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2560 x 1440 vs 1920 x 1080: Which Is Actually Better?

  • Dan Alder
  • February 9, 2021
2560 X 1440 Vs 1920 X 1080 Resolution

The more, the better, right? Buying a new monitor shouldn’t be that big of a decision but you should still consider certain aspects before making your final choice. The big dilemma of this day and age is choosing between the 2560×1440 and 1920×1080 resolutions. Even if you have no IT knowledge, you can probably guess that these numbers have something to do with the monitor’s quality and image size. It’s obvious to see that the first set of numbers is larger than the second one but we’ll still try to break down these two resolutions and see what they’re all about.

 In this article, we’ll first try to explain some terms you should know about and see how these two resolutions match up in those terms. After that, we’ll try to simplify your purchasing decision by listing several scenarios where you can find yourselves in and offering our recommendation for each one.

Basic Info About 2560 x 1440

The 2560×1440 resolution is often referred to as QHD (Quad HD) or WQHD (Wide Quad HD) or 1440p, whereas the 1920×1080 resolution is called Full HD or 1080p. These are the most common resolutions in modern monitors so let’s break down their most important characteristics!

Screen Resolution

First of all, you should know what do these numbers stand for. They stand for the screen/display resolution and it represents how many pixels can be displayed at the same time on the screen. The more pixels an image contains, the clearer the image’s details can be observed. For instance, check out how various classic games evolved as more and more pixels have enabled developers to represent very complex models:

The screen’s resolution is usually defined as , where width and height represent the number of columns and rows (respectively) of pixels used to form the image. It can be observed that an image is actually just a matrix of differently colored pixels.

It’s obvious to see that the 2560×1440 resolution is better than 1920×1080 simply because it’s larger. Even though the increase in width and height is 33%, the real difference is in the total number of pixels available on the screen. You can obtain this number simply by multiplying the screen’s width and height in pixels:

1920 1080 Total
2560 1440 Total

The latter has around 1.6 million pixels more than the former, representing a 77.78% increase in pixel number.

Aspect Ratios

The aspect ratio of a screen is, by definition, the ratio between the screen’s width and height. Technically, it can be expressed as a single number you get by dividing the screen’s width by its height:

Aspect Ratio Equation

but it’s commonly represented by two numbers separated by a colon. Monitors and TVs usually have either the 4:3 or the 16:9 aspect ratio. You can derive the screen’s aspect ratio by dividing its resolution with the greatest common factor of its height and width in pixels.

For our resolutions, the answer is 16:9 in both cases. So, if your current monitor’s aspect ratio is also 16:9, you should have no problems adjusting to either one of these resolutions!

1920 X 1080 Vs 2560 X 1440

Two very important aspects to understand in monitors are resolution and pixel density. The resolution of a monitor dictates how many pixels there are and at what ratio (width to height). For example for the 2560 x 1440 resolution, the number 2560 is the width while 1440 is the height. All resolutions are formatted like this with the width first and height second. Some simple math helps to understand how much of an improvement a jump from 1920 x 1080 to 2560 x 1440 would be.

Pixel Density

The screen resolution doesn’t tell us the full story as it says nothing about the screen’s physical dimensions. Having more pixels is great but, what is a pixel and how big it actually is? Well, it depends on the screen. Pixel density carries the information on how densely are pixels placed on the screen, or, de facto, how big is an individual pixel. For instance, a large screen with small pixel density will look pixelated which means you can actually see an individual pixel as a colored square (red, green, or blue).

Pixel Density Example
Example of low, medium, and high pixel densities. Higher density = more pixels = better image quality.

Large screens need more pixels to preserve their quality and smaller screens need less. That’s why a better parameter to consider when judging the display’s quality is pixel density, which is (sort of) the ratio between the number of pixels on a screen and its size.

More precisely, it’s calculated like:

Ppi Equation

where PPI stands for pixels-per-inch. Here are some PPI calculations for some monitor sizes:

ResolutionTotal pixels24″ monitor27″ monitor31.5″ monitor
1920 x 10802,073,60092 PPI82 PPI70 PPI
2560 x 14403,686,400122 PPI109 PPI93 PPI

This is an important factor for users looking to purchase a large monitor. The larger the monitor, the more important its resolution becomes if you want to preserve the same pixel density. Many users aim at a 90-110 PPI pixel density as a golden standard. So, if your monitor size is up to and including 24”, you can settle with the 1920×1080 resolution. However, with larger monitor sizes, the 2560×1440 resolution really stands out and should be used instead.

Theoretically, the higher the pixel density, the better. However, the human eye is a limiter in these cases and it has been reported the human eye can observe a maximum of around 300 PPI from a distance of 2.5 ft. Also, since most content is still created for the PPI of around 90-100 PPI, many things might appear quite small on your high-PPI screen. That’s why the 90-110 PPI pixel density is the sweet spot you should aim for, instead of going all in and overkilling it.

What Difference Does It Make?

Different people are buying monitors for different purposes. What you do on your computer every day pretty much determines whether you’ll benefit from a higher resolution or not. Higher is almost always better but an important question is: is it worth it? Will you really be able to exploit all advantages of any resolution? Let’s check out several scenarios where you might find yourself in when making your monitor purchase!

Can You Tell The Difference Between 1440p and 1080p?

This brings us to another important point: will you actually notice the difference? After all, if you can’t then why bother sinking your money into a higher resolution monitor. This will be primarily decided by your viewing distance. In other words, how far you actually sit from your monitor will play a big role in how large the difference between the resolutions.

Everybody’s table size and sitting preference varies but generally if you’re sitting less than two feet away then the difference should be clear. Regardless for what your using your computer at the moment for you notice the difference at the distance.

Light browsing? Yes, you’ll notice. Playing a game like CS:GO and sit very close to monitor? Yes, you’ll absolutely notice.

The Difference in Everyday Use

Even though large resolutions and monitors are commonly associated with gaming, plenty of other users may benefit from large displays. In everyday use, many users feel the need to open multiple windows next to each other for multitasking. If you, for instance, decide to pair the 2560×1440 resolution with a 27-inch monitor, you’ll quickly notice the advantage as you can comfortably view content from two browser tabs simultaneously, like watching an online tutorial on YouTube and actually following it in the second browser tab.

However, if you’re viewing low-quality content on a 2560×1440 screen, you’ll quickly notice how the full-screen experience is quite difficult to watch. Watching 720p movies or videos in fullscreen mode is painful on a 1440p screen but it’s still quite pleasant on a 1080p screen. That being said, switching to 1440p in this day and age for everyday use might be too early, as the online content is yet to start the full transition to better qualities. This is also limited by connection speeds and old devices that use communication interfaces that don’t even support these resolutions.

The Difference in Professional Use

Professionals whose work is mostly based on their computers (working from home, freelancing) might greatly benefit from larger resolutions and monitors. Seeing more is better in these cases and this can apply to many different careers. Also, when your work requires you to look at your computer all day, looking at poor monitors can become tiring.

For instance, developers can now see a larger portion of their code at the same time, which can really save some time when debugging or trying to locate a certain line of code. Also, if you are a web/app developer, you can divide your screen into two parts: one for coding and one for seeing the results in a whole new window.

Also, people who work with digital art, video editing, or computer-aided design (CAD) will be thrilled to see their work on a larger, more detailed screen where they can spot details more easily and really add to the overall quality of their work.

Professional use, unlike everyday use, is all about large screens and having as many pixels as possible on your screen. Investing in a good monitor with a higher resolution can make your purchase a worthy investment that will translate into your career and really make a notable difference, apart from being an eye candy.

However, there is an important alternative to buying a single 1440p display: buying two 1080p displays! Seriously, it’s cheaper and it definitely helps you bring more actual, physical space into your working setup. While 1440p displays bring 77.78% more pixels, they don’t bring that much more space, and working with two monitors can be more useful as they can be used independently, each one with its own desktop and open windows. We’ll leave you to think about this!

The Difference in Gaming

Finally, we reach the most talked-about aspect of purchasing a new monitor for a vast majority of users. The number one question everyone is asking is whether they’ll see a noticeable difference in their gaming experience. Monitors with higher resolutions are noticeably more expensive and no one wants to invest in something they cannot see and that doesn’t influence their gaming in any way.

Well, the most common answer to such questions is that the difference is there. People who started gaming on the 1440p resolution simply haven’t looked back and they’ve even mentioned how going back to 1080p hurt their eyes. So, should you just go for it if you have the required budget?

Well, not before consulting your graphics card! Playing on a higher resolution forces your graphics card to render larger amounts of data and it can take a big chunk on its performance. If it can’t keep up, your framerate will likely drop and ruin your gaming experience! You should always consult online benchmarks or forums to see whether your current setup will be able to handle playing with a 1440p resolution with a steady 60 FPS (frames per second) framerate, or even 144 FPS if you want one with a 144 Hz refresh rate.

For example, testing Battlefield 1 on a gaming rig equipped with a GTX 1070 (roughly equal to a RX Vega 56) you’re looking at an average FPS drop from around 115 to 85. That’s around a 30 FPS decrease. Nothing to scoff at. So, if you’re thinking about upgrading be sure to budget in a new graphics card if necessary.

If you have any doubts about your current setup, you should stick with 1080p and enjoy the game’s smoothness without risking large amounts of money on a monitor with a resolution which ruins your gaming. Still, you can reduce the game’s resolution from in-game settings and use 1080p with a 1440p monitor but that would probably nullify the main reason why you bought a 1440p monitor in the first place!  

Bottom Line

Objective Thoughts

It’s all about the context. We love greeting new technologies, including larger screens, and, if your budget allows, you should definitely go for it. However, try to strike that perfect ratio or pixel density (90-110 PPI) and make sure you can fully utilize the high resolution. If your graphics card can’t handle it or if you’re just a casual computer user, you should save your money for something else!

Our Opinion

Going from a 24 inch monitor with a 1080p resolution to one with a 1440p resolution, can you even appreciate the PPI difference at that same size?

Our opinion?

Absolutely.

You’re looking at a jump from 92 PPI to 122 PPI. That’s a considerably bigger jump than to a 109 PPI density with a 1440p 27 inch monitor. Give a 1440p monitor a chance for a few days and go back to your 1080p monitor. You’ll ask yourself how you could even put up with it. Looking at pictures or Youtube videos of the monitor that you’re interested in won’t show their true image quality or the difference between 2560 x 1440 vs 1920 x 1080.  Aside from ordering the monitor your eyeing (I couldn’t help it) the next best thing to do is visit your local electronics store and see how it looks in person.

Should you get a 2560 x 1440 monitor? Yes, but with a few things to keep in mind.

You will notice a bigger difference with a 24 inch monitor at 1440p than a 27 inch monitor since the PPI is higher. You will notice an improvement on a 27 inch monitor also though, but not as much.

First, decide whether a larger screen size or better detailed image quality is more important to you. Keep in mind regardless of which size you choose you are still increasing your resolution.

Second, your graphics card will be processing the same increase in the amount of pixels. So you will have a few scenarios:

  • You have a very good graphics card: take the frame rate hit and carry on as you did before.
  • You have a decent graphics card: lower your in-game graphics settings.
  • You have an older or worse off graphics card: it won’t be able to keep up and you will need to upgrade your graphics card.

Ultimately it will all depend on your size vs PPI preference, graphics card situation, and budget.

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Dan Alder

Dan's logged far too many hours in CS 1.6 and reminisces about LAN parties back in the good ol' days. He's also an engineer that's interested in anything to do with tech.

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18 comments
  1. Henk says:
    November 12, 2020 at 11:06 pm

    QHD and Full HD have been mixed up.
    Instead of:
    “The 2560×1440 resolution is often referred to as Full HD or 1440p, whereas the 1920×1080 resolution is called QHD (Quad HD) or WQHD (Wide Quad HD) or 1080p.”
    it should say:
    “The 2560×1440 resolution is often referred to as QHD (Quad HD) or WQHD (Wide Quad HD) or 1440p, whereas the 1920×1080 resolution is called Full HD or 1080p.”

    Reply
    1. Dan Alder says:
      November 12, 2020 at 11:26 pm

      Oops. Thanks Hank for pointing that out. I’ve gone ahead and corrected it.

      Reply
  2. Kath says:
    November 7, 2020 at 9:18 am

    Doing the research for setting up the home office is a nightmare. I am restricted in desk space and therefore was seduced by the 32” curved which has the advantage of Pic in PIC mode. The thought of having 2 word docs open (or similar at the same time without having 2 monitors) deep joy!
    I will connect off a work laptop as my pc.
    What resolution should I aim for any help would be appreciated!

    Thanks

    Reply
  3. Pahji says:
    September 14, 2020 at 1:12 pm

    Hi Dan

    I was using two Apple 27inch Cinema display for my audio editing work. (mini display connector) The displays were set at 2048 x 1152. Worked well for me as the text was legible at a 3ft distance and the real estate was workable. Last month my old G5 died on me and I had to upgrade the computer which has only 2 x HDMI 2.0 outs. Now there are hardly any monitors running at 2048 x 1152. If I get a 2560 x 1140 monitor the text is small even though the real estate is great. So do you think running at 1920 x 1080 with two 32 inch monitors would be better for visibility and real estate, more so than my earlier 27 inch cinema display with 2048 x 1152?
    Thanks

    Reply
  4. Shelley says:
    August 12, 2020 at 5:52 pm

    Dan-I’ve read through these comments/responses-but still struggling w/ clarity.
    Began my search of curved 34′ (probably were 1920 x 1080-bc was looking for affordable) then started searching flat screen dual monitor setup-2-27″ for FLEXIBILITY-

    after reading more (& yes, I will confess, calling Geek Squad) started researching flat 2560 x 1440 w/ multiple ports. (fyi-I own a multi port hub)
    Have been looking at Dells. (But, also LG/Samsung & others)

    As you can (no doubt) imagine from my non-tech journey-I am SO lost.
    I am hoping YOU can help.

    I have a Surface Pro 5. I need a LARGE screen/for one large image or split into 4-easy on EYES (reduced blue/have injury-blurry vision)-that can be used for ZOOM classes/lectures & VIDEO EDITING. I have invested SO much time in choosing monitors-still stuck. HELP?

    (Budget-is def a consideration-but want long-term solution, may buy one at a time.) Thanks so much! Shelley

    Reply
  5. george zawadzki says:
    August 4, 2020 at 4:09 am

    Mr Dan,
    I own 2010 HP Slimline 5580t Tower with GeForce 320 graphic card.Its maximal resolution, shown in Manager tab, is 1980×1080.However, on Nvidia website, the specs of this card are listed at 2560×1440.Here is a link which shows that this resolution on DVI input is even higher: 2560X1600:

    https://www.gpuzoo.com/GPU-NVIDIA/GeForce_GT_320_OEM.html

    I recently bought Philips 328B6QJEB and I am using it at 1920×1080 resolutions which looks fine, although each time when I press the power button on that monitor, it informs me that the best resolution to use is 2560×1440.It can also display 2560×1080. I did try to reach that resolution and change it several times, either way using Nvidia set up or monitor set up and I always received a very blurry picture, consisted of hundreds blue horizontal lines. After 15 seconds the monitor reverted to 1920×1080.What should I do to be able to use this monitor at its highest resolution?

    Reply
  6. Randall says:
    June 10, 2020 at 8:49 am

    Last weekend I purchased a 34″ ultrawide Acer monitor with 3440 x 1440 res to replace 2 x 24″ Dell 1920 x 1080 monitors because one of the died on me. I am thinking of taking it back. At 100% scale it is OK but the font is borderline too small for me. If I go 125% I dont get enough real estate (width) to have Outlook and Edge (with a bunch of tabs open) side by side IMO. I tried setting to 110% through custom but then that screws up my laptop screen (Surface Pro X at 2880 x 1920 at 200% as recommended).
    Was thinking of 2 x Dell P2421 screens at 1920 x 1200 (16:10) to give me a little more vertical or 2 x Dell P2420D at 2560 x 1440 running at 125%. (I can get them both for nearly the same price) This would give me the width I am missing out on currently with the 34″ ultrawide Acer but puts me back to 16:9 again just with a higher res output but same display range as I had to start. Am I correct in my calculations that 1440 at 125% shows the same amount of text as 1080 just clearer?

    Reply
    1. Dan Alder says:
      June 10, 2020 at 8:40 pm

      Hey Randall! I would go with the dual Dell P2420D 1440p monitors in your position. Yes, you’re correct. See my response below to Dave.

      Reply
  7. Rich Cariou says:
    June 9, 2020 at 9:32 pm

    Looking for a new gaming monitor, purchased a new everything from the case up, and bought a viotec 27 inch curved Monitor 1920×1080, But not knowing much about them, it did not have a display port and it was only 60Hz. Returning it now, looking for a better one with g-sync. Gtx 1660 super sc gpu, Well definitely choose one with 144hz-165. But there are so many and some are2560x1440, And I assumed that was a wide angle monitor, are you saying they are the same size physically, it’s just the density of the pixels? Would this resolution change much between a curved or flat monitor? I will be sticking with 27, But there are options for a 32. Would I benefit greatly at going up to 1440, or with the higher refresh rate from 60 to 144 make enough difference? Thank you,

    Reply
  8. Dave says:
    May 29, 2020 at 4:44 pm

    Hi Dan. I’m trying to decide whether to buy 1080p vs 1440p. I don’t use monitor for games and rarely graphics, mainly just text/programming where I have several windows open. Although I like the use of screen real estate at 1440p for multiple windows, my aging eyes just can’t take 1440p and, like you, would have to increase 125%. But… doesn’t that put us right back at 1080 resolution? (1440 x .75 = 1080). In my case where text clarity and size is most important, why not just get a native 1080p monitor then rather than scaling approximations with 1440p? Am I missing here where scaling 1440p has advantage over native 1080p?

    Dave

    Reply
    1. Dan Alder says:
      May 29, 2020 at 10:23 pm

      Hello Dave, scaling only compensates for how big things will appear on screen not how smooth or detailed they are. If you have for example a 1080p monitor with no scaling and a 1440p monitor with 125% scaling you are still looking at an increase in pixels. Comparing the two, items on your screen will appear the same size, but they will appear sharper on the 1440p because there are more pixels to produce more detail. Individual text letters will appear sharper as well and will be easier to distinguish especially in your case of programming. Here’s an example from Eizo’s site of a shortcut on a 4K monitor scaled to compensate for the size versus a regular 1080p with no scaling. The sizes are the same but the legibility are worlds apart. The same principle applies in 1440p vs 1080p.

      Reply
  9. Mel says:
    April 22, 2020 at 8:51 pm

    How about on a 14” laptop (thinkpad x1 yoga gen 4) that will not be used for gaming, just basic spreadsheets and documents and general web surfing? I’ve read so many reviews now supporting both options that I’m completely lost! A big concern is battery drain. Will there be a big difference between the two regarding battery life? Is the 1440 visually different enough to be worth it? Probably stupid questions, my apologies. Any input would be hugely appreciated!

    Reply
  10. Andi says:
    January 13, 2020 at 8:34 am

    Nice article, thanks for sharing.
    What are you basically saying is that the image quality is the same on my 720p 19″ with 1080p 24″ and 2k 30″, only the panel size differs.
    And since at work i have a 27″ and it’s painfully big, i will remain at my 19″.
    Have a good one,
    Andi.

    Reply
  11. Tom says:
    January 6, 2020 at 3:57 pm

    Great article, thanks. Just a note: the title makes it seem like 1920×1080 is better because of where the [x] statement is placed. Not a huge deal. I’m looking at a monitor that will do 1440 so it’s good to know that I’ll see a difference.

    Reply
  12. Carolyn J Cornie says:
    December 14, 2019 at 5:15 am

    1080 vs. 1440
    If I am not using the monitor for gaming, would it still be a good move to get a 1440 ?
    …research, papers, online shopping, Facebook…

    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Dan Alder says:
      December 15, 2019 at 11:58 am

      Hey Carolyn, yes even with less demanding things like that you would notice the difference. Text and images will appear clearer and have more detail to them. Since you won’t be using a monitor for gaming you won’t need adaptive sync or a high refresh rate so there’s no need to spend extra for these things.

      I think the best monitor in your scenario would be the ViewSonic VG2455-2K, a nice vibrant IPS panel 24 inch monitor with a 1440p resolution. It has features like a blue light filter that’ll help during long research and writing sessions, integrated speakers so you can listen when on Youtube or Facebook, and great ergonomics so you can pivot it 90 degrees which makes it much easier to read long documents.

      Reply
      1. john says:
        January 19, 2020 at 9:31 am

        Hey,

        A 24′ 1440p monitor?
        The icons on desktop will be too small and unreadable. Or not?
        No need to scale ?

        Thanks

        Reply
        1. Dan Alder says:
          January 20, 2020 at 12:33 pm

          Hey John. You can scale the entire Windows interface all together if you’d like or just change the size of desktop icons. Personally I scale to 125% on my 24” 1440p monitor and set my desktop icon size to medium.

          Reply

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