Polygon count is a bit misleading as the only source on "how good something looks". you can make a box out of 1000milion polygons.. it is still going to look as god as a box with 2polygons per side (12) so.. sure, polygons CAN make something look better but it doesn't have to do that.
Smoother models (or more uneven details) is usually the outcome of using a higher polygon count.








