Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones come with displays with different characteristics, from budget HD+ panels to flagship WQHD+ arrays. Users often need to know the exact parameters of their device to customize graphics in games, calibrate fonts or just out of technical curiosity. The standard interface of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS does not always provide this information in the public domain, hiding it in system logs or engineering menus.
There are several proven methods that provide detailed information about pixel density (PPI) and physical resolution of the matrix. Some methods do not require root rights and complex software, while others are designed for advanced users who are ready to work with debugging over USB. The choice of the specific method depends on your goal: whether you just need to look at the numbers or need to change the system settings of the display.
In this article, we will take a look at all the options available, from standard diagnostic tools to computer utilities, and learn how to find hidden developer menus and understand how native resolution differs from logical resolution, and this knowledge will help you better manage the power consumption and image quality on your gadget.
Use of built-in diagnostic tools MIUI and HyperOS
The easiest and safest way to learn the display features is to use the built-in engineering menu, which is available on all devices of the company, and to do this, you need to enter a special combination of characters in the Phone application. Enter the code ##6484## or ##4636### on the dial keyboard, the system automatically recognizes the command and launches a hidden hardware testing section.
After you go to the menu, select Version or Device Info, which displays basic data about the processor model, Android version and, importantly, screen settings, but it is worth noting that some MIUI builds may present this data in a compressed form or not if the manufacturer has made changes to the firmware for a specific region.
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If the code is not working, make sure that SIM-The card is active because some engineering menus are blocked without an active network.
An alternative path through standard settings can also give partial information. Go to Settings โ About Phone โ All settings. Although it rarely specifies the exact number of pixels vertically and horizontally, you will find the name of the display model or its type (e.g. AMOLED, IPS), which will help you find the specifications on the Internet.
- ๐ฑ Enter the codes carefully, without pauses and additional characters.
- ๐ Some sections may require a Mi Account password.
- ๐ The data in the engineering menu is updated in real time when the orientation changes.
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Engineering menu is a standard diagnostic tool, its use does not violate the warranty and does not require the installation of third-party software.
Check through the menu "For developers"
You can get more information about the current rendering of the image by activating the developer mode. This is a hidden part of the system, designed for debugging applications, but useful for ordinary users. To activate it, go to Settings. โ On the phone and press quickly 7-10 once on the line โVersionโ MIUIยป or "Version" OSยป. After the message โYou became a developerโ appears, the menu will be unlocked.
In the section that opens, "Additional" or "Extended Settings," look for "Developers" and scroll down to "Draw" or "Hardware Acceleration" and you're interested in "Smallest width" or "DPI density." Although it's not a direct resolution in pixels, knowing the physical screen size and DPI, you can calculate the exact resolution.
โ ๏ธ Warning: Do not change the Minimum Width value unnecessarily. Setting an incorrect value can cause the interface to become unreadable and the control buttons to become unavailable, requiring resetting through Recovery.
You can also include the option "Show the boundaries of elements" in this menu, which will put a grid on the screen that visualizes the logical blocks of the interface, which is useful for understanding how the system scales the image to the current resolution. To return to the original values, always write down the original numbers before making any changes.
โ๏ธ Activation of the developer mode
Third-party applications for accurate diagnosis
If the built-in methods seem too complex or do not give you the full picture, it is advisable to use specialized software from Google Play. Apps like CPU-Z, AIDA64 or Device Info HW read data directly from the system files of the Android kernel, providing the most accurate information.
Once you install and run this application, go to the Device or Display tab, and you'll see the "Resolution" lines where you'll see the exact values, like 2400ร1080, and you'll also see the pixel density (DPI) and the physical size of the diagonal in inches to within a hundredth of an inch.
The advantage of these utilities is their versatility: they work equally well on older Redmi Note models and the latest flagships of the Xiaomi 14 series. In addition, they show information about the refresh rate of the screen (hertz), which is critical for owners of models with adaptive frequency of 120 Hz.
| Annex | Accuracy of data | Advertising | APK weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU-Z | Tall. | No. | ~5MB |
| AIDA64 | Maximum | Got it (free) | ~12MB |
| Device Info HW | Tall. | No. | ~3MB |
| Screen Test | Medium | There is. | ~8MB |
Use of the ADB-Teams for Advanced Users
For those who are not afraid of the command line, the method is ADB (Android Debug Bridge is the most informative, it allows you to access system properties that are not displayed even in the engineering menus. SDK Platform-Tools.
Connect your smartphone to your PC through USB-cable, pre-installing debugging USB Open the command line on your computer in the folder with ADB and type in the command to check the connection: adb devices. If the device is determined, you can request information about the display.
adb shell wm sizeThis command will output the physical resolution of the screen. To find out the density of the dots, use the command:
adb shell wm densityThe result will be presented in Physical size: 1080x2340 and Physical density: 411, and the uniqueness of this method is that it shows exactly the resolution that is currently being used by the system, even if it has been modified software, and it is the perfect way to check whether the resolution you choose is working correctly in games or emulators.
โ ๏ธ Note: wm size also allows you to change the resolution, but this should be done extremely carefully. Wrong value can make the interface unusable, requiring a complete data reset.
Differences between physical and logical resolution
Users often find themselves confused by seeing different numbers from different sources. It is important to understand the difference between the physical (native) resolution of a matrix and the logical (virtual) resolution that the operating system uses. Physical resolution is the real number of pixels that make up the screen.
Logical resolution is a scalable interface that Android uses to render elements. For example, on a 2400ร1080 physical resolution screen, the system can use a 1200ร540 logical resolution to keep text and icons from being too small, and this is especially true for high-pixel density devices.
In some scenarios, for example, when starting heavy 3D-In games, the app can request half-resolution rendering to improve performance (upscale). So in the game's system logs, you can see smaller numbers than stated in the store's specifications. GPU.
Why is the screenshots less resolution?
Impact of permission on autonomy and productivity
Understanding screen resolution is not only necessary for reference, but also for power management. The higher the number of pixels that the processor must draw, the more power the GPU and the display consume. On devices with small batteries, lower resolution can significantly extend the life.
Owners of MIUI-based POCO and Black Shark gaming smartphones often experiment with lowering resolution to achieve stable FPS in demanding projects. The reduction of DPI density through the developer menu also visually reduces the scale of elements, freeing up more workspace on the screen.
But itโs worth remembering that modern Snapdragon and Dimensity processors manage resources efficiently. Forced resolution reductions on flagship models can lead to font blurring and loss of interface clarity, which degrades the user experience. The balance between image quality and speed is a key point in customization.
- ๐ High resolution (WQHD+) faster consumes battery power.
- ๐ฎ In games, lowering resolution increases FPS and reduces heat.
- ๐๏ธ Too low. DPI Makes text unreadable without zoom.