As televisions, laptops, and smartphones get flashier, one word dominates the marketing: resolution. From 4K to 8K, manufacturers promise sharper images, crisper textures, and lifelike clarity. But a new scientific analysis suggests that for most people, all those extra pixels might simply be overkill.
Their results revealed that beyond a certain threshold — roughly 60 to 90 PPD, depending on colour and contrast — the human eye can’t distinguish individual pixels. In practical terms, this means that on a standard living-room setup, such as a 50-inch television viewed from about 2.5 metres away, there’s almost no visible difference between a Full HD (1080p), 4K, or even 8K screen.
“Once the pixels on a screen become smaller than what your eye can perceive, adding more doesn’t make the image look sharper,” said Dr Maliha Ashraf, lead author of the study.
When 4K Actually Makes Sense
That doesn’t mean ultra-high-resolution displays are useless. The researchers note that 4K and 8K make sense only in specific conditions — for instance, when you’re sitting very close to a large screen, or working on professional visual tasks like graphic design, film editing, or gaming. In those cases, your eyes can take advantage of the finer pixel density.
But for typical viewing distances in most homes, all that extra resolution simply goes unseen. Instead of paying more for 8K branding, experts suggest focusing on display features that actually affect image quality, such as colour accuracy, contrast, refresh rate, and HDR performance.
So, while 4K and 8K sound impressive, science says your eyes may already have reached their limit. For most of us, Full HD still looks just as sharp — and there are other features that can enhance your experience which aren't necessarily a resolution upgrade.
When Sharper Isn’t Really Sharper
A study by researchers at the University of Cambridge and Meta Reality Labs, published recently in Nature Communications, examined just how much detail the human eye can actually see. The team tested visual sharpness using a metric called Pixels Per Degree (PPD) — the number of pixels that fit into one degree of your field of vision.Their results revealed that beyond a certain threshold — roughly 60 to 90 PPD, depending on colour and contrast — the human eye can’t distinguish individual pixels. In practical terms, this means that on a standard living-room setup, such as a 50-inch television viewed from about 2.5 metres away, there’s almost no visible difference between a Full HD (1080p), 4K, or even 8K screen.
“Once the pixels on a screen become smaller than what your eye can perceive, adding more doesn’t make the image look sharper,” said Dr Maliha Ashraf, lead author of the study.
When 4K Actually Makes Sense
That doesn’t mean ultra-high-resolution displays are useless. The researchers note that 4K and 8K make sense only in specific conditions — for instance, when you’re sitting very close to a large screen, or working on professional visual tasks like graphic design, film editing, or gaming. In those cases, your eyes can take advantage of the finer pixel density.But for typical viewing distances in most homes, all that extra resolution simply goes unseen. Instead of paying more for 8K branding, experts suggest focusing on display features that actually affect image quality, such as colour accuracy, contrast, refresh rate, and HDR performance.
More Pixels, More Power
Beyond visibility, ultra-high-resolution screens also draw more energy and cost significantly more to produce. That means higher prices for consumers — and higher power demands for the planet — without much practical benefit.So, while 4K and 8K sound impressive, science says your eyes may already have reached their limit. For most of us, Full HD still looks just as sharp — and there are other features that can enhance your experience which aren't necessarily a resolution upgrade.
