What Is 1440p? QHD/WQHD 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).

QHD screens are noticeably sharper than Full HD (FHD), aka 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080) models, which are much more common and cheaper. This higher resolution also makes going to screens larger than 27 inches without seeing individual pixels more feasible when shopping for a PC monitor. However, a QHD screen will eat up more battery with laptops than an FHD display. 

What About WQHD?

You may also see QHD resolution referred to as WQHD, 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 WQHD 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
5K5120 x 2880
4K3840 x 2160 (typical monitor resolution); 4096 x 2160 (official cinema resolution)
Ultra HD (UHD)3840 x 2160
QHD aka WQHD aka 1440p2560 x 1440
2K2560 x 1440 (typical monitor resolution); 2048 x 1080 (official cinema resolution)
WUXGA 1920 x 1200
Full HD (FHD) aka 1080p aka HD1920 x 1080
HD aka 720p1280 x 720

This article is part of the Tom's Hardware Glossary.

Further reading:

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware. He has written about PC and Mac tech since the late 1990s with bylines at AnandTech, DailyTech, and Hot Hardware. When he is not consuming copious amounts of tech news, he can be found enjoying the NC mountains or the beach with his wife and two sons.

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  • 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