Last year there were a number of smartphones that launched with Quad HD displays, with resolutions of 2560 x 1440, surpassing Full HD at 1920 x 1080. The first phones on the market were from Oppo with the Find 7 and subsequently LG with the G3. Since then, we’ve seen a number of devices in China launch with Quad HD displays, most notably the Meizu MX4 Pro and the newly announced Xiaomi Note Pro. While many of us think that 2K or Quad HD displays are great, Yu Chengdong, an Executive at Huawei isn’t so convinced. Pointing the finger at those two devices specifically, Mr Chengdong has asked of Meizu and Xiaomi, what were they thinking?
Apparently, Huawei ran some battery-related tests on the MX4 Pro and the Xiaomi Note Pro and didn’t think much of their battery life. It’s long been reported that Quad HD displays will take their toll on our precious battery life, but sticking with 1080p for that reason alone seems a little narrow-minded. This all sounds like a fairly clever ploy of Huawei’s to highlight the obviously superior battery life of their Ascend Mate 7, which ships with a 1080p display and a massive 4,000 mAh battery. If that’s the case, then Huawei have made their point on Chinese social media.
However, Huawei wasn’t the only company to shun 2K displays last year, Sony launched both the Xperia Z2 and the Xperia Z3 with Full HD displays, and as an owner of the former I can say that I’m never left wanting more pixels. Plus, with a 3,200 mAh battery in the Z2 I get some of the best battery life I’ve ever seen on a smartphone. Are Sony and Huawei likely to steer clear of 2K throughout 2015? Probably not, but I expect companies that have chosen to rely on 1080p in 2014 will make smarter choices with 2K in order to make the most of their battery life. Is 2K what you want in your next smartphone or is 1080p more than good enough?