440 pixels per inch for $200: HTC Droid DNA vs iPhone 5 vs Galaxy S III vs Nexus 4 screen comparison
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| Display mode | Transmissive IPS |
|---|---|
| NTSC ratio | 71％ |
| Contrast ratio | 1000:1（typical） |
| Viewing angle | > 160 degrees, top/bottom and left/right（with CR>100:1） |
| Screen size | 5.0-inch (12.6cm) diagonal |
| Number of pixels | 1080x1920 (full-HD) RGB |
| Resolution | 443ppi |
| Luminance | 500cd/m2 (typical) |
| Dimensions | 64.3㎜ (width) x 118.8㎜ (height) x 1.4㎜ (thickness) |
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Left to right - Apple iPhone 5, Gogle Nexus 4, HTC Droid DNA, HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy S III |
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Samsung will kick off mass production of flexible displays in H1 2013 
Google: Nexus 4 will be available again "in the coming weeks" 
Related phones
74 Comments
1. wendygarett posted on 14 Nov 2012, 04:47 10
i still prefer iphone 5 eventhough it's not the best :)
8. Commentator posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:08 21
What, so now you can't have an iPhone and a Nexus 7?
28. XPERIA-KNIGHT posted on 14 Nov 2012, 06:59 9
in her "phones you own" section it displays a One X....... :(
That being said DNA and Nexus 4 FTW!!!
11. Kuherrn posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:10 10
Why do you prefer something that is not the best???
17. wendygarett posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:22 3
It is not the best when it come to screen comparison above ONLY!!!
At least I can afford it with one hand my friends :)
and iphone is the slimmest among all these, if I want the 1080p screen device, why bother when I can get the iPad instead LOL
25. ReddD posted on 14 Nov 2012, 06:08 6
ever tried pinch zooming with one hand? or any multi touch for that matter?
26. wendygarett posted on 14 Nov 2012, 06:19 1
Three fingers hold the phone and pinch it using motherthumb and pointy finger :)
27. Nathan_ingx posted on 14 Nov 2012, 06:46 5
Darn Wenda, do you do that when you're outside? I'm worried about the position of your middle finger when you do that...
P.S. If you still choose to do that, don't ever lift your phone up to your eye level.
34. Nathan_ingx posted on 14 Nov 2012, 08:32 3
Got to admire that spirit of yours...
But it still makes you sound dumb...'cause you're way ahead of Samsung!
Especially when Samsung haven't even announced it yet. Not saying Note 3 won't exist, but Note 2 is still a big thing in the mobile universe!!
49. maryaaadil posted on 15 Nov 2012, 00:17 1
well i dont feel like upgrading to note 2 my sgn1 and sg3 r just too good for me right now....
But surly both my phones will be aged when sammy release note 3.
73. downphoenix posted on 04 Dec 2012, 16:51 0
might as well wait for the Note 4 then.
38. Droid_X_Doug posted on 14 Nov 2012, 09:52 0
You have at least 6 months based on the Note I > Note II progression. With the DNA, you could be showing your friends what 1080p love looks like in 1 week. Or, your friends could be showing you....
50. maryaaadil posted on 15 Nov 2012, 00:19 0
I live in India.
Will take HTC some time to get here......
5. Jonathan41 posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:05 9
This phone is awesome. I've been waiting for HTC to drop a 5" phone on the market. The screen is amazing. It sets a new standard for pixel density in today's market. I want this phone as soon as it drops.
7. preet27in posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:08 8
droid dna is just the best monster out there. better than any in its catagory. look at the build quality, htc is always a step ahead in terms of quality. but lacks marketing. any ways i hope dna will just rock, good luck htc. love ur phones.
15. Commentator posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:18 6
What troubles me is the lack of battery behind the display. My Evo has a 2000mAh battery and while I can't complain about its battery life, it could be better. The DNA has virtually the same battery pushing twice as many pixels and a quad-core processor.
And yeah, HTC could really use a marketing campaign like Samsung has been forcing down our throats for the last few months. If Verizon is making this their flagship, no doubt it will get plenty of ad time.
39. Droid_X_Doug posted on 14 Nov 2012, 09:55 0
That is why VZW is selling accessory battery packs when you pre-order the DNA.... They already know you will be needing more than one battery to get through the day with the DNA.
51. preet27in posted on 15 Nov 2012, 02:02 0
oh and yes for nokia lovers.... 920 lumia is a good phone too but its totally different from this version of android. i would say if HTC really works on marketing this time, then no is gna beat htc. in terms of quality, sense software and music its just steap ahead of all phones or so called phablets. thanx all. and again HTC... WE LOVE UR PHONES.
10. someones4 posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:09 2
S4 will definitely have this. Waiting for it. 6 months tops.
19. Commentator posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:38 4
6 months is a LONG time in this business. For Samsung's sake, I hope they have something a bit better by then.
16. XiphiasGladius posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:20 0
Deym. now I can't wait what's in store for us come CES 2013.
18. blackspot posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:33 2
I'm "all-for" companies pushing boundaries as far as incremental improvements in screen quality, the dimensions of a phone, better cameras, RAM, and other components. However, I would like to see an even bigger push in battery tech and energy consumption.
20. Owlet posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:42 3
The whole article sounds kinda like yeah, it's a new ground breaking resolution for a phone screen, but what is such a big deal really, what does it really give you...
21. thelegend6657 posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:49 0
If sony has a Super LCD joint venture , why it still uses TFT display for its phone like Xperia S ?
22. wendygarett posted on 14 Nov 2012, 05:56 0
It has a technology call bravia engine, which make the screen brighter and more natural compare to other
36. predator93 posted on 14 Nov 2012, 09:40 2
They can use their bravia engine with ips lcd, it will help in improving the viewing angles (one area where displays used in sony phones are not upto the competition).
30. kobainez posted on 14 Nov 2012, 07:24 0
U guys better wait for SONY XPERIA YUGA that will unveil at ces 2013
*5" FULL HD , WHITE MAGIC SCREEN with PIXEL EYES & BRAVIA ENGINE 2
*13MP EXMOR RS SENSOR with CYBER SHOT MODE & HDR VIDEO
*FULL GLASS MADE with ALUMINIUM BITS , 8mm THICKNES & WATER-DUST PROOFING
*32GB ON BOARD STORAGE & EXPANDABLE MEMORY
*4G LTE COMPATIBLE
* 2GB RAM & QUAD CORE PROCESSOR SNAPDRAGON APQ8064 1.5 GHZ
*CLEAR AUDIO PLUS , CLEAR BASS , XLLOUD & WALKMAN
*DRAGONTRAIL GLASS WITH FRONT AND BACK SHATTER PROOF FILM
*2800 MAH BATTERY
31. kobainez posted on 14 Nov 2012, 07:31 0
Dragontrail Glass is the same glass that is used in xperia active. Its almost undestructible
32. smartphonelover posted on 14 Nov 2012, 08:03 4
Phonearena, can you provide a source that says our eye sight maxes out at 477ppi?
33. SpeakYourMind posted on 14 Nov 2012, 08:21 1
Expect to see a larger capacity battery from HTC soon. Thus far, HTC was not able to produce a smartphone with a better than decent battery life.
35. nooraldeen posted on 14 Nov 2012, 08:53 0
there isn't a big difference between the nexus 4 and the droid DNA so it's not a "must have" for me , still going for the lumis 920 hhhh
37. ChafedBanana posted on 14 Nov 2012, 09:50 1
Its not the lack of a big battery that disappoints me (I have a Galaxy Nexus so I'm used to averaging only 8 hours on a charge), its the lack of a removable battery that is the huge disappointment. What's with this trend? RAZR HD, Nexus 4 and now the Droid DNA? Why do phone makers think a non-removable battery is the way to go? Is it because Apple has done it all along? LG made the Nexus 4 with a non-removable battery and also made the new Spectrum 2 at the same time WITH a removable battery. The only phone that I can accept this with is the RAZR Maxx HD. That's it.
40. joaolx posted on 14 Nov 2012, 11:00 0
I remember when you guys said that you couldn't tell the difference from iPad 2 screen to iPad 3 screen and know you all want this 1080p on 5inch screens. This is an amazing screen and good work for HTC but you guys should stoping hating just Apple.
That's just stupid.
45. Berzerk000 posted on 14 Nov 2012, 14:38 0
Eh no, I'm one that's still on the fence about 1080p displays on such a small scale. From the iPad 2 to the iPad 3, from a normal viewing distance there was minimal improvement for the average person. With 1080p on 5" displays, there is still very little improvement. If the DNA had a 1280x800, I would bet everyone would still be satisfied.
Though, at 1280x800 would just be 301 ppi, so there would be a little bit of improvement visually. However, anything over about 315 ppi is overkill and can no longer be detected by the human eye. Just because the iPad is a tablet, and you're supposed to view it from a long distance, is that required pixel density lowered.
41. darac posted on 14 Nov 2012, 12:41 1
Actually, I'm the most surprised by how relatively good the S3 screen sharpness turned out.
I thought the One x would be leaps ahead but it actually produces more jagged edges on some parts of the image
46. Berzerk000 posted on 14 Nov 2012, 14:42 0
Yeah, the GS3 has a relatively good text quality compared to the others, but do you see that white? Neither do I, because it looks green with red/blue dots in it.
47. darac posted on 14 Nov 2012, 16:07 0
True, but when looked from distance it just look slightly bluish and cold compared to warmer, yellowish LCD white.
From up close, I think the S3' sub pixel arrangement produces some kind of distorted overblown effect for the viewer.
In practice, I have no problems with how white looks on my s3.
I notice a difference when comparing with LCDs side by side, but really it's more than enough white for me - in fact my screen is never on maximum brightness despite the technically low nits value.
The only real problem with the S3 screen is the rarely mentioned, horrendous black clipping software glitch that makes dark ambient scenes far to dark. Movies like Prometheus or the Dark Knight are barely watchable.
52. Iphone4 (unregistered) posted on 15 Nov 2012, 08:10 1
hahaha
Anther android dum fan who can't afford iPhone 5.
Next time keep you stupid comment to you self
56. romeo1 posted on 16 Nov 2012, 07:49 0
How would you even know if someone can't afford an iphone 5 if you don't know the person? Talking about a stupid comment XD
If you weren't an biased you could see the iPhone's text is smaller and even then the letters aren't as sharp as the one on the dna its not about about a matter of taste it's just a fact
57. Iphone4 (unregistered) posted on 17 Nov 2012, 12:07 1
U r a Proper android.
Yes I am iPhone fan and still think iPhone 5 is best
Phone arena full of android fans like u.
Who ever say iPhone is best all they get red thumbs down
I am giving my opinion
U don't like it who cares.
Anther galaxy y or htc hero user
Hahahahah
62. romeo1 posted on 18 Nov 2012, 08:47 0
As I said before it's not about an matter of taste (or even an opinion) wich one is sharper it's a fact the dna's screen is sharper.
I'm not a fan of android/ios/wp8/bb, I just look what I find the best for me before I buy it.
Like the dna I would not buy it because I don't like the way htc phones feel and the sense ui is not my thing the same with the samsungs. At the moment I like the sony phones cause they feel/look nice in my opinion.
But I won't say the xperia s screen is sharper than the dna cause it just isn't but it's sharper than most of the phones at the time.
I'm also not giving thumbs up or downs. If I got something to say I just say it.
64. Iphone4 (unregistered) posted on 19 Nov 2012, 12:58 2
So next time don't make comment to people they need to go to optician.
Different people got different opinion you should respect other people.
68. romeo1 posted on 02 Dec 2012, 09:16 0
You're acting like you've made a point? are you serious?
if could read you would've seen i'm not saying its about an opinion it's a FACT that the screen on de dna is sharper.
Talking about respect you where laughing saying that i'm dump and can't afford an iphone.
58. Iphone4 (unregistered) posted on 17 Nov 2012, 13:10 1
As i am a iPhone 5 user for me that DNA screen it's all that.
I5 4" 326 and DNA 5" 440 it's a same old crap
Nothing new PA still thinks i5 screen is the best maybe it's will change after DNA which I dout it
43. ngo2dd posted on 14 Nov 2012, 13:27 2
Wow look at the whites on the S3, it is very bad. I am all for vivid color but give me better whites
44. RapidCat posted on 14 Nov 2012, 13:57 0
i only see sgs3 screen have the best white colour. and droid dna have the best black colour and the crisp text
