2560x1440 resolution
2560 × 1440
QHD (1440p) · 16:9 · 3,686,400 pixels · 3.69 megapixels · Desktop monitor
What 2560x1440 is
Four times the pixels of 720p and the resolution that has become the desktop default, because at 27 inches it lands near 109 PPI — sharp enough without needing display scaling, which 4K at that size does.
The numbers
| Width | 2,560 px |
| Height | 1,440 px |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Total pixels | 3,686,400 |
| Megapixels | 3.69 MP |
| Compared with 1080p | 1.78× the pixels |
| Compared with 4K UHD | 0.44× the pixels |
What 2560x1440 costs to move and to store
A frame is width × height × three bytes of colour, before any compression touches it. At 2560 × 1440 that is 11.06 MB per frame, and video is frames per second:
| Frame rate | Uncompressed | An hour of it |
|---|---|---|
| 24 fps | 265 MB/s | 0.96 TB |
| 30 fps | 332 MB/s | 1.19 TB |
| 60 fps | 664 MB/s | 2.39 TB |
| 120 fps | 1.33 GB/s | 4.78 TB |
Nobody ships that. It is the number codecs exist to get away from — a streamed 2560x1440 feed runs at a few tens of megabits, which is a compression ratio of several hundred to one, and it is why a still frame from a stream looks worse than a photograph of the same scene.
How close you have to sit for 2560x1440 to be worth it
The eye resolves about one arcminute of detail. Past a certain distance the pixels merge whatever the panel does, and a higher resolution stops being visible rather than stopping being better. That distance is the pixel pitch divided by the tangent of one arcminute:
| Screen | Pixels merge beyond |
|---|---|
| 13.3 in monitor or laptop | 0.4 m (1.3 ft) |
| 15.6 in monitor or laptop | 0.46 m (1.5 ft) |
| 24 in monitor or laptop | 0.71 m (2.3 ft) |
| 27 in monitor or laptop | 0.8 m (2.6 ft) |
| 32 in monitor or laptop | 0.95 m (3.1 ft) |
| 43 in television | 1.28 m (4.2 ft) |
| 55 in television | 1.64 m (5.4 ft) |
| 65 in television | 1.93 m (6.3 ft) |
| 75 in television | 2.23 m (7.3 ft) |
Sitting further back than the figure for your screen, 2560x1440 and the next resolution down look the same. That is the whole argument about 4K televisions in ordinary living rooms: the resolution is real and the seating position usually is not close enough to show it.
Pixel density at common screen sizes
A resolution on its own says nothing about sharpness — the same 2560x1440 panel is dense on a laptop and coarse on a television. Density is the diagonal in pixels divided by the diagonal in inches.
| Diagonal | Pixel density | |
|---|---|---|
| 13.3 in | 221 PPI | High density — the OS will scale the interface |
| 15.6 in | 188 PPI | Sharp |
| 24 in | 122 PPI | Comfortable at native size |
| 27 in | 109 PPI | Comfortable at native size |
| 32 in | 92 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
Other desktop monitor resolutions
Closest in total pixels
- 1284×2778 — Phone large 19.5:9
- 2360×1640 — Tablet 10.9-inch
- 2560×1600 — WQXGA
- 3840×1080 — DFHD
- 2048×1536 — Tablet 4:3
- 1170×2532 — Phone 19.5:9
- 2560×1080 — UW-FHD
- 1440×3200 — QHD+ phone
Frequently asked questions
What is the aspect ratio of 2560x1440?
16:9.
How many pixels is 2560x1440?
3,686,400 pixels, or 3.69 megapixels.
Is 2560x1440 higher resolution than 1080p?
2560x1440 has 1.78× as many pixels as a 1920×1080 frame.
What size screen suits 2560x1440?
Pixel density is what decides that. 221 PPI at 13.3 in, 188 PPI at 15.6 in, 122 PPI at 24 in, 109 PPI at 27 in, 92 PPI at 32 in. Below roughly 110 PPI text starts to look coarse; above about 200 the operating system will usually scale the interface rather than render it at native size.