Sony answers your 4K display questions

Sony announced a world’s first with the Xperia Z5 Premium and its 4K display, but a revelation that the handset actual renders the majority of content at just 1080p has left a lot of consumers a little unsure about Sony’s accomplishment. To settle the grumbling, the company has taken a little time out to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about the Xperia Z5 Premium’s 4K display. Here’s a summary.

The biggest question is probably when is and isn’t the 4K display actually used to its full potential. Sony has already stated that captured pictures and videos can be displayed in 4K and has further clarified that the 4K display also activates if a third-party streaming service is sending over content at that resolution too. Sony also says that its display is futureproofed to support additional 4K content as it becomes more widespread.

Q- How is (and isn’t) Xperia Z5 Premium’s 4K display used?

A- Xperia Z5 Premium uses its 4K display when you’re viewing either the 4K content you’ve captured using your device or third-party 4K content from streaming services – all other content (including the homescreen and apps) are displayed in 1080p Full HD or lower resolution to simply optimise performance, power consumption and battery

The main reason for dropping 4K support most of the time is down to battery performance. Even rendering the general UI at a higher resolution puts additional strain on the phone’s processing components and battery, and Sony seems to have decided that any boost to visual quality isn’t worth the effects on battery life. A smart choice.

Q- Why is the 4K display only used for Sony’s Album/Movie apps and everything else (Home screen, apps, browsing etc) is rendered in Full HD 1080p?

A- There’s a few reasons – first up, after extensive user research and testing we found that rendering entertainment content in 4K, but still being able to access and use all the other great Sony smartphone features as normal without compromising on battery life, was an absolute priority for users … Secondly, many third-party apps are not designed or capable of running at 4K resolution (yet),

As for why anyone would actually want a 4K display squeezed into a smartphone, Sony says that the increase in resolution delivers a richer viewing experience than 1080p. Although, the company then states that pixel density is just one part of its formula for a superior viewing experience. It might be worth noting that company’s TRILUMINOS Display technology features in a number of other non-4K Sony smartphones.

Q- Why would I need a 4K display in a smartphone – what’s the benefit?

A- It offers a viewing experience four times the resolution of Full HD, delivering a more lifelike, richer viewing experience achieved in three core areas: a dense 806ppi resolution; vivid colour with TRILUMINOS Display for mobile, Dynamic Contrast Enhancer for contrast and X-Reality for crystal clear clarity.

You can read the full answers given by Sony over at the source link below, along with a couple of other questions and answers about 4K screenshot sizes and the resolution’s impact on storage capacity.

Are you sold on Sony’s balance of 4K and 1080p rendering, or is the feature rather useless if it’s barely switched on?