# Display resolution

## Introduction

Just like a monitor a pen display contains a display panel with a native display resolution.

## Typical resolutions

Modern pen displays mostly use a small number of resolutions. The vast majority of pen displays use these three resolutions:

* Full HD = 1920x1080
* 2.5K = 2560x1440
* 4K = 3840x2160

A few pen displays use resolutions such as 2560 x 1600.

## Considerations

### **Seeing pixels**

* Some people are very sensitive to seeing pixels.
* When drawing on a pen display you'll be much closer to it than when you are using a monitor
* So you might notice the pixels more due to this proximity

### **Compatibility**

The resolution with the least compatibility issues is 2K. This format has the least issues with ports, cables, GPUs, adapters, etc. As you start getting into higher resolutions, you have to be more careful about compatibility and ensure everything is going to work.

For example:

* Not all HDMI cables support 4K
* Some laptops struggle to support an external 4K display
* Macintoshes have difficulty supporting 2.5K resolutions
* Some systems support the higher resolutions but not a high-enough refresh rate. For example one of my laptops supports 4K but only at 30Hz instead of the standard 60Hz.

## Recommendations for resolution

[Choosing the right display resolution for a pen display](https://docs.sevenpens.com/drawtab/buying/choosing-display-resolution)

## MacOS considerations

**MacOS** works with resolution differently than windows. In particular it renders text different and this can make text a little fuzzy at certain resolutions. Fortunately there are ways to mitigate the problem. See: [Fuzzy text on displays with MacOS](https://docs.sevenpens.com/drawtab/guides/platforms/macos/display-resolution)

## **Anti-glare sparkle**

Given a specific physical size for a display panel, anti-glare sparkle is more noticeable on higher resolutions. See this document for more information: [Anti-glare sparkle](https://docs.sevenpens.com/drawtab/guides/pen-displays/ag-sparkle).

## Pixel density: Pixels-per-inch (PPI)

<table><thead><tr><th width="96.50002034505206">Diagonal size</th><th width="175">FullHD 1920x1080</th><th width="162.25">2.5K 2560x1440</th><th>4K 3840x2160</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>13"</td><td>169.45</td><td>225.94</td><td>338.91</td></tr><tr><td>16"</td><td>137.68</td><td>183.58</td><td>275.36</td></tr><tr><td>22"</td><td>100.13</td><td>133.51</td><td>200.26</td></tr><tr><td>24"</td><td>91.79</td><td>122.38</td><td>183.58</td></tr><tr><td>27"</td><td>81.59</td><td>108.79</td><td>163.18</td></tr><tr><td>32"</td><td>68.84</td><td>91.79</td><td>137.68</td></tr></tbody></table>


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