The best laptop display for you

• Laptop displays have four main characteristics:
• The resolution, which is the number of pixels of the display
• Panel technology, which can be TN, IPS, OLED
• Surface type, which can be matte or glossy
• Color gamut (sRGB), which means how many colors the display is able to reproduce

These characteristics are further discussed in this article.

We will now just briefly explain which display characteristics matter the most for the four most common usage scenarios.

• Office work
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 or better
• Panel technology – doesn’t matter
• Surface type – matte
• Color gamut – doesn’t matter

For office work, it is highly recommended to get a laptop with at least FullHD resolution (1920 x 1080). This is the standard resolution for which most applications are well optimised, making it best for productivity. For those that have good eyesight and a bigger wallet, going for resolutions higher than FullHD, such as QHD (2550×1440) or UHD (3840×2160) can provide a productivity advantage. However, be advised that on higher resolutions, older applications may not display correctly.

In addition, it is desirable, to go for a laptop with a “matte” display surface, in order to avoid reflections in highly lit rooms or outside on sunny days.

Color gamut (sRGB) and panel technology do not really matter in this case.

• Watching movies
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 or better (1366×768 for low budgets)
• Panel technology – IPS
• Surface type – glossy
• Color gamut – 80% sRGB

For watching movies, it is very important to buy a laptop with an IPS display, because they keep the image brightness and color quality constant even when viewed from wide angles. OLED displays are similar to IPS in this regard, just much more expensive.

Resolution wise, it is recommended to go for a FullHD (1920 x 1080) display, but if money is an issue, an HD (1366 x 768) display should work fine as well.

For movie watching, the color gamut is not that important, though the experience would be enhanced if the display has over 80% sRGB. For the display surface, it is better to be glossy, because it makes the colors pop up more, especially in a dark room.

• Gaming
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 or 2560×1440 for higher budgets
• Panel technology – doesn’t matter
• Surface type – doesn’t matter
• Color gamut – 80% sRGB
• Refresh rate: 120 Hz or better. The refresh rate is the frequency with which the image changes on the display, most laptops have 60 Hz refresh rate.

Games require displays that can change the image fast to keep everything smooth and fluid. Traditionally, TN displays are better for gaming because they have low delay times and offer higher refresh rates (120 Hz or above). Lately, IPS displays have managed to catch up with TN technology in this regard, so it does not matter if the display is TN or IPS as long as it has the same refresh rate.

A higher color gamut can enhance the gaming experience, but it is not mandatory.

Resolution wise, most games are optimised for FullHD resolution, but if the video card is strong enough, a higher resolution will improve the experience.

The display surface does not matter for gaming.

• Photo editing
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 or better
• Panel technology – IPS
• Surface type – doesn’t matter
• Color gamut – 90% sRGB

For photo editing, it is highly recommended to have a display with IPS or OLED technology. IPS displays have much better brightness distribution across the surface and keep color quality constant even when viewed from wide angles.

Secondly, it is necessary to have a display with high color gamut coverage, 90% sRGB is the minimum for this type of work. It is important to note here, that while a display may have a high color gamut, it might still have a poor color reproduction. That is when colors have mismatched representation, for instance, the display is showing red in an image where it should be showing blue. This can be fixed through display calibration done by the user or by using a third party calibration profile, usually available for download on the internet.

Resolution is also very important for photo editing, the higher the better. Thus, a FullHD 1920×1080 resolution is the minimum. Surface type does not make much of a difference for photo editing.

• Video editing
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 or better
• Panel technology – doesn’t matter
• Surface type – doesn’t matter
• Color gamut – 80% sRGB

The type of display needed for video editing depends a lot on the type of video editing done. If the video editing is mostly playing around with frames, like cutting them, moving them, rearranging them. Then it is not necessary to have a high-quality display. Usually, just a FullHD (1920 x 1080) resolution display is enough.

Having good sRGB coverage is recommended, but not critical. Surface type and panel technology also should not matter much.

However, if the video editing requires also editing the frames themselves, like applying various color filters, then the same requirements for photo editing apply for video editing.

High-quality TN displays or TN WVA (wide viewing angles)

These are TN displays, which have been greatly improved. They have great color gamut and viewing angles and benefit from high refresh rates (120 Hz and above). However, they still suffer from brightness and color variations across the surface, making them less suitable for photo editing. These are excellent displays for gaming and movie watching. Sometimes retailers will describe them as “IPS like” or “IPS quality”.