TFT, Matte, Glossy, Flexview, too many screens im lost

There has to be a review on all the different screens available today.

My dilema is between a 14.1" T60 Thinkpad versus a 15.0" Flewview T60 Thinkpad.

14.1 inch SXGA+ IPS (1400x1050) TFT Display with wide viewing angle and high density display

versus

15.0 inch SXGA+ (1400x1050) TFT FlexView Display with wide viewing angle and high density display

I have no idea which is better. 14.1" is IPS while 15.0" is flewview...those mean nothing to me

And is TFT matte?

 

TFT matte is a standard screen without any of the gloss many notebook screens now have. Just like most desktop LCDs out there.

 

I believe the Flexview is IPS. If you look at the Lenovo (IBM) reference guide (see sticky under Lenovo forum) you can see the specs on each computer. I don't think the 14" T60 comes with a Flexview/IPS screen. I have not seen one yet, but there has been considerable discussion on the forum that IPS is a superior quality screen (wider viewing angles).

 

there are really only 3 things you need to understand when it comes to LCDs:

1. Resolution; this is defined either with a numerical designation like 1024x768, 1920x1200, etc. or an anagram like XGA, WUXGA, etc. If using numerals, then the first # indicates the number of pixels across the LCD's horizontal axis, the 2nd # indicates the number of pixels across the LCD's vertical axis. Rule of thumb: higher pixel density means crisper, but smaller text and images / lower pixel density means larger, but less crisp images and text. Each resolution has an anagram as well; 1024x768 = XGA, 1920x1200 = WUXGA, etc.

2. Glossy vs. Matte; Independent of an LCD's resolution is the choice of a glossy or matte screen. Different companies use different names for the glossy feature. If you've ever seen one, it's easy to tell the difference between the glossy and the matte, if you've never seen one, go to a computer store and check it out for yourself. Matte screens are the ones that have been standard an laptops up until recently so if you've ever seen a notebook that's more than a couple years old, you know what a matte screen is.

3. Viewing angle; this is less apparent to the user, but it's the ability of the LCD to provide wide viewing angles meaning that the threshold for losing the image is higher than the non-wide-angle LCD counterparts.

all three of the above factors are technically independent of each other meaning that there is no reason that you couldn't have either a low or high resolution LCD with or without the glossy feature. however, most manufacturers only offer certain combinations.

 

IPS is the better LCD technology (viewing angles, colors). IBM's Flexview is IPS. Flexview only comes on 15" models, no matter what the Lenovo website may mistakenly tell you. All IBM's screens are matte.

 

Please read my discussion here on the other forum, I think the IPS may come on one model of the 14.1"

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=46522&page=2