Why 4k isn’t better than 1080p
1080p monitors are considered to be inferior when compared to 1440p or even 4k. But you may be surprised to hear that 1080p can be better than 4k depending on several factors, including monitor size, resolution and PPI. In this post, I will explain what PPI or pixel density is, and why it’s important. Then I will include a helpful chart of the monitor’s PPI based on resolution and size.
What is PPI?
PPI is Pixels Per Square Inch. The higher the PPI, the clearer the image. PPI is determined by a monitor’s resolution and size. In everyday life, you want a high PPI, as it will be the most useful to you.
There are special circumstances in which high PPI can be a greater burden than a benefit. For example, in games, length or width is determined by the number of pixels. So a 100-pixel line on a monitor with a low PPI will be longer than a 100-pixel line on a monitor with a high PPI. In those circumstances, it would be better to get a monitor with an average PPI, of ~100 PPI.
If you want to find out your monitor’s PPI, search up your monitor’s size, resolution, and PPI. So for example, if I had a 1080p 24" monitor, I would search up “PPI of 1080p 24” monitor”. Later in this article, I include a chart of the pixel density of typical monitor sizes and resolutions.
Why is PPI important?
As I said earlier, the higher the PPI the clearer the image. You of course don’t want too high of a PPI or the text will be too small and unreadable. PPI is important because it gives us a way of categorizing monitors. Instead of categorizing monitors based on size and resolution, we can categorize them based on PPI, with anything from 100 to 150 PPI being ideal. This allows us to truly see the monitor for what it is, not the screen size or resolution.
Let me give you an example. I’m going to give you a list of different monitors’ PPIs. Then based on that I want you to tell me which monitor is 4k.
- 138 PPI
- 92 PPI
- 108 PPI
You probably guessed the 138 PPI one because it’s the highest. And you would be right. But the point of this exercise wasn’t to show that 4k monitors have a high PPI. It was to show you that when picking out a monitor, we have biases. We see a 1080p 32-inch monitor and think, ”This is a good price for a large screen.” No, if you try to look for a monitor for yourself in that way, you are going to be stuck with something that has a large screen but a low PPI, so an unclear image. Instead, if you look at monitors based on PPI you get an unbiased view of a monitor’s worth. Previously, I gave you those PPI. Below is their monitor size and resolution to the corresponding PPI.
- 4k, 32"
- 1080p, 24"
- 1440p, 27"
Now that you’ve seen what the monitors are, I’m pretty sure that you are now thinking that some other monitor is better. That is why PPI is useful. It gives us an unbiased view of a monitor’s worth.
Chart of PPI of Monitors
Above is a chart of the pixel density of normal monitor sizes and resolutions. 90 PPI and above is ideal. You don’t want to go too high so I would suggest not going higher than 150 PPI.
Conclusion
PPI or pixel density is determined by a monitor’s size and resolution. A high pixel density is beneficial but going too high will be a burden. PPI is useful to categorize monitors. It gives us an unbiased view of a monitor’s worth. Granted many other factors come into play when trying to decide on the perfect monitor, but if you don’t care about HDR, color accuracy, or panel type, then the PPI way of categorizing monitors is perfect for you. HDR, color accuracy and panel types are all important, but not as important as PPI. There is no point of having an amazing panel that can display billions of colors if your screen is pixelated. So before you buy your next monitor, check out its PPI and make sure it’s up to par.
Signed,
Sam Mishin
Links to articles I used:
