Choosing the resolution for a pen display

Overview

Choosing the right resolution that will work for you on a Pen display is very important. Higher resolutions aren't automatically better, and lower resolutions aren't automatically bad. What will work well for you will depend on your preferences, your prior experiences, and the size of the Pen display.

Summary

Based on my experience, here are a few things I'd like to point out. As a Pen display gets bigger, it does become more useful to have a higher resolution. As Pen displays get smaller, having high resolution doesn't help as much and, in fact, may cause problems. Keep in mind, some users feel that specific resolutions such as 2560 by 1440 require some extra work to use well with Mac OS.

Pen displays are different from monitors for resolution

How are Pen displays different from monitors in terms of resolution? You probably have some existing preferences for the resolution of a monitor you're using with your computer, and that is a good starting point. But the resolution that will work well for you for a Pen display is different from what you would typically pick for a monitor.

The big difference is due to one factor: Pen displays, in order for you to draw on them, must by definition be within arm's length. Typically, they're even closer than arm's length—they are about half the distance of your arm away—and this is much closer than a typical monitor.

Here's an example from my own background: I like really large monitors that are very far away from me, and they tend to be almost four feet away. When I draw, a Pen display is between 8 to 12 inches away, which is much closer. For a monitor that's three to four feet away, I prefer to have a 4K resolution; otherwise, I see a lot of pixelation. But for a Pen display that's close to me, I don't necessarily need 4K resolution. It will depend strongly on the size of the Pen display.

Pixel density

Depending on the size and resolution you're considering, the combination will give you a different pixel density. In practical terms, the real issue here is your tolerance for seeing noticeable pixelation on a display. Some people want super tiny pixels and hate seeing very obvious pixels, while others are more tolerant of seeing them. It's hard to make a single recommendation, but you can be informed by your experiences with devices you are already using and considering the pixel density you enjoy with those.

Here are some known pixel densities for iPads

Model Lineup	Diagonal Sizes	Native Resolution	Pixel Density
iPad Pro	11" (Ultra Retina XDR) 13" (Ultra Retina XDR)	2420 × 1668 2752 × 2064	264 ppi 264 ppi
iPad Air	11" (Liquid Retina) 13" (Liquid Retina)	2360 × 1640 2732 × 2048	264 ppi 264 ppi
iPad (Standard)	10.9" / 11" (Liquid Retina)	2360 × 1640	264 ppi
iPad mini	8.3" (Liquid Retina)	2266 × 1488	326 ppi

Model Lineup	Diagonal Size	Native Resolution	Pixel Density
Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra / S9 Ultra	14.6"	2960 × 1848	239 ppi
Galaxy Tab S10+ / S9+	12.4"	2800 × 1752	266 ppi
Galaxy Tab S9 (Base Flagship)	11.0"	2560 × 1600	274 ppi
Galaxy Tab S9 FE+	12.4"	2560 × 1600	243 ppi
Galaxy Tab S9 FE	10.9"	2304 × 1440	249 ppi

What we see with these devices is that generally, if you've been using them, you're used to a pixel density of around 250 PPI, and in some cases, 300 plus. Now, let's take a look at how PPI works for different Pen display sizes.

Diagonal Size	Full HD (1920x1080)	2.5K (2560x1440)	4K (3840x2160)
13"	~169ppi	~226ppi	~339ppi
16"	~138ppi	~184ppi	~275ppi
19"	~115ppi	~155ppi	~231ppi
22"	~100ppi	~133ppi	~220ppi
24"	~92ppi	~122ppi	~184ppi
27"	~82ppi	~109ppi	~163ppi

What you will see pretty clearly with Pen displays is that very high PPIs really require 4K. For 2K, if you're dealing with a 13-inch Pen display,

You don't strictly need your Pen display to have the same pixel density as a phone or iPad, but it may help you decide what might work well for you.

What the data says

These are the results of a small survey I conducted in August 2026.

One of the questions posed in the survey was for users to identify the ideal resolution across different sizes of Pen tablets. Here are the initial results for 16 respondents.

Some things we can notice in the data:

For a 13-inch Pen display, lots of people are totally happy with a 2K resolution, though some like a little higher density with a 2.5K resolution. People don't think 4K is necessary at 13 inches, and I strongly agree. I think it's not only unnecessary, it's definitely overkill—too much, and not needed. I think it's definitely too high a resolution at this size.

For the 16-inch size, we see a strong preference and movement from 2K to 2.5K. I would strongly agree with this; 2.5K at 16 inches is a very good combination. Also, 4K at 16 inches is, I think, excessive.

At 22 inches, we start seeing a major shift from 2.5K to 4K. I strongly agree that many people would benefit from 4K resolution here, though there's a sizable contingent of people, myself included, who are totally fine working with 2.5K at 22 inches.

At 24 inches and above, we start seeing a very strong preference for 4K. I would definitely agree that the vast majority of people would probably want and should look for 4K at these sizes because starting at 24 inches, you really will start noticing a lot of pixelation.

MacOS

macOS handles resolution differently than Windows. In particular, it renders text differently, and this can make text look a little fuzzy at certain resolutions. Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate the problem. See: Fuzzy text on displays with macOS

Picking between 2.5K vs 4K resolution

People often ask about choosing between these two resolutions. Overall, I think 2.5K is the best value for your money.

Especially at the 13" and 16" sizes, a 2.5K display delivers a massive increase over 2K. At these sizes, higher resolutions provide only incremental benefits.