Displays Compared: iPad 2 vs. new iPad Retina Display

With a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels the Retina Display on the new iPad packs four times more pixels than the iPad 2. Not only that, with a total pixel count of 3.1 million pixels, the new iPad’s Retina Display has one million extra pixels than a 1080p HDTV (1920 x 1080). When viewed at a distance of 10-inches — Apple considers this as the normal viewing distance – the individual pixels are indistinguishable from one another and by that definition the display on the new iPad is able to carry the Retina Display moniker. We have a problem with Apple’s definition but we’ll save that argument for a later date.

In this post we’ll just share with you a side-by-side comparison of the iPad 2’s standard 1024 x 768 pixels uploaded by AnandTech. Take a look at the icon comparison after the jump. Immediately you can see that the bump in pixels makes a world of a difference and that’s going to pull a lot of “oohs” and “aahs”.

Still pictures can only show you so much, to really see if the new iPad’s Retina Display is all that, we’ll have to wait for the official Malaysian launch to experience it for ourselves. Unfortunately, we don’t have a firm indication on when that will happen. We’re shooting for March 16 at the same time as Singapore but this is purely speculation at the moment.

Click for full resolution image

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