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.
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.
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.
