Comparison Asus Vivobook 15X OLED K3504VA [K3504VA-MA221] vs Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED M6500QC [M6500QC-L1123]

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.

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.

The maximum brightness that a laptop screen can provide.

The brighter the ambient light, the brighter the laptop screen should be, otherwise the image on it may be difficult to read. And vice versa: in dim ambient light, high brightness is unnecessary — it greatly burdens the eyes (however, in this case, modern laptops provide brightness control). Thus, the higher this indicator, the more versatile the screen is, the wider the range of conditions in which it can be effectively used. The downside of these benefits is an increase in price and energy consumption.

As for specific values, many modern laptops have a brightness of 250 – 300 nt and even lower. This is quite enough for working under artificial lighting of medium intensity, but in bright natural light, visibility may already be a problem. For use in sunny weather (especially outdoors), it is desirable to have a brightness margin of at least 300 – 350 nt. And in the most advanced models, this parameter can be 350 – 400 nt and even more.

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.

Laptop display certification for safe blue light emission levels and panel flicker rates. The presence of a TÜV Rheinland certificate confirms that the screen is comfortable for the eyes.

TÜV Rheinland is a large international concern headquartered in Cologne, Germany, providing a wide range of audit services. The company's specialists have developed and approved a number of tests for the compliance of the screens of mobile devices, monitors and TVs with the required level of eye protection from the harmful effects of display radiation on the user's vision on the other side of the screen. The authoritative opinion of TÜV Rheinland is respected in the tech community. Certificates from this body are issued to successfully tested electronics for the implementation of blue light filtering and screen flicker suppression technologies.

VESA DisplayHDR certified, which corresponds to a screen that supports HDR technology.

See above for more details on this technology. And VESA DisplayHDR is an open standard that defines the overall image quality on an HDR screen by a number of parameters — brightness, colour depth, etc. Based on the test results, a screen that meets the required parameters is assigned a certain certificate with a numerical designation. So, the minimum level is DisplayHDR 400, the maximum is DisplayHDR 1400 (although in laptops, as of the end of 2020, there are no screens higher than DisplayHDR 1000). The number in such a designation is indicated by the brightness that the screen must provide: for example, DisplayHDR 400 must produce at least 400 cd / m2. Accordingly, a higher number denotes more extensive display capabilities and more advanced HDR performance.

A separate case is the DisplayHDR True Black certifications. This standard was specifically created for so-called emissive displays such as OLED (see "Matrix type"), which are capable of displaying very deep blacks. The native brightness of such displays is not very high — in particular, the current DisplayHDR 400 True Black and DisplayHDR 500 True Black provide a total screen brightness of only 250 and 300 cd / m2, respectively (against 400 and 500 cd / m2 in the original standards, without the addition " True Black"). However, in terms of black transmission efficiency, such di...splays surpass conventional HDR counterparts by orders of magnitude, which gives a noticeable increase in image quality — in particular, the mentioned True Black standards with indexes 400 and 500 win even when compared with conventional DisplayHDR 1000. However, it should be taken into account that that this advantage is most noticeable in relatively dim ambient light.

Each series combines chips that are similar in general level, purpose, and often also in individual specific features. At the same time, most series include processors of several generations at once, which can differ significantly in actual characteristics. It is worth noting that until recently, laptops were almost exclusively equipped with processors from AMD or Intel - until in 2020, Apple introduced its own chip Apple M1(with updated versions of Apple M1 Pro and Apple M1 Max), Apple M2(2022) with productive chips M2 Pro, M2 Max and Apple M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max(2023). Then Qualcomm entered the arena with its Snapdragon processors.

At the moment, the following series are mainly relevant in laptops:

— AMD Ryzen 3. The cheapest series of AMD chips in the Ryzen family (Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7, Ryzen 9 and Ryzen AI), using the Zen microarchitecture. In ter...ms of general design, Ryzen 3 is similar to its older brothers, but half of the computing cores are deactivated. Nevertheless, it is quite advanced and is even found in ultrabooks.

— Ryzen 5. The second series on the Zen architecture is a more affordable alternative to the Ryzen 7 chips. Ryzen 5 chips have slightly more limited performance characteristics (in particular, a lower clock frequency and, in some models, L3 cache volume). Otherwise, they are completely similar to the "sevens" and are also positioned as high-performance chips for gaming and workstations. For more details, see "Ryzen 7" below.

— Ryzen 7. The first series of processors from AMD, built on the Zen microarchitecture. It was introduced in March 2017. In general, Ryzen chips (of all series) are promoted as high-end solutions for gamers, developers, graphic designers and video editors. One of the main differences between Zen and previous microarchitectures was the use of simultaneous multithreading, due to which the number of operations per clock was significantly increased at the same clock frequency. In addition, each core received its own floating-point calculation unit, the speed of the first-level cache memory increased, and the L3 cache volume in Ryzen 7 chips is 16 MB by default.

— Ryzen 9. AMD Ryzen 9 processors on the Zen microarchitecture debuted in 2019. The series became the top among all Ryzens, displacing Ryzen 7 from this position. First of all, the CPU line is usually used for professional tasks (design, video editing, 3D rendering), games, streaming and other high-load applications. The first Ryzen 9 models had 12 cores and 24 threads, in later ones this number was increased to 16 and 32, respectively.

— Ryzen AI. The Ryzen series of processors with artificial intelligence was launched in 2024. The first in the lineup was the AMD Ryzen AI 300 subfamily. It introduces the new Zen 5 computing core architecture, has integrated RDNA 3.5 graphics, and a powerful XDNA 2 neural processor with a performance of up to 50 TOPS (trillion operations per second). The Ryzen AI chips are perfect for a wide range of tasks — from everyday work to complex calculations using AI algorithms.

— Atom. Processors specially developed by Intel for mobile devices (including smartphones). Used mainly in ultra-compact laptops.

— Core M. Processors designed for portable devices (in particular, ultra-compact laptops) and featuring extremely low heat generation, allowing the use of passive cooling systems. They were introduced in 2014 as the first serial chips using the 14 nm process technology.

— Celeron. The most budget series in the modern line of desktop processors from Intel. However, the latest generations are equipped with integrated graphics.

— Pentium. Budget desktop processors from Intel, slightly superior in characteristics to Celeron, but not up to the Core i3. Also have integrated graphics.

— Processor. A line of entry-level processors that precedes the Core i3 family in Intel's modern hierarchy. These chipsets are found in entry-level laptops designed for everyday home or office use, as well as undemanding games.

— Intel Core i3 / Core 3. A series of entry-level and mid-range processors, the most budget-friendly in the Core family. However, in terms of characteristics and computing power, the processors of this line are superior to the Pentium and Celeron series (see above).

— Intel Core i5 / Core 5. A line of mid-range processors — both in general and by the standards of the Core family in particular. Most often, the processors of the series contain from 4 to 10 cores, and in terms of performance, they are between the relatively inexpensive i3 (Core 3) and the powerful i7 (Core 7).

— Intel Core i7 / Core 7. A series of high-performance processors from Intel. Before the i9, it was the most advanced in the Core family, but then it gave way to the "nine". Core 7 chips have at least 4 cores and integrated graphics.

— Core i9. Top-end processors released in 2017; the most powerful line of consumer-grade notebook processors at the time of their release, displacing Core i7 chips from this position. They have 6 cores and a large L3 cache.

— Core Ultra 5. A transformation of the popular series of mobile processors of the strong mid-range Intel Core i5, which received the Ultra prefix since the end of 2023 — when the Meteor Lake generation of chipsets debuted. The main feature of the Core Ultra 5 processors is a separate NPU, which gives advantages when working with AI models.

— Core Ultra 7. A pre-top series of high-performance mobile processors from Intel, which replaced the Core i7 family at the end of 2023 (with the advent of the new generation of Meteor Lake chipsets). A mandatory attribute of the Ultra models has become a neural coprocessor, responsible for accelerating the operation of artificial intelligence algorithms.

— Core Ultra 9. The most powerful line of laptop processors from Intel, released to replace the Core i9 family at the end of 2023. The premiere of models with the Ultra addition took place in the Meteor Lake chipset generation. A distinctive feature of Intel Core Ultra 9 is the presence of a separate NPU to improve the efficiency of using artificial intelligence models.

— Apple. A series of processors from Apple, which debuted in November 2020 with the release of the next generations of MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. In the initial configurations, they are equipped with 8 cores - 4 productive and 4 economical; the latter, according to the creators, consume 10 times less energy than the former. This, combined with the 5 nm process technology, made it possible to achieve very high energy efficiency and, at the same time, performance. It is also worth noting that the processors of this series are made according to the system-on-chip scheme: a single module combines a CPU, a graphics adapter, RAM (in the first models - 8 or 16 GB), a solid-state NVMe drive and some other components (in particular, Thunderbolt 4 controllers).

— Snapdragon. Snapdragon processors are essentially mobile solutions — they are traditionally installed in smartphones and tablets. Separate lines of Snapdragon chips have been released specifically for laptops (for example, X Elite on ARM architecture). Many laptops based on such processors are equipped with built-in LTE or even 5G modules. Their advantage is also high energy efficiency.

The specific model of the processor installed in the laptop, or rather, the processor index within its series (see above). Knowing the full name of the processor (series and model), you can find detailed information on it (up to practical reviews) and clarify its capabilities.

The code name for CPU installed in the laptop.

This parameter characterizes, first of all, the generation to which the processor belongs, and the microarchitecture used in it. At the same time, chips with different code names can belong to the same microarchitecture/generation; in such cases, they differ in other parameters - general positioning, belonging to certain series (see above), the presence / absence of certain specific functions, etc.

Nowadays, the following code names are relevant in Intel processors: Coffee Lake, Comet Lake, Ice Lake, Tiger Lake, Jasper Lake, Alder Lake, Raptor Lake (13th Gen), Alder Lake-N, Raptor Lake (14th Gen), Meteor Lake (Series 1), Raptor Lake (Series 1), Lunar Lake (Series 2). For AMD, the list looks like this: Zen 2 Renoir, Zen 2 Lucienne, Zen 3 Cezanne, Zen 3 Barcelo, Zen 3+ Rembrandt, Zen 3+ Rembrandt R, Zen 2 Mendocino, Zen 3 Barcelo R, Zen 4 Dragon Range, Zen 4 Phoenix Zen 4 Hawk Point, Zen 5 Strix Point. Detailed data on different code names can be found in special sources.