Tablet & e-Reader Display Resolution
Here's a quick comparison chart I put together showing the display resolution and aspect ratios of most of the major tablets and e-reading devices currently on the market, or generally still in use. It is not exhaustive, but it covers the primary reading devices being used by the majority of ebook readers, and consequently is a useful reference for making decisions regarding ebook formatting (the reason I compiled it in the first place).
I just thought I'd share it, since the information isn't readily available in one place - at least not without having to sort through a lot of useless information that's not relevant - and most tech specs neglect to include pixels-per-inch and aspect ratio as part of their breakdown. These are handy to know when you're preparing cover art or internal illustrations, particularly for fixed layout ebooks aimed at a target market or platform.
DEVICE
Resolution
Pixels
Aspect
KINDLE E-INK
800 x 600
167 ppi
4:3
KINDLE PAPERWHITE
1024 x 758
212 ppi
4:3 *
KINDLE FIRE
1024 x 600
169 ppi
10:6 **
KINDLE FIRE HD 7"
1280 x 800
216 ppi
16:10
KINDLE FIRE HD 8.9"
1920 x 1200
254 ppi
16:10
NOOK
800 x 600
167 ppi
4:3
NOOK COLOR/TABLET
1024 x 600
169 ppi
16:10
NOOK HD 7"
1440 x 900
243 ppi
16:10
NOOK HD+ 9"
1920 x 1280
256 ppi
3:2
KOBO MINI [5"]
800 x 600
200 ppi
4:3
KOBO TOUCH [6"]
800 x 600
167 ppi
4:3
KOBO GLO [6"]
1024 x 758
213 ppi
4:3 *
KOBO VOX [7"]
1024 x 600
169 ppi
10:6 **
KOBO ARC [7"]
1280 x 800
215 ppi
16:10
IPAD 2 [9.7"]
1024 x 768
132 ppi
4:3
IPAD 3 & 4 [9.7"]
2048 x 1536
264 ppi
4:3
IPAD MINI [7.9"]
1024 x 768
163 ppi
4:3
MOTOROLA XOOM 8.2"
1280 x 800
184 ppi
16:10
MOTOROLA XOOM 10.1"
1280 x 800
149 ppi
16:10
GALAXY TAB 7"
1024 x 600
171 ppi
10:6 **
GALAXY TAB 8.9"
1280 x 800
169 ppi
16:10
GALAXY TAB 10.1"
1280 x 800
149 ppi
16:10
NEXUS 7"
1280 x 800
216 ppi
16:10
NEXUS 10"
2560 x 1600
300 ppi
16:10
SURFACE RT [10.6"]
1366 x 768
148 ppi
16:9
SURFACE PRO [10.6"]
1920 x 1080
224 ppi
16:9
* 10 pixels narrower than full 4:3 ratio
** Actual ratio is 128:75 = 10.24:6 - or 16:9.375 (i.e. 17:10)
As you can see the aspect ratios fall primarily into two categories - 4:3 and 16:10 - with a few peculiar discrepancies, particularly 10:6 on some common 7" devices. This is remarkably - and almost frighteningly - equivalent to the pan-and-scan / widescreen fight that went on for several years in the video industry (and is still continuing to some degree), and is, in fact, partially due to it, since the primary reason these multimedia devices have begun to appear in widescreen formats is to accommodate accurate video presentation.
However, a print book's natural aspect ratio is akin to old tube television's 4:3 standard, and so a comparative digital two-page spread fits nicely on an iPad but is miserably represented on the 10:6/16:10 devices. And since ebooks and print books will very likely continue to coexist for many years to come (and thus ebooks will naturally continue to emulate their printed counterparts, especially where fixed layout is concerned) my preference would be for the 4:3 format to triumph over widescreen (ironically opposite to my desires for film all those years I worked in the video industry), since black letterboxing is less intrusive to video than the relative shrinking of a book page, which in many cases renders it illegible. The fact that people are (surprisingly) will to watch videos on their tiny 5" iPhones just goes to show it's nowhere near as critical as the legibility of text.
As a minor side note, I find it ironic that no other major tablet brand has gone after the iPad's 4:3 ratio for one of their larger multimedia devices. Intentionally avoiding a head-to-head confrontation where Apple dominates the market, or merely a different focus?
At any rate, I hope you find the data useful. I'll try to keep the chart updated, so bookmark this page for future reference.
I just thought I'd share it, since the information isn't readily available in one place - at least not without having to sort through a lot of useless information that's not relevant - and most tech specs neglect to include pixels-per-inch and aspect ratio as part of their breakdown. These are handy to know when you're preparing cover art or internal illustrations, particularly for fixed layout ebooks aimed at a target market or platform.
DEVICE
Resolution
Pixels
Aspect
KINDLE E-INK
800 x 600
167 ppi
4:3
KINDLE PAPERWHITE
1024 x 758
212 ppi
4:3 *
KINDLE FIRE
1024 x 600
169 ppi
10:6 **
KINDLE FIRE HD 7"
1280 x 800
216 ppi
16:10
KINDLE FIRE HD 8.9"
1920 x 1200
254 ppi
16:10
NOOK
800 x 600
167 ppi
4:3
NOOK COLOR/TABLET
1024 x 600
169 ppi
16:10
NOOK HD 7"
1440 x 900
243 ppi
16:10
NOOK HD+ 9"
1920 x 1280
256 ppi
3:2
KOBO MINI [5"]
800 x 600
200 ppi
4:3
KOBO TOUCH [6"]
800 x 600
167 ppi
4:3
KOBO GLO [6"]
1024 x 758
213 ppi
4:3 *
KOBO VOX [7"]
1024 x 600
169 ppi
10:6 **
KOBO ARC [7"]
1280 x 800
215 ppi
16:10
IPAD 2 [9.7"]
1024 x 768
132 ppi
4:3
IPAD 3 & 4 [9.7"]
2048 x 1536
264 ppi
4:3
IPAD MINI [7.9"]
1024 x 768
163 ppi
4:3
MOTOROLA XOOM 8.2"
1280 x 800
184 ppi
16:10
MOTOROLA XOOM 10.1"
1280 x 800
149 ppi
16:10
GALAXY TAB 7"
1024 x 600
171 ppi
10:6 **
GALAXY TAB 8.9"
1280 x 800
169 ppi
16:10
GALAXY TAB 10.1"
1280 x 800
149 ppi
16:10
NEXUS 7"
1280 x 800
216 ppi
16:10
NEXUS 10"
2560 x 1600
300 ppi
16:10
SURFACE RT [10.6"]
1366 x 768
148 ppi
16:9
SURFACE PRO [10.6"]
1920 x 1080
224 ppi
16:9
* 10 pixels narrower than full 4:3 ratio
** Actual ratio is 128:75 = 10.24:6 - or 16:9.375 (i.e. 17:10)
As you can see the aspect ratios fall primarily into two categories - 4:3 and 16:10 - with a few peculiar discrepancies, particularly 10:6 on some common 7" devices. This is remarkably - and almost frighteningly - equivalent to the pan-and-scan / widescreen fight that went on for several years in the video industry (and is still continuing to some degree), and is, in fact, partially due to it, since the primary reason these multimedia devices have begun to appear in widescreen formats is to accommodate accurate video presentation.
However, a print book's natural aspect ratio is akin to old tube television's 4:3 standard, and so a comparative digital two-page spread fits nicely on an iPad but is miserably represented on the 10:6/16:10 devices. And since ebooks and print books will very likely continue to coexist for many years to come (and thus ebooks will naturally continue to emulate their printed counterparts, especially where fixed layout is concerned) my preference would be for the 4:3 format to triumph over widescreen (ironically opposite to my desires for film all those years I worked in the video industry), since black letterboxing is less intrusive to video than the relative shrinking of a book page, which in many cases renders it illegible. The fact that people are (surprisingly) will to watch videos on their tiny 5" iPhones just goes to show it's nowhere near as critical as the legibility of text.
As a minor side note, I find it ironic that no other major tablet brand has gone after the iPad's 4:3 ratio for one of their larger multimedia devices. Intentionally avoiding a head-to-head confrontation where Apple dominates the market, or merely a different focus?
At any rate, I hope you find the data useful. I'll try to keep the chart updated, so bookmark this page for future reference.
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