Resolution has largely reached a point where any megapixel increase no longer matters. There has been many discussions about what resolution the human eye can perceive. Generally, for a sharp picture – either on a screen or print – 300dpi/ppi is required (Apple’s first ‘retina display’ was 326ppi). For a pin-sharp image, 600dpi/ppi is needed, and some 4k phones have exceeded this.

Does pixel size matter?

Yes and no. It’s not the size of the pixels that counts – it’s the area of your vision they take up. However, all these resolutions assume a close viewing distance of less than an arm’s length. As pictures are printed however large is needed, and displayed on screens of all sorts of sizes, the actual resolution required for them to be perceived as ‘sharp’ varies. Some roadside billboards have a print resolution of less than 100dpi, yet they still look sharp due to the distance they are viewed from. If you walk right up close to a large poster, you will often see fairly coarse dots. read more