The new screen craze has already begun. China’s Vivo was the first company to launch a smartphone (Xplay 3S) with a 2K screen. Also known as Quad HD (or QHD) this resolution is an equivalent of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. While that sounds impressive, we can’t help but ask whether all those extra pixels are really needed.
The way I see things, the actual screen size should be a determining factor of the screen resolution. Here’s a small table to explain this point:
| Screen size | Resolution |
|---|---|
| 4 – 4.3 inch | qHD (540 x 960 pixels) / WVGA (480 x 800 pixels) |
| 4.3 – 4.7 inch | 720p (720 x 1280 pixels) |
| 4.7 – 5.2 inch | 1080p (1080 x 1920 pixels) |
| 5.3+ | 2K / QHD (1440 x 2560 pixels) |
In other words, I don’t think you’ll get much value from a 5-inch 2K screen; your eye won’t be able to tell the difference.
Another thing to consider is the built-in processor. If one chip is working flawlessly with full HD devices (think Snapdragon 800), you shouldn’t expect the same experience with 2K screen phones. That said, it is my belief that we should wait for faster chips to be released before even thinking about buying a 2K phone. I’m talking about chips like the Snapdragon 805 or Tegra K1. After all, what’s the point of having all those extra pixels if it takes forever for any action to happen… What do you say?