UL30A: Not LED backlit?

I finally received my UL30A back from ASUS, and I noticed that there's a sticker on the bottom that says something to the effect of "This product contains a mercury backlight, please dispose of properly." And yet there are stickers on the front that say it's LED backlit. How can I tell if it really is, short of ripping the computer apart?

 

Not sure about this, but I think the easiest way would be to use a program called everest to look up your detailed monitor specifications.

You might not even need everest though, all you really need is to find the model number (sometimes it tells you right in windows) and do a quick search.

 

Well, the hardware ID on the monitor comes up with AUO102C, which Google tells me is LED backlit. I can certainly see why people complain about the display. For an LED backlit monitor it's definitely not great. That said, I plan to use this for office tasks and very minor gaming, so the display quality isn't exactly essential.

 

There you go.

From the model number I can tell it's an AU optronics, which are notorious for their poor displays. My G50 has an AUO screen, and it's pretty terrible.

 

is asus pretty notorious for bad screens? im in the market for a new laptop and am thinking of going with an asus because it seems to have a decent reputation and the price seems reasonable for what i am looking for. i am thinking of getting the new n71jq, but am disappointed that it isnt led back-lit. maybe these subpar screens are the reason the price is so reasonable on the new models.

 

I wouldn't say asus is notorious for bad screens. Almost all the lower res notebook screens are pretty nasty, I believe.

In notebooks with higher res screens (1680x1050 and above) the quality is usually much better all around (contrast, viewing angles, etc), but they are more expensive.

In my G50, I'm almost positive they were selling for as cheap as they were because asus cut costs in the screen, though.

My advice would be to go for 1650x1050 or higher, and read reviews for whatever notebook you want to get. It's worth the homework =p

 

ive been looking for a new notebook since at least november of last year. it seems there are always corners cut or at least one issue deficient in any brand/model notebook ive looked at (keeping in mind a budget). im glad ive waited off until now to buy in that im hoping to get at least 4 years out of this computer. i can now get something that supports directx11 and usb 3.0, which i imagine will be the standard over that time period. ideally id like a 1650x1050 or higher screen, but i think i might bite the bullet and buy the n71jq because it fits what i want spec-wise and has what i hope to be at least a decent screen (1600x900, but unfortunately not led back-lit).