QVGA vs. VGA in Pictures

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://mobilyazilar.blogspot.com/2007/01/what-is-difference-between-vga-and-qvga.html' target='_blank'>http://mobilyazilar.blogspot.com/20...a-and-qvga.html</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/my-qvga-vga-09.jpg" /><br /><br />Since we're having such a <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=449699">rip-roaring discussion about the merits of VGA vs. QVGA</a> in our forums, I thought I'd highlight one of the resources referenced in that thread. The photography is particularly excellent, and shows the details that YouTube's craptastic quality cannot. Worth a look! I adore VGA screens, but they never seem come on the devices that I like - the small, thin, light devices. Hopefully as things continue to evolve we'll see more VGA screens...

[carnero]

If you're interested, I have for you another photos where you can see differences between VGA and QVGA display.

Images are here (text is czech, but images ar universal): http://carnero.cc/mobility/qvga-nebo-vga/
- click on image to view full photo (about 1500x2000 px)

On macro photos are displays of FSC LOOX N560 (VGA screen, mine) and ASUS MyPal A636N (QVGA, friend's device). Both has 3.5" screen. Photos are different from the original in first post on this thread - I focus on standard text, images and icon. Not on extremely small text whis is not used by many people.

Just see, compare and make your own opinion which resolution is better. I won't use QVGA anymore.

[Mikey]

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/my-qvga-vga-09.jpg

Hopefully as things continue to evolve we'll see more VGA screens...

Yes hopefully they do start to evolve, &amp; pick up where they left of in 2003/2004! Thanks for the comparison!

[shoey5]

Why would there have to be any discussion on this, high resolution will always result in a sharper display capable of displaying more relestate.

The bigger question should be why are companies like HTC still releasing their new flagship models with QVGA displays!

[Mikey]

Why would there have to be any discussion on this, high resolution will always result in a sharper display capable of displaying more relestate.

The bigger question should be why are companies like HTC still releasing their new flagship models with QVGA displays!

I agree, but you should refer to the original post from several days ago for this lengthy &amp; many different opinions...

Even though the iPHONE has a much better display, many on this website don't think it is necessary. I tried to converge from a VGA device to the Cingular 8125 &amp; Treo 750, &amp; couldn't do it, although the lack of VGA wasn't the only or the driving force behind me going back to 2 devices. Look at the other post, it would be good reading...

[netboy]

The bigger question should be why are companies like HTC still releasing their new flagship models with QVGA displays!

who cares! they just not getting my money then! i have bought a Eten x800, now i using Imate 6150, and soon Imate 9150, and then Sony x1!
what does these have in common? all of them have VGA!

[Mikey]

who cares! they just not getting my money then! i have bought a Eten x800, now i using Imate 6150, and soon Imate 9150, and then Sony x1!
what does these have in common? all of them have VGA!

Netboy, haven't you heard, no one wants or needs a powerful VGA device, everyone except you &amp; I are fine with QVGA devices that lock up!

[DaveStall]

Netboy, haven't you heard, no one wants or needs a powerful VGA device, everyone except you &amp; I are fine with QVGA devices that lock up!

You mean as opposed to a VGA device that locks up? Does a pretty VGA screen make lockups easier to deal with? :)

Dave

[Mikey]

Netboy, haven't you heard, no one wants or needs a powerful VGA device, everyone except you &amp; I are fine with QVGA devices that lock up!

You mean as opposed to a VGA device that locks up? Does a pretty VGA screen make lockups easier to deal with? :)

Dave

The point is taken from all the previous posts in the other VGA article from a few days back. That's why I carry two devices not to mention the iPOD. I am forced to carry the x50v as the PDA &amp; the BB Pearl as a phone / email device. BUT I do like my pretty VGA screen. I take it you are fine with QVGA or maybe black &amp; white/greyscale?

[stylinexpat]

I love those VGA screens on the pdas. Nothing like a nice VGA screen :D

[DaveStall]

The point is taken from all the previous posts in the other VGA article from a few days back. That's why I carry two devices not to mention the iPOD. I am forced to carry the x50v as the PDA &amp; the BB Pearl as a phone / email device. BUT I do like my pretty VGA screen. I take it you are fine with QVGA or maybe black &amp; white/greyscale?

Ha! Yeah, I never saw the advantage of anything over 16 shades of gray to be honest.

Seriously, that was more of a dig at Windows Mobile than at the whole VGA/QVGA debate. Maybe WM6 is getting better, but after seeing the guys here at work running WM5, I am happy to be running an older OS. I would love to replace my QVGA HP2210 with a VGA device, but I just can't justify the cost when my device does pretty much exactly what I need it to do at this time.

Dave

Dave

[Mikey]

Seriously, that was more of a dig at Windows Mobile than at the whole VGA/QVGA debate. Maybe WM6 is getting better, but after seeing the guys here at work running WM5, I am happy to be running an older OS. I would love to replace my QVGA HP2210 with a VGA device, but I just can't justify the cost when my device does pretty much exactly what I need it to do at this time.

Dave

Dave

I agree that the 2210 is one of the greatest of all time. My best friend still carries one, albeit held together by crazy glue &amp; duck tape. I love that form factor. I tried a WM5 device twice (8125 &amp; Treo 750) &amp; went back to carrying a trusty BlackBerry &amp; my 3+ year old Dell Axim x50v.

[V-iPAQ]

nobody NEEDs VGA, but many want it. The ONLY argument there is against VGA is battery drain. And nobody can tell us how much more drain there is.

Everything else is irrelevant. Costs drop with scale. Graphics accelerators are common - and one day devices will have drivers for them too!

When someone gives us detailed stats on battery drain, performance, etc and we can have a more intelligent discussion.

[netboy]

nobody NEEDs VGA, but many want it.

When someone gives us detailed stats on battery drain, performance, etc and we can have a more intelligent discussion.

and how intelligent is that by saying "nobody NEEDs VGA"??
just cus U DONT NEED it! it doesnt mean nobody (else) need VGA!
i need VGA, i will not settle for anything less then VGA!
i dont care if it' Tytn III or Super Touch Cruize, if it' QVGA, i'm not interested! PERIOD!

[netboy]

this is Remote Desktop to WinXp in VGA!

can u do this in QVGA? haha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kbiEbU0MEY

[DaveStall]

this is Remote Desktop to WinXp in VGA!

can u do this in QVGA? haha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kbiEbU0MEY

I don't need to, nor do I really have any desire to do so. In my case, a QVGA device is plenty good enough. I believe that is the case for a good many, if not most, people out there. What it all comes down to is that there are different devices for different needs. I have a number of friends and co-workers that also use PDA devices (some Palms, some PPCs, some Blackberries) and while we all drool over the nice new VGA devices, not a single one of us can really justify spending the cash on a device that in the end won't serve our needs any better than the obviously inferior low resolution devices we already own.

Dave

[V-iPAQ]

and how intelligent is that by saying "nobody NEEDs VGA"??
just cus U DONT NEED it! it doesnt mean nobody (else) need VGA!
i need VGA, i will not settle for anything less then VGA!
i dont care if it' Tytn III or Super Touch Cruize, if it' QVGA, i'm not interested! PERIOD!

I think you got need and want mixed up. Really wanting is not needing. Won't accept any less than is not needing. And arguments like this without any concrete reasoning just make you sound like a zealot and won't give makers any reason to switch.

No, you can't remote XP in VGA on a QVGA device, but you can remote XP in QVGA on a QVGA. Can you remote XP in WXVGA on a VGA device? If you need to remote XP regularly, won't the sluggishness of the X800 be a problem? And won't VGA be to small in itself?

I mean, I agree that more devices should go VGA, but I've heard no definitive reason on why they must ALL go VGA and why QVGA is totally unusable now. And until there is one, makers will make whatever they like and force-feed it to us.

[netboy]

I mean, I agree that more devices should go VGA, but I've heard no definitive reason on why they must ALL go VGA and why QVGA is totally unusable now. And until there is one, makers will make whatever they like and force-feed it to us.

did u just come out from a cave? it' the consumers that control the markets! y do u think Eten, Imate, and Sony all making VGA/WVGA pdaphones?

[DaveStall]

did u just come out from a cave? it' the consumers that control the markets! y do u think Eten, Imate, and Sony all making VGA/WVGA pdaphones?

I'm trying to decipher that last one .. but I think I get your point. It is true that consumers ultimately control the market. If the demand was such that consumers refused to buy anything but VGA devices, then that is all we would see. QVGA devices would make up perhaps a tiny share of the market. That is however not the case, at least at the present time. I would bet that more IPAQ 110s will be sold in the next year than 210s. In the end, price is a huge factor. I know that the comparison isn't valid, but I hear people saying "Why spend $500 on a PDA when I can get a laptop for nearly the same price?" I still believe that most people don't need that much from a PDA. Those of us here on the forums perhaps look at our devices as pocket computers (as the name PPC would suggest). In this case, we are always looking for power and cutting edge features. In the other (I would say majority) of cases, for the average person that wants to keep contacts, to to lists and perhaps assorted other information, a cheap QVGA device probably has more functionality than they will ever need. Those are the people setting the market, not the few enthusiasts out there (in here).

Dave

[jadesse]

have an Axim x51V &amp; an ATT 8525 both of which are running WM6. The difference between the VGA &amp; QVGA screen is night &amp; day. On the VGA the icons &amp; text are so crisp &amp; clear.

[juni]

VGA has twice the resolution, which this screenshot clearly demonstrates:

http://www.kolumbus.fi/anders.ruohio/sbshdeluxetitle.png

The only negative thing I can say about VGA is that the actual device is so big I can't really carry it around constantly, so I use a small smartphone for phone use and the hx4700 for sofa web-browsing and e-book reading. :)

[DaveStall]

That is a great screen shot Juni.

This is not meant to be a negative, but to me it looks like you have pretty much exactly the same information displayed on both screens. It it just that the VGA screen is rendered with more pixels and thus more pleasing to the eye?

You mention that you use your VGA device to read ebooks. Do you use the same font size that you would use with a QVGA device? I am guessing that even at the same font size, things probably look better on a VGA screen. This has been my biggest question in regards to VGA vs. QVGA. My main use by far for my 2210 is reading ebooks. I have always wondered what benefit I might gain by moving to a VGA device. I never use the smallest font size even on my QVGA device, so displaying more text on the screen (as previous screen shots have shown) isn't really what I am looking for.

Dave

[Jason Dunn]

The only negative thing I can say about VGA is that the actual device is so big I can't really carry it around constantly...

***BING***

That's the key point that some people in this thread, whom I can only describe as VGA bigots (really, there's a fair bit of rudeness happening), seem to be missing.

All things being equal, would ANYONE not want VGA on their device? No.

But all things are NOT equal - VGA devices, for a variety of reasons, have tended to be bigger and slower (graphically). Some people, and I could myself as one of them, are not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to get VGA. Some people are - and that's cool - but it's not fair for people who only want VGA devices to disparage and attack those that have other, more important factors to consider when picking a device (for me it's having a QWERTY keyboard and small size).

[netboy]

more important factors to consider when picking a device (for me it's having a QWERTY keyboard and small size).

HELLOOOOOOOOOO?
VGA pdaphone IS the same size as QVGA pdaphone! Eten x800, Eten M800, Imate 6150, Imate 8150, and upcoming Imate 9502 and Sony X1!

[juni]

This is not meant to be a negative, but to me it looks like you have pretty much exactly the same information displayed on both screens. It it just that the VGA screen is rendered with more pixels and thus more pleasing to the eye?

Well, if a VGA icon has 52x52 pixels and a QVGA half that (26x26) then the VGA one will have twice the detail (which doesn't necessarily mean the actual screen size is much bigger) and look much sharper and more detailed. To me QVGA looks "grainier" somehow.

I don't use the smallest font for e-book reading, but I've used many QVGA devices in the past too and if I compare the hx4700 to those then there is a lot less strain on the eye when reading.

The actual device size is a big negative factor. If I wanted to use a VGA device as phone I would probably have to get a dreaded "man-bag" and use a bluetooth headset for actual calls. :D

[Nurhisham Hussein]

To me QVGA looks "grainier" somehow.

The word you're looking for Juni, is pixelated ;)

The actual device size is a big negative factor. If I wanted to use a VGA device as phone I would probably have to get a dreaded "man-bag" and use a bluetooth headset for actual calls. :D

I've got an Advantage, and I ended up getting a belt pouch for it. Funny thing is, since I replaced my Loox 720 and SE k800i with it, I ended up carrying a lighter load than I did before. The BT headset though is obligatory.

[Menneisyys]

Guys and gals, I’ve just posted a HUGE roundup &amp; quick review of i-mate’s all four new devices to http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=450156

[davea0511]

Why would there have to be any discussion on this, high resolution will always result in a sharper display capable of displaying more relestate.

The bigger question should be why are companies like HTC still releasing their new flagship models with QVGA displays!
Actually, I think the bigger question is why don't PPC manufacturers stretch screens to device edges so VGA can be more useful. I agree with those that say that that on 2.8" and smaller screens VGA has diminishing returns unless you have incredible eyesight, but most of these devices could be stretched to 3.5" screens without increasing device size if the manufacturers wanted to.

As a community we need to engage on a "no margins" campaign: "No margins between the screen and device edges". We need to send a message to manufacturers that if they don't make optimal use of the device surface then we won't buy them. I pledge to that cause. I invite everyone else to do the same.

[netboy]

Actually, I think the bigger question is why don't PPC manufacturers stretch screens to device edges so VGA can be more useful. I agree with those that say that that on 2.8" and smaller screens VGA has diminishing returns unless you have incredible eyesight, but most of these devices could be stretched to 3.5" screens without increasing device size if the manufacturers wanted to.



what i dont understand is iphone is the same size as other pdaphones! but iphone got 3.5" screen while pdaphone that size only got 2.8" screen!

[wseto]

what i dont understand is iphone is the same size as other pdaphones! but iphone got 3.5" screen while pdaphone that size only got 2.8" screen!

The iPhone uses the external glass surface as a structural member for the case of the phone whereas most, if not all of the previous WM phones, the display's glass screen needed a sturdy frame around it to keep it from flexing and cracking. So that limited the size of the screen and required reasonably large borders on the phone.
Apple's "under" the glass touch detection also helps make the screen more robust as well and allows the completely flat surface for the front face.

Unless Apple's got those things patented, we'll probably see more large screen/small bezel phones appearing on the market soon.