Think about how much time you spend staring at your phone’s display every single day. Whether you’re scrolling through Instagram, watching YouTube, or simply checking the time, the screen is basically the part of your phone you interact with the most.

So imagine my surprise when I realized I’d been using my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with the wrong screen resolution this entire time. Yes, the phone has this gorgeous, ridiculously sharp display, and I wasn’t even getting the best out of it. The moment I discovered it, my first reaction was pretty much, “Wait… I’ve been using it like this all along?” Thankfully, I stumbled across the setting sooner rather than later, changed it in a few seconds, and immediately wondered why I hadn’t done it before. And if you have a Samsung phone sitting in your hand right now, there’s a chance you might want to check yours, too.

My Ultra display wasn't very Ultra FHD+ is fine, but QHD+ is finer

My Galaxy S24 Ultra has a gorgeous 6.8-inch QHD+ display, but here’s the funny part: I wasn’t actually using it at its highest resolution. Samsung offers three options: HD+ at 1560 x 720, FHD+ at 2340 x 1080, and QHD+ at 3120 x 1440. By default, the phone sticks to FHD+, which makes sense. It still looks plenty sharp while striking a nice balance between picture quality and battery life.

But I bought an Ultra, and once I realized I wasn’t getting everything that display could offer, I switched straight to QHD+. Now, I’m not going to tell you that changing the setting suddenly makes your phone look completely different. When I’m replying to WhatsApp messages, checking Gmail, or mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, I can barely tell the difference. Everything already looks great at FHD+.

It’s when I slow down and actually look at something that QHD+ starts earning its keep. Fine text looks a little sharper, UI elements are cleaner, and high-resolution photos have that extra bit of crispness when I zoom in. Pull up a colorful landscape photo with lots of tiny details, for example, and the difference becomes much easier to appreciate. Video is another place where I notice it. If I’m watching a high-quality YouTube video or streaming something with plenty of fine detail, QHD+ lets that excellent Samsung panel show off a little more. It’s not a night-and-day upgrade, but once you know what to look for, that extra clarity is hard to ignore.

There is, of course, a trade-off. Pushing more pixels means the display and GPU have more work to do, which can impact battery life. That’s probably why Samsung plays it safe with FHD+ out of the box. But personally, if I’m already carrying around one of Samsung’s most expensive phones with one of its best displays, I’d rather actually use the resolution I paid for.

Time to unleash all those pixels Your Galaxy has been holding back

So, how do you actually turn QHD+ on? Thankfully, Samsung hasn’t buried the option too deep inside One UI, and switching resolutions takes less than a minute. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open the Settings app on your Samsung Galaxy.
2. Scroll down and tap Display.
3. Find and select Screen resolution.
4. You’ll see up to three options: HD+, FHD+, and QHD+.
5. Select QHD+ (3120 x 1440) and tap Apply.

And that’s pretty much it. Your Galaxy is now pushing all those extra pixels you paid for.

There’s another catch: not every Samsung Galaxy phone offers adjustable screen resolution. You’ll generally find the option on select higher-end Galaxy models, so don’t panic if you follow these steps and screen resolution isn’t there.

If you know your Galaxy supports it but still can’t change the resolution, check whether Power saving mode is enabled, since battery-saving features can limit certain display settings. And if you can’t find the option, there’s an easier way than digging through menus: open Settings, tap the search icon, type “Screen resolution,” and let your phone take you straight there.

Once you’ve switched it on, though, there’s really only one question left: is that extra sharpness worth the potential hit to battery life? For me, on an Ultra phone with a display this good, I’d at least give those extra pixels a chance.

I paid for the Pixels, after all

My Galaxy S24 Ultra’s display now feels like it’s finally showing me what it’s truly capable of. No, switching to QHD+ hasn’t completely transformed the phone, and I don’t notice the difference every single time I unlock it. But whenever I’m watching a crisp YouTube video or admiring a photo I’ve just taken, those extra pixels are much easier to appreciate. More importantly, I bought an Ultra with a beautiful QHD+ display, so I might as well actually use it.