What is Pixel Density and Screen Resolution and How do They Affect Image Quality?

First, you need to understand what is pixel density and how it differs from screen resolution so that you may avoid using these terms interchangeably like most people. Pixel density is a metric that tells us how many pixels are there in a specific display area (one inch, to be exact). It basically determines the readability, clarity, and quality of the images and text on the device’s screen.

On the other hand, screen resolution is the total number of pixels your device can display horizontally and vertically on its screen. The higher the resolution, the sharper the images appear on the screen. But setting it too high will put a lot of strain on your hardware, causing the text and icons to appear too small.

What is the Relationship between Pixel Density and Screen Resolution?

Now that you know what is pixel density and how it differs from screen resolution let’s go on and explore the topic a bit more by trying to understand the relationship between the two.

In simple words, Screen A and Screen B may have the same number of pixels, but the pixel density of Screen B will be higher if the diagonal screen size of the device is smaller. Why? Because it means the higher number of pixels are now packed together in each inch, which automatically results in sharper display quality.

How to Calculate Pixel Density (PPI) by Yourself?

You need the following information if you want to calculate the PPI:

• Diagonal resolution of the device’s screen
• Diagonal size of the screen in inches

You can use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the diagonal resolution of your device’s screen. As per this theorem, all you need to do is take the square root of the sum of the squares of horizontal pixels and vertical pixels. Mathematically, the equation will look like this: Total number of pixels on the screen = √Horizontal Pixels² + Vertical Pixels²

Once you get this information, all you have to do is divide the square root of the sum of the squares of horizontal pixels and vertical pixels by the diagonal size of the screen in inches. Mathematically, the complete equation to calculate the PPI will look like this:

Pixel Density (PPI) = √Horizontal Pixels² + Vertical Pixels²/Diagonal size of the screen in inches

Example for Calculating Pixel Density

We’ll make things easier for you by calculating the PPI of a smartphone. Let’s say the following are the parameters of your device:

• Diagonal Screen Size = 6” inches
• Horizontal Pixels = 1440
• Vertical Pixels = 2560

What you need to do now is follow the steps given below:

• Step 1: Take the square of the (Horizontal Pixels) ², which in this case is 2073600
• Step 2: Take the square of the (Vertical Pixels) ², which in this case is 6553600
• Step 3: Calculate the sum of the squares of Horizontal and Vertical Pixels, which in this case is 8627200
• Step 4: Take the square root of the sum of the squares of Horizontal and Vertical Pixels, which in this case is 2937.209
• Step 5: Now divide the square root of the sum of the squares of Horizontal and Vertical Pixels by the Screen Size 2937.209/6 to get your answer, which in this case is 489.534 PPI

Types of Resolutions

We’ve tried to help you understand what is pixel density & how it works, and differs from screen resolution. But these are not the only terms people tend to use interchangeably. People confuse screen resolution with image resolution as well.

Therefore, it is also important for us to explain the difference between these two types of resolutions.

As we said before, screen resolution refers to the total number of pixels a device has on its entire screen. On the other hand, image resolution refers only to the pixel density of a given image.

It is also crucial to mention that image dimension has nothing to do with image resolution. Image dimension is the measurement of the number of columns and rows of pixels in an image.

Is Higher Pixel Density Better?

The higher the PPI, the better the quality of your display will be. This will work best for you in most cases. For example, if you purchase an LED with low pixel density, the quality of the display will be pixelated. In other words, you will experience a lack of sharpness and details.

In the case of smartphones, manufacturers have been at war with each other for years. They have been striving to roll out phones with higher pixel densities to make it impossible for the human eyes to distinguish pixels.

In fact, Sony, Meizu, and Xiaomi have taken this game to a whole new level this year by rolling out phones with 500+ PPI screens.

Top 16 Smartphones with Highest PPIs

Have you been searching for the list of best 5G phones with the highest PPIs? If yes, you will be happy to know your quest ends here. The PPI of the devices listed below is so high that the display won’t look pixelated even if you hold them close to your face.

We hope this blog has helped you understand what is pixel density and device resolution and how they affect image quality. If you feel we have missed out on something, feel free to share your opinion in the comments section.

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