Is the screen resolution that bad?

Jerry786 · Aug 10, 2010

Hi all, Looking to buy this phone and i am a bit put off by reviewers stating the screen is not that good

I have the Pulse mini, its a 2.8 inch screen and the screen is not good, Upon looking at the specs, the HTC Wildfire has the same resolution of the Pulse mini! :thinking:

...Mmmm, I hope im mistaken! Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks

newandroid77 · Aug 11, 2010

Jerry786 said:
Hi all, Looking to buy this phone and i am a bit put off by reviewers stating the screen is not that good

I have the Pulse mini, its a 2.8 inch screen and the screen is not good, Upon looking at the specs, the HTC Wildfire has the same resolution of the Pulse mini!

...Mmmm, I hope im mistaken! Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks

i think the screens fine

scrapbook · Aug 11, 2010

It depends upon what you want to use the screen for.

If you are going to be using primarily to watch movies then you ar better off going for the desire. If you just want a phone with some browsing / multimedia ability then the screen is fine.

SilverLining · Aug 12, 2010

I think its a matter of perception. If this is your first smartphone then, like me, you'll love it. If you have already got used to a higher resolution screen (HVGA or WVGA) then you won't be satisfied with this one.

cheesemaster · Aug 12, 2010

All the reviews I have read that have complained about the screen compared to a Desire etc... I don't think that is a fair fight - the Wildfire is half the price of the phones they are comparing it too, and HTC have had to save the money somewhere!

I agree with the others - for flawless-movies-streaming or any 3d-gaming type stuff you'll want the screen, and horsepower, of a higher end phone. For a phone-with-benefits (and WHAT benefits!!

) the Wildfire is fantastic.

My only complaint wouldn't be about the resolution, but the fact it's an LCD not an OLED so it suffers from being pretty poor in bright outdoors conditions.

Zaichik · Aug 12, 2010

I had a play with a Wildfire in a local shop the other day because I'm thinking of getting one for my wife, who likes the functionality of my Desire but won't want to spend that much on her own phone (she's not on contract because she doesn't call or text that much). Although the screen is noticeably worse than the Desire, I really only felt it when using the internet - whereas you can make out small text without zooming in on the Desire, you have to zoom in on the Wildfire. Not a big deal because the text snaps to fit the screen so you don't need to scroll round too much.

It hasn't put me off buying one for my wife.

vosg · Aug 12, 2010

I own my wildfire exactly one day and I popped in to say hello to you all

To stay on topic: the screen resulution isn't that bad. It's not as good as the high end phones (Desire, Nexus) but for normal use it's fine.

scrapbook · Aug 12, 2010

cheesemaster said:
All the reviews I have read that have complained about the screen compared to a Desire etc... I don't think that is a fair fight - the Wildfire is half the price of the phones they are comparing it too, and HTC have had to save the money somewhere!

Good post. This is a key point I picked up on and posted on another forum.

Most reviewers are not reviewing it in the context of the market it is aimed at. It is not aimed as an iphone replacement it is aimed at people like me that are coming into the smart phone world having had something like a crappy ole block nokia for a number of years.

DonMecca · Aug 15, 2010

This was the first smartphone I ever bought, and I absolutely love it. The only time I feel the screen comes short is maybe when streaming video form the internet. However it's not so bad that you can't enjoy what your watching. I highly recommend this phone, for what you pay you get a lot of great phone.

dotdavid · Aug 16, 2010

I am the proud owner of a Nexus One and I bought a Wildfire for my Fiance. And I must say that the device is absolutely fantastic.

It's perfect for people who've never owned a smartphone before - the screen resolution won't even register with them as it is far far better than anything a "dumbphone" has. Even I, used to my Nexus' WVGA resolution, found the QVGA Wildfire more than usable once I'd gotten used to it. For anyone on a budget or new to the world of smartphones it is ideal as it does everything my much pricier Nexus does except for the screen resolution.

The one thing that annoys me is that some apps on the market don't appear as the developer hasn't stated that they work with QVGA screens. There's often no practical reason why they wouldn't, but as QVGA is a "newish" resolution for Android phones they just haven't been updated to say they support the resolution. This is getting better however as people update their apps, and the better-known apps are almost always available.

Zaichik · Aug 17, 2010

Seems like the OP went for the Wildfire as he's posted another question in this forum. Good choice, I reckon.

dotdavid · Aug 17, 2010

Zaichik said:
Seems like the OP went for the Wildfire as he's posted another question in this forum. Good choice, I reckon.

Definitely. I think this device will do more for adoption of Android than any of the high-end devices. You really can't argue with its' value for money.

fjdouse · Aug 17, 2010

I've had my Wildfire for a week now, I DO find the screen size limiting.

I find web browsing to be harder on the eyes than a higher res device, I find myself reaching for the iPod Touch more often. The real problem is software which cannot support the very low resolution, I find a large number of apps I try to download do not support the Wildfire, it virtually rules out games.

dotdavid · Aug 17, 2010

Fortunately my fiance isn't used to an iPod Touch's screen resolution, she's used to a Sony Ericsson dumbphone. Compared to that, the fact that is can *do* web browsing is a miracle.

Games that don't support the resolution are annoying, sure, but all the ones that we've tried from the Market seem to work fine. Some of the games I've installed from APKs don't handle the resolution well (for example one Tetris game, removed from the Market but I had a backup, doesn't display the bottom few rows) but I think those that say they do and thus are visible on the market are usually fine. Granted these are casual games but I wouldn't expect this device to play the latest 3D extravaganza anyway.

I wouldn't recommend it to those used to anything better screen-wise, but unless you're browsing the web all the time on your phone (something I don't really even bother with on my Nexus One) or desperately want a certain app which doesn't support QVGA then it doesn't really affect you much. For people used to dumbphones it is an ideal device.

fjdouse · Aug 17, 2010

Agreed. But from my perspective this phone is

mgillespie · Aug 17, 2010

The screen is very good considering the price of the phone. It's not got the clarity of the HTC Legend, but it's still very usable. What do you want for a

drpbier · Aug 17, 2010

I've had a Wildfire for about 3 weeks now, coming from a Nokia E75 and a 2G iPod Touch. I knew about the limitations but didn't want to splurge on a high end device without knowing whether I'd get on with Android, after a horrible experience with the Nokia (which will be my last!).

Yes, the screen's pixelated, compared to the iPod. I knew that up front. But what's more irritating is the lack of polish in certain areas. For instance, the controls on my wired earphones are seriously unresponsive with btunes at times. There's no system wide copy and paste. The phone's a bit...laggy sometimes. I have to use multiple apps to keep my music and podcasts sync'd with my Mac. I have to update Market apps individually (I know Froyo fixes this but it's not here for Wildfire yet).

Some of my issues might well be solved if I had a faster device with a bigger, higher res screen. So I'm going to wait and see the reviews of the top Gingerbread devices in early 2011. If they're closer to the slickness of the iPhone experience, I'll carry on with Android. If Apple implement better notifications and widgets (and fix the antenna issue), I may opt to give in and pay the Apple tax. I quite like Android, but I just don't want to tinker as much as I seem to be doing at the moment.

fjdouse · Aug 18, 2010

mgillespie said:
What do you want for a

cheesemaster · Aug 19, 2010

So basically, you want a phone with iOS on it so it performs like your iPod touch, yes? Then buy an iPhone 3GS at 35quid a month (840 over the contract).

Is there a phone out there that would meet your requirements for cost and performance? (I'm genuinely interested - not having a go! Hell if there is one I might want it!

)

ymmij23 · Aug 19, 2010

No. This is my first Android/HTC mobile and I think the screen is better than a lot of other mobile devices.

fjdouse · Aug 19, 2010

cheesemaster said:
So basically, you want a phone with iOS on it so it performs like your iPod touch, yes? Then buy an iPhone 3GS at 35quid a month (840 over the contract).

Is there a phone out there that would meet your requirements for cost and performance? (I'm genuinely interested - not having a go! Hell if there is one I might want it! )

For the record, I've not said I want an iOS phone, simply making a comparison as many do, especially those who say Android is superior. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to like, nay, love about the Wildfire. But having worked actually building hardware and porting embedded Linux to ARM based devices, I do expect this device with it's better hardware and CPU to perform as well, if not better than an old inferior slower device with the same CPU. If I'm expecting too much, sue me. The logic seems to be it's ok to pay over the odds for a 1GHz SnapDragon, then, only then can I expect something comparable to an old inferior 400MHz PMP, well, that confounds me.

But back on topic, I really think they could have done a slightly better resolution screen, even if it bumped the price by a few quid. I only have a gripe with the screen because it apparently is the reason so many apps wont work and I personally find the web browsing unpleasant and pixel-ly. Having said that, for a QVGA display, it IS the best quality one I have ever seen.

The Great One · Aug 19, 2010

Well, since you dont seem to have any issues with the prices, and you clearly have the choice between a Wildfire and a Desire - I'd definitely say a nice and loud "DESIRE!"

Why? Its kinda obvious. AMOLED display which can kick QVGA's ass anyday. Camera is better and if your living in the 21st century without a camera phone that can actually provide you with some good stills without grainy crap, then you gotta get the Desire.

The screen is larger. I agree that the Wildfire is aesthetically good looking but the whole purpose of smartphones are for it to be... well, smart I guess. Several apps (especially the super cool ones) cannot be used on the Wildfire because of its crappy screen. If your really tight on your budget and but you also want a phone with good aesthetics, I'd recommend the Wildfire. But if your not too fond of the Desire but would like something similar to the Wildfire, go for the Legend. You can find it on contract deals thats identical to a Wildfire contract and its got a better processor and the majority of the apps should work.

scrapbook · Aug 19, 2010

fjdouse said:
For the record, I've not said I want an iOS phone, simply making a comparison as many do, especially those who say Android is superior. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to like, nay, love about the Wildfire. But having worked actually building hardware and porting embedded Linux to ARM based devices, I do expect this device with it's better hardware and CPU to perform as well, if not better than an old inferior slower device with the same CPU. If I'm expecting too much, sue me. The logic seems to be it's ok to pay over the odds for a 1GHz SnapDragon, then, only then can I expect something comparable to an old inferior 400MHz PMP, well, that confounds me.

But back on topic, I really think they could have done a slightly better resolution screen, even if it bumped the price by a few quid. I only have a gripe with the screen because it apparently is the reason so many apps wont work and I personally find the web browsing unpleasant and pixel-ly. Having said that, for a QVGA display, it IS the best quality one I have ever seen.

Based upon your posts and experiene with other devices it seems pretty clear to me that this device was never aimed at you.

scrapbook · Aug 19, 2010

The Great One said:
Well, since you dont seem to have any issues with the prices, and you clearly have the choice between a Wildfire and a Desire - I'd definitely say a nice and loud "DESIRE!"

i agree, if price is no issue you should go with the desire.

The only reason to go for the wildfire is if you are taking your first tentative steps into the smartphone world and you want a decent package at the lowest possible contract price.

On that basis it works well for me! It does everything Mrs Scrapbooks desire does, jsut not as well.

fjdouse · Aug 19, 2010

scrapbook said:
Based upon your posts and experiene with other devices it seems pretty clear to me that this device was never aimed at you.

I do concede that point and I am looking at cancelling the contract (I think I have 14 days) and/or waiting until october when the new Desire HD/Ace comes out, I'll buy it outright and pop my Wildfire's SIM in it. I can give the Wildfire to the wife then as she loves it.

Is the screen resolution that bad?

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