Comm 333 Web Design II

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Discovering Various Device Pixel Densities

Since the introduction of the first Retina screen, device manufacturers have been in an arms race to create increasingly higher density screens. There are far too many devices and dpi resolutions for a sane person to keep track of.

Below is a chart of devices that you're likely to run in to for this class (admittedly Apple biased).

Name Diagonal Resolution DPI dppx
Apple iPhone 1, 3G, 3GS3.5″320×4801631
Apple iPhone 4, 4S3.5″640×9603262
Apple iPhone 5, 5S, 5C4″640×11363262
Apple iPhone 64.7″750×13343262
Apple iPhone 6 Plus5.5″1080×19204012.46
Apple iPad Air 1, 29.7″2048×15362642
Apple iPad mini7.9″1024×7681631
Apple iPad mini Retina7.9″2048×15363242
Apple iMac (classroom)21.5″1920×10801021
Apple MacBook12″2304×14402262
Apple MacBook Pro Retina13.3″2560×16002272
Samsung Galaxy S45″1920×10804413
Samsung Galaxy S55.1″1920×10804323
Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge5.1″1440×25605774
Source: DPI Love

Important Points

  • The classroom iMacs have a dppx of 1.
    This means they have a 'standard' resolution or non-retina display. You should not notice much difference on these computers when working with high resolution images.
  • iPhones 4–8 all have a dppx of 2 while the iPhone 6 Plus is slightly higher, but not 3dppx. You should notice some difference with high resolution images although it may be hard to tell on the smaller screen sizes.
  • Some new mac laptops like the new MacBook Pros have a dppx of 2. You should notice some difference with high resolution images
  • All recent iPads except the original Mini have a dppx of 2. You should notice some difference with high resolution images
  • There are several different larger Android devices that have 3 or 4 dppx (several different Samsung Galaxy models) You should notice some difference with high resolution images. iPhone 7 Plus and 8 Plus have 3dppx.
  • Finding information about various devices

    There are several good websites that will give you information about the displays of devices. DPI Love will give you information about your current display resolution and density as well as a table of many other devices. bjango.com has a testing suite that gives you information about the device pixel ratio of your device and a listing of others broken down by dppx. This listing is more suitable for information in a CSS media query.