Resolution - definition

GLOSSARY

A term that refers to the number of pixels on a display or in a camera sensor (specifically in a digital image). A higher resolution means more pixels and more pixels provide the ability to display more visual information (resulting in greater clarity and more detail).

Standard Display Resolution Sizes

The industry standard way of representing screen resolution is publishing the number of pixels that form the two sides of the display rectangle.

A number of standards currently exist when it comes to display resolutions:

Name(s)	Resolution in pixels
High Definition (HD)	1280 x 720
Full HD, FHD	1920 x 1080
2K, Quad HD, QHD	2560 x 1440
4K, Ultra HD	3840 x 2160

Standard display sizes compared

When launched in 2007, the original iPhone came with a screen resolution of 320 pixels x 480 pixels.

A range of smartphone screen resolutions compared

Resolution does not refer to the physical size of the display, camera sensor or image. For example, two displays with the same resolution can have different physical dimensions. Hence the importance of the other parameter that we publish - pixel density, which is measured in pixels-per-inch (ppi). Since a smaller display of the same resolution will have more pixels per inch the image provided by it should be clearer and more detailed (although graphics will be physically smaller).