What Is 1440p? QHD/UWQHD Resolution Explained

1440p is also called QHD (quad high definition) or WQHD (wide quad high definition) and is a display resolution that measures 2560 x 1440 pixels. This resolution is also commonly referred to as 2K.

Resolution explains how many pixels a display has in width x height format. The more pixels a display has, the sharper its image quality should be. QHD resolution gets its name for offering four times the definition of standard HD, aka 720p (1280 x 720 resolution).

What About WQHD?

You may also see QHD resolution referred to as UWQHD, which stands for wide quad high definition. These two acronyms represent the same resolution; WQHD is a marketing technique to emphasize the wide-screen format of the resolution.

However, vendors will also label ultra-wide monitors as UWQHD even though they don't have 2560 horizontal pixels. This is because they still have 1440 vertical pixels but have more horizontal pixels for a wider aspect ratio than 2560 x 1440's 16:9 aspect ratio. An example would be the 3440 x 1440 resolution in the Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240.

Common Display Resolutions

Swipe to scroll horizontally

5K

5120 x 2880

4K

3840 x 2160 (typical monitor resolution); 4096 x 2160 (official cinema resolution)

Ultra HD (UHD)

3840 x 2160

QHD aka WQHD aka 1440p

2560 x 1440

2K

2560 x 1440 (typical monitor resolution); 2048 x 1080 (official cinema resolution)

WUXGA 

1920 x 1200

Full HD (FHD) aka 1080p aka HD

1920 x 1080

HD aka 720p

1280 x 720

This article is part of the 3DTested Glossary.

Further reading:

Brandon Hill
With contributions from
  • sonarctica
    Shame they got the term wrong. 2k is 2048x1080, not 1440p which is 2560 wide aka 2.5k. And majority of the market is misinformed that way as usual.
    Reply
  • USAFRet
    sonarctica said:
    Shame they got the term wrong. 2k is 2048x1080, not 1440p which is 2560 wide aka 2.5k. And majority of the market is misinformed that way as usual.
    3 years later....

    Please don't dredge up ancient threads.
    Reply