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

Panel houses 28.12.2020
Panel houses

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

What is Quad HD resolution?

The display resolution is 2560 x 1440 pixels. This resolution 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. However, for the human eye, the differences between them are almost imperceptible, especially with a small screen diagonal. But Quad HD resolution necessary for VR, and this is its main purpose.

Cons of Quad HD

Despite the fact that Quad HD resolution is much larger than Full HD, it is not always reasonable to pay extra for it. Firstly, the human eye is unlikely to catch the difference between Full HD and Quad HD on a smartphone screen. Secondly, a large resolution requires more resources. Because of this, the battery of the device will drain quickly.

In May 2014, Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) was associated with high-end smartphones, and everyone was fine with everything ... before entering the market, which broke this barrier with its Quad HD display (2560 x 1440 pixels).

Suddenly, Full HD screens were not good enough, and QHD () produced the sharpest, brightest, highest contrast and highest quality picture. At least that's what we were told. It's been a year now, and now you can't even 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 indicator? Can people really notice 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 sources. 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 pictures to see for yourself.




People have admitted that there is virtually no difference at normal viewing distances. If you look very close, of course, there are slight differences, however, even here many looked closely for a long time before voicing their opinion. Less than half of the users said that the picture on samsung galaxy The S6 is actually sharper and more detailed.



Thus, Quad HD is a good step forward, but there is no practical use for this resolution with the diagonal of current smartphones, so using such a resolution with a diagonal of 5-7 inches can be called overkill. But in 10-12-inch tablets and monitors, QHD can be used. Just do not forget that the steeper the display, the more energy it needs.

Whether or not the difference is visible, manufacturers will not go back 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 between individual pixels. Manufacturers would be better off paying attention to screen brightness, power consumption and other aspects instead of a senseless pixel race.

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 abbreviations that you must be able to decipher in your head in order to understand exactly what resolution screen you are dealing with.

Only in this way will you be able to 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 that has 2560x1440 pixels will look very crisp on a smartphone, but won't when stretched on a 40 or 50 inch TV screen. Just keep in mind that more pixels don't always equate to a sharper image, as the size of the image also matters.

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 rows of pixels 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 HDTV, references to Full HD were found on both interlaced 1080i (interlaced) and progressive 1080p (progressive) TVs. Interlacing technology was a throwback to older TVs, in which one field showed the even lines of the picture, and the next field displayed the odd lines, splitting each frame of the picture into two.

1080p progressive scan, on the other hand, draws the full picture for each frame and is therefore considered to be preferred. These days, you'll almost always only see 1080p (unless "i" or "p" is mentioned at all). And if no letter is specified, then this most likely corresponds to a 1080p scan.

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, 2560x1920 pixels, the standard on many flagship phones today.

You can fit four 1280x720 screens inside a QHD screen, which is why the word "Quad" is used, meaning a group of four similar objects.

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

It's often confusing that WQHD or Widescreen Quad High Definition is sometimes given the same characterization to emphasize the 16:9 aspect ratio. Indeed, both WQHD and QHD refer to the same specification feature.

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

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

4K and UHD

4K resolution first appeared as a cinema standard at 4096 by 2160 pixels, hence its name 4K. But in consumer electronics it has evolved to 3840 by 2160 pixels, which doesn't have 4,000 pixels in its specification, but is four times the resolution 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 much for game consoles and TVs today that it's used as a shorthand for 3840x2160 resolution.

Many hardware manufacturers put the "4K UHD" label on their products to cover both, while technically speaking, the label "2160p" could also be used to refer to both 4K and UHD.

There are so many pixels in 4K (over 8 million) that it makes no sense to pack them into a smartphone display (although some have tried). You will most likely see this resolution only on the screens of large monitors and TVs.

Other display resolutions

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

Permission QHD, also known as Quad High Definition. It represents a screen resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. On PC monitors, this resolution is also called 2K. The "resolution" parameter explains how many pixels are on 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, which is 4 times larger than standard definition HD (High Definition) 720p or 1280x720.

You may also notice that the resolution QHD already called WQHD. That is, Wide Quad High Definition. These two abbreviations are basically the same thing. WQHD is a marketing ploy 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 much more power.

8K7680×4320
5K5120 x 2880
4K3840 x 2160 (standard monitor resolution)
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 (standard monitor resolution)
2048 x 1080 (official cinema resolution)
WUXGA1920x1200
Full HD (FHD) or 1080p1920x1080
HD or 720p1280 x 720
qHD or Quarter High Definition960x540

What is qHD resolution?

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

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

What is 4K?

Another format that causes confusion for everyone. 4K or 4K Ultra HD has a resolution of 3840×2160. That's four times as many pixels as 1080p Full HD (1920x1080).

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

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

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

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

Screen resolution

What is 5K?

So what is this? Is it time to write off 4K as obsolete technology? Permission 5K gives us 5120 x 2880 pixels on the screen.

Today, few monitors have this resolution. For example, Apple's 27-inch iMac and LG's 27-inch Ultrafine 5K monitor also display 5120 x 2880. Several games benefit from this high resolution. If you're not a graphics pro, then you'll probably be satisfied with a lower resolution screen. Relax! The time has not yet come for widespread use of 5K. But there is one "BUT" - permission 8K 🙂

What is 8K?

One might immediately think that the resolution 8K has twice as many pixels as 4K. But no, you are wrong. The new standard can fit all the pixels from four 4K screens, or as many as 16 Full HD TVs. Permission 8K has 7680x4320. And now you think - if the time 5K did not come , then and 8K Yes sir. And here you are wrong again :). New TVs with this resolution are already being produced at full speed. Digital technologies are developing so rapidly that we simply do 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?

Increasingly gaining popularity at the beginning of 2020, concave screens. Today it is the standard of the present.

For people who actively use a private car, it is critical to have a DVR in the cabin. This device, in which case, will allow you to prove in court that you are not involved in a traffic accident and, as a result, save a huge amount on fines and damages, or, in especially difficult cases, preserve your freedom.

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

What DVRs are almost useless to use?

  • A fairly large number of people take cheap DVRs, which have the maximum 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 . Therefore, large objects filmed video will be clearly visible, while smaller ones, such as car numbers, are almost invisible. Where they need to be will be present White spot, which has illegible 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 be found? This will be very difficult, and sometimes impossible.

Therefore, you should not buy and use a registrar that does not support resolutions 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 right 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) clearer than HD.

On the corresponding video, rather small details are quite clearly drawn. On freeze-frames, you can see, for example, not only the license plates of a car traveling at a distance of up to 10 meters, but also cars that overtake from the side.

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

  • Super HD and Quad HD.
    More expensive registrars support formats Quad HD, and 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 clearer when compared to Full HD. In view of this, it is possible to consider smaller or distant objects 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 only gaining popularity. Ultra HD (or, as it is also called - 4K), shoots with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, therefore, it is about 4-5 times sharper than FullHD. The captured minute occupies more than 500 megabytes in memory.

Ultra HD is the best solution for a car enthusiast, because only with such a resolution can you 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 DVR, you need to pay attention to a number of important characteristics without changing: matrix, processor, format and size of memory cards, light sensitivity.

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