And if you are weighing your options between an iOS and Android device, these terms make it hard to know what you’re getting. So, here’s an in-depth explanation of what Apple’s Super Retina (XDR) display means.
What Is a Super Retina (XDR) Display?
According to Apple’s marketing speak, Super Retina display refers to a panel made using self-emissive organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. OLED is one of the two major display technologies, alongside liquid crystal display, or LCD for short.
An OLED display’s main selling points include high contrast ratios, deeper blacks, higher brightness levels, and lower power consumption. For Apple, the optional XDR in Super Retina usually refers to High Dynamic Range (HDR) support, translating to enhanced image and video quality. However, XDR stands for ‘Extreme Dynamic Range.’
Besides Super Retina, Apple also uses other terms, but Retina is the constant one across the board. To understand what Retina means, we’ll have to go all the way to its origin.
Apple introduced the term Retina display with the iPhone 4’s debut in 2010. Apple used it to refer to a screen whose pixels aren’t individually distinguishable to the human eye, hence the word “Retina.”
However, the iPhone 4 used an LCD panel, and when Apple finally embraced OLED technology, it introduced Super Retina to market the new technology. On the other hand, Apple uses Liquid Retina to refer to an LCD panel, like what is available on the iPhone 11. But since the iPhone 11, Apple has fully embraced Super Retina XDR on all of its iPhone models, except for the budget-focused iPhone SE 2020.
But this kind of branding is not just on iPhones. Apple also uses the Retina branding on virtually all of its products, including the iPad, Apple Watch, desktop monitors, and MacBooks. For instance, the company uses a Liquid Retina XDR display with Extreme Dynamic Range for its 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro (5th gen), M1 Pro, and M1 Max MacBook Pro.
Is Super Retina XDR Better Than OLED?
According to Apple, Super Retina and Super Retina XDR panels are better than traditional OLED displays. They include several improvements over conventional OLED panels to deliver better color accuracy, higher brightness levels, and a wide color range.
The company also says its Super Retina (XDR) displays are engineered to reduce the effects of OLED “burn-in,” one of the major downsides of the display technology. One of the key aspects of reducing OLED burn-in is Apple’s “special algorithms” that monitor individual pixels and adjust your screen’s brightness levels for an optimized viewing experience.
Which Devices Have Super Retina (XDR) Displays?
iPhones with Super Retina displays include the iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max. Newer iPhone models, including the entire iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series, use Super Retina XDR displays. In the iPhone 11 series, only the Pro models have Super Retina XDR displays. You can tell your iPhone’s display type by simply searching for its specifications sheet on the internet.
Super Retina XDR Is OLED
Although Super Retina (XDR) might sound like a very different technology that only Apple uses in its displays, it simply means OLED. You still get all the advantages of OLED technology, including deeper blacks and bright whites, high contrast ratios, better color accuracy, wider viewing angles, and lower power consumption relative to LCDs.
When buying an iPhone, be sure to pick the one with a Super Retina XDR display. Be wary of the other terms Apple uses, including Liquid Retina XDR, which means LCD, commonly found in MacBooks and iPads.
