E6520: 1600x900 vs. 1920x1080 Display options?

It's time to think about upgrading my 3-year old Latitude E6400 and I'm considering moving up in size to an E6520 (15.6" vs. my current 14.1").

My E6400 has the upgraded 1400x900 LED display. Since the E6520's standard 1366x768 display would be a downgrade, I'm only considering the 1600x900 and 1920x1080 options.

If I was ordering it to spec, the 1920x1080 display would be a no-brainer. But I'm shopping in the Dell Outlet and the 1920x1080 isn't as common as the 1600x900.

Spec-wise, the main differences appear to be the max. brightness (250nits vs. 300nits) and contrast ratio (500:1 vs. 600:1) in favor of the 1920x1080. But I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has seen either in person and can offer any input....

THANKS!

 

See post 22 here http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-latitude-vostro-precision/565905-e6520-owners-thread-3.html
Also post 71 refers to full HD and the dude seems very pleased
I am in the market also (to replace a D610, my 10th Dell.... long story)
Personaly I had to get new glasses just to see desktop icons at native resolution (1080) on 17 " screen..

 

Readability should be the main concern, not specs like brightness or contrast ratio. Text size will be considerably smaller on 1920x1080, which could cause eye strain or require glasses (of course, this varies depending on personal preferance, age, vision acuity, etc.). Unless you need to view large, detailed documents, it's generally not a good choice.

1600x900 on 15.6" will have approximately the same text size as 1440x900 on 14.1", so it shouldn't be an issue. I would go with 1600x900 to be safe.

 

I totally disagree. I use 1920x1080 @ Dell M4600 with increased DPI and the point for me is that fonts looks much better when rendered in high resolution.

 

Increased DPI can cause various problems and many programs (and icons) don't scale well...I would consider it to be a last resort.

 

I have been lurking in this forum for a long time. The message above finally got me to register.
Using the dpi setting in Windows should not be any mean last resort. Many people in high dpi machine such as the Sony Vaio Z have used it for years without problem. It used to be a problem in Windows XP and even Vista time, but apps have evolved and Windows 7 offers controls that allow fine tuning. I have personally used 120dpi for many years (first on various Dell Latitude D8x0 1920x1200 screens and now on a Sony Z) and love it. In Windows 7 you can decide either to scale dpi unaware apps (idiot proof but less eye pleasing) or let them at their original resolution (makes some apps such as Adobe CS appear a bit tiny). The second mode (which I use) works better for moderate dpi adjustment such as 120dpi which is typically fine for a 1920x1080 on a 15.6 inch screen. I have not used higher dpi setting such as 140 so I can't comment on higher values.
I have been a big fan of high dpi screen for ages and I am delighted to see Apple finally forcing the issue with the current IPhone, and probably the new IPad. It is a set of unfortunate issues in Windows XP which delayed the widespread usage of high dpi screen. Printers have used various high dpi for ages without any issues. High dpi is a key factor to make text much more legible on LCD screen.
Obviously, just my opinion, but it is worth trying for yourself.
Michel

 

I ordered a E6520 today. I'm typing this on my >3 years old E6400.

For me, it was a no-brainer to choose the high resolution display. I didn't really think of the consequences though.. now I'm a bit worried!

 

If you order the 1080p panel, you can always lower the resolution to 1600x900 if you so choose to.

 

For the 1920x1080, I've only ever seen one panel used: The LG LP156WF1 (TP)(B1). It's an excellent display.

For the 1600x900, I've seen two: The LG LP156WD1 and some Samsung panel. The LG was almost comparable to the 1920x1080 display. The Samsung, while it had good contrast and acceptable overall image quality, seemed to appear subjectively less saturated, and seemed to have lighting uniformity issues. Still an acceptable display, but not as good as the LG.

 

Hahaha, true.. stupid me!