Resolution

Resolution describes an image's dimensions. In display settings, it can refer to several sizes:

• The logical desktop space available for windows and text.
• The pixels used to render the image.
• The pixels sent through the display connection.
• The panel's native pixel grid.

A scaled desktop can have a different logical size from the panel's native grid.

For example, a 1920 × 1080 logical desktop in a typical 2× HiDPI mode uses a 3840 × 2160 rendered image, also called a backing image. This does not tell you the final output mode or physical panel resolution in every configuration. Apple’s high-resolution explanation

The macOS scaling explanation distinguishes desktop size, rendering pixels and physical output.

BetterDisplay's mode selectors identify logical sizes, HiDPI modes and native/default markers. More than one mode can have the same logical dimensions while differing in refresh rate or other properties, so width × height is only part of a mode's description.

See Display Mode for choosing and filtering modes.

Native resolution

Native resolution describes the panel's physical pixel grid. A scaled logical desktop can be smaller while the output still uses that grid. Editing a reported native size changes configuration information. It does not change how many physical pixels the panel contains.

Pixel density also depends on physical panel size. Two monitors with identical pixel dimensions can show differently sized text when their logical desktops use the same dimensions.