Why I am going to buy a 720p Aristo
Like many of you, when I first heard news about the BGR Aristo leak, I was angry. Although writing had been on the wall for a long time, this leak for me confirmed months of speculation. We would be getting a 720p device rather than the 1080p one we had all hoped for. "How can BlackBerry release a phone with an outdated screen resolution?" and "First the Playbook and now this!" were some of the thoughts floating around in my head. However, after thinking about the issue for a while, my position changed. Let me tell you why.
**Keep in mind I'm referencing Aristo info from the spec sheet leaked back in Oct, which makes the most sense to me. It includes the following among other tidbits:
- 1.5 GHz Quad-core Krait
- 2800 mAh battery
- 4.65 inch screen size
- 1280 x 720 OLED screen
- 136 x 68 x 8.85 (mm) dimensions
Battery Life:
All other things being equal, a phone at 720p will have a longer lasting battery than it's 1080p counterpart. It's simple math really. It takes more energy to light up 1080p pixels than 720p pixels. In addition, the amount of energy the hardware must use to draw the screen is also less. The Aristo will come with a bigger battery than many current 1080p devices (like the Galaxy S4 and HTC One, for starters). This will make the battery life that much better.
Processing Power:
A 720p device will have less pixels to draw on the screen. Additionally, the BB10 OS is more efficient than the Android operating system. So the Aristo should be comparable power-wise to current Android flagships, even those with higher specs.
Apps:
It's been reported that having a smaller number of resolutions will make it easier for developers to port and create their apps, and it makes sense. Many apps from the App Store look better than those from Google Play and easy to see why (don't get me started on Android tablets!) Android apps must have support for a much larger number of different devices. I'm all for increasing the quality of apps, in any way possible.
Screen:
The other pros of a 720p Aristo are nice, but the screen itself was the deal-breaker for me. Then I realized that there are several factors involved in creating a good screen.
- resolution (or perceived sharpness)
- contrast
- viewing angles
- color accuracy
- brightness
- outdoor legibility
- size
Resolution is just one small part of the experience. Anyone that has seen an Xperia Z can attest to the fact that 1080p doesn't always mean an excellent screen.
Is it possible for the Aristo to have the best 720p screen on a phone? I think so. A 4.65 inch screen size gives us a PPI of around 316, higher than the Galaxy S III and comparable to the iPhone 5, who's screen is significantly smaller. The S III (and most HD OLED phones) use a PenTile matrix. This decreases perceived sharpness. It's been rumored that the Aristo will use an S-Stripe OLED (used in the Note II), which should make the screen look much better than comparative OLED screens.
I believe most people can agree that the HTC One X (and X+) has the best display on a 720p device. With the advantages of Super AMOLEDs (viewing angles, outdoor legibility, contrast) and an S-Stripe matrix, the Aristo might be a little better and have one of the best screens (720p, or not) on the market. And I would expect no less. ;)
Conclusion
At 136 x 68 x 8.85, this is a fairly compact device. Smaller than an HTC One X, most 1080p phones, and only slightly larger than the Z10 (the Z10 and Aristo are basically the same size). Considering all this, the Aristo sounds like a true BlackBerry flagship and one worthy of standing next to the likes of the Galaxy S III, HTC One, or Xperia Z.