Contemporary IBM/Lenovo displays comparative to Dell's

I'm in the market for a laptop for my engineering/Bs.C. EE study computing needs, leaning towards Dual core models by either IBM/Lenovo or Dell.
I started my own "which laptop to buy" thread in the appropriate forum.
Meanwhile I'm collecting an info, opinions, reviews on relevant models and brands, creating comparative Excel summarizing these models features.
I noticed that the general trend suggests that Dell models (mainly 620 and 820) come with larger resolution/newer technology screens then their competetive models by IBM/Lenovo and which sounds weird to me.
For instance, regular Dell 620/820 contain of WUXGA 1920x1200/1680x1050 UltraSharp TFT, while IBM/Lenovo offerings in similar price range either WXGA 1280x800 TFT AntiGlare or maximum 1680x1050 VibrantView displays.
Does that mean that in general Dell's laptop displays in particular price range are indeed better then IBM/Lenovo ?
Also, what does mean VibrantView as comparative to AntiGlare and UltarSharp ? What is good and bad about those ?

Thansk, Alex

 

i think you may be misunderstanding several things about the situation.

dell's 620 is not capable of wuxga 1920x1200 resolutions. it is, however, the only 14" widescreen notebook that is wxga+ capable (1440x900).

"better" when it comes to LCDs is somewhat subjective. what do you mean by "better"?

besides resolution, a couple other things that differentiate LCDs are glossy versus matte screens (you can easily see the difference between these two by going to a computer store) and increased viewing angle screens. each company has its own terms for these things so you have to research and find out which terms mean what.

 

OK, thanks, understood.
But what is the general consensus about screen qualities when comparing
Dell's 620 with competitive IBM/Lenovo ? and similar question regarding Dell's 820 comparative to IBM/Lenovo counterparts ?

In fact, I'm narrowing my choices to either N100 by Lenovo or D620, or in somewhat higher category (if I'll be able to spring a bit more cash): D820 or competitive IBM/Lenovo (should it be T60 ? or which ?). One of the main differences between these (Dell/IBM wise) are screens (their resolution and terms definition) and this issue confuses me.

Thanks, Alex

 

I would say they are similar from the Latitides I have seen, but I personally have not seen the newer d620 or d820. ThinkPad's 15" SXGA and UXGA FlexView screens are the best matte screen you will find. The N100's screen is glossy which is a completely different type of screen.

 

Thanks, that helps.
So what is this new glossy type and how it stacks up against it's competitvely priced counterparts ? Unfortunately I have no option of seeing them personally prior to making up my mind, will have to decide and order remotely.
Aside from resolution differences (albeit this also matters), what can be preferable quality-wise:
IBM/Lenovo: 15.4" WXGA TFT AntiGlare 1280x800 (this is of N100), 15.4" WXGA 1680x1050 TFT VibrantView (also of N100)

Dell: 15.4" WUXGA UltraSharp TFT 1920x1200, 5.4" WUXGA UltraSharp TFT 1680x1050 ?

 

Higher resolutions/PPI & glare finishes are not necessarily better (I personally prefer ~ 100 PPI for Win XP & strongly prefer anti-glare matte finishes-I only like the glossy-glaretypes at night).

You might want to check out:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=52150

Here's the review for the ThinkPad T60 with Flexview screen utilizing IPS technology:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2864&review=ThinkPad+T60+(Think+Express+Model)

P.S. - I do have a notebook with 124.1 PPI (14.1 " @ 1400 x 1050 res) & PDF files (view setting : fit visible) look great but the web even in Opera browser & many other apps are not optimized for such a high res/PPI. I'm hoping Vista will help high res displays (though graphics on the web will remain small for bandwidth reasons) so until then I prefer ~ 100 PPI as Apple describes in aforementioned link.

I've also noticed the higher the PPI, the more visible the anti-glare finish is (its rougher finish diffuses the light) that I otherwise really appreciate as I work in well illuminated areas. I haven't seen high resolution IPS technology in person yet but definitely will by the time Vista is released.

 

Glossy vs matte is completely a presonal preference. Glossy screens are coated so colors are sharper and more vibrant. They do produce more glare which bothers some. If you can check some out before you buy I would recommend it as the screen is one of the most important things. For a 15.4" screen I personally would prefer a WSXGA+ screen, but again it is a personal preference.