Most people that pick up an iPhone are amazed at how sharp the screen is. It’s got a 3.5″ screen with a resolution of 320×480 pixels. That makes for a pixel density of 160 pixels per inch (ppi). The higher the value, the sharper the screen appears. How does this compare to other WM devices we know and love? Here’s a roundup, with the screen resolution (W x H), diagonal size, and ppi of some popular devices:

Apple iPhone, 320×480, 3.5″: 160ppi

vs.

Palm Treo 750, 240×240, 2.6″: 130ppi

HTC Touch, Wizard, Hermes, and Kaiser, 240×320, 2.8″: 142ppi

HTC Athena X7501, 640×480, 5″: 160ppi

Motorola Q, 320×240, 2.4″: 166ppi

HTC S710 Vox, 240×320, 2.4″: 166ppi

Samsung BlackJack, 320×240, 2.3″: 173ppi

Dell Axim X50v/X51v, 480×640, 3.8″: 210ppi

HTC Universal, 640×480, 3.6″: 222ppi

i-mate Ultimate 9150, 480×640, 2.6″: 307ppi

Toshiba G900, 800×480, 3″: 310ppi

It’s interesting to note that most newer WM devices, with the exception of the HTC Touch/Wizard/Hermes/Kaiser and the Palm Treo, exhibit a higher pixel density than the iPhone. Most new users of the iPhone are coming from a Motorola RAZR or other device with a low resolution screen, so to them, the iPhone displays a HUGE amount of data on a very large viewing area. We’re seeing a lot of VGA and WVGA screened WM devices coming down the pike (Toshiba G900, HTC Omni, i-mate Ultimate Series, etc), which will leap ahead of the iPhone in terms of resolution and screen clarity.

If your device isn’t listed here and you want to know its ppi, click the “Discuss” link below and tell me for which device you want this information, and I’ll plug it into my Excel formula to find the value.