The Apple iPad 3 will have a Retina display and this has been confirmed by iOS device repair company iFixit. Let's start at the beginning, shall we? You might recall that last week we showed you a microscopic comparison between the Apple iPad 2 display and that one allegedly belonging to the Apple iPad 3. Under the microscope, MacRumors found that the number of pixels actually quadrupled between the Apple iPad 2 and iPad 3 which meant that the resolution doubled from the screen on the current model to the upcoming tablet.
The LCD cable for the Apple iPad 2 (L) and iPad 3 (R)
MacRumors sent the panels to iFixit with the hope that the latter could get the alleged Apple iPad 3 display to power up. Unfortunately, the LCD cables between the two Apple tablets is not compatible and thoughts of splicing wires to make the panel work were quickly quashed. But while iFixit could not get the screen powered up, it was able to look at the two panels under a microscope just like MacRumors did, and came to the exact same conclusion: the number of pixels on the Apple iPad 3 screen are four times the number on the Apple iPad 2. That means that the resolution on the new display is double that of the prior model at 2048×1536. In case you need the precise numbers, there are 786,432 pixels on the 9.7 inch iPad 2 display. The iPad 3 will have 3,145,728 pixels. Bottom line? The Apple iPad 3 has a Retina display.
Wait. Didn't none other than the late Steve Jobs say that a device had to have a pixel density of 300ppi or more to have a Retina display? Yes he did, but as iFixit explains in the video below, because a tablet is held further from the eyes than a phone, the Apple iPad-any tablet really-should be held to a pixel density of only 240 ppi or higher to be considered a Retina display. At 2048x1536, the iPad 3 has a 264ppi.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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