iOS 8 Reveals Signs of 1472 x 828 iPhone 6 Display Resolution

As we approach the rumoured launch date of the next-generation iPhone, different theories about the possible resolution of the 4.7-inch iPhone emerge. Actually, there are two theories: First, there was the suggestion of a 1704 x 960 pixel resolution, but today 9to5Mac has published a report about a new 1472 x 828 pixel resolution.

Apple is widely expected to introduce two iPhone 6 models: a 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch model. Earlier this year, 9to5Mac reported that Apple was testing multiple display resolutions, but one of the most plausible choices would be the resolution of 1704 x 960.

The guys from the Russian Feld & Volk have obtained the display panel of the iPhone 6, and they put it under the microscope. The result was communicated to MacRumors: The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 panel will have a resolution of 1704 x 960.

Iphone6 display under microscope

However, the image posted by Feld & Volk doesn’t necessarily support their claim, because — as Eric Slivka of MacRumors points out — the 4.7-inch display at 1704 x 960 should be closer to 16 pixels per mm. By contrast, we can count only roughly 13 pixels per mm (both horizontally and vertically — 13 x 12 pixels?).

Does this suggest that we will see a new display resolution?

The above fact and references in Xcode 6 beta for a new 1472 x 828 resolution discovered by 9to5Mac suggest that we will.

[…] the new resolution is found inside of a file within iOS 8’s “Springboard” application. Springboard is another word for the iPhone’s Home screen (where icons are displayed when you tap the Home button).This particular file outlines for the system where icons, by default, will be placed on an iPhone’s Home screen. This particular file, which was added in Xcode 6 beta 5 earlier this month and still exists in yesterday’s Xcode 6 beta 6, is optimized for an iPhone with a resolution of 414 (width) x 736 (height). The iPhone SDK parses hardware resolutions via “point values,” so the actual “Retina” resolution is in fact double (or potentially triple) whatever numbers the SDK presents.

A likely scenario, according to Gurman, is that Apple will go with the 1472 x 828 display resolution. That means the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will have a 359 ppi display, while the 5.5-inch model will have a 307 ppi screen.

Considering that this means roughly 14 pixels both horizontally and vertically, the iPhone 6 will could sport the 1472 x 828 resolution, Eric Slivka says, based on the image posted by the Russian Feld & Volk.

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