The graphics display resolution describes the width and height dimensions of a display, such as a computer monitor, in pixels. Certain combinations of width and height are standardized and typically given a name and an acronym that is descriptive of its dimensions. A higher display resolution means that displayed content appears sharper and smaller (depending on the physical size of the display).

Video graphics array

QQVGA (160×120)

Quarter-QVGA (QQVGA or qqVGA) denotes a resolution of 160×120 or 120×160 pixels, usually used in displays of handheld devices. The term Quarter-QVGA signifies a resolution of one fourth the number of pixels in a QVGA display (half the number of vertical and half the number of horizontal pixels) which itself has one fourth the number of pixels in a VGA display.

The acronym qqVGA may be used to distinguish quarter from quad, just like qVGA.^[1]

[QVGA (240×160)

Half-QVGA denotes a display screen resolution of 240×160 or 160×240 pixels, as seen on the Game Boy Advance. This resolution is half ofQVGA, which is itself a quarter of VGA, which is 640×480 pixels.

WQVGA (432×240)

Wide QVGA or WQVGA is any display resolution having the same height in pixels as QVGA, but wider. This definition is consistent with other 'wide' versions of computer displays.

Since QVGA is 320 pixels wide and 240 pixels high (aspect ratio of 4:3), a WQVGA screen might be 384 pixels wide for 8:5 aspect ratio, 400 for 5:3 (such as the Nintendo 3DS screen), or 432 for 9:5. As with WVGA, exact ratios of N:9 are not practical because of the way VGA controllers internally deal with pixels. For instance, when using graphical combinatorial operations on pixels, VGA controllers will use 1 bit per pixel. Since bits cannot be accessed individually but by chunks of 16 or an even higher power of 2, this limits the horizontal resolution to a 16-pixel granularity, i.e., the horizontal resolution must be divisible by 16. In the case of 16:9 ratio, with 240 pixels high, the horizontal resolution should be 240 / 9 x 16 = 426.66 which is not a multiple of 16. The closest is 432, which is where the '432' comes from.

WQVGA has also been used to describe displays that are not 240 pixels high, for example Sixteenth HD1080 displays which are 270 or 272 pixels high or displays like 480×272. This may be due to QVGA having the nearest screen height.

WQVGA resolutions are commonly used in touch screen mobile phones, such as 240×400, 240×432, and 240×480. For example, the Sony Ericsson Aino and the Samsung Instinct both have WQVGA screen resolutions - 240x432. Other devices such as the Apple iPod nano also use a WQVGA screen, 240×376 pixels.