What is laptop screen resolution?
Laptop screens are manufactured to different specifications. These obviously include physical size, such as 15.6 inches, and also the resolution of the screen. As laptop screens are made up of tiny dots (cells or pixels), the more dots the screen has the better the quality of the image will be. This is the same principle that applies to printers (dots per inch), the more dots for any given area, the higher the quality of the image on the display.
How is the resolution measured?
There are 3 ways that a laptop screen resolution can be measured. These are:
- pixel length X pixel width (e.g 1366x768)
This kind of measurement is the industry defacto and denotes the dots or pixels horizontally times by the dots or pixels vertically. This type of screen has 768 horizontal lines each containing 1366 pixels, giving a total pixel count of 1049088 (just over a million dots to make up the entire image).
- resolution name
The different types of resolution are given names by the LCD industry. These names identify with abbreviation the resolution of the screen. They are if you like codes that represent different resolutions of screen. In our example, 1366x768 is given the name HD. You may have also heard the expression FULL HD or FULLHD, this term refers to the much higher resolution 1920x1080 screens that display an image using almost twice the amount of dots or pixels as an HD screen operating at 1366x768.
- Shorthand name
Manufacturers of laptops, TVs, gaming systems or any other system using a screen have coined additional shorthand names as well as the two references listed above for the same product. These shorthand names are numbers and letters in an abreviated format that signify the resolution of the screen. For example shorthand name 768p is also known as HD and refers to the resolution of 1366x768. Shorthand name 1080p or FULL HD refers to the resolution of 1920x1080.
Understanding your screen resolution
With DELL laptops, a printout of the configuration of the laptop you have purchased is usually included with the sale. This printout usually tells you what type of screen you have. Other laptops may have stickers on the laptop or include some kind of documentation that tells you either resolution, resolution name or shorthand name. You can use the following table to assist you in identifying the correct replacement screen for your laptop.
| MAXIMUM RESOLUTION |
TYPE |
WIDESCREEN |
| |
|
|
|
| 800x480 |
|
WSVGA |
YES |
| 1024x578 |
|
WSVGA |
YES |
| 1024x600 |
|
WSVGA |
YES |
| 1024x768 |
|
XGA |
NO |
| 1152x768 |
|
WXGA |
YES |
| 1280x800 |
|
WXGA |
YES |
| 1366x768 |
|
HD or 768p |
YES |
| 1400x1050 |
|
SXGA |
NO |
| 1440x900 |
|
WXGA+ |
YES |
| 1600x900 |
|
WXGA++ or HD |
YES |
| 1680x945 |
|
HD+ |
YES |
| 1680x1050 |
|
WSXGA |
YES |
| 1920x1080 |
|
FULL HD or 1080p |
YES |
| 1920x1200 |
|
WUXGA |
YES |
|
|
|
|
How else can I tell my original laptop screen resolution?
If part of your original display is still functional, you can use the Windows Control Panel to retrieve your laptop screen maximum resolution. Please note that this must not be done with an external display attached to the laptop, as you will be viewing the maximum resolution of the external display and not your internal laptop lcd screen.
1. Go to your Windows Display Settings and the Advanced Configuration, push the slider for resolution as far to the right as possible and record the laptop screens maximum resolution. You can the compare that to the chart above to assist in selecting the correct laptop screen.
How do I find the Windows Display Settings?
Instructions for Windows 7 & Vista here
Instructions for Windows XP here
Instructions for MAC OS here
Instructions for Linux here
Instructions for Android here
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