As you all might have heard by now, the new iPad, released yesterday, has a Retina display, which greatly increases the crispness of text and sharpness of images on the device.

The new iPad has a pixel density of 264 ppi, twice that of the iPad 2. Its resolution now stands at 2048 by 1536 pixels, which is even larger than a 1080p flatscreen TV.

Using the iPhone 4 screen as the basis for a Retina display, Apple explained that a pixel density of 264 ppi is enough to make pixels indistinguishable from a distance of 15 inches, which is the iPad’s expected distance from the eye.

(Image via: Engadget)

So how much difference does the iPad’s Retina screen, packed with more than 3 million pixels, make?

Here are some images that show a side by side comparison of the iPad 2′s screen and the Retina screen:

(Image via: TechCrunch)

(Image via: The Verge)

(Image via: MG Siegler’s Tumblr)

As you see, the difference is very noticeable, just like it was when the iPhone 4 was introduced.

Additionally, be sure to check out images of the iPad taken by a Lytro camera by NYT writer Nick Bilton. You can focus on a particular area of the image, just by clicking over it.

The Retina display looks excellent, and we can’t wait to get our hands on the new iPad.