Why don't I have a 4K resolution on Youtube?

Hi, I have a mobile phone that has a 4K resolution (the Huawei Mate 20 pro) but on Youtube only a maximum of 1080p resolution is displayed. Why is that and how can I achieve 4K resolution with my mobile phone?

This is due to the video, if it wasn't uploaded in 4K, then of course you can't watch it in 4K either. If it's a 4K video, you should also be able to watch it in 4K, provided that your phone really supports it as a display and not just as a camera.

Then the video is probably only in 1080p. Look for "4k" or something and watch a video like that, then you will see it.

I can watch the video on my tablet in 4K

4k takes a lot longer to render - so most of them leave it at 1080p and that's absolutely enough ^^

The display of the Mate 20 Pro "only" has a resolution of 1440 * 3120 pixels. The resolution is only sufficient for 1440p. 4K is therefore not offered. Nevertheless, 1440p should be selectable for supported videos.

But 1440p is 4K or not?

Because I could always select 4K / 1440p on Youtube on my SG S6, if it was available, of course. Only with the Mate 20 pro that doesn't work.

The S6 can't have a better resolution than the Mate 20 pro, can it?

Yes, I did, but unfortunately it doesn't work.

4k / UHD is not 1440p / QHD.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 also had a QHD display, only in 16: 9 format (1440 × 2560).

Maybe the S6 offered 4k, but 4k could not be played there either.

Oh ok, then that was just QHD with the S6. But I'm surprised that 1440p is not offered on YouTube for the Mate 20 pro, since the Mate has a better resolution than the S6 …

Ok i found out. My screen resolution was set to "Smart" so that the phone saves electricity. If you set it to high, you can also watch 1440 videos on the Mate Pro:-)

But what I'm wondering is how can the Mate 20 pro record videos in 4K if it doesn't have a 4K screen at all?

Yes, I don't think it supports 4K. I thought 1440p would be 4K…

But do you know how the camera can make 4K videos when the screen can't even reproduce that quality?

Then what is that good for?

The recording has nothing to do with the display. Yes, you can't watch the recorded video in full 4k, but that may be done on other devices or in post-production, 4k is important.

When recording, the camera sensor and the system-on-chip are important.

The camera sensor must have enough megapixels and also support video recording in resolutions and frames. The SoC must also support the resolution and frame rate, as it processes the data from the sensor.

I think that's there if you want to look at the pictures and videos on a 4K-capable device.
(To be honest, I already thought of that with Iphone back then, because it was also possible)