on the iPhone 4, compared to the iPhone 3GS and the HTC Incredible. We'd still recommend seeing the display in person, if possible, to get the gestalt of the visual experience.

The comparisons start below. 

First, I set all three phones to around the same brightness levels, which was at about 60% strength. The iPhone 4 is in the center, with the 3GS on the left and Incredible on the right.

Click here for the full-res photo. 
 
Here's a close-up of the iPhone 4 (right) next to the 3GS (left). 
Click here for the full-res photo.
 
Here's a close-up of the iPhone 4 (left)  next to the Incredible (right).
Click here for the full-res photo.
 
You can see that text is clearly sharper on the iPhone 4 compared to both phones. Text on the Incredible's 800x480 pixel screen was still very readable without pinching in. Since the EVO 4G and the Droid X both use larger screens than the incredible (4.1 inches and 4.3 inches, respectively) while maintaining the same basic resolution (Droid X's screen is 854x480), pixel desinity is just worse on those phones and text won't look clearer. 
 
Here are some more comparisons between the iPhone 4 (left) and 3GS (right). 


Full-resolution versions of the comparison pics here: 
 
Twitter on 4 vs Twitter on 3GS
Wallpaper on 4 vs Wallpaper on 3GS
NyTimes on 4 vs Nytimes on 3GS
Home Screen on 4 vs Home Screen on 3GS
 
(Note that by the end of this photo session, the 3GS's battery had drained to 95% while the iPhone 4's was still at 99%. The 3GS is about a year old, so that's not a definitive comparison.)
 
Like I mentioned earlier, the difference is much more dramatic in person -- pictures and video don't do it justice. But hopefully these photos will give you a sense of why everyone is going ga-ga over the new screen. 

Is there any app, website, or image that you want to see across all three of these phones? Let me know in the comments section, and I'll spend some time later shooting more comparison photos.
14 Comments
Halopower67on June 25, 2010 at 4 p.m.
Hey guys, great article, best job so far on trying to explain how the retina display is. But since you asked, why don't you guys try like a game, a polygonal one preferably.
norman staff on June 25, 2010 at 4:04 p.m.
@halopower67: the problem with 3D games (polygon-based instead of sprites) on the iPhone 4 is that it doesn't seem like the games are rendering at the full 960x640. There's no anti-aliasing on iPhone 4, so you would expect to see "the jaggies" on a game rendered at native res. Unfortunately, games seem to be rendered at 480x320, and then "stretched" out using an internal scaler. 
 
This is unlike text, which gets rendered with more actual detail on the iPhone 4. Until we see iPhone 4 native games, the comparison isn't worth it. (but i''ll probably do it anyway this weekend, just for you).
Halopower67on June 25, 2010 at 4:25 p.m.
@norman: Oh wow yeah i can't belive i never thought of that, i guess games will never really be able to be compared unless they decide to re-release games that were already available but on iPhone 4 resolutions. Well thank you very much anyways if you decide to do it :D I really can't wait till i get mine on July 5th or so since its getting shipped from Apple on the 2nd, the anticipation is a killer.
Leekspinon June 25, 2010 at 5:25 p.m.
I like how the iPhone on AT&T's network shows up as having 1 bar or no service in some of these shots. How did the verizon network fare at the location these were shot?
w000000b13on June 25, 2010 at 6:44 p.m.
Looks like some developers are already pushing out updates that take advantage of the iphone 4 display. 
http://toucharcade.com/2010/06/25/pangea-software-updates-games-with-iphone-4-retina-display-support/    
thetr00per3on June 25, 2010 at 6:48 p.m.
@Leekspin: The No Service ones are the Iphone 3GS that was replaced with the Iphone 4. When that Iphone 4 was activated the 3GS stopped working with AT&T.
JoelTGMon June 25, 2010 at 10:16 p.m.
Woah, that is a big difference. 
sine909on June 26, 2010 at 1:59 a.m.
@norman - I was under the impression that iPhone4 did support anti-aliasing?   http://toucharcade.com/2010/06/23/ios-4-anti-aliasing-demonstrated-in-both-real-racing-and-upcoming-iphone-zen-bound-2/
TheIneffableBobon June 26, 2010 at 2:02 a.m.
I don't understand why these comparisons never use the Motorola Droid. It uses an IPS LCD just like the iPhone 4.
Maxtronon June 26, 2010 at 4:58 a.m.
I was looking at the NY Times picture, and a shiver ran down my spine as I imagined an iPad using this sort of pixel density. That would be awesome, despite the technical hurdles it would implicate. 
I'll say it now: The next version of the iPad will use the Retina display technology.
Sparky_Buzzsawon June 26, 2010 at 10:22 a.m.

Just found out that my local carrier is being replaced by AT&T, so I'm looking forward to trying out some newer phones.  Had my old Razor for about two years now, and it's definitely showing its age.

Jaygeon June 26, 2010 at 10:27 a.m.
The Evo 4G's screen is also 4.3 inches, the DX's is just taller a la the original Droid, with a slightly altered aspect ratio. Not 4.1.
Lufferovon June 27, 2010 at 3:46 p.m.
I can honestly say I looked at each image without knowing which one was the iPhone 4. In every instance I thought the other screen looked better whether that was the iPhone 3GS or HTC device!
UnsolvedParadoxon June 28, 2010 at 4:10 p.m.
Looks pretty brilliant, I'll be in line to get one on Canadian launch day!
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