720p or 1080p: which resolution to upload your videos in
Updated: November 10, 2026
1080p looks sharper, but it’s bigger and takes longer to upload. 720p is lighter, and on a phone screen the difference often isn’t noticeable. The right choice depends on what you record and who will watch it.
The difference in numbers
- 720p: 1280 × 720 pixels (about 0.9 million).
- 1080p: 1920 × 1080 pixels (about 2.1 million, more than double).
- Rough size exported for the web: 720p about 30–40 MB per minute; 1080p about 55–90 MB per minute.
When to upload in 1080p
- Tutorials with on-screen text (code, software, documents): text is much easier to read.
- Videos that will be watched on a computer or TV.
- Content where detail matters: landscapes, products, games.
When 720p is enough
- Your audience mostly watches on phones over mobile data.
- Conversations, podcasts or videos where audio is what matters.
- Your upload connection is slow and a 1080p file would take hours.
With adaptive quality you don’t have to choose for your audience
If the platform has adaptive streaming (HLS) enabled, Dembed prepares several qualities from your file and each viewer gets the one their connection can handle. So you can upload in 1080p without penalising people on slow connections.
Frequently asked questions
Only if your audience will watch on big screens. It’s about four times the size of 1080p; for most web videos, 1080p is the sweet spot.