Transition to '3x' Images for iPhone 6 Less Drastic Than Transition to '2x' Images for Retina Display

If Apple announces an iPhone 6 with a resolution of 1704x960 developers will need to update their apps with '3x' images. However, MacRumors forum member pgiguere1 notes that '2x' images on the iPhone 6 won't look as bad as '1x' images looked on the Retina display.

Unlike with the @1x -> @2x transition we had in 2010, this time we’d only have a 50% enlargement rather than 100%. The thing is, a 50% enlargement with interpolation doesn’t look worse than a 100% enlargement with pixel-doubling, despite the loss of details due to the interpolation...

As you can see, older non-@3x-optimized apps would actually look better on an @3x iPhone than non-@2x-opitmized apps did on an @2x iPhone. Add to this the fact that the screen's pixel density would be higher this time around, and the perceived image quality difference would be even smaller.


Take a look at the images below to see the 50% upscaling visualized. For more iPhone 6 updates, please follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS.

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