Someone teach me about screen resolutions on laptops?

Question

Hi, I'm using the Acer R13 Chromebook. This laptop has a 1080p resolution on the Acer website but mine is the refurbished version. In the settings, I have the option to choose the screen resolution between 960x540, 1200x675, 1536x864, 1920x1080, or 2400x1350. Now, this laptop should have 1080p resolution, so doesn't that mean I can only go up to 1920x1080? How can I have 2400x1350? Could it be because it's refurbished so they changed my monitor's resolution? And is it true that in order to experience the highest quality when using my screen I should choose the highest option?

Thank you for taking time to read my question

Answer 1

The higher the resoulution the sharper the image but the smaller the writing

Answer 2

Any resolution higher than native isn't really the number of pixels. It will render the image in the higher resolution, but then downscale (shrink) it to fit on a 1080p screen.

Answer 3

have you tried the highest one? does it work? then the screen is actually a higher resolution one.

that could have been part of the refurbishing, or maybe they just advertised it as 1080p because that is the big catch phrase that everyone knows. i've never even heard of 2400x1350, and 1350p doesn't spark any memories.

that is the thing about refurbished: you don't know what was wrong with the item originally...

Answer 4

That's odd, it shouldn't be letting you pick resolutions that are higher than the screens native resolution...



But yes, it's better to use the screen's native resolution for normal use. The graphics processing chip can go much than the screen has, but those higher resolutions should only be available if the screen you're connect to can support it.

Answer 5

All Chromebook R13s have use the PowerVR GX6250 GPU.  Based on the actual specifications of the PowerVR GX6250 graphics hardware as stated by the developer, Imagination Technologies, 1920 by 1080 is the maximum resolution when using the integrated display or an external monitor.



BUT — Mediatek states that their MT8173 SoC, which is used in the Acer Chromebook R13 and incorporates the PowerVR GX6250, maxes out at 2560 by 1600.  In my opinion, this data is certainly true.  It's possible that the GX6250 in the MT8173 was customized to support higher resolutions.

Answer 6

the lcd will only have ONE native screen size. but your Projector output(hdmi/vga/whatever) will be capable of doing other sizes. you may have a 2nd gpu that is connected to say an HDMI output that can drive a bigger display. you might be looking at the MONITOR settings NOT the LCD dimensions.

Answer 7

If it has the ability to use an external monitor somehow, other resolutions are often to allow appropriate settings on that.



For maximum screen clarity, the resolution should be set to match the physical resolution of the screen in use; that is most likely 1920x1080.



If you use a different resolution, each pixel produced by the graphic card gets "smeared" over two or more screen pixels, making the image less sharp.