I don't really get the DPI subject - Nexus 6 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm not so sure I get the whole DPI subject, I thought DPI referred only to the "printed resolution" in other words , that DPI is the same as PPI but you talk about DPI from printed things and PPi for digital things, am I wrong?
The nexus 6 comes with a stock value of 480 DPI and if I want to have more space available when I'm using chrome, so I can fit more text on the screen I should lower it, but by doing it am I reducing the quality also?
I'd appreciate your input on this :laugh:

Chad_Petree said:
I'm not so sure I get the whole DPI subject, I thought DPI referred only to the "printed resolution" in other words , that DPI is the same as PPI but you talk about DPI from printed things and PPi for digital things, am I wrong?
The nexus 6 comes with a stock value of 480 DPI and if I want to have more space available when I'm using chrome, so I can fit more text on the screen I should lower it, but by doing it am I reducing the quality also?
I'd appreciate your input on this [emoji23]
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DPI refers to androids scaling where as PPI is the physical amount of pixels per inch on the screen so a lower DPI makes things be smaller on screen (which is what you want) where as higher makes text and things larger.
Also, stock DPI on the nexus 6 is 560 where as the PPI of the screen is 493. Personally, I like 520 DPI as its smaller than stock, but not so small that you can't see anything

ajhman said:
DPI refers to androids scaling where as PPI is the physical amount of pixels per inch on the screen so a lower DPI makes things be smaller on screen (which is what you want) where as higher makes text and things larger.
Also, stock DPI on the nexus 6 is 560 where as the PPI of the screen is 493. Personally, I like 520 DPI as its smaller than stock, but not so small that you can't see anything
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Thanks for taking the time to explain [emoji57] , and every android uses 560 dpi as default ? What do manufacturers take into account when choosing the DPI, only the screen size ?
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Chad_Petree said:
Thanks for taking the time to explain [emoji57] , and every android uses 560 dpi as default ? What do manufacturers take into account when choosing the DPI, only the screen size ?
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Whatever experience they want.

Chad_Petree said:
Thanks for taking the time to explain [emoji57] , and every android uses 560 dpi as default ? What do manufacturers take into account when choosing the DPI, only the screen size ?
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Nah, just the n6 uses 560 that I know of. It all comes down to personal preference on what you like.
When a manufacturer chooses a DPI they look at no only screen size, but resolution of the display because as PPI goes up DPI needs to as well

ajhman said:
as PPI goes up DPI needs to as well
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Not necessarily. Generally yes - but with big screens at higher resolutions, they may want to opt for more screen real estate than maintaining a proportional ratio to smaller screened devices.

Chad_Petree said:
I'm not so sure I get the whole DPI subject, I thought DPI referred only to the "printed resolution" in other words , that DPI is the same as PPI but you talk about DPI from printed things and PPi for digital things, am I wrong?
The nexus 6 comes with a stock value of 480 DPI and if I want to have more space available when I'm using chrome, so I can fit more text on the screen I should lower it, but by doing it am I reducing the quality also?
I'd appreciate your input on this :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a lot of confusion and misinformation about this subject.
Fact is, that PPI and DPI are actually synonymous.
One pixel is one dot. Hence the number of pixels per inch is the same as the number of dots per inch.
The "standard" DPI/PPI resolution for Android is 160. It is so because the first Android device, the HTC Dream, was physically 160 DPI.
Now the way it works in Android, is that the SOFTWARE needs to be made AWARE of the physical resolution of the screen. This is why the build.prop file often has a parameter "ro.sf.lcd_density". This is the DPI/PPI value for the physical screen.
The kernel tells it what the overall resolution is, in the case of Nexus 6, 2560x1440. Knowing the DENSITY, and knowing the overall resolution, you can calculate the physical size of the display.
The reason why this information is necessary, is to be able to SCALE things -- text, UI elements like buttons, images -- such that they take a proper physical space on the screen. I.e., if you have a font size that displays with a character height of 1/3 inch on an HTC DREAM, then using the same number of PIXELS on a Nexus 6 would result in a character height of 1/10 inch, i.e., too small to actually read.
So instead, the fonts/UI elements/etc. are sized using something referred to as a DiP -- Density independent Pixel. This is, basically, 160 dpi. So what it does, is it SCALES everything into NATIVE pixels by the ratio between ro.sf.lcd_density and 160, so that things look the same size on the screen, and you are actually able to read it.
Now, it is technically incorrect to screw with the value of ro.sf.lcd_density, since this will convince Android that the screen is larger or smaller than it actually is. However, some people like a tighter or looser UI, so it is there in case they want to tweak it... within reason.

doitright said:
Now, it is technically incorrect to screw with the value of ro.sf.lcd_density, since this will convince Android that the screen is larger or smaller than it actually is. However, some people like a tighter or looser UI, so it is there in case they want to tweak it... within reason.
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So basically a device like the nexus which has a 1080p 5" screen has a 445 PPI and a 445 DPI and the nexus 6 has a 5.96" display which is 493 PPI and 493 DPI, I just get confused for example because on a macbook pro retina you get a resolution which is greater than QHD but still get a "working space" of a 720p display and I assume it has to do with the DPI

Related

320Dpi to 240Dpi

so my note has 320dpi native, what happens when i change it to 240dpi?
are there any advantages?Disadvantages?
This is being discussed on a separate thread, bit I think it is a good idea for a thread of its own.
I tried it, and the screen is much larger. That means most things in the screen are much smaller. It appears to make most launchers smoother as well.
I find it too small for my tired old eyes, but if your sight is good, I think it is a marvellous idea. It basically becomes a miniature tablet, and most apps seem to take advantage of that.
The stock phone dialer seems to be one of the very few TW apps that does not resize. TW also does not allow more cols and rows (IIRC), so it would be best to use another launcher, and perhaps Go Dialer.
---------- Post added at 05:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:16 AM ----------
Actually the thread is here, so this is a duplicate:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1487309
you see more stuff in most apps for example in settings you see more options at once. most launchers do ok as long as you adjust rows columns although sometimes widgets look weird
i run darkyrom at 240dpi only. nothing is to small for me to read and everything but s-memo seems to work perfectly *you get some weird lines, just color over it with a white and go on with drawing .
i run adw ex launcher with 10x10 homescreen layout and 7 icon dockbar.
It´s so EASY!
It´s easy: Everbody who is interested in this, should definitly give it a shot. Get DPI Changer from the market for free and try it out yourself. There es nothing (again: nothing!) that will happen to your phone, you are always able to go back to 320 again without ANY issues.
The only one thing everbody has to do before is to install another launcher (I can fully recommend Go Launcher (ex), IMAO it´s the smoothest for our Gnote) just for that one reason: Damned TouchWiz doesn´t scale correctly.
Try it out folks, deside for yourself, it´s worth it!
just modify the build.prop density to 240. The default 320 is too big and it pains the eye after many usages!
there are a couple ways of doing it
the 2 above and also an app called "Rom Toolbox" which i recommend more then the others because it also gives you alot more options for different things other then DPI aswell.
Can someone upload 2 screenshots with both resolution please?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
The biggest advantage is that you can see more in the screen. Especially useful with context menu, browser, various apps and so on.
First 240 Dpi images
Images for 320
Thanks drgopoos... 240 looks more like a phone, and 320 looks more like a mini tablet... One question, does dpi is the same as ppi?
I see my iPhone 4svis 330 ppi the Gnex is 320ppi and the note is 236... does that mean the resolution is lower?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
i thought that 240 dpi is kinda crap but now changed from 320 to 240dpi and im enjoying it, looks so cool and more comfortable ;D
big samm said:
One question, does dpi is the same as ppi?
I see my iPhone 4svis 330 ppi the Gnex is 320ppi and the note is 236... does that mean the resolution is lower?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
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It means that the screen has less physical pixels per inch, so it can be same resolution as a smaller screen that has bigger ppi.
Which means that even tho u have less ppi on the gnote, you still have more resolution than the other phones cause of the size of the gnote's screen.
Ppl say dpi for screens but the correct term is indeed ppi. dpi is for printers.
Does the CriskeloRom can also change to DPI or not ? need depend on the launcher or not ?

What is the best DPI for our Note

Hi folks!
I was just wondering what is the best DPI settings for our note without hindering usability.
I would like a general opinion.
320dpi fanboys not welcome!
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
i run gingerbread at 240dpi, and ICS alpha at 213dpi
seem to be the best ones for each android version
160dpi on GB and well on ICS makes everything a little bit to small
240dpi is perfect due to 90% of phones being stock at this.
*s-memo does mess up on any dpi not 320dpi so remember that
213dpi on ICS brings out full tablet mode but keeps the screen readable
Where can i find info on this ics alpha? id love to give it a shot.
---------------------------
Yeah it's a Galaxy Note, are you jealous?
deymayor said:
Where can i find info on this ics alpha? id love to give it a shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here we go...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1423795
And keep this in mind:
KNOWN BUGS
Bluetooth is unstable. Don't rely on it just yet
Battery Usage doesn't work.
MTP Mode does not work. You need to push/pull files via adb
Camera doesn't work. Will be that way until we can get our hands on a ICS
leak for the Galaxy Note
Best regards
[bs]
I've set mine to 240, and loving it. I think it's the best setup for usability and aesthetic for the Gnote. I don't think I would ever go back to the default DPI after switching it to 240.
240
From my experience 240 is by far the best. It is too small for me, but I have poor eyesight (one of the main reasons for buying the Note). For most people it should be fairly easy to adjust too, I would think.
I'm sorry, how do you change DPI?
cswithxda said:
I'm sorry, how do you change DPI?
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Click to collapse
LCD Density Modder
240 dpi the best
cswithxda said:
I'm sorry, how do you change DPI?
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Click to collapse
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.birdapi.android.dpi
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Thanks guys. Another Root App Looks like I'll need to get into the water now.
BTW, what is the stock DPI? 284?
cswithxda said:
Thanks guys. Another Root App Looks like I'll need to get into the water now.
BTW, what is the stock DPI? 284?
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Click to collapse
320, btw why u are so scared to root your phone?
Yeah 240dpi is pretty awesome so much screen to work with. Only problem is my eyes are kinda bad but I still love it regardless.
Sent from my Galaxy Note GT-N7000
cmon guys... DPI? that's for printers...
The correct term for screens is PPI, and, it's a physical characteristic of the screen, it's impossible to change a screen's PPI after it's manufactured.
The 320dpi, 240dpi thing that you talk about and which android refers to as lcd density internally is like a virtual pitch, the spacing between each pixel displayed on the screen.
That's why when you decrease the spacing between each pixel from 320 to 240 for example you get much more spacing on the screen cause more pixels fits on the screen.
So a more correct term than DPI or PPI is PITCH. (which isn't also 100% correct cause you can't also change pitch of a screen as it is fixed, but it's like a virtual pitch setting that we can change to "fool" the OS into displaying things as if the phone had a different screen installed)
EdgaBimbam said:
320, btw why u are so scared to root your phone?
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Because this device is kinda expensive for a Android new comer to try the water
I need to get familiar with all different kinds of commands more...
I wasn't really scared to root the phone as I may have sounded either
cswithxda said:
Because this device is kinda expensive for a Android new comer to try the water
I need to get familiar with all different kinds of commands more...
I wasn't really scared to root the phone as I may have sounded either
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are so many advantages to rooting. Imagine running your very own Windows PC without admin rights? That what carriers, and even vendors like Samsung, are trying to force on us. It's BS.
Elusivo said:
cmon guys... DPI? that's for printers...
The correct term for screens is PPI, and, it's a physical characteristic of the screen, it's impossible to change a screen's PPI after it's manufactured.
The 320dpi, 240dpi thing that you talk about and which android refers to as lcd density internally is like a virtual pitch, the spacing between each pixel displayed on the screen.
That's why when you decrease the spacing between each pixel from 320 to 240 for example you get much more spacing on the screen cause more pixels fits on the screen.
So a more correct term than DPI or PPI is PITCH. (which isn't also 100% correct cause you can't also change pitch of a screen as it is fixed, but it's like a virtual pitch setting that we can change to "fool" the OS into displaying things as if the phone had a different screen installed)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And the point is?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
[OT]
The point is that using a correct term to name something is sometimes not bad at all
[/OT]
Even though lowering the "virtual density" to 240 will allow for more real estate on the display, I am not totally sure that the need to consult an ophalmologist won't increase likewise after that.
It is looking good when you take a snapshot though.
jaiiscool said:
And the point is?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
It was just a comment, maybe not the best place for it but the point is just to try and clear up some of the confusion that sometimes happens when ppl dive into the actual DPI meaning.
Elusivo said:
cmon guys... DPI? that's for printers...
The correct term for screens is PPI, and, it's a physical characteristic of the screen, it's impossible to change a screen's PPI after it's manufactured.
The 320dpi, 240dpi thing that you talk about and which android refers to as lcd density internally is like a virtual pitch, the spacing between each pixel displayed on the screen.
That's why when you decrease the spacing between each pixel from 320 to 240 for example you get much more spacing on the screen cause more pixels fits on the screen.
So a more correct term than DPI or PPI is PITCH. (which isn't also 100% correct cause you can't also change pitch of a screen as it is fixed, but it's like a virtual pitch setting that we can change to "fool" the OS into displaying things as if the phone had a different screen installed)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, i think we'll continue with the term "DPI" (Dots Per Inch) But you're right, there's a huge difference between DPI and PPI, but that's not the case since no one has used the term "PPI" here.

[Q] Xposed Framework Icon Size

Hi. Just installed the Xposed Framework apk and loving the new customisation options. Just asking if anyone knows of a way to increase the size of the icons on my Homescreen?
ianrobbie said:
Hi. Just installed the Xposed Framework apk and loving the new customisation options. Just asking if anyone knows of a way to increase the size of the icons on my Homescreen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same question here ?? how to make icon size look like xperia ZU ??
try changing the resolution of the launcher?
fards said:
try changing the resolution of the launcher?
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Click to collapse
I did and change it from 460 to 331 dpi , and now I have a small icon like on xperia z but there is a lot of space in home screen that can't be used?
hamud.q said:
I did and change it from 460 to 331 dpi , and now I have a small icon like on xperia z but there is a lot of space in home screen that can't be used?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The icon size cannot be the same size as the ZU due to obvious screen difference (5" vs 6.4")
the dpi changes the space and how things look on your phone. That also includes icons.
Actually, 320dpi is the correct XZU dpi for OUR 5" 1080p screen. 480dpi is our stock. 320dpi is using the same icon size as the XZU, the reason why it looks smaller is because obviously our screen is not 6.4" and so we can't have everything looking 100% like XZU. That's just insane lol
if you want big icons, either use a different 3rd party launcher which allows you to do that, change dpi back to 480 and stop complaining about it on the stock launcher or live with the fact that you can't change icon size in stock launcher.
320dpi with the size of XZU screen is impossible without an actual 6.4" screen lol.
It's just like saying, TabletUI/PhabletUI looks too small on my 5" phone but looks big/normal on my 10" tablet! what should I do? ROFL.
P.S XZU has a ppi of 344ppi which means it should use 320dpi XHDPI (eXtra High Density) Our XZ has a higher PPI Density of 441ppi which means DPI will be XXHDPI (eXtra-eXtra High Density) When our XZ use XHDPI, by nature of the screen and ppi, it will look small and there isn't much you can do about that (except from changing icon size in 3rd party launchers)
ZeroInfinity said:
The icon size cannot be the same size as the ZU due to obvious screen difference (5" vs 6.4")
the dpi changes the space and how things look on your phone. That also includes icons.
Actually, 320dpi is the correct XZU dpi for OUR 5" 1080p screen. 480dpi is our stock. 320dpi is using the same icon size as the XZU, the reason why it looks smaller is because obviously our screen is not 6.4" and so we can't have everything looking 100% like XZU. That's just insane lol
if you want big icons, either use a different 3rd party launcher which allows you to do that, change dpi back to 480 and stop complaining about it on the stock launcher or live with the fact that you can't change icon size in stock launcher.
320dpi with the size of XZU screen is impossible without an actual 6.4" screen lol.
It's just like saying, TabletUI/PhabletUI looks too small on my 5" phone but looks big/normal on my 10" tablet! what should I do? ROFL.
P.S XZU has a ppi of 344ppi which means it should use 320dpi XHDPI (eXtra High Density) Our XZ has a higher PPI Density of 441ppi which means DPI will be XXHDPI (eXtra-eXtra High Density) When our XZ use XHDPI, by nature of the screen and ppi, it will look small and there isn't much you can do about that (except from changing icon size in 3rd party launchers)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks , I get it now .
Sorry, thought I'd better pop back in. I set my DPI to 320 and, like above, found I had a lot of space either side of the screen I couldn't use. I changed my screen resolution to 600 x 1024 and that helped. I can now get 7 icons (including app drawer) along the dock and can use the entire screen to place apps/widgets etc. Icons are a tad small but still very use able.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
ianrobbie said:
Sorry, thought I'd better pop back in. I set my DPI to 320 and, like above, found I had a lot of space either side of the screen I couldn't use. I changed my screen resolution to 600 x 1024 and that helped. I can now get 7 icons (including app drawer) along the dock and can use the entire screen to place apps/widgets etc. Icons are a tad small but still very use able.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you will face a problem with Sony widget , can it be fixed ?
So far I haven't come across any problems. I didn't change the system DPI. Only the settings for Xperia Home launcher. And also for Browser.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
Just to show the widgets use the full screen. This is the Flipboard widget stretched to full.
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

Ideal DPI for N5

Hey guys,
I found 400 DPI to be ideal on the N5.
Default is way too huge. What other DPI's have you guys tried?
I found a DPI of 400 way to small, the distance between the icons on the homescreen just become too long. I'm back on 480, because I like the big icons
Sent from my Nexus 5
Gormsen said:
I found a DPI of 400 way to small, the distance between the icons on the homescreen just become too long. I'm back on 480, because I like the big icons
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IIRC 380 will add the extra column of icons so you don't have those massive apps.
Please use the existing thread
LCD Density
Closed

Samsung - please revisit your default lcd_density in future phones

I've come to expect the default lcd_density of the Note line to be set far too high based on the resolution of the screen. I had assumed it was b/c of Google's design constraints that all phones of certain resolutions must have the same density to allow apps and such to render identically, though the physical size of objects would be smaller or larger depending of the size of the screen.
This was why the 1080p S4, S5, and Note 3 all running a lcd_density of 480 would show the same amount of content on the screen. Everything would just be larger on the Note 3 as it was a 5.7" screen. The Note 4 with a 1440p screen and lcd_density of 640 ends up basically having the same amount of content on screen as those phones as well (same as the LG G3). So rooting and changing this in build.prop has become a standard task for many of us.
However the Nexus 6 has a non-traditional lcd_density of 560 while having a 6" 1440p screen. Google obviously realized that using 640 would result in even more cartoonishly large icons and such on a 6" screen. However they went outside their own standardized guidelines in doing so, which should empower OEMs to do the same.
1. 560 is a good compromise IMO for most users on a 1440p screen that is 5.5" or larger. Personally I prefer 480 on the Note 4, but I understand that might make objects too small for many users. 560 on the Note 4 I think is the right stock lcd_density to balance out amount of content on the screen and size of the content.
2. The Note 3 should probably be 420 stock (vs 480), though the S4/S5 are probably fine at 480 due to their smaller screens.
Samsung - as the phablet leader, please balance out screen resolution and lcd_density on your larger screens to provide the best user experience. Before the Nexus 6, only Apple took special care in doing so when moving to larger phones. The 6+ is a good example where they didn't just make everything bigger, but also allowed more content to be viewed on the screen.
are you sure nexus 6 coming with 560 dpi
How low can we go without samsungs apps looking bad? Havent root yet but as soon as i do that was the firts thing i was planing on doing
Sent from my Galaxy NOTE 4
That was one of the first things I changed when I rooted mine, 480 is a real decent setting to use.
bala_gamer said:
are you sure nexus 6 coming with 560 dpi
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Click to collapse
Yep - besides folks in the Nexus 6 xda forum changing their dpi confirming this, you can also see it here:
http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2014/10/getting-your-apps-ready-for-nexus-6-and.html
Google did the smart thing for the Nexus 6. Now hopefully Samsung will start doing so.
pikul said:
How low can we go without samsungs apps looking bad? Havent root yet but as soon as i do that was the firts thing i was planing on doing
Sent from my Galaxy NOTE 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most people who change their dpi use App Settings xposed mod to set the Samsung stock apps to 640. However this is b/c Samsung seems to hard code their designs. When I changed the lcd_density on the OnePlus One, all the stock apps just adjusted seamlessly, the same way Chrome or other apps do. Dialer, camera, etc all adjusted dynamically.
dawheat said:
Yep - besides folks in the Nexus 6 xda forum changing their dpi confirming this, you can also see it here:
http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2014/10/getting-your-apps-ready-for-nexus-6-and.html
Google did the smart thing for the Nexus 6. Now hopefully Samsung will start doing so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow.. google released nexus 6 with 560 dpi !!! wth.. atleast all their apps are multi dpi capable.
Samsung stock apps like dialer, camera, launcher and a few go crazy mostly because samsung dont have similar code across all their devices, hope that changes with lollipop release. From what i have noted on all the lollipop videos released so far the UI is far more consistent across s4, n3 ,s5 and note 4., this might open up proper scaling of stock apps for note 4 users @ 480 DPI
Yes, same complaint ! It is unthinkable to have the same working area as S4 , then why did we get a larger phone? To have a zoomed interface because Samsung realised that we don't have good eyes:silly: Now in all seriousness, why most and greatest Rom developers (8 out of 10) don't build a Multi-DPI Rom? Is it because of compatibility-performance issues? The interest on MULTI-DPI should have been exactly the opposite, it makes me think that most people get a Note phone only for Multimedia purposes.
Can only agree, using the Note 4 with its blown up interface feels like a toy after using the iPhone 6 plus with optimised apps and interface that uses the big screen better. And then they say that the plus is just a big iPhone. But it uses its big screen much better than my note in most of cases. Perhaps somewhere the notes big screen is used better but I can't remember seeing it using my note

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