Technology can be confusing, there’s no getting around it. And while your average person doesn’t have to know everything that goes into making a piece of technology work… It is helpful to understand the basics when it comes to electronics that we use on a daily basis. For instance, how does 4k work anyway? We hear plenty about it nowadays but not about it works.
And resolution is an important part of a lot of devices we use as consumers. Televisions, PC monitors, laptop screens, etc. And 4k technology is the next big step in the resolution of many of our devices, so it’s only natural that we’d want to how 4k works.
So therefore that’s a question that many people have been asking lately. And we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about it today! By the end of this post, you’ll fully understand and appreciate 4k technology.
What is 4k?
The term 4k is a name for a type of high resolution on electronic screens that can be used to watch videos with better visuals.
It could also be described as being one step above HD, which is the basic type of resolution that graced our screens for a very long time. And in fact, 4k is also sometimes referred to as UHD.
It’s also worth noting that this type of technology is fairly new as well, as we discuss in the article “When Did 4k Come Out”.
So… now for how 4k works…
Technically speaking, 4k can produce such high quality visuals because devices with a 4k display are equipped with more pixels than the average device. For your reference, HD has 1920 by 1080. And 4k has significantly more pixels, coming in at around 3840 by 2160.
The higher amount of pixels allows for more detail on pictures, video, and resolutions. And the increased detail leads to that high visual quality that people expect from 4k devices.
What are the benefits that come from 4k?
The main benefit of having a 4k display on a device is obviously the superior visuals, but there are many benefits that stem from the main one.
For instance, people who watch video content on their device will enjoy those pieces of content more with better visuals. They may even notice aspects of their favorite shows that they missed before!
It can also help with video/photo editing or any other type of visual work that you might do on the said device, which is usually either a laptop or a PC.
And, this benefit once again applies mostly to PC or laptop users, there’s also the plus that anyone using the device for gaming might perform better because of the upgraded graphics.
But aside from the visual benefits of 4k, there are also some more unobvious ones.
Such as the fact that many 4k devices come with the added benefit of containing higher than usual software. In the case of a laptop for instance, it might come with a better CPU or GPU than usual in order to have the capability to output higher resolutions. But obviously the software, no matter the reason it was installed, comes with a variety of benefits.
What are the downsides of 4k?
As with anything in life, 4k (which is also known as UHD) can also come with its fair share of downsides. But it’s important to know these downsides because it’s all part of how 4k works.
For instance, in the case of a 4k laptop, the battery typically drains faster than a laptop with an HD display would. The reason for this is simple, the laptop needs more energy to output the higher graphics. But the solution is also simple! And most laptop users find that it’s easy to charge a 4k laptop frequently because of its portable nature.
Another potential downside is that the laptop may drop more frames than usual during gaming. This is because the high graphical quality of the frames in a game may be too much for the system. There are fixes for that as well, but the simplest solution is to just pick a well built laptop in order to fix the problem.
But I do want to note that despite these potential downsides, a lot of which mention 4k technology in laptops specifically, laptops are still perfectly capable of running UHD technology. We actually talk about that in the article “Can Laptops Output 4k”. And we elaborate a bit further in the post “Can A Laptop Support A 4k Monitor”.
So as you can see, there may be some potential issues with 4k in devices, but not many. And the few that do present themselves are easy to work out.
What devices can 4k be used on?
We’ve already mentioned a few of the devices that 4k is commonly seen on, but for the sake of being thorough, let’s dive a little deeper.
Firstly, one of the more popular applications of 4k is the UHD television. Obviously the TV is where people do the most “watching. So it makes sense that 4k would grow in popularity in the television market first.
UHD displays are often used in PC monitors as well.
Similarly, you can now find a variety of 4k laptops on the market. In fact, we’ve written a variety of articles surrounding that particular application of 4k technology. If you’d like to check it out then here is a list…
Should you consider buying a device with 4k?
Now that you know how 4k works. If you’re at all intrigued by the 4k technology and want to test it out for yourself, then there are plenty of options out there.
Personally, we suggest 4k laptops because they tend to be more affordable than 4k televisions. And you get more bang for your buck. After all, not only can you watch things on a laptop but you can perform other activities as well. But if you’re not sure if UHD laptops are the avenue for you, then take a look at the article “Is A 4k Laptop Worth It”. Or the article “Are 4k Laptops Worth It” might provide more clarity.
So if that sounds good to you then you can follow this link to find a lot of great 4k laptop options! Or you can read up on the topic of shopping for 4k laptops through the article “Which Laptops Have 4k Display”. And for more related info you could check out “How Do I Know If My Laptop Is 4k”.