Notebook buyers guide

Screens

The size of the screen greatly determines the size of the laptop. When compared to standard desktop monitors there is a greater variety, for notebooks, of screen resolutions available for screens of the same size. Some manufacturers even offer the consumer a choice in screen resolutions. 17 inch widescreens, for example, are available in the resolutions: 1920x1200, 1680x1050 and 1440x900. In the 15,4 inch market we can find high-end models with resolutions of up to 1680x1050 but the majority of the models out there come with a screen resolution of 1280x800. The majority of the smaller models are offered with the latter screen resolution. The advantage of having a higher resolution is that you have more space on your desktop, the disadvantage is that text becomes smaller and harder to read.

Not only is there a difference between the resolutions offered on the various displays, there is also a marked difference in quality and viewing angle. In addition, many notebook screens have been treated with a special coating to reduce glare and enhance color reproduction. The disadvantage of this coating is that if there is unfavorable lighting the screen will reflect this and you will get a mirror like effect.