HVGA vs WQVGA

The screen’s resolution is very important as it is correlated to how much information you can put on the screen at the same time. As technology has evolved, resolutions have been gradually increasing along with screen sizes. To make it easier to discriminate one resolution from another, we have acronyms like HVGA and WQVGA. The main difference between HVGA and WQVGA is the number of pixels as the former has a lot more pixels than the later. HVGA stands for Half-size VGA, which as described, is just half of the VGA resolution. In comparison WQVA stands for Wide Quarter VGA, which has a quarter of the VGA resolution but with an extended width to match a wide aspect ratio.

The Video Graphics Array standard or more commonly known as VGA has been around since the advent of graphics for computers. Maybe because of its age and widespread use, it is still used as a basis for other resolutions to make it easier for people to imagine the size of the resolution being referred to.

What most people do not really know is that the actual dimensions aren’t actually fixed because they do need to match the needed aspect ratio of the manufacturer. For HVGA, the characteristic dimension is the width, which is set at about 480 pixels. The height is then varied slightly to the needed value. With WQVGA, the height is set to a standard 240 pixels while the width is varied.

In terms of usage, HVGA is used in many smartphones as well as in high-end feature phones. The higher resolution adds a premium to the device as well as increased cost. The lower end WQVGA is more common in more affordable models where it fits the price range nicely. It is probably inevitable that WQVGA and HVGA would go out of style in favor for larger resolutions in the future. WQVGA would probably go first as manufacturers compete for better features at a certain price point.

Summary:

1.HVGA has way more pixels than WQVGA
2.HVGA uses a standard width of 480 while WQVGA uses a standard height of 240
3.HVGA is used mostly in smartphones and high-end feature phones while WQVGA is used in low end smartphones

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