Screen resolution
The resolution of the screen installed in the laptop — that is, the size of the screen in pixels horizontally and vertically.
Higher resolution, on the one hand, gives a sharper, more detailed image; on the other hand, it increases the cost of the laptop. The latter is connected not only with the cost of the displays themselves, but also with the fact that in order to work effectively at high resolutions, you need the appropriate filling (primarily a graphics card). This is especially true in games; so if you are looking for a laptop with a high-resolution screen that can effectively "run" modern games — you should pay attention not only to the characteristics of the display, but also to other data (the type and parameters of the graphics card, test results, the ability to work with certain games — see everything below). On the other hand, if the device is planned to be used for simple tasks such as working with documents, surfing the Internet and watching videos, you can not pay much attention to the “hardware” parameters: anyway, they are selected so that the laptop is guaranteed to be able to cope with such tasks on full resolution of the "native" screen.
As for specific numbers, the resolution options that are relevant today can be divided into 4 groups:
HD (720),
Full HD (1080),
Quad HD and
UltraHD 4K. Here is a mor
...e detailed description of them:
— HD (720). This category includes all displays that have a vertical size of less than 1080 pixels. The most popular HD resolution in modern laptops is 1366x768; in devices larger than 15.6 ", 1600x900 is also often found. Other values quite exotic and are rarely used. In general, screens of this standard are now typical mainly for entry-level laptops.
— Full HD (1080). Initially, the Full HD standard provides a frame size of 1920x1080, and it is this resolution that is most often used in laptop screens from this category. However, in addition to this, other resolution options are also included in this format, where the vertical size is at least 1080 pixels, but does not reach 1440 pixels. Examples include 1920x1200 and 2560x1080. In general, Full HD displays provide a good balance between cost, image quality and laptop hardware requirements. Because of this, nowadays they are extremely widespread; matrices of this standard can be found even in low-cost devices, although they are mainly used in more advanced technology.
— Quad HD. A transitional option between the popular Full HD 1080 (see above) and the high-end and expensive UltraHD 4K. The vertical size of such screens starts from 1440 pixels and can reach 2000 pixels. Note that QuadHD resolutions are especially popular in Apple laptops; most often, such devices have 2560x1600 screens, although there are other options.
— Ultra HD 4K. The most advanced standard used in modern laptops. The vertical size of such screens is at least 2160 dots (up to 2400 in some configurations); the classic resolution of a modern UltraHD matrix is 3840x2160, but there are other values. Anyway, a 4K display allows for high image quality, however, it costs accordingly — including due to the corresponding requirements for a graphics adapter; in addition, to work with high resolutions, it can be more convenient to connect an external monitor to the laptop. Thus, such screens are used relatively rarely, and mainly among premium laptops.Response time
Screen response time to a control signal — in other words, the time between the receipt of such a signal on the matrix and the switching of pixels to a given mode.
Theoretically, the lower the response time, the better the screen handles with dynamic scenes, the higher the frame rate on it can be achieved. At the same time, it is worth noting that almost all modern matrices have sufficient response speed to effectively process the classic frame rate of 60 Hz — and, recall, it is quite enough for most cases. So paying attention to this parameter makes sense, first of all, if you are purchasing an advanced gaming model, the screen of which operates at a frame rate of more than 60 Hz. In other cases, the response time is often not indicated at all.
Refresh rate
The frame rate supported by the laptop screen. In fact, in this case we are talking about the maximum frequency; the actual frame rate may be lower than this value, depending on the content being displayed — but not higher.
Theoretically, the higher the frame rate, the smoother the movement on the screen will look, the less moving objects will be blurred. In fact, the situation is such that even in relatively modest modern laptops,
60 Hz matrices are installed — in general, this is quite enough for the human eye, since a further increase in speed (
90 Hz and higher) does not significantly improve the visible “picture”. However, in high-end gaming and multimedia models designed for demanding users, higher values —
120 Hz,
144 Hz,
165 Hz and even
higher, namely
240 Hz and
300 Hz.
Colour gamut (sRGB)
The colour gamut of the laptop matrix according to the Rec.709 colour model or according to sRGB.
Colour gamut describes the range of colours that can be displayed on the screen. It is indicated as a percentage, but not relative to the entire variety of visible colours, but relative to the conditional colour space (colour model). This is due to the fact that no modern screen is able to display all the colours visible to humans. However, the larger the colour gamut, the wider the screen's capabilities, the better its colour reproduction.
Specifically, sRGB and Rec.709 are the most popular of today's colour models; they have the same range and differ only in the scope (sRGB is used in computers, Rec. 709 is used in HDTV). Therefore, the closer
the colour gamut is to 100%, the more accurately the colours on the screen will match the colours that were originally intended by the creator of the film, game, etc. At the same time, note that such accuracy is not particularly needed in everyday use — it critical only for professional work with colour; and even in such cases, it is more convenient to buy a separate monitor with a wide colour gamut for a laptop, rather than looking for a laptop with a high-quality (and, accordingly, expensive) matrix.
Colour gamut (Adobe RGB)
The colour gamut of the laptop matrix according to the Adobe RGB colour model.
Colour gamut describes the range of colours that can be displayed on the screen. It is indicated as a percentage, but not relative to the entire variety of visible colours, but relative to the conditional colour space (colour model). This is due to the fact that no modern screen is able to display all the colours visible to humans. However, the larger the colour gamut, the wider the screen's capabilities, the better its colour reproduction.
The Adobe RGB colour model was originally developed for print applications; the range of colours covered by it corresponds to the capabilities of professional printing equipment. Therefore, theoretically, the extensive coverage of this model will be useful to those involved in the design and layout of high-end printed products. However most laptop screens have very limited Adobe RGB values, rarely exceeding 74%; however, you can also find high-end models where this figure
approaches 100%. Of course, the cost of such laptops will also be appropriate; therefore, it makes sense to pay attention to them, first of all, when the ability to work with colour “on the go” is of key importance. If this is to be done in one place, it may be more justified to buy a separate monitor with a wide colour gamut (especially since a monitor with such characteristics is easier to find than a laptop).
Colour gamut (NTSC)
The colour gamut of the laptop matrix according to the NTSC colour model.
Colour gamut describes the range of colours that can be displayed on the screen. It is indicated as a percentage, but not relative to the entire variety of visible colours, but relative to the conditional colour space (colour model). This is due to the fact that no modern screen is able to display all the colours visible to humans. However, the larger the colour gamut, the wider the screen's capabilities, the better its colour reproduction.
Specifically, NTSC is one of the first colour models created back in 1953 for colour television. It is not used in the production of modern LCD matrices, but is used to describe and compare them. NTSC covers a wider range of colours than sRGB, which is standard in computer technology; therefore, even a small number of percentages in this case corresponds to a fairly wide coverage. For example, a value of
72% or more in NTSC is already considered a good value for use in design and graphics. At the same time, the same NTSC figures on different screens may correspond to different sRGB figures; so if accurate colour reproduction is decisive for you, these details should be clarified before buying.
Also note that among individual monitors, it is easier to find a screen with a wide colour gamut; while it will also cost less than a laptop with similar display characteristics. So choosing a laptop with a h
...igh-end screen makes sense mainly when portability is as important to you as high-quality colour reproduction.Colour gamut (DCI-P3)
The colour gamut of the laptop matrix according to the DCI P3 colour model.
Colour gamut describes the range of colours that can be displayed on the screen. It is indicated as a percentage, but not relative to the entire variety of visible colours, but relative to the conditional colour space (colour model). This is due to the fact that no modern screen is able to display all the colours visible to humans. However, the larger the colour gamut, the wider the screen's capabilities, the better its colour reproduction.
DCI P3 is an advanced colour model primarily used in digital cinemas. It is noticeably more extensive than the standard sRGB, which gives better and more accurate colours. At the same time, in fact, such a model is used mainly for professional film production and other tasks of a similar level; and laptops for such tasks are used quite rarely (although this is also possible). Therefore, coverage according to DCI P3 is very rarely indicated for modern laptops. However it is quite possible to find models on the market with indicators of such coverage at the level of
98% or more, but there are very few of them, and they cost accordingly. So in many cases a more reasonable (and economical) alternative is a separate monitor with good colour gamut; it makes sense to look for a laptop with similar characteristics if the ability to work with colour “on the go”, without being tied to a specific workplace, is fundamen
...tally important to you.HDR
HDR technology format supported by the laptop.
This technology is designed to expand the range of brightness reproduced by the laptop screen; Simply put, an HDR screen will display brighter whites and darker blacks than a regular matrix. In fact, this can significantly improve image quality. First, the expansion of the dynamic range contributes to the brightness and fidelity of colours on the screen; secondly, the visibility of individual details in very bright or very dark areas of the frame is preserved (whereas on a normal screen such details often “sink” in solid white or black).
Note that in order to fully use this function, you need not only
a laptop with HDR, but also the corresponding content (video files recorded in HDR, games where this technology is implemented, etc.). In addition, the laptop must support the HDR format used by the content being played. Nowadays, you can find such options:
— HDR10. Historically the first of the consumer HDR formats, less advanced than those described below, but extremely widespread. In particular, HDR10 is supported by almost all streaming services that provide HDR content at all, and it is also common for Blu-ray discs. Allows you to work with a colour depth of 10 bits (hence the name). At the same time, devices of this format are also compatible with content in HDR10 +, although its quality will be limited by the capabilities of the original HDR10.
...— HDR10+. An improved version of HDR10. With the same colour depth (10 bits), it uses the so-called dynamic metadata, which allows transmitting information about the colour depth not only for groups of several frames, but also for individual frames. This results in an additional improvement in colour reproduction.
Dolby Vision. An advanced standard used particularly in professional cinematography. Allows you to achieve a colour depth of 12 bits, uses the dynamic metadata described above, and also makes it possible to transmit two image options at once in one video stream — HDR and normal (SDR). At the same time, Dolby Vision is based on the same technology as HDR10, so in laptops it is almost guaranteed to be combined with at least HDR10, and even with HDR10 +.NVIDIA G-Sync
Laptop support for
NVIDIA G-Sync technology.
This feature is only found on models equipped with discrete NVIDIA graphics cards. It is used to match the frame rate of the screen and the frame rate of the signal arriving at it — so that these frequencies match. This avoids flickering, twitching, and other image artifacts that can occur due to out-of-sync. This feature is especially useful for games where the frame rate of the video signal can "float" depending on the load on the graphics core; in fact, most laptops with G-Sync are specifically for gaming.
A similar solution for AMD video cards is called FreeSync.