Is there a difference between Quad HD and Full HD? Quad HD screen resolution in smartphones: is it necessary? Which smartphone has quad HD resolution

Panel houses 28.12.2020
Panel houses

Every user knows that the higher the screen resolution, the better. However, this is not always the case. Today we will take a look at the resolution and find out if it differs from Full HD and whether it is worth paying extra for it.

What is Quad HD Resolution?

Display resolution is 2560 x 1440 pixels... This permission appeared quite recently, but has already managed to conquer the flagship smartphone market.

Is Quad HD different from Full HD?

On paper, the two resolutions are different. Nevertheless, for the human eye, the differences between them are almost imperceptible, especially with a small screen diagonal. But quad HD resolution needed for VR, and this is its main purpose.

Cons of Quad HD

Despite the fact that the Quad HD resolution is much higher than Full HD, it is not always wise to pay extra for it. First, the human eye is unlikely to miss the difference between Full HD and Quad HD on a smartphone screen. Second, a higher resolution requires more resources. This will drain the battery of your device quickly.

In May 2014, Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) was associated with top-end smartphones, and everyone was happy with everything ... before coming to the market, which overcame this barrier with its Quad HD display (2560 x 1440 pixels).

All of a sudden, Full HD screens weren't good enough, and QHD () produced the clearest, brightest, most contrasting and quality picture. At least that's what they told us. A year has passed, and now you won't count a dozen flagships that ignore the new resolution. , LG G4, HTC One M9 + - they all have the best screens with a given number of pixels. But what is the practical use of such a crazy figure? Can people really tell the difference? We will try to answer these questions in this article.

In the hope of getting convincing answers, we collected information from many reliable foreign resources. For example, let's take the Galaxy S6 (QHD) and Galaxy S5 (FHD), which are loaded with pictures in the appropriate resolution for each. Below are photos to see for yourself.




People have recognized that there is virtually no difference at normal viewing distance. If you look very closely, of course, there are small differences, however, here, too, many looked closely for a long time before announcing their opinion. Less than half of users said that the picture on the Samsung Galaxy S6 is actually sharper and more detailed.



Thus, Quad HD is a good step forward, but there is no practical benefit from this resolution with a diagonal of current smartphones, so the use of such a resolution with a diagonal of 5-7 inches can be called overkill. But in 10-12-inch tablets and QHD monitors can be used. Just don't forget that the cooler the display, the more power it needs.

Regardless of whether the difference is visible, manufacturers will not revert to lower resolutions in their flagships. And ordinary users are "led" to a huge ppi value (from 500), which does not make sense, because at 300 ppi, the human eye is no longer able to distinguish individual pixels. Manufacturing companies would better pay attention to screen brightness, power consumption and other aspects instead of a senseless race for pixels.

If you go to the store to buy any device with a display, ranging from a smartphone to a TV, you will come across some rather confusing terms and letter abbreviations that you must be able to decipher in your head in order to understand with which resolution. screen you are dealing with.

This is the only way you can distinguish one model from another. In this article, we want to explain the differences in standard terms and screen resolutions that are used to describe these devices. Do not forget that the clarity of the image, the number of pixels per inch, depends on both the screen resolution and its size.

In other words, a picture on a display having 2560 × 1440 pixels will look very sharp on a smartphone, but will not be so if it is stretched on a 40 or 50 inch TV screen. Just remember that more pixels do not always equate to a sharper image, as dimensions matter too.

Let's start at a lower level: HD or High Definition. When the term first appeared, in relation to televisions, it meant any display having 720 pixel rows or more, and usually corresponded to a screen with a resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels.

The Full HD level has already increased the number of rows to 1080 and corresponded, as a rule, to a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels. In the early years of HD television, references to Full HD were found on both 1080i interlaced and 1080p progressive TVs. Interlaced technology was a throwback to older TVs, in which one field displayed even lines of the picture, and the next field displayed odd lines, halving each picture frame.

In contrast, 1080p progressive scan draws the full picture for each frame and is therefore preferred. You will almost always only see 1080p these days (if only “i” or “p” are mentioned at all). And if no letter is specified, then it most likely corresponds to 1080p.

QHD, WQHD and 2K

Display resolution didn't stay at Full HD for long, and the next step up the ladder was Quad High Definition, or QHD, at 2560x1920 pixels, the standard for many flagship phones today.

You can fit four 1280 × 720 screens inside a QHD screen, which is why the word “Quad” is used to mean a group of four similar objects.

Many phones still use Full HD, and the question is "can you see the difference on a 5" or 6 "screen? is controversial. This suggests that this kind of feature of the phone definitely looks better on the spec sheet, which is why many phone makers have gone for this improvement.

It is often confusing that a similar characteristic is sometimes given to WQHD or Widescreen Quad High Definition in order to emphasize the 16: 9 aspect ratio. Indeed, both WQHD and QHD refer to the same specification characteristic.

There is also a 2K resolution, sometimes indicated by manufacturers, and from a technical point of view, it can refer to any display with a large screen side larger than two thousand pixels (for example, if the screen is 2048 × 1080 pixels).

However, WQHD and QHD are also often labeled 2K because they are half the height and half the width of 4K. Thus, there are three different designations for the same display resolution.

4K and UHD

4K first appeared as a 4096-by-2160-pixel cinema standard, hence its name 4K. But in consumer electronics, it has morphed into 3,840 by 2,160 pixels, which is not four thousand in its specification, but that resolution is four times that of Full HD (you can fit four Full HD screens into one 4K screen).

UHD (or Ultra High Definition) also means 3840 by 2160 pixels. Some people like to keep the distinction between 4K and UHD, but the term 4K is used so often for game consoles and TVs today that it is already used as an abbreviation for 3840x2160.

Many hardware makers label their products "4K UHD" to cover both possibilities, while technically, the "2160p" label could also be used to denote both 4K and UHD.

4K contains so many pixels (over 8 million) that it doesn't make sense to pack them into a smartphone display (although some have tried). You will most likely only see this resolution on large monitors and TVs.

Other display resolutions

The permissions described in this article are the main types that you may encounter on your online travels, but there are other permissions, Wikipedia has a full list of them. Some manufacturers already offer 5K (5120x2880) or 8K (7680x4320), but it is unclear: can the human eye really see the difference even on the largest screens? Therefore, whether these formats will ever actually be used remains to be seen.

Resolution QHDalso known as Quad High Definition... It represents a screen resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. In PC monitors, this resolution is also called 2K ... The "resolution" parameter explains how many pixels are in the display in width and height (the more the better when choosing a PC monitor). QHD displays have a resolution of 2560 x 1440. The resolution gets its name from its size, and it is 4 times larger than standard definition HD (High Definition) 720p or 1280 x 720.

You may also notice that the resolution QHD already called WQHD... I.e, Wide Quad High Definition... These two acronyms are essentially the same thing. WQHD is a marketing gimmick that emphasizes widescreen resolution.

The QHD screen is noticeably better than the models Full HD (FHD) (1920 x 1080), which are much more common. However, on laptops, a QHD screen will consume a lot more power.

8K7680 × 4320
5K5120 x 2880
4K3840 x 2160 (monitor standard definition)
4096 x 2160 (Official Cinema Resolution)
Ultra HD (UHD)3840 x 2160
Quad HD (QHD) or Wide Quad HD (WQHD)2560 x 1440
2K2560 x 1440 (monitor standard resolution)
2048 x 1080 (official cinema resolution)
WUXGA1920 x 1200
Full HD (FHD) or 1080p1920 x 1080
HD or 720p1280 x 720
qHD or Quarter High Definition960 x 540

What is qHD resolution?

Many people confuse QHD and qHD resolution. What is their difference or is it the same thing? Let's figure it out.

Some of you have already noticed in the table these are really two different extensions, with different numbers of pixels on the display. And it turns out to be pretty simple when you know. qHDquarter or 1/4 Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080).

What is 4K?

Another format that confuses everyone. 4K or 4K Ultra HD has a resolution of 3840 × 2160. That's four times the pixels of 1080p Full HD (1920 × 1080).

This is why many people think that "Quad HD" is 4K. But you understand why this is an erroneous opinion? 4 times more than Full HD, not just HD.

Today 4K Ultra HD screens are in all the news. All flagship smartphones, tablets, TVs receive this permission.

A couple of years ago we saw the release of the Samsung Galaxy S7, Sony Xperia Z5, Apple iPhone 6 and LG G5, which are capable of recording 4K video at around 30 frames per second. This is a fairly common feature of premium phones to this day. Only the speed increased to 60 frames per second.

And again there is a lot of confusion that requires a specially written article on this subject. As you can see from the table above 4K Ultra HDhas the same number of pixels as Ultra HD (UHD), namely 3840 x 2160. And here you need to specifically understand. Interesting? Then go to the article -or read on about 5K and 8K. At the end there will be a reminder about 4K.

Screen resolution

What is 5K?

And what is it? Is it time to write off 4K into outdated technologies? Resolution 5K gives us 5120 x 2880 pixels on the screen.

Few monitors today have this resolution. For example, this is Apple's 27-inch iMac and the LG Ultrafine 5K 27-inch monitor, which also displays 5120 x 2880. Several games benefit from this high resolution. If you are not a graphics professional, then you will most likely be satisfied with a lower resolution screen. Relax! The time for widespread use of 5K has not yet arrived. But there is one "BUT" - permission 8K 🙂

What is 8K?

You might immediately think that the resolution 8Khas twice as many pixels as 4K. But no, you are wrong. The new standard can accommodate all pixels from four 4K screens, or even 16 Full HD TVs. Resolution 8K has 7680 × 4320. And you think now - if the time 5Kdid not come , then and 8K Yes sir. And here you are wrong again :). New TVs with this resolution are already in full swing. Digital technologies are developing so quickly that we simply will not have enough money to upgrade our equipment and be on the crest of the digital wave. Today it is almost impossible, but what will happen tomorrow?

Have you forgotten about the problem yet?

Concave screens are gaining popularity at the beginning of 2020. Today it is the standard of the present.

For people who actively use a private car, it is critically important to have a video recorder in the cabin. This device, in which case, will allow you to prove in court your innocence in a traffic accident and, as a consequence, save a huge amount on fines and damages, or, in especially difficult cases, keep your freedom.

However, not with all settings the DVRs can guarantee the above. The picture must be clear enough so that everything depicted on it can be examined in detail, and for this it is necessary that the DVR shoots in good resolution.

Which DVRs are almost useless to use?

  • Quite a large number of people take cheap DVRs, which have the most supported resolution - HD ... However, the corresponding devices are not able to cope with their functions normally.

The fact is that hD resolution is 1280 x 720 pixels ... Consequently, large objects in the captured video will be clearly visible, while smaller ones, for example, car license plates, are almost invisible. Where they should be, a white spot will be present, on which there are indistinct black blots. And the numbers, it should be noted, must be present on the "film". A motorist who has cut or crashed can escape from the scene of an accident, and if the registrar did not record his number, then how can he find it? This will be very difficult, and sometimes impossible.

Therefore, you should not buy and use a recorder that does not support a resolution higher than HD, or set 720p in the settings when there are more suitable formats. In the latter case, it is better to buy an additional, more capacious memory card - they are now very cheap.

  • Full HD is the most popular format.
    Full HD is the most popular format now. It is supported by 99% of devices, including inexpensive car DVRs. Full HD is the resolution 1920 x 1080 and it is significantly (about twice) sharper than HD.

On the corresponding video, fairly small details are quite clearly drawn. On freeze frames, you can see, for example, not only the numbers in front of a car driving at a distance of up to 10 meters, but also cars that are overtaking from the side.

Compared with HD, video in Full HD takes about twice the space on the memory card. For example, a minute in 720p "weighs" about 200 megabytes, while in 1080p - about 300-450 megabytes. The exact size depends a lot on the format and degree of compression and bitrate of the video.

  • Super HD and Quad HD.
    More expensive registrars support formats Quad HDand Super HD... There is practically no point in considering them separately, since their resolutions are quite similar: Quad HD - 2560 x 1440 pixels, and Super HD - 2304 x 1296 pixels - it is lower.

A picture shot in one of these formats is sharper when compared to Full HD. In view of this, smaller or more distant objects can be viewed on it. A minute of video in this format takes about 500 megabytes.

  • 4K (Ultra HD) is the clearest video format available.
    This is a relatively new format in car DVRs that is gaining popularity. Ultra HD (or, as it is also called - 4K), shoots at 3840 x 2160 pixels, therefore, it is about 4-5 times sharper than FullHD. The captured minute takes more than 500 megabytes in memory.

Ultra HD is the best solution for a car enthusiast, because only with this resolution it is possible to see the smallest details (car numbers, road markings, signs, inscriptions) at long distances.

Other important characteristics of the DVR.

In addition to resolution, when choosing a video recorder, you must pay attention to a number of other important characteristics without changing important characteristics: matrix, processor, format and size of memory cards, light sensitivity.

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