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.