who still makes laptops with good screens narrower than 16:9?

I'm talking about 14'' laptop or thereabouts.
But if you know of somewhat bigger or smaller laptops with great screens, please post.

Ideally I'd want a 4:3 14'' or 15'' laptop. I can probably settle for 16:10 13'' or 14''. But 16:9 is an insane form factor... no way!

And I'd rather have a good screen like a nice, bright IPS or PVA. I can settle for an OK screen but I want better than most laptop displays made in the 2006-2009 timeframe. I haven't looked at the newer models so I don't know if the average quality has improved recently.

I'm somewhat familiar with the Thinkpad models (I like their keyboards) so I know that that I might find a rare 4:3 T61 second-hand and that I can buy 16:10 T410s.
But I'm not familiar with the offerings of other manufacturers. So please tell me who has good screens nowadays!

 

There are no 14'' with good screens, and practically never where.
Good screen laptops:

lenovo x220 (ips)
sony vaio Z (great TN panel)
dell xps 15
w520
precision something something the 15'' model (those 3 use the same panel, which is a good TN panel)
8560w (dont remember the tech behind dream color 2)
mbp (all of them)

4:3 has died, and reincarnated as 16:10, which died in a car crash when it was a baby and reincarnated as 16:9.

Basically go used or go apple

IPS and PVA screen where harder to find, now its kind of easier, but they are 16:9

You are kidding right? nowadays? its like going on a date with someone and saying will call you someday, and you call, only 4 years after that!

Do please fill in the form because aside the screen I have no pertinent information so that I can help you

 

Reading your thread title for the first time, I thought you were referring to a screen aspect ratio more extreme than 16:9 (e.g. 16:8).

You'll be stuck looking at older second-hand notebooks if you make 16:10 a requirement. 16:10 is an exception now and has been for the last two-three years, nearly all notebooks being sold have moved on to 16:9. You might find 4:3 on a couple of obscure tablets or ruggedized notebooks, otherwise that is extinct (disappeared around 2005-06 at the latest).

It is tough to find a notebook without a run-of-the-mill TN-type screen unless you spend $1,000+, and even then you have very limited choices. Non-TN-type panels are extremely rare, I can count the number of notebooks sold with IPS/PVA, etc, on my fingers.

We need more information as noted, if you could provide specs on what you are looking for (I want a laptop that does this, this, and this ... and my preferences are ____), that would help. I recommend creating a thread in the What Should I Buy forum and filling out this questionnaire:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...ould-i-buy-form-must-read-before-posting.html

You could mitigate the problem of finding a good screen if you are willing to use an external monitor.

 

Thanks MM but I'm not interested in 16:9.
And 12'' is not big enough. 13'', maybe.
I can settle for a less-than-ideal display if I need to (some of the ancient 14'' would be OK) but 16:9 is simply unacceptable.

Is Apple really my only option?

I'm not sure what's your issue with "nowadays". If you want a timeframe, I'm interested in your ideas about anything made after 2008 (I know which older models to get). I can buy used or new.
The display is the only part I want help with. There aren't going to be many models with a display worth considering (if any) and I can handle it from there.

 

If your usage requirements aren't high and you are looking for a high resolution panel, you could look at the old school x series ThinkPads. Some x61 come with SXGA+ Flexview IPS screen. I don't think officially any 14" ThinkPads came with Flexview, only 15". If you don't need IPS, plenty of 16:10 ThinkPads with high resolution panels (many s series ThinkPads like my T410s have WXGA+). _60/61 were the last 4:3 ThinkPads. If you buy a _60/61 ThinkPad, avoid the Nvidia GPUs.

 

Yeah, a T410 or T410s would be an option. But MacBook Pros have better displays, right? I'd prefer a Thinkpad or a nice HP if there was no big difference between the screens.

T60s are getting too old. I don't think getting panel replacements to brighten them up is going to get easier. And they've got that annoying cooling problem to being with.

 

My issue with the timeline was that I was having fun and the lack of logical connections.

the t410s is going to be your best bet, 14'' never had good panels to begin with, so at least get one that is appropriate in terms of aspect ratio and resolution.

and the mbp display is good, but the 13'' is low res, I know I suffer when Im dealing with dreamweaver without a external monitor (since I usually split the screen), since you arent into powerful processors, you can look for the mba with its 1440*900 screen

 

dell latitude E6410, this is last year model. It has a 14.1" screen with a 16:10 ration.

 

Many Toughbooks come with 4:3 ratios, except they cost a fortune.

 

Yeah, as far as I can tell the only affordable 4:3 Toughbooks are subnotebooks.

The resolution is not an issue, MM. The dimensions of the laptop is.
15'' and 14'' work in 4:3. I'd be using a 14'' if it wasn't for the display quality issue. But it seems no one made such laptops since 2008.
The trouble with 15'' is that it's too wide in 16:10.
So what I need to determine is if I could get used to a 13'' 16:10 Apple.
I'm afraid it would not be deep enough and that I might as well settle for a 14'' 16:9 in spite of their ridiculous width.

It seems Apple has three different 13'' laptops. And they get updated regularly. If Macbook Air displays are good, maybe all Apples have decent displays. Do they all use basically the same displays or are some better?

Is there really no one who uses 14'' 16:10 displays which are better than Lenovo's?
Just to make it clear: when I'm talking about good displays, I'm not talking about the resolution but the ability to display the picture right. I've seen enough panels which bleed badly and can't be made to display real contrast.
So does anyone know how the E6410 display compares to Lenovo's?

 

According to this post, the E6410 display is nothing to write home about: http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...10-vs-t410-comparison-review.html#post6413718
I'd much rather have a Thinkpad than a Dell unless the Dell has a significantly better display.

So it's still T410 or 13'' Apple... any other ideas?

 

I dont understand, why wouldnt a 1440*900 screen be deep enough? if not you can always try the mbp 15, with its 1680*1050.

The thing is that the resolutions determines the workspace, the aspect ratio not so much.

Apple currently only makes 2 13'' models the mba and the mbp, the mb is EOL right now. And there is currently no talks about bringing it back, nor rumors.

 

Like I said, I'm talking about the dimensions of the laptop. 15'' 16:10 is too wide. 14'' 16:10 is OK. But I'm not sure I could get used to Apple's 13'' keyboard and the amount of space under it.
I could buy a used 13'' Apple and resell it if it doesn't work out but APU graphics is apparently only available in the Sandy Bridge 13''. Or do the older models have switchable graphics?

If you've got opinions about any differences in display quality between the 13'' models, they'd be welcome by the way. But I can probably find such opinions with everyone's favorite search engine.

 

Since the adoption of intel by apple they have only put IGPs in their 13'' line. Be it the 950gm (I might have typed the wrong name, someone surely will correct me if that is the case), 9400m, 320m and now the HD3000.

The best display is the mbp, the second best is the mba.

You dont need to buy anything, just go to an apple store and try it. Be warned that the keyboard is going to be very different from a lenovo. Although its pleasant to type its the 2nd best chiclet keyboard out there, with the notable exception of lenovo.

Btw the keyboard on the mba and the mbp are pretty similar. With less key travel on the mba.

 

It looks like the MBP also got the better keyboard. But looks may be deceiving.

I'm pretty sure I'll hate the Apple when I try it. What I'm wondering is if I'll be able to get used to it after a week or two. I can't determine that in a store. The missing keys also worry me because I work at the console sometimes. On the other hand they allow more room under the keyboard.

IGP is a vague word. I see Intel now says APU like AMD. I don't want the 320M but the one which fits next to the CPU die. Apple apparently used to fit their laptops with a second GPU before Sandy Bridge.

 

Maybe you should fill out the FAQ...

 

The gpu that is next to the ''cpu die'' (since they are in the same die, although it aint integrated in the cpu itself) is the 4500mHD, and its only available in the mbp 15 and 17.

Since there is no optimus the 320m aint a problem with linux.

 

Please do, as we're grasping at straws.

 

If someone is confused, here's the topic again: who recently used displays which are clearly better than the ones used by Lenovo in the T410 and T410s without being wider. Subnotebooks, tablets and so on need not apply.
Right now, there's one answer: Apple. Any others?

 

HP elitebook 8740W and 8540W. theyre previous generation units with 16X10 aspect. The IPS screens in them make a MBP screen look like a walmart special with smudges.

the Toughbook CF-30/31 has a 4X3 that for color balance is good but for outdoor reading makes everything else look like junk. it all depends on your definition of better and what your application is.

IMO the ONLY thing an Appe screen has for it is many still have the 16X10 aspect like some of the business class units. it still a 6 bit TN screen.

Elitebook 8x50W = 16X10. or 8x60W = 16X9 . they have IPS available on par with a darn good external IPS

 

When you say "not wider", you mean not bigger than 14" 16:10 right?

Manufacturers don't always use the same LCD models even on 1 specific model of machine. 16:10 or 4:3, there's really no telling what the best models are.

You can try to figure this out, but you'll have to do the work. Look up LCD datasheets for all 14" 16:10 LCDs. Typical screens have about 60% color gamut...
Then find service manuals to all potential laptops, and look at the LCDs they ship with.

Anyway no one just knows all of these things, there is no repository of information on it yet.
FYI 14" is the rarest screen size so not many are manufactured.

You will have to spend a fortune to get a new 4:3 toughbook that is slower than a normal laptop. And the LCD may or may not be good. To be sure, you could spend 2x that fortune on a high end industrial laptop, then rest assured you'll be satisfied with a 2000 NIT LCD.

You might just have to make some kind of a compromise.

 

Elitebooks are the first thing I looked up. I'm not too familiar with them and I haven't been able to find a recent one that's not ridiculously wide.
Are there more recent models like the 8530W? Or are they all even wider?

There's 6 bit TN screens and 6 bit TN screens. Some are really awful and some are tolerable.
I'm using an IPS and I'd rather keep using an IPS but I want a laptop shaped more or less like a laptop unlike the 16:9 Elitebooks.

 

True, the TN's in the MBP are a good midrange. Clevo/Sager have a 90% gamut screen ( calibrated about 82% ) that is still nicer.

for me I rather love my 8740W and just got my 8760W and wouldnt trade them for the world. ( im a graphics designer ) if the wide aspect bothers you too much one trick to try that I use is move your start bar to the right or left side and use a registry tweak to narrow it up. you then wind up with all the extra vertical pixels and your aspect ratio artificially changes due to loaction of items on your screen

unfortunatly the morons who think 1080 is " high definition " should be shot as I was running higher resolution and pixel density years ago. ( 2084 x 1536 on a 15")
and they have more or less moved everyone to their cineomatographic ratios. I would not doubt the next refresh of MBP is 16X9 as well

 

You know the phrase "wide screen"? One dimension is larger on "wide screens" That's the measurement I'm talking about.
Like a 4:3 14'' has an nice width but a 16:10 14'' is a bit too wide.

Exactly. That's why I posted here, where people knowledgable about models I've never seen might give me tips.

 

Might being a bit more specific (model number or something)?

I'm no designer which is why I want something smaller.
On Windows I already have my taskbar that way on 4:3 displays so I guess the wide aspect bothers me more than most.
But what bothers me the most is the shape of the actual laptop (which is determined by the shape of the screen) and there's no fix for that unfortunately.

 

most of the resellers like Xotic and Malibal will ut them on most of the 15 and 17" models ... again 16x9 aspect. you can ask the guys in the clevo thread which all models take it. or try customizing a few units on their website. gaming machines dont excite me much so im not too current.

so true, there is no fix for that but alas I had to give in to the wider chasis. upside is almost all 15" laptops have a numberpad now.

the only other trick I can think of is get a 1440 16X9 external screen and run it in portrait mode when at you desk. we use that all the time for page layouts. then you essentially get a 9X16 or 9x10 aspect

 

So you want a good (basically from your definition, IPS panel) 4:3 14"-15" or 16:10 13"-14" screen with more power than the T60 series and less expensive than the Toughbooks in that size category. Have you considered that there might not be any solutions have fit your strict criteria? IMO the Apple MBP and MBA are a serious step down in screen quality from any IPS panel, but in the end it depends what you're willing to sacrifice to get as close as your ideal. You should pretty much eliminate 4:3 as they'll all be underpowered since the T60 is not enough for you and also eliminate 16:10 14" as there are no good panels available. That leaves 16:10 13.3" laptops. I'd suggest the Fujitsu T5010 with MVA panel but that's a tablet PC and you don't want that either... maybe a laptop isn't for you since you're so rigid in your demands because as the more time passes, the chances of you finding anything not 16:9 goes to zero.

 

Actually no. I don't need more power. If there's something worth looking at that's a less ancient but underpowered, do tell. It seems less ancient means no 14-15'' 4:3 but maybe there are a few exceptions.

A convertible that actually works well as a laptop might be a good idea actually if there are no equivalent pure laptops. I didn't think of it. I'll have to look into this. I would have preferred a bit bigger and newer than that Fujitsu but I suppose there are no bigger tablets.

 

T60 do house Socket M Core 2 Duo's, you'll top out at the T7600 @ 2.33 GHz. Some T61 do have 4:3 panels, the max would be like an X9000 @ 2.8 GHz.

 

Second look: I rather like the actual dimensions of the unit (as opposed to the dimensions of the display) which are more sensible than those of the MBP. I didn't know there were tablets that big.
I could buy a T5010 and upgrade later to a full-featured Arrandale T900 which apparently also comes with good panels. And that's important: I don't want to be stuck with antiques until the industry sees the light about 16:9.
I don't know if I'll be able to live with Fujitsu's keyboard and touchpad or if the tablet thing would end up being a problem (the single hinge looks like might be a weak point for instance) but the T5010 and the T900 get many things right and they're the most promising products I've seen so far.
So thanks sgogeta. We might have a winner I could easily have overlooked. Fujitsu seems to be offering something unique... or am I missing something? Does anyone else make something which compares to those Fujitsus?

 

Then get the X220 and be done with it. It's really one of the best screens on the market right now. The 14" segment is really devoid of good screen options. The T61 will get you a 4:3 screen, but the 14" 4:3 ThinkPad screens are junk. As others have noted there are some tablets with good screens, but a few things to consider with tablets are tablets have a touch surface, which does effect image quality. If you're not interested in a tablet this is something to consider. Tablets are heavier due to the tablet parts than their non-tablet counterparts. They're also more expensive being they're a niche product. Lastly on a 12" notebook you're only giving up 32 pixels, which isn't that much. my last notebook before my X200 was a 15" R60 with the UXGA screen. I though I'd miss the 1200p, but to my surprise, I really didn't. Much more important was the three an half pounds I gave up going to a 12".

 

Thanks but that's unsuable for me. No 12'', no 16:9.
If I had to pick a 16:9 (thankfully I don't), I'd pick a 14'' or larger which would be unwieldy and look ridiculous. But at least it'd be usable.

 

you should know that there is a consistent lack of logic in what you are saying.

You regard size as a primary factor, so you dont want to go anything smaller than a 14'', which is counter intuitive since in terms of size it would be ideal for you

While you do know that there arent any good 14'' 16:10 screens out there

However you do know that there are 15'' either 16:10 or 16:9 that are excellent, and in the case of your past notebooks, probably better in quality.

But you dont want to get something that big.

And you completely disregard the resolution, which should be your primary concern now that you know that you wont get a 4:3 panel, and that you are at most getting a 16:10. And why is that? because that is your real work space.

Sincerely NEC produces some notebooks, try to import one.

Im done here, get a grip of yourself

 

What you call lack of logic is simply requirements you don't understand. And you don't need to understand them to help me. I got good answers here, including yours.

I appreciate information regarding laptops which are the wrong size for me and I'm willing to go with smaller or larger than 14'' as should be evident from the laptops we've discussed. I'm ruling out anything smaller than 13'', 15'' 16:10 as well as all 16:9. I'm sorry it irks you so.
I've got experience with the resolutions beign discussed. Don't worry about that and thanks for your time.