Android Screen Resolutions
By Chris De Herrera
11/15/11

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During the past year there have been many more Android smartphones and tablets.  However there is no standard screen size.  This article discusses the challenges that come along with supporting multiple screen sizes.

Why is screen size important?

One of the most important features to a user is the size of the screen.  Generally most users want larger displays.   However with Tablet PCs, users are debating whether or not a 7" or a 10" display is best.  I think it comes down to the user's preference on which display size they prefer.  However there are practical impacts as well such as how large the text is displayed and the resolution of the display.

Developer Challenges

With a variety of screen sizes and resolutions, developers also have challenges as well.  They have to decide how many screen resolutions to support and what to do if the application does not exactly support the screen resolution you have.  Generally Android applications only need to worry about the screen width however the challenge is that the screens of devices can be rotated which means that their applications will need to resize accordingly.

Tying it All Together

For users screen size options allow for more choices however they may experience challenges with applications that just don't look as good or work well with the resolution of their device.  Also, they may see applications where the content does not scale correctly or is in the middle of the screen or the upper left of the screen.   Developers can work around this by adjusting their application dynamically to the screen resolution and telling users what the minimum screen resolution their applications look best with.

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