Lenovo X1C7: Scaling of FHD vs WQHD

Dear All:

i'm trying to decide whether the FHD at 1920x1080 or the WQHD at 2560x1440 would be the smart option to order for the X1C7. my current laptop is the X1C1 (1st Generation!) with a 1600x900 screen from 2012. However, i use my X1C1 only when traveling (1 month out of the year) and my desktop is my main computer, which has a 42" 4K display, so i am accustomed to very high resolution, but with a very large 42" monitor (not a tv, but a pc monitor).

Intended Use: I do not watch videos extensively at all on my laptop - business oriented work, lots of text and emails and web surfing. No gaming at all, minimal videos, mostly text reading and web surfing.

i will not process my digital images on my laptop much at all (will use my desktop for that).

some have said that the scaling issues with the WQHD for the small 14" screen size will be troublesome, as it would require a LOT of scaling. additionally, there may be some programs that will NOT allow for scaling if not written for Windows 10 (though i have no idea which programs they may be). Would I encounter lots of scaling issues (or situations where i cannot scale)?

may i ask if the FHD at 1920x1080 will be plenty good and the resolution will be very crispy (text and basic images) for an essentially business-use machine, with a good amount of web surfing use as well?

i am a somewhat picky person as i use a 42" 4K monitor on my desktop currently and it has beautiful resolution - crispy clear. but, at the same time, i want to be realistic and practical so if the FHD is all that is really required, overdoing it with WQHD will be of little benefit to me unless the user were to be a heavy duty video user, etc (or some other more specialized use).

looking forward to hearing your thoughts, advice. thank you in advance.

 

Does anyone know if any of these FHD screen options are "HiDPI" (pixel doubling) or are none of the HiDPI screen options?

Thank you in advance.

If the FHD options are indeed HiDPI, then chances are these FHD 14" screens would look very smooth! If the FHD options are non-HiDPI, then there is a chance that one may see some jagged edges.

Most people seem to say that FHD is plenty good, plenty high resolution, very refined looking, only very few says that they see jagged edges on a 14" FHD.

 

Of course much of what you ask is highly subjective. Personally, I think a pixel density of around 130, which would be about 1600x900 on a 14" screen, is ideal, but everyone is different. Some can look at 14" FHD screen all day, while others with poor vision would find 1600x900 difficult to read. Your 42" UHD screen has a pixel density of 109 or less than a 1600x900 on a 14" screen. I would say, generally speaking, the higher up you go on the resolution food chain, the better quality of screen, color wise, you're likely to get, so that's something to consider. Higher resolution screens tend to hit the battery harder, so you're likely to lose some run time. Maybe you want to stop at a store to see if you can find a 14" FHD notebook and have a look for yourself.

 

The more i read as i struggle to decide between the 3 screens, the more i realize that i know so little regarding Windows 10's scaling capabilities or lack of.

With so many UHD and WQHD units of X1C sold (as well as many other models from various manufacturers), why would all these people be buying these resolutions at a merely 14" screen size IF they are unable to use it without issues?

i just don't understand and can't figure out if the UHD or the WQHD might give me issues or not?

look forward to learning more here. thank you in advance.

 

The whole point of a laptop is to have the best you can get given a form factor. I fail to see any reason whatsoever why you would choose to have the FHD over a QHD/UHD other than cost. Scaling is something that can be fixed in software or you can run a lower resolution. What you cant do is upscale or add HDR plus how many people use the laptop screen for actual work rather than using a dock?

 

I just bought the X1C6 with "HDR" WQHD 500-nit display during the Memorial Day sale. Zero regrets. 10/10 would buy this display again. You could not pay me trade down for FHD or HD+ (1600x900).

I read on this forum that if someone gets (the similar) T4X0(p), that if that person gets the FHD display, he or she will want to claw his or her eyes out. And that the 14" WQHD display was the one to get. Having once upon a time, settling with the 1400x1050 14" display on a T61p instead of WUXGA 15.4, I'm glad I paid extra for the better display this time around.

I specifically wanted 1440p. I've done 1080p long enough in laptop form factor that I wanted to move up something that would ft more lines of text visible at once.

No issues with scaling in Linux. I work with text all day long in programming editors and terminal windows. Though to be honest, I'm running 100% (no scaling) in GNOME 3 even with my terrible corrected vision. Uncorrected I can make out the "E" on a Snellen chart (20/200) mostly because the first line is always an E and never a Triple-bar or a H.

 

@Aroc: may i please ask how much Windows 10 scaling issues you have encountered with your WQHD X1C6 please?

i see that you wrote about no scaling issues with Linux, but i don't use Linux, just Windows 10.

thank you in advance.

 

Just spent 1 1/2 hours at Bestbuy. They had:


- Yoga FHD 13.9",


- Yoga UHD 13.9", and a


- Microsoft Surface Laptop WQHD (almost identical to WQHD but not exactly the number of pixels).


Comparisons:


FHD and WQHD have fuzzy letters, not jagged, i.e. not pixelated, but has gray cotton fuzz around all the letters. Useable, of course, but not great. Akin to my current X1C1's 1600x900.


WQHD is almost identical to the FHD (both Yogas 13.9") prior to ClearType adjustments. After ClearType adjustments, the WQHD is barely perceptibly better - but by merely a hair. I'd say that after ClearType, one would be hard pressed to tell them apart, but slightly perceptible. Sadly, WQHD is essentially the same as the FHD in practical terms.


The UHD is an entirely different animal: it's like someone scrubbed your eyeballs and it is crystal clear, no visible fuzziness around the letters at all. Furthermore, the plain white parts of websites of the UHD is a very different white from that of the FHD and WQHD: the FHD/WQHD is a much bluer white. The UHD appears to be more white. Of course, this likely as to do with settings and color gamut adjustments, not to be taken seriously with this cursory viewing.


I am stunned by how inadequate the FHD/WQHD appeared to my eyes, and how crispy clear the UHD was.


fyi: my day-to-day desktop is a 42" 4K monitor (not a TV), and my infrequently used laptop is the X1C1 at 1600x900.