There’s no denying the fact that enjoying favorite videos/movies on mobile gadgets such as iPad Mini, Galaxy S4, etc. Has become one of the major entertainment ways of people today. Considering this, video quality matters a lot in providing audience the best visual experience, and that’s why many people are fond of purchasing the latest portable flagships shipped with greater resolution.

When it comes to resolution, another keyword we cannot miss here is “4K”. What is 4K? Well, to those who are strangers to this word, 4K means a resolution of 4096 pixels × 2304 lines, which is also called UHD (Ultra HD), four times as many pixels as the 1080P Full HD video, delivering much sharper and superior video quality. As the 4K UHD technology goes further, some people even want to play 4K videos on their mobile devices, say Galaxy S4. What do you think about this?

Where there’s a need, there’s an opportunity for business. At CES and MWC 2013, Qualcomm suggested that, with its Snapdragon 800 equipped, 4K UHD would come to some certain Android devices by the end of the year. Coincidentally, there’re already some third-party Android apps, say the MX Player, can optimize the hardware performance of the multi-core Android devices so as to make them able to play 4K videos. Everything hints that the 4K UHD will trigger another revolution in the mobile world! But will 4K lead the trend of the mobile world? I doubt it.

First of all, do we really need 4K resolution on a portable device? Yes, 4K UHD has more pixels than 1080P, and the video quality is splendid, but as far as playing on such a small screen (compared to the 84-inch 4K TV), there will be not any distinct different. Secondly, playing 4K videos on mobile gadgets will be costly. We know that 4K video playback has high demand on hardware performance, so there will absolutely a rise in the cost of making a new mobile device that can perfectly support 4K. Additionally, since 4K videos are always very large in file size, SD cards with bigger volume is required for storing the videos. And you know it, currently, a 64GB SD card costs around $60 USD. Furthermore, there’re much more 1080P video/movie resources for us to enjoy rather than the 4K ones.

I’m not telling you that 1080P is better than 4K UHD. 4K UHD is a great leap in the video industry from the technology perspective, but as to paying a lot more money on playing (limited resources) 4K videos on a mobile device without any better visual experience, I don’t think it will be a good idea. For my part, 1080P Full HD is good enough and has more advantages outweigh 4K UHD while playing on mobile devices. In this regard, I don’t think 4K will be the next big trend in the mobile world. What’s your opinion?

Author Bio:

Ian Lam is an experienced software developer, currently working with Firecoresoft Studio. He’s now devoting to figuring out the most practical 4K solutions to help people solve all the 4K related issues including 4K video, 4K TV and 4K camcorder, etc. If you like this post, feel free to share it to your friends in your SNS circles!