Is it really useful? Meizu engineers' view on 2K screens

In 2007, Apple released the first generation of iPhone, which redefined the smartphone and introduced large screens to mobile phones for the first time. It is both a window for content display and a hub for human-computer interaction. Since then, the screen has become a vital component of mobile phones and a part that consumers are very concerned about.

As screens get bigger and bigger, their resolution has been changing with each passing day, from the initial DVGA and XGA to the popular HD (1280×720) and Full HD (1920×1080) in the past two years. Now the term 2K (2560×1440) resolution has begun to appear frequently, and flagship phones from various manufacturers are also competing to equip them. There is a big contrast between the enthusiasm of manufacturers and the doubts of consumers. Whether mobile phones need 2K screens is a controversial topic.

Figure: Comparison of display area brought by different resolutions at the same PPI.

In the past, when you watched a 720P screen, you felt it was very clear. But when you use a 1080P screen and then watch 720P, I believe you will feel that the clarity has become a little unclear. The retina screen that Steve Jobs mentioned can no longer satisfy the eyes' pursuit of clarity.

The screen of mobile phones has also gradually jumped from 3.5 inches to 6 inches. On large-size mobile phone screens, high resolution is particularly important. At this time, using 1080p on a 6-inch screen seems a bit unambitious. At this time, 2K resolution is necessary.

To this day, many people still question whether 2K screens are necessary. Consumers are becoming more and more picky about the fineness of the screen. In comparison, the human eye can still distinguish the difference between 2K and 1080p. They hope that the display effect of the mobile phone screen can be as delicate and clear as prints, and they also require the true restoration of details. In order to achieve the effect of prints, in theory, the PPI of the mobile phone must reach the range of 540.

However, the current market holds a conservative attitude towards 2K screens, which inevitably leads to the fact that most 2K screens on the market perform unsatisfactory in all aspects. Let's first count the shortcomings of the existing 2K screens on the market.

High heat and poor battery life

When the mobile phone reaches 2K resolution, the number of pixels is four times that of 720p, and more TFTs are needed to drive such a large number of liquid crystals.

Not only that, the brightness also needs to be compensated by increasing the number of backlight LED lights. The screen is the top power consumer of smartphones, so this will further increase the power consumption of the screen and will also bring greater heat generation and a significant increase in energy consumption. At a time when there has been no breakthrough in battery technology, battery life will undoubtedly become even more stretched.

The first batch of Xplay3S with 2K screens, despite being equipped with a 3200mAh battery, had poor battery life. The same battery life dilemma also appeared on Find7: after testing calls, text messages, web browsing, games and many other aspects from foreign media PhoneArena, it was found that Find 7 only lasted for 4 and a half hours. MX4 can last for 7 hours and 25 minutes.

Figure: For models with 2K screens, the power consumption problem has always been difficult to solve.

Low brightness

When measuring the quality of a screen, screen brightness is an indispensable reference standard. The brightness directly affects the quality of regular use experience.

When the PPI of the screen is higher, the arrangement of the pixels of the screen becomes denser and denser, and it becomes increasingly difficult for the LED backlight of the screen to reach a certain brightness through the pixels, which is the so-called low aperture ratio. The higher the aperture ratio, the higher the efficiency of light passing through. The reduction of the aperture ratio means that the screen brightness and color gamut will decrease. To increase the aperture ratio, the direct way is to increase the LED backlight. Increasing the backlight brightness will increase power consumption. When balancing power consumption and brightness, it will be a painful choice. Some manufacturers choose lower brightness to ensure battery life, while others increase the backlight brightness at the expense of power consumption.

Therefore, in order to prevent the screen from consuming too much power, many manufacturers have intentionally limited the brightness of the LED backlight, resulting in the generally low brightness of 2K screens. For example, the DROID Turbo recently released by MOTO, although it has reached the first place in the industry with 565 PPI, its brightness is only 248 nits (PhoneArena data). Such brightness is not visible in the sun. In comparison, the brightness of MX4 is 500 nits.

Figure: Another disadvantage of the 2K screen is its low brightness.

System lag

To ensure that a 2K screen can maintain smooth operation at 60 frames per second, not only does the CPU need to have sufficient memory bandwidth, but the screen's LCD response speed also needs to be fast enough.

In the 1080p era, things can run smoothly without any pressure. However, for the same SoC, the doubling of pixels has undoubtedly increased the burden on the GPU and CPU, and they often need to run at full power to ensure smooth operation. However, in order to save power and ensure battery life, the system may be down-clocked, resulting in a decrease in system fluency, which is why most 2K screens on the market experience lag.

Another example is the iPad 3 powered by A5X with Retina display. It often feels stuck when running large games or loading large programs.

2014 can be said to be the first year of 2K screens. Screen manufacturers are scrambling to launch new 2K products to be tested by the market. The delicate display brought by its ultra-high resolution is irresistible. However, factors such as heat generation, low battery life, lag, and inflated prices make people reluctant to buy.

When many manufacturers began to adopt 2K screens, Meizu remained on the sidelines. However, as early as the end of last year, Huang Zhang said in the Meizu forum: We will have two resolution versions to choose from, and the pro version will be equipped with a resolution of 2560x1536.

Image: Meizu's Huang Zhang said that the MX4 Pro will have two resolutions to choose from.

On November 19, Meizu will release the MX4 Pro with a 2K screen. As Meizu's blockbuster this year, the question is, how will Meizu's 2K screen perform? I believe we will find the answer on the day of the press conference.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.