What is the difference between 4K and 'full HD' (FHD) 📺

Before I can explain the difference between 4K and 'full HD', please let me clarify what they are.

4K and and 'full HD' refer to a technical term called 'resolution'. Computers, Tvs and pretty much every display device has a resolution.

And the resolution refers to how many pixels are in that display.

So, they are both resolution but... Is 4K the same as 'full HD'?

Is 4K the same as 'full HD'?

The short answer is no. This is the reason why:

4K resolution

4K is a resolution that contains 3840 pixels (wide) and 2160 pixels (height).

4k literally means four thousand.

'Full HD' resolution

'Full HD' is a common resolution, it contains 1920 pixels (wide) and 1080 pixels (height). It is also called '1080p' or FHD.

Pixel count

Total number of pixels

4k: 8294400 pixels. (More than 8 million pixels)

'Full HD': 2073600 pixels. (More than 2 million pixels)

Comparing vertical pixels

'Full HD' has 1080 vertical pixels and 4K has 2160 pixels. So 4K has more vertical pixels than 'Full HD'.

Comparing horizontal pixels

'Full HD' has 1920 horizontal pixels and 4k has 3840. Thus 4K has more horizontal pixels than 'Full HD'.

Which is better 4K or 'Full HD'?

Technically speaking, 4K is always better. A 4K screen has four times the number of pixels than that of a ‘full HD’ screen. That’s why 4K has higher image quality than ‘full HD’.

But it may not be the best for your budget.

I've compiled a few examples to help you understand the difference.

Security camera example

Tip: Turn on the caption button if you need it. Choose “automatic translation” in the settings button, if you are not familiar to the english language. You may need to click on the language of the video first before your favorite language becomes available for translation.