T400 and T500 screens

How is the quality of the high NIT WXGA LED screen on the T400? How does it compare to the WXGA+ screen with CCFL backlighting?

And what about the WSXGA+ screen on the T500? How does the WSXGA+ compare to the WXGA?

And what about the WUXGA screen on the W500?

 

The high nit is supposed to be the best of the T400 screens in terms of contrast and angles. There's a post here somewhere comparing some of the T400 screens.

I've seen the WSXGA+ and it's a decent screen by today's standards, but it's no IPS like on the ThinkPads of yore. I've not seen the WUXGA, but it's dimmer than the WSXGA+ and text will be very small. Unless you know you like it, some do, I'd try to get a look at one before buying.

 

I have a 15.4" WUXGA and it is just fine for indoors work. It is pretty much the same brightness as most WUXGA's the past 5 years (- around 180nits?). As for text size, well...text size is up to the user and the software settings, not the screen hardware in itself (the result is in every case due to an interaction between the hardware and the software). If the text size is "too small", the software (both the OS and the specific program) is not configured appropriately, that's all. Set up OK, nothing beats a 15.4" WUXGA. With 147 PPI you get awesome images, deep blacks and solid text that is easy on the eyes. I read reports here about the supposed terrors of W500 WUXGA, but went for it again anyway, and found it just as good as I had on my last two W/UXGA notebooks (Dells). "Good"? Wonderful! As good as having an SSD instead of an HDD.

If you have no idea how to adjusting software settings to your needs then, yes, don't get WUXGA (nor WSXGA+, for that matter).

 

I can't argue with much you've said, but I think the average person would find the text too small. As I said earlier some people, in this case you, do like it, which is why I said the OP should look at one. Maybe they will like it. I don't know, but if they buy one and don't, they'll have to fork over the 15% restocking fee.

If you're running XP, some fonts are hard coded, making it tough to make bigger. Vista does make things easier to increase the DPI, but if you're going to do that then why pay extra for the increased resolution. Sure, it's a bit crisper, but I don't think the average user would notice in my experience, which may differ from yours.

 

1) 99% of ALL users would find the default fonts too small. A reasonably skilled user could alter the defaults in 5 minutes so the HD screen has all the benefits of HD without hardly any downside. If the user can't do that (and I agree the "average user" would probably not know how), then the 15.4" WUXGA is off-limits. I have even found an "average user" find WUXGA on a 24" screen beyond their expertise to setup properly. So yes. the "average" user should avoid WUXGA! Those other who know how to tweak an OS and its programs should not be afraid of it.

2) I have configured XP, various Linux distros and Vista for W/UXGA, and I haven't found much of a difference in degree of configuring issues. 5 minutes or so should do it, then leave it for ever... Ubuntu was by along way easiest.

3) For the skilled user, I guess it depends on what you want from a 15.4" WUXGA that determines whether you will in fact be happy with it. 15.4" is a small screen to have so many pixels on it. If you are looking for lots of extra real estate, many will find retaining the PPI and font sizes that maximize that a bit annoying on 15.4". For extra real estate, nothing beats getting a bigger screened WUXGA - 17" or bigger. But if you are just looking for the crispest possible text and image available on a screen (and don't mind a little experimenting with OS/software settings), then 15.4" WUXGA is the way to go. The more pixels on a screen per inch the better any screen object will look, as long as all other attributes of that object are OK. The writers I know just love 15.4" W/UXGA - they can write (and read) all day and all night in a format not too far from the quality of the printed page. But they don't use the factory-set defaults!