I think 13'' is by far the best laptop screen size

I know it all depends on the person but Ive used two 17'' laptops in the past and a bunch of 15.4'' for the past 5yrs. At first I was hesistant to go 13'' cause I thought it would be too small, but let me tell you it was the best move ive made for laptops in the past 5yrs. I could never go back to 15.4'', 13'' is much more portable, lighter, smaller, and just easier to carry around. The difference is quite substantial. Besides I use a huge LCD at home so I just hook it up to that when needed. But even then working off a 13'' is surprisingly not too small!

 

That's great, but everyone has their own personal preference on the "best" screen size. I've tried netbooks to DTRs and I prefer 14-15" for screen size. Sure I wouldn't mind if my current laptop was a little lighter than its 7+lbs, but I carry it around every day and have gotten used to it.

 

The only other downside is there is considerably less space for cooling or high end components.

 

Not a problem since not many high-end components are paired with such a small screen--the Macbook 13/Pro which gets quite hot thank you.

EDIT:
Alienware M11 is another high-powered new little kid on the block.
And perhaps Sony's ultra portable?

 

This was my point.

 

I agree, 11.6/12.1/13.3 are my favorite sizes.

 

except for Acer 3820TG

it's the currently best 13 inch i can think of ( i5 450M + HD5650 )

too bad it doesn't have a built in dvd, otherwise, it's a hell of a 13 inch that 3820 is

well anyway as for me

i love 15, and as the above poster said, it's just a matter of a personal reference

i went for M11X and it was a disaster for me, yes, i do plug it in my 24inch LCD Monitor when im at home, but when outside use ( which is 40% of the time ), its a pain for me, same goes for my Dell XPS 13, it's too small for me to enjoy the viewing space and i learnt that..

15 is what i truly like

 

Anything that's LED backlight with a 178 viewing angle is good. Being smaller like 13" just means it has a better contrast since the LEDs are placed around the edge. A CCFL backlit 13" is terrible and the 15" is even worse. You probably switched from a 17" CCFL to a 13" LED which is a big diff.

 

You might like this:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...479-what-ideal-size-laptop-couch-surfing.html

 

Except viewing angle is based on panel type, not the backlight. And IPS panels (for 178 degree viewing) are pretty much only in the HP 8540/8740w (15 and 17"). There are a few mods for the 12" X200 to use AFFS+ panel and 13" Fujitsu T5010 uses a MVA panel but viewing angles are much poorer in every other current laptop.

 

Some TN panels have pretty good viewing angles, some have bad.

I am not aware of 13" making contrast higher. Actually typical 13" screens used in Asus, Acer, Dell and HP notebooks are usually quite mediocre, in viewing angles and contrast.

 

Personaly I like 11.6"-13" but I wonder if a study has been made or can be made that would take into account objective factors in order to arrive at an optimal screen size,resolution and distance for maximum comfort and safety for the human eye...

 

To me, 13.3/14 can be the sweetspot for most and I think that may have some backing as you see how many manufactuers are putting out those sizes

 

I prefer 20"...just need a good backpack or integrated carry handle.

 

I like 15.4" laptops, they're large enough for 1920x1200 and small enough to discretely fit in bookbags.

 

I have to agree. I have owned a 15" and a 13" and I think the 13" is the perfect size. It's small enough to be easily portable, but the screen is still big enough to be productive. You can also get some fairly powerful hardware in one. Any smaller (except the mx11, but I think that thing is fugly) they are all netbooks or ULV CPU with integrated GPU.

 

Indeed, 13" and 14" seem to be the sweet spot for viewing and portability.

 

How can there be a single "Best" screen size?
I would love to love smaller screens than 13" but I have a difficult time seeing anything smaller without glasses and that is just a pain in the butt.

I have an M11x and love it in general but it is not easy for me to use.
I also use iPads a lot but have a tough time.

On the other hand I carry 3 machines around most of the time and I am glad they are 13" or smaller and lighter for it.

My 13" MBP has the best combination of size and clarity for me.
I would prefer the 15" MBP but don't want to carry it around.

 

There is no single "best" screen size since everyone has their own preferences.

 

Only if everyone only wanted to do casual gaming on the laptop they own. The HP Envy 14.5 does seem like a very nice "all purpose" machine but when you look at 13 inchers the problem is you are a compromise system and not the best suited for a specific task.

A 13" notebook will not be best at gaming.
A 13" notebook will not be the cheapest on the market.
A 13" notebook will not be the most portable.

But I do agree with you that once you hook up your smaller notebook to an external monitor (which I always recommend those that want to game to do) then the disadvantages of the smaller screen goes away. Plus if you use your laptop at home with the lid closed you will dramatically reduce the wear and tear on the system.

 

really depends on what you use it for,me my laptop is my only computer so i like a bigger screen,17".3, i looked at some 14" models just to small......

 

you must have never used a 14 incher...

 

I'll agree with OP, 12.1-33.3 is the best screen size IMO. I love doing all my work on it.

 

yup, 12.1 to 13.3, perfect size for portability

 

no kidding, its painful going from my wifes 8740w to what many ppl call a GOOD screen on a Macbook Pro or a sony Z

for me I like a 13" for on the road use ( Panasonic CF-30 and ASUS UL30VT ) but for productiviry I prefer my 15-17" units

 

Before I got my X200, I bought only 14" and 15" notebooks. After using my X200 for a few months now, I've no desire to go any bigger. I'd look at a 13" maybe, but my 6-7 pound notebook days are over. Sure you lose a little resolution, but make it back in portability.

 

I'll take my readable 1080p thank you. Anything lower than 900p starts to annoy me because I like multitasking. I've personally used just about every size from netbook to my current laptop, and I can only really work well on 16.5+.
To each their own.

 

Well actually u r correct.My m1330 is quite portable to carry and quite powerful to play cod mw at native res on the go!

 

You reminded me about the new All Powerful. It now reins supreme (up to i7 CPU) in the micro screen category.

 

13" is my favorite ultraportable but for my day to day use 17" is what i own.

 

IMO , 15 inch is best balance for portability and screen size.. as long as u get a 15 inch full HD screen... but really , for me , i prefer 17 inch full HD.. for screen space and easier to read...

 

I still think 15" is still too much weight to carry around if you have a very mobile lifestyle, and it is too big to comfortably use on airplanes in coach class.

 

There is no best balance between portability and screen size. There is only the best balance for your personal needs. Hence personal computer. I don't have a flat panel TV at all or a good lcd computer monitor so I can't hook up my laptop and rock 40 inches of screen space so bigger laptop screens are appealing to me.

Some folks have killer TVs so when they want to root their notebook to a desk, they can plug into their TV and otherwise have great portability. Me? I only need limited portability around my home recording studio and have no intention of using it on the go. Its still more desirable than a desktop because I can mount a laptop over my synthesizer keyboards whereas with a desktop I have to keep running back and forth to hit record/stop/play or to mix tracks I've just recorded.

If someone says they think 13 inchers are the best, that says alot about what that person uses their notebook for. But variety is the spice of life and its nice that these days we can tailor our notebooks to our individual needs.

I agree that the great advantage of notebooks is mobility so the desktop replacement most of the time doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Why not buy a desktop for power and a netbook for portability and get the best of both for less money right? But then I found myself needing a single computer with limited mobility for recording and its not the same buying a desktop and a netbook. Thats the first time a desktop replacement made sense to me but I guess if you don't record, then your needs change accordingly.

 

Hey! How dare you bring logic and reason into a back-and-forth thread about how one person's way must be the right way for everyone!

 

Yeah, you are right. It was more fun when we were girl fighting and pooping in each other's cornflakes. Carry on! My money is on Kent to beat you all. Do me proud buddy!

 

17" all the way baby. Has all the performance I want, with the oh-so-delicious 1920x1200 resolution, a num pad, connectivity options, and good cooling. First the nx9420, now the 8730w, next is something 4 years down the road.

And, my arms don't fall apart with 7.5 pounds of weight. So portability is not a problem.

 

It may be, nevertheless, it's by far the most popular.

 

Well, for a good part of last semester I had both a 12-inch (4:3) and a 15.4-inch (16:10). The 12-inch was a tablet, but otherwise neither had any "special" ability. There were a few cases that made me lean towards each:

*The 12-inch was right light - 3.5 pounds or so - and pretty small. It was quite possible to just toss it in my backpack as a "what the hay, I don't have too many books today" type of object, and thus I probably had it with me on the road more than my 15-inch. The 12-inch won for an always-with-me laptop.
*The 15-inch had a bigger screen (both are matte) and keyboard (and a better keyboard), and thus was more pleasing to use on both the eyes and the hands, and better for multitasking. Thus, any time I was using a laptop for long periods of time (either for fun or for serious work), I'd prefer the 15-inch, even if I was traveling somewhere to do the work. Occasionally I'd even use both laptops at once (when remoting in somewhere), but the 15-inch was the preferred one for general-purpose or long term (serious or fun) usage.
*The 15.4 inch has much better performance. In part this is because it is about 9 months newer, but a large part of it is the size and ability to cram more in. Any gaming required the 15-inch. Anything CPU-intensive ran better on the 15.4-inch. Anything that required more than 2 GB of memory (not much in practice) required the 15.4-inch. And the hard drive on the 12-inch was very slow (making responsiveness suffer considerably). This contributed to the 15-inch winning in general usability.

With new batteries, the 12-inch may have won in that category. In practice, my 15-inch had a better battery life, although not by a whole lot. The extended battery in the 12-inch was the same capacity as the standard one in the 15-inch.

So for me, I'd rather take a 15-inch than a 12 were I to have one laptop. But having a second, small one would be nice, especially a stylus-driven tablet (not slate). As would be having a full-fledged desktop.

I am glad I do not have a full HD screen on my 15-inch, though. Too many DPI are straining on the eyes; I'll take my reasonable-sized pixels.

 

^There's always a way to enlarge the fonts.

15" is the best blend between performance, portability, and productivity.
13" would be better if I can fit 1920x1080 on it, which is rare and only one of the sony Z-series offer this type with premium price.
15" laptops can have high end GPU embedded on it, or reasonably light with good blend of performance CPU and GPU like Sager NP5125.
15" also the smallest size you can fit a full HD where you can look at it comfortably.

 

No it's not a strain on the eyes; you either see what's there, or you don't. Which is to say, screen size is a function of choice and usability.

 

I guess, the determining question is - What for?
Clearly depends on what you do with your laptop.
If the most important factor - portability - 13" might be a good choice.
What if I don't care about the weight of the laptop (as long as it fits comfortably in my backpack along with some paperwork and doesn't look as if I'm going hiking instead of work ) but need a performance in the first place...
The answers are simple

Personally, I like the 17" 1200P screen real estate both for gaming and work.

 

Sony's 16.4" is the best screen size. Straight 16" is second best.

 

The word "best" should really be banned from the English dictionary.

This is a very subjective topic, naturally everyone is going to have different preferences.

That said, in the past I always had 15.4" laptops but recently bought a 13.3" for portability. I like the size a lot though I wish better resolutions were available. 1366x768 is acceptable IMO in 13.3" and under but 1600x900 would be nicer.

 

That would be fine....I'd have no problem defining what the best is without a dictionary. :wink:

 

Ahah!
I dont like 13 incher much either, I find it too small for multitasking. But I can get used to it..
Though I don't see myself with a 13" laptop as my main rig.. I'll probably have one 13" laptop + big and powerful laptop/desktop.

 

I agree with users that say that 12" and 13" laptops are the best. I personally agree, but I also don't use my laptop for anything that demanding. I love the portability and battery life of a lot of these computers.

 

Since the Thinkpad 570 and Portege 7020 from the end 90´s, I think it´s a good size for notebooks; not as big as 14" and not small as 12": a good balance.

 

I love my 17.3" laptop...

 

is there any major screen difference between 13.3" and 14.1"??

 

Yeah, about 0.8".