We’ve seen the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros go Retina. When will the iMac get ultra high resolution screens, though?
It’s unknown, but it looks like we’re edging closer. Dell — the company whose founder once laughingly suggested that Cupertino return all of its money to shareholders — has just posted details for a new 24-inch monitor sporting a 3840 x 2160 4K display.
Featuring a resolution of 185 pixels per inch, Dell’s new new UP2414Q monitor is one of the first consumer-grade monitors that could qualify as “Retina.” Here are the specs:
– Our highest pixel density sharpens the tiniest details in videos and images for stunning results.
– Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 packs in four times the resolution of Full HD.
– Get a clear and consistent view with an ultrawide 178°/178° viewing angle.Diagonally Viewable Size: 60.47 cm 23.8″ (23.8-inch wide viewable image size)
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (16:9)
Panel Type, Surface: In-plane switching, anti glare with hard coat 3H
Optimal resolution: 3840 x 2160 at 60 Hz (DP1.2*)
3840 x 2160 at 30 Hz HDMI
Contrast Ratio: 1000: 1 (typical) 2 Million:1 (Max) (Dynamic Contrast Ratio)
Brightness: 350 cd/m2 (typical)
Response Time: 8 ms (gray to gray)
Viewing Angle: (178° vertical / 178° horizontal)
Color Support: Color Gamut (typical): Adobe RGB 99%, sRGB 100%
1.07 Billion colors (8 Bits +AFRC)
Pixel Pitch: 0.137 mm
Pixel Per Inch (PPI): 185
Backlight Technology: LED
Display Type: Widescreen Flat Panel Display
Display Screen Coating: Antiglare with hard-coating 3H
Although Dell’s computers might be laughable, their 24-inch monitors are routinely listed as some of the best display deals on the planet. So although the price and release of this monitor are still under wraps, it’s likely an excellent monitor.
So if you wanted to, say, buy three of these bad boys to hook up to your new Mac Pro, this would be an excellent choice. More interestingly, though, Dell’s new 4K monitor seems to imply that Retina displays are finally ready at consumer prices for desktops.
Of course, this display panel wouldn’t make a 1:1 fit for a Retina 24-inch iMac. The existing 24-inch iMac has a 1920 x 1200 display, which means that if Apple keeps existing aspect ratios, a Retina iMac would be a 3840 x 2400 affair… a couple hundred pixels more than Dell’s. My guess, though, is we’ll see a Retina 24-inch iMac in 2014. The 27-incher, though, is another story entirely: when will people start making 5120 x 2880 display panels, I wonder?
