640x480 resolution
640 × 480
VGA · 4:3 · 307,200 pixels · 0.31 megapixels · Legacy
What 640x480 is
The IBM VGA standard of 1987 and the resolution every fallback mode still assumes. It survives as the size of a webcam stream and the smallest layout anyone tests.
The numbers
| Width | 640 px |
| Height | 480 px |
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 |
| Total pixels | 307,200 |
| Megapixels | 0.31 MP |
| Compared with 1080p | 0.15× the pixels |
| Compared with 4K UHD | 0.04× the pixels |
Pixel density at common screen sizes
A resolution on its own says nothing about sharpness — the same 640x480 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 | 60 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
| 15.6 in | 51 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
| 24 in | 33 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
| 27 in | 30 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
| 32 in | 25 PPI | Coarse — individual pixels are visible at desk distance |
Other legacy resolutions
| Resolution | Name | Ratio | Megapixels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800×600 | SVGA | 4:3 | 0.48 MP |
| 1024×768 | XGA | 4:3 | 0.79 MP |
| 1280×1024 | SXGA | 5:4 | 1.31 MP |
| 1600×1200 | UXGA | 4:3 | 1.92 MP |
| 1680×1050 | WSXGA+ | 8:5 | 1.76 MP |
Closest in total pixels
- 800×600 — SVGA
- 1024×768 — XGA
- 1280×720 — HD (720p)
- 1280×800 — WXGA
- 1366×768 — HD (laptop)
- 1440×900 — WXGA+
- 1280×1024 — SXGA
- 1600×900 — HD+
Frequently asked questions
What is the aspect ratio of 640x480?
4:3.
How many pixels is 640x480?
307,200 pixels, or 0.31 megapixels.
Is 640x480 higher resolution than 1080p?
It has 15% of the pixels of a 1920×1080 frame.
What size screen suits 640x480?
Pixel density is what decides that. 60 PPI at 13.3 in, 51 PPI at 15.6 in, 33 PPI at 24 in, 30 PPI at 27 in, 25 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.