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Drone 4K VS 1080P Comparison Analysis

4K VS 1080PDrone with 4k VS 1080p camera comparison analysis for you choosing the right drone. What’s the difference between 4k and 1080p?

A full HD 1080p image is only a 1920×1080 resolution, 4K screens have about 8 million pixels, which is around 4 times what your current 1080p set can display.

Looks more brilliant, more sharp finer picture but the price is more expensive, the understanding of a lot of people stop there. Is 4k really better than 1080p? Yes, but not exactly, this article will tell you why.

What is the resolution of 4k

Why we called it 4k? It depend on the resolution, the 4k images are around 4,000 (4096×2160) pixels wide. More pixels means more information. More information means sharper pictures. Sharper pictures are more engaging. Under the 4k resolution, you will be able to see every detail of the image, each feature.

For this reason, it is widely used for TV, camera, movie and drone. The development of 4k comes with the improvement of more high-res aerial shots of drone.

What’s the difference between 4k and 1080p

#1 Resolution And Size

The most common 4 k resolution are 4096 * 2160 and 3840 * 2160. A full HD 1080p image is only a 1920×1080 resolution. 4K screens have about 8 million pixels, which is around 4 times what your current 1080p set can display.

difference between 4k and 1080p
Difference between 4k and 1080p

Like a grid, with rows and columns. A full HD 1080p image is 1080 rows high and 1920 columns wide. A 4K image approximately doubles the numbers in both directions, yielding approximately four times as many pixels total. To put it another way, you could fit every pixel from your 1080p set onto one quarter of a 4K screen.

#2 Drone with 4k vs 1080p

Drone development from 1080p to 4k, now, there are the common drone version in today market. The biggest difference is the camera’s version 4k and 1080p.

For example:

DJI drone: Both the Phantom 3 Professional and the Phantom 3 Advanced use the exact same 4K sensor and lenses. The only difference is that the Phantom 3 Advanced has a software lock that down samples the 4K image to 1080P and has a limit set to 1080P. Just that fact means you save more video data with the 4K, and that will help, also if your output is 1080P.

Xiaomi drone: Xiaomi had released 4k and 1080p version drone at the same time last year, but 4k version has not appeared until now. We found that Xiaomi mi 4k drone is similar with 1080p version in most respects design, radiao controller, charger, battery, frame etc, and different in propeller is the golden LOGO and aureate ventilation holes. But the primary difference is the camera, we make a compare table as below. Check the detail specs, you can find out the difference between 4k and 1080p.

Camera1080P4K
LensFOV 104°FOV 94°
Aperturef/2.6f/2.8
Focal length4.2 mm (Equivalent: 23mm)3.7 mm(Equivalent: 20mm)
Effective pixels163.5 million124 million
Shutter speed1/6 ~ 1/8000 s8 ~ 1/8000 s
Maximum photo resolution4608 x 34564000 x 3000
Video resolution1920 x 1080p 60 fps

1920 x 1080p 30 fps

1280 x 720p 120 fps

3840 x 2160p 30 fps

2560 x 1440p 30 fps

1920 x 1080p 100/60/30fps

Working frequency5 GHz2.4 GHz
Equivalent isotropically
radiated power (EIRP):
≤ 33 dBm≤ 20 dBm

4K VS 1080PWhich Is Better?

# 4k resolution vs 1080p

As we know, 1080p is 1920 x 1080 resolution. For 4k resolution, it’s common to see the following 3 types:

The first one is 3840 x 2160: This is the most common, up to a 4 k resolution, the 4k and 4k TV display on market 99% is the resolution.This is the standard 4k resolution.

The second is 4096 x 2160: This resolution does not see more, different with the first one is on the scale format. For example, 3840 x 2160 is applied on the 16:9 screen, and 4096 x 2160 is applied on the 16:10 screen.

The third is 3840 x 1632: It has not yet been combined with black side up and down, so there will be such a resolution.Of course the best appreciate is full screen with no black border.

4k resolution vs 1080p
4k resolution vs 1080p

Downsampling the 4K video to 1080P will produce a visually sharper result than the native 1080P. From my own tests and from examples I’ve seen from others, 4k scaling down to 1080p produces significantly more detail then capturing at 1080p. I’m able to notice the difference even in youtube videos.

# 4k vs 1080p monitor

The major plus of 4K is it makes it really easy to grab stills off the video. It is not exactly true, that you need a 4K monitor to be able to see the difference.

You need a 4k monitor or tv to see the difference. If you have a 4k display, and shoot the same scene in 1080p as in 2160p, then do a split screen you can see more detail in the 4k image but it’s not as dramatic as say an older DVD vs HD comparison.

If you use a 1920×1080 monitor you cant see a difference.With a 2560×1440 device there is some difference but it’s even less than in the 4k monitor comparison.

4k image displayed on a 4k monitor
4k image and 4k monitor
1080p image displayed on a 1080p monitor
1080p image and 1080p monitor

The two photos above illustrate an identical image at different native resolutions, which means the file resolution and the TV resolution are exactly the same. The first photo is a 4k image displayed on a 4k monitor, and the second is a 1080p image displayed on a 1080p monitor.

# Viewing Distance

The difference between 4k and 1080p, it only applies for a specific video at a specific viewing distance and over a specific screen size. What i KNOW however is that I see a HUGE difference.

The up-close factor is one of the reasons 4K computer monitors have become one of the technology’s fastest growing sectors. 4K monitors remain pin-sharp even when you’re just a foot or two from the screen, as you are when you’re sitting at your desk.

Therefore, 4k looks better but even on a 4k screen it’s not dramatic, unless you have a really large display like 65″+ and sit very close. so that your entire field of vision is covered by the display.

4K VS 1080P Viewing Distance
4K VS 1080P Viewing Distance

Now there are a few obvious factors to being able to detect resolution differences: the resolution of the screen, the size of the screen, and the viewing distance. To be able to detect differences between resolutions, the screen must be large enough and you must sit close enough.
So for a tiny screen of 55 inches , for 4k resolution, you must sit 3 feet/1 meter or closer to see all the available detail.

Is 4k Better Than 1080P?

There are drawbacks of shooting 4K – not least if you have no use for it The files are much bigger, will take up more storage-space. And it is quite heavy to edit – you need a good computer to get reasonable editing speeds. Not least when you start putting effects on the videos, the rendering for 4K footage takes a lot longer than for 1080P footage.

Most importantly, though, you’ll only be able to see the resolution difference on a 4K set, but you need a 4K monitor and you’re sitting close enough.

Therefore, it is necessary to have different conditions in the application of 4k to skillfully develop its advantages, otherwise no difference between 4k and 100p.

Top 4k Drones Rcommendation

All above drones with 4k camera are highly recommended by experienced pilots, there are the most popular AP drones in today market. Whether you are a beginner or experienced, I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the end results of flight.

After reading the drone 4K VS 1080P comparison analysis, you should have known which one is better. Given the developing trends of 4k, we hightly recommend you use 4k products. If you have any questions about 4K VS 1080P, please let me know or leave your messges on here, Thank you!

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