Explainers · 4 min read
Understanding Video Resolution: 360p to 4K Explained
Resolution numbers get thrown around constantly. Here's what they actually mean for a downloaded file.
What the numbers refer to
Resolution describes how many pixels make up the image, measured as width by height — 1920x1080 (1080p) has roughly twice the pixel detail of 1280x720 (720p) in each direction.
Higher resolution means a sharper image, but only up to the size of the screen you're watching on; a 4K file viewed on a small phone screen won't look meaningfully different from 1080p.
Why file size scales fast
Every step up in resolution roughly doubles or more the amount of data per frame, which is why a 4K video can be five to ten times the file size of the same clip in 720p.
Picking the right one to download
For archiving something important, higher is safer. For quick reference or sharing where storage or bandwidth matters, a mid-range resolution like 720p is usually the practical choice.