Full HD, QHD or 4K? The right resolution for each size

It’s the number of pixels. Full HD is 1920 by 1080, QHD is 2560 by 1440 and 4K is 3840 by 2160. More pixels give more definition when the screen size is the same, and they cost more at the catalog median. What changes in practice depends on size: at 24″ the difference is smaller than at 32″.

It is on screens of 27″ or more, for image work, movies and close-up text. For gaming, it calls for a stronger graphics card. The Radar shows the median price of 4K at the same size and doesn’t say it suits everyone.

It has more pixels, so letters and images look more defined at the same size. Whether it is worth the extra price depends on the use and the size: at 24″ Full HD is usually enough, and at 27″ QHD is the balance point for text. The guide’s table shows the price difference in today’s catalog.

1080p, 1440p and 2160p are the names of the same resolutions by height in pixels: 1080p is Full HD, 1440p is QHD and 2160p is 4K. Store listings mix the two ways of writing it, and the Radar uses Full HD, QHD and 4K.

For gaming, yes, the more Hz and the higher the graphics quality, the more of the card. For working, watching and editing images, no. The Radar doesn’t test graphics cards and reads only the monitor’s spec sheet.

It depends on the size. The Radar compares the median price of each resolution within the same size range, in the 06/11/2026 catalog. Today there are 402 monitors, from £55.00. The guide’s table shows the difference by range.

Each dot is a new monitor. The further right, the more expensive; the higher up, the better the spec sheet score. The price uses a logarithmic scale: each step is worth more dollars than the one before, so the cheaper ones don’t get bunched together. The line connects the monitors that no other, among those filtered, beats on both score and price at once. Compare monitors of the same size: pick the inch range in the top bar.

From the monitor’s spec sheet, with public weights (image, smoothness, connections, ergonomics and recency). The score compares within the type: the Hz of an office monitor are measured against the office yardstick, those of a gaming monitor against the gaming one. It shows what the spec sheet states, not the calibration or the measured brightness. Size doesn’t count toward the score. The full calculation is in How we calculate the score.

Because the store’s spec sheet doesn’t give enough information: we need at least three components of the score. We’d rather leave a monitor without a score than make one up. Those monitors stay off the chart and remain in the table, with the price and the button to compare stores.

For a work desk, 24″ at Full HD and 27″ at QHD are the sizes where text looks sharp without scaling up. At 27″ Full HD the density drops to 82 pixels per inch and the text looks less defined; 32″ calls for QHD or 4K. Each monitor’s page shows the pixel density calculated by the Radar.

This is the lowest price from Amazon.com, a direct store, the manufacturer’s official store or a seller rated 4.0 with 100 or more sales, usually paying upfront, on the date we checked. It changes without notice, and the colour can change the price. The buy button goes straight to the store, where the price of the day applies.