DALL-E 3 quality vs HD: Is the price difference worth it?

I've been comparing DALL-E 3 standard vs HD quality for product mockups. The HD option costs 2x more ($0.080 vs $0.040 per image at 1024x1024).

After generating 200 comparison pairs:

HD has noticeably better fine detail (text, small objects)

Color accuracy is slightly better in HD

For social media thumbnails, standard is indistinguishable from HD

For print materials, HD is worth the premium

My recommendation: use standard for web/social, HD for print and detailed illustrations.