[Villain]

In Windows Phone 8, 1280×720 is actually better than 1280×768 | WMPoweruser


Not all that big of a deal but interesting

[Aykazu]

Hmm is it actually better? Think about it a little. Now you can view one extra icon with 720 but with 768 you can use every WP7 app with full content. Yes thats right that means that with 720 you will have black bars and with 768 you will have the whole 4.5 inches in use.

[AngryNil]

I've been saying this, it's actually a reason I'd get the 8X.

Aykazu, Why are you thinking so short-term? In the long run, you're going to get more content in all portrait apps. People aren't skipping the iPhone 5 because of black bars.

[Winterfang]

Hmm is it actually better? Think about it a little. Now you can view one extra icon with 720 but with 768 you can use every WP7 app with full content. Yes thats right that means that with 720 you will have black bars and with 768 you will have the whole 4.5 inches in use.

How having Black Bars give you less content? Shouldn't it be the same content but extra bars?

Anyway the 768 extra should give you more vertical space while using it on landscape.

Edit: Nevermind upon reading the article, the 768 doesn't offer any real viewing advantage, it just a "Super wvga".

[VagrantWade]

Doesn't offer a viewing advantage for the UI. Doesn't mean third party apps with scaling won't utilize it.

This is just more HTC Defense Squad jibber jabber.

[Aykazu]

I've been saying this, it's actually a reason I'd get the 8X.

Aykazu, Why are you thinking so short-term? In the long run, you're going to get more content in all portrait apps. People aren't skipping the iPhone 5 because of black bars.

Arent you looking this from a little bit narrow perspective, when looking at the different products we clearly see that 9:15 ratio (480x800,320x480 and of course 768:1280) is the most common type of resolution used in Windows Phone 8 devices, or are you forgetting that there are other products not only the high end products?

[freestaterocker]

Not a big deal to me... With the new start screen I can pin all the apps I actually use regularly without creating more scrolling, and one measly icon?! BFD.

[socialcarpet]

Another mark against the 920 for me personally. 768 makes the phone wider and less comfortable to hold in one hand as it is. Now it's going to fit even LESS on the screen to boot? Ugh...

I still kind of want a 920 but damn it they are making it difficult. Every thing I read like this pushes me closer to a 820/810.

[Winterfang]

Not a big deal to me... With the new start screen I can pin all the apps I actually use regularly without creating more scrolling, and one measly icon?! BFD.

Is not really that, it means that one the main screen you can fit an entire row of little tiles extra. That leans that while slightly smaller, the screen on the 8X actually shows more than the one on the 930, making more useful.

[AngryNil]

Arent you looking this from a little bit narrow perspective, when looking at the different products we clearly see that 9:15 ratio (480x800,320x480 and of course 768:1280) is the most common type of resolution used in Windows Phone 8 devices, or are you forgetting that there are other products not only the high end products?

Are you suggesting that app developers are going to omit 16:9 support? I don't think you're at all familiar with the development tools or development itself, then.

[jmshub]

So does that mean the 1280x720 has room for a fifth row of icons??

[VagrantWade]

So does that mean the 1280x720 has room for a fifth row of icons??

No. But it means the non AT&Ters are still struggling to settle.

[independentvolume]

No. But it means the non AT&Ters are still struggling to settle.

Verizon isn't getting the Ativ S?

[Winterfang]

Verizon isn't getting the Ativ S?

He is talking about how people that won't be able to have the Lumia 920, are somehow trying to act like the phone is bad in order to not feel so bad because they can't have it.

[txaggies07]

In Windows Phone 8, 1280×720 is actually better than 1280×768 | WMPoweruser

Not all that big of a deal but interesting

Thanks for the article. I am still getting the 920, but I find the topic interesting.

[DungMasterFang]

Is not really that, it means that one the main screen you can fit an entire row of little tiles extra. That leans that while slightly smaller, the screen on the 8X actually shows more than the one on the 930, making more useful.

Seems like 1/3 of a tile. Very useful indeed...

[a5cent]

I have a few clarifications in regard to that article. I can't go into all of the details, as it would take far too long, but here are two things to keep in mind:

The author thinks it is counter intuitive, that a device with a lower resolution is capable of displaying more content. But that is only because the author is so narrowly focused on resolution, which isn't important to WP. WP has always used a virtual coordinate system that isn't related to physical pixels (iOS and WP are completely different in this regard). For WP it isn't the display resolution that matters, but the display ratio:

480 x _800 .... 9:15 .... (all WP7 devices, Lumia 820, etc.)
768 x 1280 .... 9:15 .... (Lumia 920)
720 x 1280 .... 9:16 .... (HTC 8x)

Looking at the last display ratio for the HTC 8x, you can see that we get 16 units of height for 9 units of width. That is one unit of height more than you get with a Lumia 920. That extra unit of height corresponds to that extra 1/4th of a tile we see on the 8x's display.

In theory, you could build a WP display with this resolution:

270 x _600 .... 9:20 .... (imaginary WP device)

and although this imaginary device has the lowest resolution of them all, it would display more content than any of the real WP devices above, as it can provide 20 units of height for 9 units of width (although text would certainly look quite jagged/blocky at this low resolution).

[power5]

So does that mean the 1280x720 has room for a fifth row of icons??

AHAHAHHAHAH, nice.

I still believe that MS could have made the gutters slightly smaller and actually given us that 5th medium (standard) tile or very close to it.

[jhoff80]

Let's see how WP7 (not updated) games look on a different aspect ratio before we all of a sudden declare that 1280x720 is better...

[AngryNil]

Let's see how WP7 (not updated) games look on a different aspect ratio before we all of a sudden declare that 1280x720 is better...

And upscaling WVGA assets to WXGA will look good? And I'll be honest, not many good games on WP7.

[jhoff80]

And upscaling WVGA assets to WXGA will look good? And I'll be honest, not many good games on WP7.

Well, better than letterboxing or stretching the height of them to fit the screen. It's not just about games either, but that's the easiest example. There's a ton of WP7 apps that are completely abandoned and won't receive any updates. Depending on how the app was written, trying to use it on a different aspect ratio could be a problem (not so much for the ones that use standard Microsoft controls, I don't think, but more so for some of the more custom designs, and definitely for anything that uses XNA).

I'd much rather be able to scale evenly from the old 800x480 to avoid potential messiness going from 15:9 to 16:9. And as for the games not being good, well that's just your opinion.

[AngryNil]

Not really. The games selection absolutely sucks compared to the competition. I'm not buying a device for legacy support, I'm expecting better apps and games anyway. I've been able to make do so far with apps that are updated. The non-updated ones are usually plain awful.

[Winterfang]

Exactly, the app selection on Windows Phone 7 is so terrible. That I don't think I'll be downloading any of them, I'l focusing on the new made for Windows Phone 8 apps.

The games in particular are shameful. (I'm looking at you 7dollars Pacman game)

[Faux Carnival]

16:9 is ridiculous to use in landscape mode.

[snowmutt]

I appreciate the article, because I have a heck of a time trying to figure out screen resolutions and ratio's. I read Power User quite a bit, but missed this article.

Everyone's postings help me visualize and understand why a little number makes a huge difference, so thanks.

You stinking smart people aggravate me.....