Dynamic

Viewport Units vs Percentage Units

Developers should learn and use viewport units when building responsive web applications that need to maintain consistent proportions across various screen sizes, such as full-screen hero sections, modals, or typography that scales with the viewport meets developers should learn and use percentage units when building responsive web designs that need to adjust fluidly across devices, such as in grid layouts, image sizing, or typography scaling. Here's our take.

🧊Nice Pick

Viewport Units

Developers should learn and use viewport units when building responsive web applications that need to maintain consistent proportions across various screen sizes, such as full-screen hero sections, modals, or typography that scales with the viewport

Viewport Units

Nice Pick

Developers should learn and use viewport units when building responsive web applications that need to maintain consistent proportions across various screen sizes, such as full-screen hero sections, modals, or typography that scales with the viewport

Pros

  • +They are particularly useful for mobile-first design, ensuring elements like buttons or containers resize appropriately without complex media queries, and for creating immersive experiences like landing pages that fill the entire screen regardless of device
  • +Related to: css, responsive-design

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Percentage Units

Developers should learn and use percentage units when building responsive web designs that need to adjust fluidly across devices, such as in grid layouts, image sizing, or typography scaling

Pros

  • +They are essential for creating flexible components that maintain proportions relative to their containers, improving accessibility and user experience on varying viewports
  • +Related to: css-units, responsive-design

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Viewport Units if: You want they are particularly useful for mobile-first design, ensuring elements like buttons or containers resize appropriately without complex media queries, and for creating immersive experiences like landing pages that fill the entire screen regardless of device and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Percentage Units if: You prioritize they are essential for creating flexible components that maintain proportions relative to their containers, improving accessibility and user experience on varying viewports over what Viewport Units offers.

🧊
The Bottom Line
Viewport Units wins

Developers should learn and use viewport units when building responsive web applications that need to maintain consistent proportions across various screen sizes, such as full-screen hero sections, modals, or typography that scales with the viewport

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