Over the past couple of years, the mobile phones have undergone a lot of cosmetic as well as hardware changes. A lot has changed and one of the key changes is the number of pixels that are packed in a screen. Back in the day, Apple introduced Retina Display which had the pixel density of 326ppi. But that is history now. Nowadays, 326ppi is considered low. People are more inclined towards QHD or UHD screens. This raises a burning question, do you really need a 4K screen on a smartphone? We will answer this in the forthcoming paragraphs.
What is 4K?
Everyone knows that 4K or Ultra HD is better than 1080p or Full HD, right? What all people do not know is that it has almost 4x more pixels than the Full HD screen. It has 3840 ‘bricks’ on the top row whereas the FHD has only 1920 of the same.
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium was the first phone to introduce the 4K display on a smartphone. After that, a number of phones have been released which sport a 4K display. But does it really mean that it will offer a sharper and a crisper image experience when you read a text or send an e-mail or just watch a movie? I don’t think so.
A scientific study revealed that after the 300ppi mark, the human eye is unable to figure out any details at all. So there are not a lot of reasons to purchase a phone just because it flaunts a 4K screen.
In fact, it is hard to distinguish between 65-inches FHD from a 4K TV when they both are running side by side. Check image below. We don’t think you will be able to do so on a 5 to 6-inches screen of a phone.
The only time you might notice the difference is if you are projecting something on a really big surface (100+ inches). Still the difference will not be very vivid. Image will appear sharper but that is it. The difference won’t be like the difference between 360p and 1080p.
We are not saying that 4K displays on a phone are irrelevant; we just want to say that they are not worth the hefty price.
It is just an inevitable change that was bound to happen sooner or later; thanks to the advancement of technology at such an incredible rate.
Why was it used then?
Why, you ask? Simple – bragging rights; so that one gets an edge over its competition which will boost the sales.
When Steve Jobs introduced the Retina Display (326ppi), it got Apple a lot of praise. However, it has been thrashed by the likes of Sony Xperia Z5 Premium with an eye-melting pixel density of 802ppi.
Pros and Cons of 4K screen on a smartphone
Pros
- VR
This is probably the only occasion where the 4K display of your phone will be better than a FHD or QHD display. The reason being when you use your phone in a VR headset (like Oculus Rift), it is hardly an inch away from your eyes. At such close proximities, the eyes are actually able to differentiate and could use the 4K screen to enhance the viewing experience.
- “My phone has a 4K display”
Bragging rights, eh? Not phones are out there which come with a 4K display. This is not really an advantage but since we did not have a lot of things to mention here, we had to jot this one down too.
Cons
- Battery
The really tightly packed pixels in a 4K do have an impact on the battery as well as the processor. When you turn on the display, even for having a glance at the time, all of them have to be powered up at the same time which drains a lot more battery than it would on a FHD phone. However, this problem could be overcome by simply providing a bigger cell which could power this beastly display.
- Negligible difference from 1080p
As we mentioned earlier, there is hardly has any visible difference between a FHD and a UHD screen. Unless you use a magnifier or bury your eyes into the screen, you will not be able to make out the difference the two.
- Lack of 4K content
There is not of content available in 4K. Most of the videos, movies and shows are limited to 1080p. The reason being there are not a lot of products which can support the high resolution content. Even if it is available, the size of the file is monstrous. For example:- an average music video in 1080p is of 100-150 MB. The same video in 4K will be around 450 MB.
Verdict
4K displays are a result of improving technology and they are here to stay. However, they are not something that you cannot live without, unless you crunch the biggest possible numbers (ppi).
Sometime in the not so distant future, we might also see a phone with 8K display and there is nothing we can do about it until more ways are figured out to make use of this innovation. Till then, keep waiting and stay connected with us for more updates.
