Interactive tool · pixel density
Which pixel densities
look right on a Mac.
Pixel density (PPI) determines how sharp a display appears. On macOS, displays look best when they run at a clean 1× scale or integer 2× HiDPI scaling. Between these lies an awkward “in‑between” range where scaling is fractional and clarity suffers. Enter a resolution and screen size below, or explore 54+ real displays on the scale.
Third-party tools like BetterDisplay can turn on HiDPI modes that macOS hides on lower-density displays, which helps panels in the in-between range.
Based on the guide to Mac external displays by the folks at Bjango.
Your display
Enter resolution & diagonal, and we'll place it on the map
Resolution 3840 × 2160
×
163.2PPI
The bad zone
Awkward gap. Too dense to use at 1× (the UI is tiny), but not dense enough to double cleanly. You end up in a fractional mode, where text is fuzzier and some of the panel's pixels go to waste. BetterDisplay can help by enabling custom HiDPI resolutions.
Monitor PPI map
54 of 54 displays
Select a display to calculate · use the star to pin
Good for non-Retina
95–120 PPI
1× native size
The bad zone
121–199 PPI
fractional scaling
Good for Retina
200–230 PPI
2× doubled
Good for non-Retina
The bad zone
Good for Retina
You · 163.2
0
50
100
150
200
250
Pixels per inch (PPI)
39-inch and above1
30 to 38-inch19
25 to 29-inch28
20 to 24-inch5
15 to 19-inch1
Size
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Zone