Are you planning to purchase a QHD smartphone?

Apr 7, 2015 07:49 GMT  ·  By

It appears that the mobile industry has entered a new era. As you might have already noticed, high-end smartphones that are released these days tend to sport displays with QHD resolution, which is considered an upgrade from the previous 1080p standard.

However, several concerns have often been raised about QHD screens. Most importantly, it’s a pretty well-known fact that the human eye finds it difficult to distinguish what comes over 300ppi, which means that such displays might not actually enhance the overall experience for the user.

On top of that, QHD displays put a big toll on battery life, which drains out a lot of faster. Battery autonomy is an important aspect to take into consideration when purchasing a smartphone, and some customers won’t probably be willing to pay premium prices for a device that can’t offer at least 24 hours of work time on a single charge.

But despite these concerns, the industry seems determined to press on and QHD smartphones are springing up like mushrooms after the rain. A lot of models are poised to be released in the upcoming months.

So if you are at least intrigued by all the fuss created around QHD displays, you might be interested in checking out the list of smartphones sporting 2560 x 1440 resolution that have been launched or are currently available on the market.

Oppo Find 7

Oppo was actually at the forefront of the QHD resolution back in 2014, when it launched the Find 7 smartphone - the first model to actually feature a screen with this resolution.

Innovating in the display department comes natural to Oppo, since the predecessor of the Find 7, the Find 5, was among the first to take advantage of a 1080p display.

Going back to the Find 7, the handset takes advantage of a 5.5-inch screen with 538ppi pixel density and draws power from a Qualcomm quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5GHz and fitted with 3GB of RAM.

LG G3

LG’s soon-to-be-previous flagship G3 was also among the first to put QHD resolution on a 5.5-inch display.

The smartphone is quite similar to the Oppo 7 internally, as it is equipped with the same processor running things on the inside. However, LG lets you choose between versions with 2GB and 3GB of RAM.

LG’s upcoming G4 flagship is also expected to benefit from a similar display technology. The panel, which was already announced by LG, will take advantage of 120% color gamut.

Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro

At some point last year, Lenovo took everyone by surprise when it came out and announced the powerful Vibe Z2 Pro flagship, which arrived with a hefty 6-inch display with QHD resolution and 490ppi.

Back in 2014, the flagship ecosystem was dominated by the presence of the Snapdragon 801 processor, and the Vibe Z2 Pro made no exception to the rule. In 2015, however, most top-tier phones will arrive with the Snapdragon 810.

Lenovo’s phone also boasts 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage with no possibility to expand further on due to the lack of a memory card slot.

Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A

The Galaxy S5 LTE-A is an exclusive variant of the Galaxy S5 flagship which Samsung is selling only in South Korea.

The phone boasts a 5.1-inch screen with a whopping 576ppi (might actually be the world’s most pixel-dense smartphone panel there is).

Unlike previous models we talked about so far, the Galaxy S5 LTE-A lives off a Snapdragon 805 combined with 3GB of RAM and 16/32GB of internal storage (expandable up to 128GB).

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 / Galaxy Note Edge

The Galaxy Note 4 arrives with a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display and 515 ppi pixel density, while the Edge variant has a 5.6-inch screen with 525 ppi. Both devices were unveiled back at IFA 2014.

The Galaxy Note 4 has been offered in two versions, one with a Snapdragon 805 CPU and the other with an Exynos 5433 chip powering things on the inside. Naturally, there are 3GB of RAM on board and 32GB of RAM off the bat (expandable).

The Galaxy Note Edge is offered only with Snapdragon 805 and is available in a 64GB variant.

Samsung Galaxy S6 / Galaxy S6 Edge

While we’re on the topic of Samsung’s devices, the latest two flagships from the company, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, also bring about QHD resolution on a 5.1-inch display with 557 ppi.

Samsung has renounced the services of Qualcomm for its latest top-tier phones and replaced the Snapdragon silicone with its own home-grown Exynos 7420 chip. The Korean tech giant also slipped in 3GB of RAM, plus 16/32/64GB of internal storage.

Nexus 6

Motorola was the manufacturer in charge of producing Google’s latest Nexus smartphone, which made an entry into the mobile world with a big 5.96-inch display with 493ppi.

The smartphone is powered by a Snapdragon 805 chip backed by 3GB of RAM and 32/64GB of internal storage (no microSD on board).

Meizu MX4 Pro

The Meizu MX4 was one of the most acclaimed Chinese smartphones of 2014, but the company also put out a more advanced version, called the MX4 Pro.

The handset offers a 5.5-inch display with a more atypical 2560 x 1536 pixel resolution and 546ppi. On the inside, Meizu has used the services of Samsung and its Exynos 5 Octa 5430 chip working hand in hand with 3GB of RAM and 16/32/64GB of internal storage (no microSD card slot included).

ZTE Nubia Z7

Interestingly enough, even if the all-new ZTE Nubia Z9 Max was launched a few days ago with a 1080p display, it’s last year’s Nubia Z7 that takes advantage of a QHD display.

The handset has a 5.5-inch form factor with 538 ppi and is powered by a Snapdragon 801 chip fitted with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (no microSD card available).

Xiaomi Mi Note Pro

Xiaomi launched the Mi Note and Mi Note Pro a while back, but the more advanced version is not currently available for purchase.

The Note Pro is a very powerful affair, offering a 5.7-inch display with 515ppi pixel density. Under the hood lies a powerful Snapdragon 810 processor fitted with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Quite an appealing model, isn’t it?

IUNI U3

The IUNI U3 is a little-known smartphone coming out of China, which boasts impressive features nevertheless.

It brings forth a 5.5-inch IPS display with 538 ppi and has a Snapdragon 801 SoC with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in memory on the inside.

The smartphone was released in 2014 and sells for a very affordable price tag.

Vivo Xplay 3S

This model might be the oldest in the list. It was released back in 2013 complete with a 6-inch IPS LCD display and 490ppi.

The handset works thanks to a Snapdragon 801 processor powering things under the bonnet, fitted with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (no microSD card slot).

HTC One M9+

This smartphone hasn’t been officially announced yet, but we should see it arrive in the upcoming days. It’s a bumped-up version of the One M9, which takes advantage of a 1080p display.

The model is expected to come with a 5.2-inch display with 534ppi and draw life from a Snapdragon 810 processor working in concert with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (expandable up to 128GB).

Smartphones with QHD displays (15 Images)

Oppo Find 7
LG G3Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
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