Resolution vs Screen Size

What is the difference between resolution and screen size?

Size is a physical length you can measure with a tape. Resolution is a count of dots, written as width × height in pixels.

The two are set apart from each other. A 24 inch and a 32 inch monitor can both be 1920 × 1080. A 13 inch laptop can even have more pixels than a 55 inch TV.

How do size and resolution work together?

They set the pixel density, counted in pixels per inch (PPI). More pixels in the same space means smaller pixels and a sharper picture.

A 1920 × 1080 screen has 92 PPI at 24 in (61 cm) but only 82 PPI at 27 in. A 27 inch 2560 × 1440 screen gets back to 109 PPI.

Does a bigger screen have more pixels?

Not by itself. A 1080p screen has 2,073,600 pixels whether it is 22 in or 65 in, so the bigger one simply has bigger pixels.

That is why a large 1080p monitor can look grainy at a desk, while a 1080p TV looks fine from the sofa.

How far away do pixels disappear?

With normal 20/20 vision, you stop seeing single pixels beyond a certain distance. Sit further back than the value in the table and the screen looks smooth.

At a desk, an arm’s length is about 24.0 in (61.0 cm)61.0 cm (24.0 in).

Why does my screen show a different resolution from its specs?

Your computer may scale the picture, so apps see fewer pixels than the panel has. Phones and Macs do this all the time to keep text a readable size.

The box above shows both numbers. Resolution is the real pixel count, and the CSS pixel size is what websites see after scaling.

What resolution should I get for my monitor size?

Match the resolution to the size, so text stays sharp at a desk. These are the usual pairs, with their pixel density:

• 24 in (61 cm): 1920 × 1080 gives 92 PPI, and 2560 × 1440 gives 122 PPI.
• 27 in (69 cm): 2560 × 1440 gives 109 PPI, and 3840 × 2160 gives 163 PPI.
• 32 in (81 cm): 3840 × 2160 gives 138 PPI, while 2560 × 1440 drops to 92 PPI.

See the width, height and stand sizes on our 24 inch, 27 inch and 32 inch monitor pages.

What resolution does a TV need?

A TV sits much further away than a monitor, so its pixels can be bigger. On a 55 inch TV, 1080p pixels vanish beyond 7.2 ft2.2 m, and 4K pixels beyond 3.6 ft1.1 m.

Our seating rule puts the best seats for a 55 inch TV at 5.5 ft1.7 m to 7.5 ft2.3 m. The near end is inside the 1080p distance, so a 4K TV looks sharper from those seats.

See our 55 inch TV dimensions, or find the right size for your room with the TV size calculator.

What resolution does a laptop need?

A laptop screen is small and close, so it needs high pixel density to look sharp. A 15.6 inch (40 cm) laptop at 1920 × 1080 has 141 PPI, well above a 24 inch monitor at the same resolution.

A 14 inch (36 cm) laptop at 1920 × 1200 has 162 PPI. Compare body sizes on our 14 inch and 15.6 inch laptop pages.

Does a higher resolution need a faster computer?

Yes, for games and video work. 4K has 8,294,400 pixels, four times the 2,073,600 of 1080p, so the graphics card draws four times as many in every frame.

That is why many gamers pick 1440p as the middle step. It has 1.8 times the pixels of 1080p, which is far less work than 4K. Our gaming monitor size guide pairs each size with a resolution.

What is display scaling, and do I need it?

Scaling makes text and icons bigger without changing the resolution. Without it, a high resolution on a small screen makes everything tiny.

A good starting point is pixel density ÷ 96, rounded to a 25% step. That gives about 175% for a 27 inch 4K screen and 100% for a 24 inch 1080p screen.

Our resolution scale calculator shows how much desktop space you get at 125%, 150% or 200%.

How do I find my screen’s size and resolution?

The box at the top of this page shows your resolution live. For the rest, follow these steps:

1. On Windows, open Settings, then System, then Display, and read Display resolution.
2. On a Mac, open System Settings, then Displays.
3. For the size in inches, use our monitor size tool, which measures it with a bank card.

With both numbers, our PPI calculator gives your exact pixel density.

Why does text look blurry on my screen?

Blurry text usually means the screen is not running at its own resolution. Work through these checks:

1. Open your display settings and pick the resolution marked Recommended.
2. Set scaling to the recommended level, rather than lowering the resolution to make text bigger.
3. On Windows, run ClearType Text Tuner from the Start menu.
4. Use a digital cable, such as HDMI or DisplayPort, instead of an old VGA cable.

Is 4K worth it on a 27 inch monitor?

For text and photos, yes. A 27 inch 4K screen has 163 PPI against 109 PPI at 1440p, so letters look smoother.

You will run it at about 175% scaling, so the desktop holds about the same amount as 1440p. For fast games, 1440p is easier to drive at a high refresh rate. See our 27 inch monitor dimensions for the body size.

How do I pick a screen size for my distance?

Start from where you sit, then choose the size, then the resolution. For a desk, our small desk guide lists distances for each monitor size.

For a sofa, our TV size calculator gives a size range for each distance. Then use the table above to check how far away pixels disappear.

Does a higher resolution use more battery on a laptop?

It can. A sharper screen has more pixels to light and drive, which adds to the power the laptop uses.

The difference depends on the panel and how bright you set it. Compare battery life on the spec sheet, and see laptop sizes in our laptop screen size chart.