Now is the time to buy a monitor, whether for work or for use with games, and the consumer must not only deal with the technical specifications of each model, but must also know the nomenclature used, often marketing ( 4K is the best example ), so as not to get lost and end up buying a product that is not the one you are looking for.
Various acronyms appear on monitor packaging that refer to specifications and one of them is related to resolution. We have had great progress in recent years and that is why we can find almost all kinds of resolutions, so we are going to review the most popular ones to try to dispel any doubts.
When pixels matter
Screen resolution is nothing more than the number of pixels a panel is capable of displaying. If we have already seen concepts such as the refresh rate or the type of backlight, now it is time to do the same with the resolution.
HD, Full HD, QHD, UHD… the acronyms are numerous and all refer to the number of pixels displayed on the screen. We take as an example the Full HD resolution, one of the most popular. The image is made up of horizontal and vertical rows of pixels, so this figure indicates 1,920 horizontal pixels and 1,080 vertical pixels. A total of 2,072,600 light points on the screen. But the term total pixels is not used and we are left with vertical pixels. Hence, Full HD or FHD is also known as 1080p.
The number of pixels is related to the maximum video quality that a display can take advantage of. This means that in an FHD panel we will not be able to see a movie in 4K resolution. The TV or monitor will be resized to be able to view it in the maximum supported resolution, in this case Full HD since we are using this resolution as an example.
In addition, it must be taken into account that the higher the number of pixels, the more energy the screen will consume (this is perfectly appreciated on mobile phones) and will require more powerful hardware.
The more pixels a screen displays, the better the resolution. The panel will have a higher pixel density, resulting in sharper images with more detail. This leads to higher power consumption and above all requires more power to be able to move videos at these resolutions.
The most normal thing when buying a monitor is to find different acronyms that refer to formats related to HD resolutions and their evolutions. From the most modest SD format, still present on many TNT channels and streaming platforms, to the latest 8K.
initials
name
Resolution
The description
South Dakota
Standard Definition
640 x 480 pixels
One of the first low resolution standards. It is known as VGA, but also as SD/p>
QHD
Quarter of High Definition
960 x 540 pixels
This means a high definition room. It is used in low-end devices
HD
HD
1280 x 720 pixels
Known as 720p, this is the first high resolution standard. It doesn’t achieve full high definition, but it’s like a much-used previous step. It’s like the first resolution considered HD.
FHD
Full HD or Full High Definition
1920 x 1080 pixels
Known as 1080p, this is the standard for high definition
QHD
Quadruple High Definition
2560 x 1440 pixels
Called 1440p or 2K, it sits halfway between Full HD and UHD. Widely used in high-end phones
UHD
Ultra High Definition
3840 x 2160 pixels
The misnamed 4K, which you can also find at 2160p. It replaces 1080p as the usual resolution in medium and high-end televisions.
8K UHD
8K Ultra High Definition
7680 x 4320 pixels
It can happen at 4K. Still in its infancy, 8K or 4320p is the highest resolution standard that is starting to be seen more and more on high-end TVs.
But you may also encounter other types of resolutions. It is a series of acronyms referring to VGA-based resolutions. Numbers referring to one of the most common types of connectors in monitors, the VGA connector. Many models, even newer ones, have at least one VGA port to supplement the HDMI. A type of connection that offers different variants in terms of resolution.
Acronym
name
Resolution
The description
QVGA
Quarterly Video Charts Chart
320 x 240 pixels
One of the lowest resolutions you can find in Internet videos. It is no longer commonly used.
vga
Video Graphics Network
640 x 480 pixels
One of the earliest resolution standards that existed before HD resolutions arrived, it’s also hard to find except in very old monitors and televisions.
FWVGA
Full Video Graphics Network
854 x 480 pixels
A resolution similar to VGA, but with greater width. It was used in many old low end mobiles.
SVGA
Super Video Graphics Array or Super VGA
800 x 600 pixels
The stage before HD. It was one of the successors to the VGA.
WSVGA
Wide SuperVGA
1024 × 576 pixels
An alternative with a more stretched proportion
XGA
Extended Chart Table
1024 x 768 pixels
A standard that came as an evolution of Super VGA.
WXGA
Huge extended graphics range
1280 x 800, 1360 x 768 and 1366 x 768 pixels
This nomenclature encompasses three different types of HD resolutions and is still used today in lower-end LCD TVs and monitors.
XGA+
Extended graphics matrix More
1152 × 864 pixels
Until the advent of widescreen LCDs, it was often used in 17-inch desktop CRT monitors.
WXGA+ OR WSXGA
Wide Extended Graphics Array Plus or Widescreen Super Extended Graphics Array
1440×900 pixels
A resolution that can be viewed on 19-inch widescreen desktop monitors.
SXGA
Super Extended Chart Board
1280 x 1024 pixels
An evolution of XGA which was halfway between that and Full HD which ended up being installed.
SXGA+
Super Extended Chart Plus
1400×1050 pixels
A standard used in some 14-inch and 15-inch laptops.
WSXGA+
Widescreen Super Extended Graphics Array Plus
1680 × 1050 pixels
It was commonly used in 20-inch, 21-inch, and 22-inch widescreen LCD monitors from many manufacturers.
UXGA OR UGA
Ultra-extensive graphics matrix
1600 × 1200 pixels
That’s exactly four times the resolution of SVGA, and it’s the native resolution of many 15-inch or larger monitors.
WUXGA
Ultra widescreen widescreen graphics matrix
1920 × 1200 pixels
This is a wider version of UXGA for 16:10 monitors.
QWXGA
Quad Extended Graphics Matrix
2048 × 1152 pixels
It was used by some 23-inch and 27-inch 16:9 LCD displays in 2009.
QXGA
Extended Quad Graphics Array
2048 × 1536 pixels
The name is due to the fact that it has four times more pixels than XGA. It was used in some monitors that are no longer manufactured.
WQXGA
Large Extended Quad Graphics Matrix
2560 × 1600 pixels
A version of the above for 16:10 monitors. Companies like Apple have been betting on it for a while, with devices like the 2018 MacBook Air
WQUXGA
Wide Quad Ultra Extended Graphics Matrix
3840 × 2400 pixels
Exactly four times more pixels than WUXGA. You can find it on some high-end LCD TVs and monitors.
HXGA
Hexadecatuple Extended Chart Array
4096 x 3072 pixels
A very powerful HD resolution, some confuse it with 4K because it has more than 4000 pixels.
At this point, the question may remain what kind of monitor we are interested in. Here it is each user who must evaluate the use that will be given to him. If, for example, you want to enjoy games at maximum resolution, it may be worth opting for a UHD model, incorrectly called 4K, although these usually have a lower refresh rate, something basic for more demanding users, who may prefer to sacrifice resolution to have a higher refresh rate, the image in Full HD resolution.
To take advantage of the monitor in the field of design or photography, the hertz does not matter and the resolution and good color representation are essential, which shows that every user will need a monitor with certain characteristics.