Skip to main content
Tablets

"Resolutionary?" You bet.

While not quite a true retina display, the iPad's screen delivers.

Credit:

Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.

Everybody and their grandmother seems to be talking about the new iPad and just how great that "retina" display is. While there are those who remain skeptical, we're here to tell you that the new screen of the iPad is almost as good as advertised.

The much-lauded increase in screen resolution is hard to miss, and it looks gorgeous. While most tablets on the market have a screen resolution of 1024 x 800 pixels, the new iPad blows them away with a resolution of 2046 x 1536 pixels, squeezed into a 9.7-inch screen. That's slightly smaller than the traditional 10.1-inch screen size, but you won't miss it. The resolution is high enough that, for the first time, you can't even see the dots on an iPad screen when watching a movie.

In addition to the impressive picture quality, Apple claims a 40% improvement in color saturation. This one's a little wonky for the layman readers, but we've tested it and their claims appear to be true. In fact, Apple my be understating the improvement, as it stands toe-to-toe with HDTVs in its color performance. So far, this is the only tablet that can make that claim.

That's not to say that every single image you look at will be just like perusing a print magazine. The resolution of images can vary widely, depending on the source and which application you're using. Images you see in a Safari browser window, for example, have a far lower resolution than a photo that you take with the iPad's built-in camera. Text, however, will look stunningly sharper, because most text is what we call "resolution-independent." It's rendered by your device to fit the screen resolution perfectly.

Overall, the new iPad may not be perfect, but it does make a statement in a fast-growing market. Its amazing screen offers a great user experience with one of the most polished tablets on the market. If you're looking for the best image quality a tablet can offer, look no further than the new iPad.

Up next