Mobile Phone Display Resolution

[Bluedot]

I've been looking at upgrading my Samsung Galaxy S9 but am a bit confused by the resolution of mobile phones.
I've been looking at various mobiles but from my research, it seems that quite a number of the newer ones have a worse resolution than my 4 year old model

According to gsmarena, here's what I've listed:

S9
Size 5.8 inches, 84.8 cm2 (~83.6% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~570 ppi density)

S10
Size 6.1 inches, 93.2 cm2 (~88.3% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1440 x 3040 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~550 ppi density)

S10 Lite
Size 6.7 inches, 107.8 cm2 (~87.8% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~394 ppi density)

S20
Size 6.2 inches, 93.8 cm2 (~89.5% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~563 ppi density)

S20+
Size 6.7 inches, 108.0 cm2 (~90.5% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~525 ppi density)

S21 5G
Size 6.2 inches, 94.1 cm2 (~87.2% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~421 ppi density)

S21 Ultra 5G
Size 6.8 inches, 112.1 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~515 ppi density)

S21+
Size 6.7 inches, 107.8 cm2 (~88.3% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~394 ppi density)

Huawei P40
Size 6.1 inches, 91.3 cm2 (~86.3% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~422 ppi density)


Is there anything else I should be taking into account for the resolution or is it just the case that actually an S21 5G with 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~421 ppi density) would have a worse screen than the one I currently have ?

[Tycho]

Tbh I wouldn’t think you’d be able to tell the difference without a magnifying glass. My S20 Ultra had a 1440p screen and I just used the 1080p resolution as I couldn’t tell the difference. I’d go to a store and have a look side by side.

[Gren]

I went from a Pixel 2 to a Pixel 5. 1440 to 1080 and a larger screen.

Can't tell the difference in quality. The only thing I noticed at first was that my wallpapers seemed 'zoomed in' so that you saw less of the picture. A day or so late I forgot what it used to be like.

[Aunty Pasty]

There's no point in pushing better ppi numbers if it makes no difference to what a person can see. The mobile phone market has matured enough to the point where lot of numbers on a spec sheet are pretty much meaningless

[craigjm]

It's all willy waving crap that is academic when you bring the human eye into the equation. If you have perfect 20/20 vision and place the display 2.5ft from your face then the perfect human eye can only see 300dpi anyway. If you bring it right up to your face this increases to 720dpi but if you're using the phone 1ft from your face then you have other issues. If you dont have perfect 20/20 vision without assistance then it is even more a pissing contest.

[Bluedot]

Thanks for the replies, will take a look at them in a shop, probably easiest