Choosing the right display resolution for a pen display
Overview
You want to be thoughtful about picking the right resolution. Higher resolution is not automatically better, it depends on the size of the size.
Summary
In general, as a tablet gets bigger it's useful to have a higher resolution
At small sizes having a very high resolution does not help
Some resolutions require some extra work to use well with MacOS
My experience
Based on my experience here's what I think works. Overall the pattern is a PPI between 140ppi and 180ppi is what I think works the best.
13"
~169ppi
GREAT
~226ppi
EXCELLENT
~339ppi
NOT NEEDED
16"
~138ppi
GOOD
~184ppi
GREAT
~275ppi
NOT NEEDED
19"
~115ppi
OK
~155ppi
GREAT
~231ppi
EXCELLENT
22"
~100ppi
NOT ENOUGH
~133ppi
GREAT
~220ppi
EXCELLENT
24"
~92ppi
NOT ENOUGH
~122ppi
GOOD
~184ppi
EXCELLENT
27"
~82ppi
NOT ENOUGH
~109ppi
OK
~163ppi
EXCELLENT
MacOS
MacOS works with resolution differently than windows. In particular it renders text different and this can make text a little fuzzy at certain resolutions. Fortunately there are ways to mitigate the problem. See: Fuzzy text on displays with MacOS
Picking between 2.5K vs 4K resolution
People often ask about picking between these two resolutions. Overall I think 2.5K is the best value for your money.
Especially at the 13" and 16" sizes, a 2.5K delivers a massive increase over 2K. At these size, higher resolutions only provide very incremental benefits.
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