Amateurs hunting for a laptop would immediately consider the design of the machine the most important factor. Legends, on the other hand, know that without a killer display, all other features would fall astray.
A display screen is the face of your laptop; the core component of digital interaction. Without a good-quality monitor, you cannot view how all the other parts of your laptop function. And that raises the question ‘What’s an ideal display?’ There’s no such thing as one perfect display as the screen has to complement other aspects of the machine. Though we can highlight the fundamentals of a screen in two words - Hertz and Nits!
In this guide, we’ll be showing you the two major factors of consideration when choosing a laptop based solely on the screen. If you want to discover what they are, stick with us till the end because there is some serious unveiling happening here.
Types of Laptop Displays
Screen Type | Description |
LCD | Short for Liquid Crystal Display; is the most cost-effective option, popular for its color accuracy. However, it has a slow response time with limited viewing angles. |
LED | Abbreviated as Light-emitting Diode; is highly in demand for its top-notch refresh rates. It is ideal for sleek and thin monitors and is considered eco-friendly with low carbon emissions. |
OLED | The Organic Light-emitting Diode has a peak brightness level of 800+ nits which makes it extremely vibrant and ideal for outdoor use. It’s also power-efficient though a bit expensive. |
TN Panels | With low response time, increased refresh rates, and cheap price tags, the Twisted Nematic Panel is perfect for gamers. However, the narrow viewing angles are a downside. |
IPS Panels | With the In-plane Switching Panel comes exceptional color reproduction and wide viewing angles. However, the static contrast ratio is not up to the mark. |
VA Panels | The contrast ratio of the Vertical Alignment Panel is exceptional, improving overall readability. Its limitation is the low latency which makes it unsuitable for gaming. |
Core Factors of Consideration for a Laptop Display
A regular monitor has many characteristics of consideration like panel type, digitizer, backlight, and whatnot. Though a regular man has mostly known about screen size and resolution. Let us tell you, these should be the least of your worries. What you need to focus on is the refresh rate and lightness level, otherwise, you'll be confined with that turtle-paced box of yours indoors.
Refresh Rate
By definition, "a refresh rate determines the amount of times your laptop brings a new image to the interface" if you get that. What it does is increase the frequency of change in your screen, decreasing motion blur, and eliminating lagging. So every time you perform a function like access software or switch tabs, you will smoothly be taken to that destination and shown that interface as fresh as the first time.
The refresh figure of a monitor is measured in Hertz. A refresh rate of say 60 Hz shows that your screen processes or reshows an original version of the same image 60 times in one second. For this reason, a higher refresh rate is recommended as you will enjoy a new image for the longest time in a second.
Importance of High Refresh Rate
Improved Accuracy
Input latency is the main reason behind poor accuracy, and a greater refresh Hz tackles just that. Take the example of competitive gaming; your screen changes at an exceptionally high rate which you need to keep up with. Only if you’re presented with the latest version of your present action, would you be able to hit the cursor at the spot.
Better Responsiveness
Even though refresh rates and response times are different functions, they are interconnected. Response time determines the frequency at which a pixel changes color, resulting in the blurriness of still images in case of low response time. A top-notch refresh figure automatically facilitates a quicker response time.
Clear Visuals
Be it for still visuals or motion, a high refresh rate allows for a crystal clear visual experience. Paired with the right hardware, a suitably greater refresh rate rebirths the graphical output, (almost like disposing of stale images) resulting in smoother illustrations, despite the changing images.
Choosing the Right Refresh Rate
When choosing refresh rates you have the option to select from 60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, 240Hz, 360hz, and 500Hz. One would think that the highest option is the best, but in terms of suitability, it’s not so. If not needed, an excessive peak refresh figure can consume more resources.
The expert recommendation of 60Hz is for the most basic tasks like slow-paced games or irregular office work which doesn’t require high speed. 120Hz is a little more advanced and is enough for video editing and content creation. You can stream movies at this speed.
If your work requires high-speed typing like in the case of copyrighting, then 144 Hz would be best for you as it is neither too high nor too low. However, it’s not enough for competitive gaming, for which we suggest opting for 240Hz that has low input lags and low refresh rates.
From 240Hz and above refresh rates are ideal for content consumption and professional gaming. Since fast-paced media is completely reliant on responsiveness, you should go for the highest figure.
Brightness
Understanding the lightness of a monitor doesn’t sound hard, but finding it in the laptop can be tricky, especially outdoors. It happens all the time when you head outside, your regular brightness level seems too dim to see any of the content of the display. So you end up swiping your lightness level to full, but sometimes even that doesn’t help. The reason is the low luminance of your device display.
Brightness is the maximum intensity of light your device can accommodate to light up your screen. It is measured in nits (cd/m2) and shows candle luminosity per square meter down. So 1000 nits is equivalent to 1000 candles lit across one square meter down. A top-notch brightness level usually impacts the quality of images displayed, making it one of the most essential components of a PC.
Importance of High Brightness Level
Enhanced Color Theory
The overall radiance of the panel has a direct impact on the color profile of your device. While color accuracy and contrast ratio exist independently, if the light is not up to the mark, these two also seem faded. It’s like when you dim your lightness purposefully and the black font starts looking like a light variant of gray.
Dilated Focus
A monitor featuring mediocre brightness level mostly results in eye wrinkles (due to constant squinting). With peak nits, you don’t have to focus much as the visuals are already amplified for you. Think of it as the text not reaching your eyes because of insufficient incoming light from the panel.
Radiance Adjustment
Viewing High Dynamic Range (HDR) content with a low luminance is impossible. Take professional photography for example, you have to edit content shot under direct sunlight, which means your screen brightness determines the result. For this reason radiance adjustment is necessary.
Choosing the Right Brightness Nits
The lightness nits level in laptop screens starts from 200 cd/m2 and goes up to 1000 cd/m2 or even more in some cases. While having the option to adjust luminosity is great, if not handled responsibly, it can lead to eyesight damage.
The ideal luminance level for a laptop screen is 1000cd/m2 since it allows radiance adjustment even when outdoors under direct sunlight. If you simply wish for a panel that works under bright light without any adjustment options, then 800 cd/m2 also works well.
Lightness between the range of 600 and 700 cd/m2 is okay for outdoor use but you might encounter dimness at some point. This same range would be extremely bright for indoors though, for which we recommend 500 cd/m2. The range of 200-300 cd/m2 mostly suits laptops that never see the light of the day and result in dimness when they do.
Conclusion
Choosing the right laptop display can be tough, so it’s better to set your priorities straight. While there are a bunch of components you should enter in your list of must-haves, the refresh rate and brightness should be highlighted in red.
These two elements are crucial for images and video quality. Sorting these out first leaves you with full liberty to go with the rest of the components of your choice, be it resolution or response time. So decide your desired refresh Hertz and Nits first, and then move on to choosing the screen type.
