A guide to understanding 1080p and how it effects laptops

So many of us ask the same question when considering a laptop purchase: is it worth me paying more for a 1080p screen upgrade? There is no definitive answer to that question, but let's take the time to understand what exactly "1080p" is.

1920x1080 (1080p), is a measurement of the pixels both horizontally and vertically. 1920 is the width and the 1080 is the height. The higher the number of pixels, the greater the detail an image can have in the given space.

The aspect ratio (AR) of 1080p is 16:9, or to put it simply, the ratio of the width to the height. It does not matter how large or small the screen is, you'll get the same amount of picture with a 16:9 AR (nothing cropped). A 15.6" laptop at 1080p will show the exact same amount of picture as a 60" 1080p LED LCD HDTV in your home theater. This is not to be confused with the size of the screen and how large the picture appears when looked at. In other words, a 3x5 photograph enlarged to poster size is still the same photograph, just bigger (if the ratio stays the same during enlargement).

You also have to consider screen quality when shopping for a laptop. Color gamut, to put it in layman's terms, is the color "reproduction" of an image that can be affected by various components used in the construction of a laptop screen. Matte (anti-glare) screens often reduce the color gamut down to anywhere from 60-72% of the original or true color of an image. High gloss screens (glare type) may have a higher color gamut, with some like the Dell XPS 15 1080p reaching 95% color gamut. These become VERY reflective and may cause frustration if used outdoors or in a well lit room. Technology has advanced to where you can buy matte screens with a high color gamut, but you'll pay a premium for them.

I have gone over all of this in order to lead up to the next point: what about 1600x900 (900p) resolution vs. 1920x1080 resolution? BOTH are 16:9 AR and will show the exact same amount of a picture when watching a Blu-ray. The 1080p screen will have slightly better detail in the quality of the picture due to the higher pixel count, HOWEVER, on a screen that small it is hard for the human eye to really notice. More about this later.

By the same token, a poor to medium quality 1080p screen with a color gamut of 72% will not be as crisp, bright and clear as a 900p screen with a 95% color gamut. This is where you have to do your research when shopping for a laptop. Yes there are several mainstream companies out there that will sell you a laptop with a 1080p screen upgrade, but many times it is just a marketing gimmick because the color gamut will probably be around the 72% mark, especially if the price is "too good to be true." Ask to see documented specs on the laptop screen. I know Dell offers this on their website, whereas HP does not.

Another consideration is the viewing distance from the screen, which will affect how much detail the human eye, at a perfect 20/20 vision, can actually see. For a 15.6" or a 17.3" screen, anything beyond 18" viewing range and you won't be able to tell the difference between 1600x900 and 1920x1080. The same goes for your home theater HDTV...you have to find the "sweet spot" for viewing (there are numerous articles on the internet about viewing distance). Some will argue against this but the human eye "sees" what it wants to, especially when you know you paid $$$ for something.

Lastly, a 1080p screen will make the Windows icons smaller than a 900p screen, and will give you more "room" to work with on your screen. The problem here is if you have poor eyesight, you may not want to bother with 1080p.

So is a 1080p screen upgrade worth it for your laptop? That is up to you and your laptop needs, the quality (color gamut) of the screen, the viewing distance, your desired frame rates (1080p fps is ~25% lower than 900p fps), lighting conditions, your eyesight, and how fat your wallet is.

If you ask around, you'll get varied answers with some people swearing up and down to go for the 1080p, even though you (or they) don't need it. They are all about having the latest and greatest at whatever expense. Fortunately there are those of us around who are more practical and don't jump on bandwagons quite as easily.

 

The main difference is that you can fit a lot more on the screen at 1080p than you can at 1600x900 or 1366x768. When you're gaming or watching a movie, pixel count isn't nearly as important as when you're trying to use Firefox and Word side-by-side.

 

Great post. I would also like to add that more pixels are always valuable for certain tasks, such as coding. Like you say, one should always consider expected tasks before choosing a resolution.

 

Another thing is most higher resolution panels will have a higher nit screen, higher color gamut, better viewing angles and overall will be a better quality screen.

Or you can just a DreamColor 2.