In this post I'd like to share a small bit of Android information with you. I've discovered it while looking around at the build.prop file and did some research on it, and it turns out to be a pretty cool and powerful feature. Of course, seeing as this requires root you can probably already guess that it involves some more-than-consumer level risk, so anything you do here is your responsibility. This is not a tweak for a fairly novice user. You will need some basic knowledge on command line terminal and how to copy/edit files. I will be assuming you know how to setup and run ADB, and how to execute it and work with it in command prompt.
What's this mod do? Basically it changes your resolution (not really, but for simplicity sake we'll say it does) to a higher pixel density. What this means is everything on your screen will look smaller as if you changed your resolution on your PC to a higher setting. Now obviously we don't want to increase this too much or it will make our screen look bad and be impossible to read things, so I recommend you stick with the settings I have and only tweak it if you're daring.
Now for setup:
1: You require root access for this to work, so make sure you have it prior to doing anything else.
2: Next you will need to get your build.prop file from the /system directory. An easy (and free) way to do this is to use Astro file manager. Open up Astro, navigate to /system/ and copy the build.prop file to the sdcard.
3: Hook the phone up to your PC and enter USB Mass Storage mode. Open the drive on your computer and copy the build.prop file to the desktop.
4: IMPORTANT: make a second copy of this file, and rename it to: build.prop.BAK - accept the change to filetype and leave it alone for now.
5: Open up build.prop using notepad. Once its open you'll see a whole ton of text assuming you have Word Wrap enabled. Press Control + F and type in "density" then press enter.
6: Close out the search menu and find the number "240" to the right of "density"
7: Change the number from 240 to 200. Save the file and close notepad. (Note - higher numbers means bigger text/objects, smaller numbers means smaller text/objects allowing you to fit more on the screen)
8: Put your phone back into PC Mode, and then enable USB Debugging in Settings->Applications->Development
9: At this point I assume you have ADB setup on your PC. Copy and paste the modified build.prop file into the folder with ADB, and then open up a command prompt, change directory to wherever you have ADB installed (ex: cd C:\adb\ ), and type in "adb devices" without the quotes to start ADB and make sure your device is configured properly
10: Now you must push the modified build.prop file to your sdcard. To do so type this in:
adb push build.prop /sdcard/build.prop
11: You should see the text indicating it successfully transferred the file. Now type in "adb shell" without quotes. You should see a $: appear. Once it does, type in "su" and it should change to a #: sign.
12: Now that you're in root access, you must mount /system as read/write to copy over the new build.prop file. To do so type this in exactly as it is, making sure to not skip any spaces or use wrong letters/characters:
mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/system /system
You should see the line repeated and that means it went ok. If you get anything else like an error, somethings not right with the text you entered. Go back and double check it.
13: Now we'll copy the file from the sdcard to the system directory to overwrite the old build.prop file:
cp /sdcard/build.prop /system/build.prop
Again, you should see the line repeat below to confirm it copied it successfully. You can now reboot the phone to make the changes happen (note: for a speedy reboot, simply type in "reboot" from the #: prompt, this will drop you out of root shell and do an automatic reboot of your phone pretty neat)
Once your phone is booted back up you should notice some pretty significant changes in appearance. Everything will look smaller much akin to the changes you see on your desktop PC when you increase the resolution from say 800x600 to 1600x1200. In case you want to change it back to the old look, simply re-trace your steps using the original build.prop file, with the pixel density set to 240 instead of 200.
Screenshots for comparison. Note how lines of text are fully exposed in the new screenshots compared to the old ones, where it has to scroll/cut off text in App names etc:
http://forum.androidcentral.com/motorola-x-roms-hacks/32035-how-resolution-tweak-req-root.html
Or you can save a whole lot of time and effort and use this app. http://www.xda-developers.com/android/lcd-density-changer-application-v3-0-released/
I think that is pretty sweet bro!! Great finding
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
njfoses said:
Or you can save a whole lot of time and effort and use this app. http://www.xda-developers.com/android/lcd-density-changer-application-v3-0-released/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Been using this for a few days now. It works great. They should have released the Evo with the higher resolution from the start.
Looks great in my opinion. I lowered just slightly to 220 and i used RootExplorer to just change the Build.prop file.
Shouldn't this be in general? This is like dpi in windows lol... not resolution
rawdikrik said:
Looks great in my opinion. I lowered just slightly to 220 and i used RootExplorer to just change the Build.prop file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, root explorer is fantastic. it even creates a backup for you after you edit the file.
The interesting part about this is, I made a thread about the density change back when the EVO first launched and nobody cared lol
Just changed to 200 with the aforementioned app, the only problem I have is the main status bar and most of the popup menus and stuff look like crap. Hoping we can find some higher resolution (or whatever) pieces to use. Might be because I'm using Manup's theme.
bdoople said:
Just changed to 200 with the aforementioned app, the only problem I have is the main status bar and most of the popup menus and stuff look like crap. Hoping we can find some higher resolution (or whatever) pieces to use. Might be because I'm using Manup's theme.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i noticed that too....so i just went to like 215. 200 was looking good though
ro.sf.LCD_Density=240
Is that the proper value to change in root explorer?
Right below it, there is another value of 160, that's why I ask. I'm on an Evo
Poor resolution has always bugged me. On such a big screen, that number of pixels really isn't enough. This will be a great mod, just don't wanna mess it up.
Thanks.
see there's an easier way to do everything, by that i mean there is an app for that, lol.
scottspa74 said:
ro.sf.LCD_Density=240
Is that the proper value to change in root explorer?
Right below it, there is another value of 160, that's why I ask. I'm on an Evo
Poor resolution has always bugged me. On such a big screen, that number of pixels really isn't enough. This will be a great mod, just don't wanna mess it up.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The line below it (With the value of 160) has a # in front of it as that is the default value if none specified. Change the 240 to 200 or 220 or 210 or 190 etc depending on your preferences. Again, appelflap has an awesome application to easily do this for you and it provides a boot monitor as well that will check to make sure you can see the screen, and if you can't it will revert back to default setting in case you mess something up. It costs approximately $1 and is well worth it.
On my evo I am using the app and I set mine to 180. Everything looks fine so far. I don't recommend using it with the sense launcher at this level though.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Appreciate all the feedback. When it comes to system tweaks like this, I've always preferred to do them manually. Makes it easier to keep track of changes, and, if you know what's goin on 'behind the scenes'. Even with winmo, I always would opt for tweaking via registry editor, rather than some blind, hands-off tweak app.
Thanks all, though.
Edit: ok, foot in mouth. So I opened root explorer, found build.prop, opened it clicked the mount R/O toggle, but can't seem to edit it no matter what. NVM, found editor
Also, I checked out the app on the market, looked at comments and saw lots of people say that density broke certain apps, and can't get back to normal, broken phones, blah blah blah
Anyone speak to this?
Exposes lame apps
Worked great on rooted EVO running CM6.2.
Need to increase the power of my bifocals now!
Also exposes lame apps that display set screen resolutions, such as WeatherChannel. Poopnoodles!
Very cool find, not one I will be keeping though. The taskbar icons get a bit blurry, and the widget/icon spacing looks ugly.
njfoses said:
Or you can save a whole lot of time and effort and use this app. http://www.xda-developers.com/android/lcd-density-changer-application-v3-0-released/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tried that. Was able to make a few changes with no problems. As soon as I tried to go back to the stock settings my phone would no longer boot past the white EVO screen. Doing a restore now
And of course the restore isn't working properly for some reason. Argh.
yeah
Yeah, I read the thread by Appleflap, about his app, and it really sounds like there are a lot of issues from doing this (at this point), some of which cannot be recovered from. And at the very least, there are apps and icons that won't scale properly, and there's no fix for that but to find new ones (from the horses mouth).
Things to be worked out by some real sharp devs.
I'm not totally convinced that this makes things anything beyond just smaller. I've been testing this a various resolutions and am not sure it really adds any new pixels...aren't "pixels" more hardware related? If it were just a software thing wouldn't everyone do it?
Hi all,
Coming from Sony Xperia Z ultra, I couldn't settle for the large density implemented by Huawei for the P8max (400 dpi), in my opinion this approach is wasting the beauty of the large 6.8 inch screen.
After some online research, I managed to modify the device dpi using this adb command "adb shell wm density “INSERT_DPI” && adb reboot"
I was struggling to find the sweet spot but after several trials, setting the density to 288 and using a 3rd party launcher was the perfect combination. Some applications like the email works in full tablet UI with a split screen.
Having said that, I am facing minor issue with the typing cursor which disappeared in some applications like whatsapp and chrome. Anyone knows the reason behind this? I will really appreciate if someone might have an idea how to fix this issue.
Cheers.
WARNING: secondary display REPORTED NOT WORKING
using ADB (Go to about--) build (press 7 times) ---) USB debug (Allow) ---)Using SDK on PC to push adb commands.
Original
adb shell wm size 1440x2560 (if you are using adb then adb shell)
adb shell wm density 640
adb shell wm size 720x1280
adb shell wm density 320
adb shell wm size 1080x1920
adb shell wm density 450
(Try this out)
adb shell wm size 900x1600
adb shell wm density 380
the default android density values are: 240(HDPI)/280/320/360(XHDPI)/400/440/480(XXHDPI)/520/560/600/640(XXXHDPI)/680/720)
return both values to default with the following commands:
wm size reset
wm density reset
If someone can helping fixing secondary display by leaving scale the same and changing only the main screen.
This gives a better life battery lasting for 1 day moderate use and 5 hours full time working screen ( with 1080p scale).
No root required.
Original thread
( https://forum.xda-developers.com/ne...nexus-6p-to-scale-to-1080p-t3298620?nocache=1 ).
All thanks goes to Chord_Hugo87
How can we do this as root without computer
I've just tried it,
tried scaling to 720P (Battery life is so important to me, and this phone isn't a good one) but did't like the scaling (everything so large) and felt like loosing alot of the experience
I've scaled to 1080P and it's fine for now, will try it for few days, hopefully it would perform better
Hope to remember to feed you back on the result
SpiritStealer said:
I've just tried it,
tried scaling to 720P (Battery life is so important to me, and this phone isn't a good one) but did't like the scaling (everything so large) and felt like loosing alot of the experience
I've scaled to 1080P and it's fine for now, will try it for few days, hopefully it would perform better
Hope to remember to feed you back on the result
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need change DPI when change resolution.
SpiritStealer said:
I've just tried it,
tried scaling to 720P (Battery life is so important to me, and this phone isn't a good one) but did't like the scaling (everything so large) and felt like loosing alot of the experience
I've scaled to 1080P and it's fine for now, will try it for few days, hopefully it would perform better
Hope to remember to feed you back on the result
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Copy this 2 line and you will get a good look.
adb shell wm size 900x1600
adb shell wm density 380
panda968 said:
How can we do this as root without computer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it annoyed me that no one answered.
through terminal on your phone, type "su" then enter, then type the same commands just without "adb shell"
I've tried some resolutions, but I see that part of the screen becomes black. I wish there was a way to preserve all pixels, but with a real rescale and no losing screen. Some help? :')
davidomin97 said:
I've tried some resolutions, but I see that part of the screen becomes black. I wish there was a way to preserve all pixels, but with a real rescale and no losing screen. Some help? :')
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I answered the question myself. What happens with this unique smartphone is that the wm takes in count the secondary display as the physical resolution. If you write adb shell wm size, it will tell you the physical resolution and the resolution you are rescaling at. I did that and I found that the physical resolution is 1440x2720, which means that, in order to maintain every pixel active, you need to take in count those 160 extra pixels. So the actual correct resolution for 1080p is 1080x2040. If someone has the same problem, I hope that this solution helps him/her
davidomin97 said:
Actually, I answered the question myself. What happens with this unique smartphone is that the wm takes in count the secondary display as the physical resolution. If you write adb shell wm size, it will tell you the physical resolution and the resolution you are rescaling at. I did that and I found that the physical resolution is 1440x2720, which means that, in order to maintain every pixel active, you need to take in count those 160 extra pixels. So the actual correct resolution for 1080p is 1080x2040. If someone has the same problem, I hope that this solution helps him/her
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my ./adb shell wm size shown 1440x2560
As the title says, you can use the adb wm size command to change the resolution, higher.
On most phones the resolution shipped is the highest available.
The RM3&3S ship stock 1080p but easily go up much higher.
Personally i recommend 1440x3120
wm size 1440x3120
In an su terminal or adb by pc.
This brings the display up to current phones resolution! (2k)
Enjoy!
As for performance and battery life, there is no noticeable NEGATIVE impact. However, when screen recording or streaming your screen, it can lag if your connection cant support the higher resolution. Native screen recording should be unaffected.
SilentDevGuy said:
As the title says, you can use the adb wm size command to change the resolution, higher.
On most phones the resolution shipped is the highest available.
The RM3&3S ship stock 1080p but easily go up much higher.
Personally i recommend 1440x3120
wm size 1440x3120
In an su terminal or adb by pc.
This brings the display up to current phones resolution! (2k)
Enjoy!
As for performance and battery life, there is no noticeable NEGATIVE impact. However, when screen recording or streaming your screen, it can lag if your connection cant support the higher resolution. Native screen recording should be unaffected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow nice
anyone has tested this ?
I have downloaded the DevCheck app and under HARDWARE tab > Graphics > Resolution, it is shown as 2340 x 1080. Does it mean that on adb I have to type wm size 3120x1440 instead ?
Thank you
SilentDevGuy said:
As the title says, you can use the adb wm size command to change the resolution, higher.
On most phones the resolution shipped is the highest available.
The RM3&3S ship stock 1080p but easily go up much higher.
Personally i recommend 1440x3120
wm size 1440x3120
In an su terminal or adb by pc.
This brings the display up to current phones resolution! (2k)
Enjoy!
As for performance and battery life, there is no noticeable NEGATIVE impact. However, when screen recording or streaming your screen, it can lag if your connection cant support the higher resolution. Native screen recording should be unaffected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried changing the resolution yes the screen changed to a smaller icon etc but the problem is the below area is not responding to touch for example, the soft button; back, home and app manager does not work when touched.
On mine
lius90 said:
I have tried changing the resolution yes the screen changed to a smaller icon etc but the problem is the below area is not responding to touch for example, the soft button; back, home and app manager does not work when touched.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On mine it works without issue at all and I can touch all the way up to 5k no problem, can you tell me your device model and rom?
Not to be rude or offend you but it is 100% user error on your side, the resolutions are accepted, and tested on A11 and A10 multiple devices. Also the icons smaller and all that is just based on DPI, resolution is the resolving power.
lius90 said:
wow nice
anyone has tested this ?
I have downloaded the DevCheck app and under HARDWARE tab > Graphics > Resolution, it is shown as 2340 x 1080. Does it mean that on adb I have to type wm size 3120x1440 instead ?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, use 1440x3120 it matters what order the numbers are in.
Thankyou
Thank you. For the display to work properly, you also need to change the pixel density. We enter three commands in adb:
wm size 1440x3120
wm density 640
reboot
Increased clarity even in games! See screenshots...
Source: https://lumpics.ru/how-change-screen-resolution-on-android/#helpgood
Disable nubia red magic 3 animated boot splash screen on phone boot and reboot, save your zip, download my zip and replace via total commander
bootanimation.zip
shutdownanimation.zip
File path:
system/media/theme/bootup
system/media/theme/shutdown
Here is a program Easy DPI Changer root for those who have root rights:
Easy DPI Changer [Root] - Apps on Google Play
Make your screen yours
play.google.com
In the "Density" field, enter the DPI, and in the "Resolution" field, enter the width and length. After changing each parameter, click "Apply" in its block to save the new values. They will apply after a reboot.
I played around with this screen resolution and returned to standard resolution!