I've been expecting either 480p or 540p for a while. Doesn't really make sense for them to go higher than that. Good enough resolution for a screen that size, higher resolutions would drain the battery a lot faster.

No, when faced with a choice between a high end part, and a low end part that nets them a higher profit margin, nintendo pick higher profit margin every time.
720p displays being cheap just means Nintendo make even more money by using sub-hd parts, because the availability of cheap 720p devices can be used as a bargaining chip to source lower end parts for cheaper.

It bloody well better be. Their next handheld needs to be a decent jump over Vita. There is just no excuse for anything else now.

I expect it to be 480p, and am perfectly fine with it. I would rather continue with 3D gaming (especially now that it can track where you are looking and adjust). I just want better parts beyond the screens to allow devs to create bigger worlds and more buttons for deeper combat. The New 3DS pretty much does all of this, so I think they should have just waited a year or two, put a little better screen and parts and made that their next full fledged handheld. 

I think the excuse to not make something a decent jump over the Vita is the Vita itself.

I think they'll make the jump to 720p when they release their next handheld. And why not, by that time, 2K screens will be commonplace and 720p will be dirt-cheap.

I don't see why it has to be? 51 million to 10 million seems to tell my that they are fine with the approach they are currently taking to handhelds.

Surprised so many people have such low expectations from nintendo.

Anyway I hope it is HD

Will be at least 2 less if they don't. :p

Mobile tech has co.e on so much since 2011. It'd probably cost them more sourcing lower quality parts.

I don't know. I just don't really see the need to do so. It may be around the same price so they may, but think about it. If the screen just had a resolution of 480p it would still be roughly double the regular 3DS resolution. That would be more than fine as far as I'm concerned. 

To me, I'm more worried about every other hardware aspect of it. If we can get a jump from where the New 3DS is now to around what the Wii U is doing, 480p here I come!

The new 3DS being able to play Xenoblade Chronicles is a HUGE leap in the right direction. Give me a bigger world with more things rendered in the world at the same time, and I don't care if it only displays in 480p.