What is a 3:2 aspect ratio?
The 3:2 aspect ratio is among the most popular photography print sizes and productivity-focus computer displays. It was first used in 35 mm film[1] to store a landscape 3:2 or portrait 2:3 still photography.
It's also the trending aspect ratio for modern laptop displays and monitors optimized for productivity since it provides a taller viewing area than the standard 16:9 display, which is excellent for working on documents and spreadsheets.
For example, Microsoft Surface Pro[2], the new 2-in-1 Dell XPS 13[3], and other recent Windows laptops use a 3:2 ratio display for better productivity and provide better tablet experiences in both landscape and portrait mode.
The aspect ratio has a standard format of 3:2 or W:H, where W is the width, and H is the height of an image, screen, or container. In digital space, the measurement unit is in pixels. You can pronounce it "three-by-two" or "three-to-two" aspect ratio.
Common 3:2 resolutions
Below are the 3:2 resolutions on digital cameras, laptops, and monitors. Use our pixel-per-inch calculator to determine your device's pixel density classification and compare it to others.
| Width (px) | Height (px) | Pixel Count | Device |
|---|---|---|---|
| 480 | 320 | 153,600 | HVGA |
| 1536 | 1024 | 1,572,864 | Surface Laptop Go 12.45″ |
| 1800 | 1200 | 2,160,000 | Surface Go 10″ |
| 1920 | 1280 | 2,457,600 | Surface Go 10.5″ |
| 2160 | 1440 | 3,110,400 | Surface Pro 3 12″ |
| 2256 | 1504 | 3,393,024 | Surface Laptop 13.5″ |
| 2400 | 1600 | 3,840,000 | Surface Laptop Studio 14.4″ |
| 2496 | 1664 | 4,153,344 | Surface Laptop 15″ |
| 2736 | 1824 | 4,990,464 | Surface Pro 12.3″ |
| 2880 | 1920 | 5,529,600 | Surface Pro 13″ |
| 3000 | 2000 | 6,000,000 | Surface Book 13.5″ |
| 3240 | 2160 | 6,998,400 | Surface Book 15″ |
| 3300 | 2200 | 7,260,000 | ASUS Zenbook S Ultra 13.9″ |
| 3840 | 2560 | 9,830,400 | Huawei MateView 28.2″ |
| 4500 | 3000 | 13,500,000 | Surface Studio 28″ |
Common 3:2 screen sizes
Here are the width, height, and diagonal of various 3:2 image, video, or screen sizes in inches and centimeters. Our easy-to-use screen size calculator has tools, formulas, and examples to help you calculate screen dimensions and area.
| Diagonal | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 1″ 2.54 cm | 0.83″ 2.11 cm | 0.55″ 1.41 cm |
| 2″ 5.08 cm | 1.66″ 4.23 cm | 1.11″ 2.82 cm |
| 3″ 7.62 cm | 2.5″ 6.34 cm | 1.66″ 4.23 cm |
| 4″ 10.16 cm | 3.33″ 8.45 cm | 2.22″ 5.64 cm |
| 5″ 12.7 cm | 4.16″ 10.57 cm | 2.77″ 7.04 cm |
| 6″ 15.24 cm | 4.99″ 12.68 cm | 3.33″ 8.45 cm |
| 7″ 17.78 cm | 5.82″ 14.79 cm | 3.88″ 9.86 cm |
| 8″ 20.32 cm | 6.66″ 16.91 cm | 4.44″ 11.27 cm |
| 9″ 22.86 cm | 7.49″ 19.02 cm | 4.99″ 12.68 cm |
| 10″ 25.4 cm | 8.32″ 21.13 cm | 5.55″ 14.09 cm |
| 11″ 27.94 cm | 9.15″ 23.25 cm | 6.1″ 15.5 cm |
| 12″ 30.48 cm | 9.98″ 25.36 cm | 6.66″ 16.91 cm |
| 13″ 33.02 cm | 10.82″ 27.47 cm | 7.21″ 18.32 cm |
| 14″ 35.56 cm | 11.65″ 29.59 cm | 7.77″ 19.73 cm |
| 15″ 38.1 cm | 12.48″ 31.7 cm | 8.32″ 21.13 cm |
| 16″ 40.64 cm | 13.31″ 33.81 cm | 8.88″ 22.54 cm |
| 17″ 43.18 cm | 14.14″ 35.93 cm | 9.43″ 23.95 cm |
| 18″ 45.72 cm | 14.98″ 38.04 cm | 9.98″ 25.36 cm |
| 19″ 48.26 cm | 15.81″ 40.15 cm | 10.54″ 26.77 cm |
| 20″ 50.8 cm | 16.64″ 42.27 cm | 11.09″ 28.18 cm |
| 21″ 53.34 cm | 17.47″ 44.38 cm | 11.65″ 29.59 cm |
| 22″ 55.88 cm | 18.31″ 46.49 cm | 12.2″ 31 cm |
| 23″ 58.42 cm | 19.14″ 48.61 cm | 12.76″ 32.41 cm |
| 24″ 60.96 cm | 19.97″ 50.72 cm | 13.31″ 33.81 cm |
| 25″ 63.5 cm | 20.8″ 52.84 cm | 13.87″ 35.22 cm |
| 26″ 66.04 cm | 21.63″ 54.95 cm | 14.42″ 36.63 cm |
| 27″ 68.58 cm | 22.47″ 57.06 cm | 14.98″ 38.04 cm |
| 28″ 71.12 cm | 23.3″ 59.18 cm | 15.53″ 39.45 cm |
| 29″ 73.66 cm | 24.13″ 61.29 cm | 16.09″ 40.86 cm |
| 30″ 76.2 cm | 24.96″ 63.4 cm | 16.64″ 42.27 cm |
| 32″ 81.28 cm | 26.63″ 67.63 cm | 17.75″ 45.09 cm |
| 34″ 86.36 cm | 28.29″ 71.86 cm | 18.86″ 47.9 cm |
| 40″ 101.6 cm | 33.28″ 84.54 cm | 22.19″ 56.36 cm |
| 42″ 106.68 cm | 34.95″ 88.76 cm | 23.3″ 59.18 cm |
| 43″ 109.22 cm | 35.78″ 90.88 cm | 23.85″ 60.58 cm |
| 48″ 121.92 cm | 39.94″ 101.44 cm | 26.63″ 67.63 cm |
| 50″ 127 cm | 41.6″ 105.67 cm | 27.74″ 70.45 cm |
| 55″ 139.7 cm | 45.76″ 116.24 cm | 30.51″ 77.49 cm |
| 58″ 147.32 cm | 48.26″ 122.58 cm | 32.17″ 81.72 cm |
| 60″ 152.4 cm | 49.92″ 126.8 cm | 33.28″ 84.54 cm |
| 65″ 165.1 cm | 54.08″ 137.37 cm | 36.06″ 91.58 cm |
| 70″ 177.8 cm | 58.24″ 147.94 cm | 38.83″ 98.63 cm |
| 75″ 190.5 cm | 62.4″ 158.51 cm | 41.6″ 105.67 cm |
| 77″ 195.58 cm | 64.07″ 162.73 cm | 42.71″ 108.49 cm |
| 83″ 210.82 cm | 69.06″ 175.41 cm | 46.04″ 116.94 cm |
| 85″ 215.9 cm | 70.72″ 179.64 cm | 47.15″ 119.76 cm |
| 86″ 218.44 cm | 71.56″ 181.75 cm | 47.7″ 121.17 cm |
| 97″ 246.38 cm | 80.71″ 205 cm | 53.81″ 136.67 cm |
| 98″ 248.92 cm | 81.54″ 207.11 cm | 54.36″ 138.08 cm |
FAQs
How do I calculate the 3:2 aspect ratio?
The 3:2 aspect ratio is a screen or image format that proportionally contains three units horizontally for every two vertically. It can be calculated by dividing the width by height and getting a value of 1.5.
For example, the ratio between the width and height of the HD+ (1200 x 800), Full HD+ (1920 x 1280), and 4K+ UHD+ (3840 × 2560) resolutions are equal to 1.5.
What would the optimal distance between my eye and a 3:2 monitor be?
The optimal distance depends on the size of your 3:2 monitor. To find it, you need to adjust the distance so the monitor screen covers a recommended 30° of your total eye's field of view.
Use our ideal TV distance calculator to help you determine an optimal distance to place your 3:2 monitor or TV. Here are some calculated results:
- 13.5" screen is 1.75 ft (0.53m)
- 15" screen is 1.94 ft (0.59 m)
- 28" screen is 3.62 ft (1.1 m)
Alternatively, you can use the ideal TV size calculator to help you find an optimal screen size for your preferred viewing distance.
