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The most used smartphone screen resolutions in 2016

While a higher screen resolution doesn't necessarily mean better quality, smartphone makers keep adding pixels to their flagship models, for which QHD (1440 x 2560) is now basically standard. Here are the latest stats showing which smartphone screen resolutions are the most popular in 2016 based on real web traffic.

Pawel Piejko - 19 Sep 2016
4 min read

While a higher screen resolution doesn't necessarily mean better quality, smartphone makers keep adding pixels to their flagship models, for which QHD (1440 x 2560) is now basically standard. Here are the latest stats showing which smartphone screen resolutions are the most popular in 2016 based on real web traffic.

Smartphone screen resolutions used in 2016

The world of smartphones in 2016 is highly fragmented in terms of both screen sizes and screen resolutions used by the most popular phone makers. The screen resolutions vary from as little as 240x320, up to a massive 2160x3840 (4K) used in the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium.

Interestingly, the DeviceAtlas mobile web statistics show that even the smallest screen resolutions still get some share of web traffic in local markets. This is caused by several factors, including differences between regions, user habits, and a longer lifespan for some devices.

Here is the list of smartphone screen resolutions that generated a substantial amount of web traffic in 2016 including some example devices to give you an idea of what types of phones use them.

Screen resolution Example devices
240 x 320 Nokia 230, Nokia 215, Samsung Xcover 550, LG G350
320 x 480 Alcatel pixi 3, LG Wine Smart
480 x 800 Samsung Galaxy J1 (2016), Samsung Z1, Samsung Z2, Lumia 435, Alcatel Pixi 4, LG Joy, ZTE Blade G
480 x 854 Huawei Y635, Nokia Lumia 635, Sony Xperia E3
540 x 960 Samsung Galaxy J2, Moto E 2nd Gen, Sony Xperia E4, HTC Desire 526
640 x 960 iPhone 4, iPhone 4S
640 x 1136 iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPhone SE
720 x 1280 Samsung Galaxy J5, Samsung Galaxy J3, Moto G4 Play, Xiaomi Redmi 3, Moto G 3rd Gen, Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
750 x 1334 iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 7
1080 x 1920 iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 7 Plus, Huawei P9, Sony Xperia Z5, Samsung Galaxy A5, Samsung Galaxy A7, Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Galaxy A9, HTC One M9, Sony Xperia M5
1440 x 2560 Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Samsung Galaxy S6, Huawei Nexus 6P, LG G5
2160 x 3840 Sony Xperia Z5 Premium

Screen resolutions in flagship models

The trend of adding more pixels to the latest releases hasn’t stopped in 2016 although it seems that it’s slowing down. A year ago it seemed that we may see many 4K phones hitting the shelves in 2016 but in fact it didn't happen. It means that Sony Xperia Z5 Premium is still the only mainstream 4K phone. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 is rumoured to come with a 4K screen for VR purposes although we need to wait at least until February 2017 to find out.

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In our 2015 report on screen resolutions we noticed that QHD (1440 x 2560) was gaining ground but it wasn't really a standard yet. We can say that in 2017 QHD is more of a standard given that it was used in many flagship devices.

However, while some phone makers jumped on the QHD bandwagon, such as Motorola and HTC, others stuck with the Full HD (1080x1920). For mid-range phones either Full HD or HD (720x1280) are acceptable.

The following table shows the most popular new phones released in 2016 (or soon to be released) including their diagonal screen sizes and screen resolutions.

Smartphone Screen size Screen resolution
iPhone 7 4.7-in 750 x 1334
Samsung Galaxy S7 5.1-in 1440 x 2560
Sony Xperia X 5.0-in 1080 x 1920
HTC 10 5.2-in 1440 x 2560
Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe 5.7-in 1080 x 1920
Huawei Nexus 6P 5.7-in 1440 x 2560
Huawei P9 5.2-in 1080 x 1920
Motorola Moto Z 5.5-in 1440 x 2560
LG G5 5.3-in 1440 x 2560
LG V20 5.7-in 1440 x 2560
Xiaomi Mi 5 5.15-in 1080 x 1920
OnePlus 3 5.5-in 1080 x 1920

Screen resolutions used for web browsing in 2016

Sales statistics don't always relate directly to the amount of web traffic share generated by particular phone models. Actual usage is what matters when it comes to optimising websites to make sure that they look and work great on all mobile phones.

The following statistics are based on web traffic to a global network of partner websites using the DeviceAtlas device detection solution. Feel free to check out which smartphone screen resolutions are the most popular across selected local markets in 2016.

Most used smartphone screen resolutions 2016 part 1

 

Most used smartphone screen resolutions 2016 part 2

 

 

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