720p, also known as HD (high definition), is a display resolution measuring 1280 x 920 pixels. Resolution explains how many pixels a display has in width x height format (the more pixels a display has, the sharper its image quality).
You'll sometimes see displays with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 resolution also called HD, but this is more officially referred to as 1080p or Full HD (FHD) .
720p compares favorably to the old Standard Definition (SD), which is usually around 640 x 480. But with 2K and 4K getting more popular, 720p isn't considered very sharp for today's PC monitors , laptops or TVs. If you're buying a monitor or shopping laptops , don't settle for anything less than 1080p.
Common Display Resolutions
| 5K | 5120 x 2880 |
| 4K | 3840 x 2160 (typical monitor resolution); 4096 x 2160 (official cinema resolution) |
| Ultra HD (UHD) | 3840 x 2160 |
| QHD aka WQHD aka 1440p | 2560 x 1440 |
| 2K | 2560 x 1440 (typical monitor resolution); 2048 x 1080 (official cinema resolution) |
| WUXGA | 1920 x 1200 |
| Full HD aka FHD aka 1080p | 1920 x 1080 |
| HD aka 720p | 1280 x 720 |
This article is part of the Tom's Hardware Glossary .
Further reading: