HiDPI

HiDPI is an adjective that describes a display with high pixel density or DPI. A HiDPI screen can display sharper text and more detailed images than a standard DPI display.

While there is no official DPI threshold for a HiDPI display, a typical HiDPI monitor has a DPI of at least 200. Most HiDPI monitors have twice the resolution of a comparable "standard DPI" display, which is ideal for scaling bitmap images. For example, a typical 27" monitor may have a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels (109 DPI). A HiDPI 27" monitor may have a resolution of 5120x2880, which is twice the pixel density (218 DPI).

A 27" iMac with a 5K display has a 5120x2880 resolution. Apple calls this a "Retina display," which is Apple's trademarked term for a HiDPI display.

HiDPI is related to resolution but also factors in screen size. For example, a small smartphone screen with an HD resolution of 1920x1080 may be considered HiDPI, while a 24" display with a 1920x1080 is not HiDPI. Computer monitors and laptop screens must have a much higher resolution than smartphones to be considered HiDPI.

Android HiDPI Standards

Nearly all smartphones have high pixel density, so most mobile displays are HiDPI. To help developers target different DPIs, Google has established the following Android pixel density standards:

  1. ldpi - low-density (~120dpi)
  2. mdpi - medium-density or "baseline dpi" (~160dpi)
  3. hdpi - high-density (~240dpi)
  4. xhdpi - extra-high-density (~320dpi)
  5. xxhdpi - extra-extra-high-density (~480dpi)
  6. xxxhdpi - extra-extra-extra-high-density (~640dpi)
Updated June 10, 2021 by Per C.

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