Which laptops have the best screens?

[imported_JS]

Hi. I'm looking for a new laptop in the sub-$1600 range. It will mostly be used for photo and graphics editing (not video), along with normal office tasks. My current laptop (Acer Travelmate) has a screen with disappointing brightness, contrast, viewing angle and color reproduction.

I would greatly appreciate suggestions for brands or models with good quality screens. I've heard good things about Fujitsu-Siemens. I have also looked at Dell but it seems to me that they often have very large or very high resolution screens. Any opinions?

Here are my criteria:

* Less than $1600

* No bigger than 15,4" for portability

* Resolution: more than 1024*768 but max 1400*1050-ish (my wife has problems with too small pixels).

* Good brightness, contrast, color reproduction, viewing angle

* Some ghosting is not a problem

Any help appreciated! )

/Jan S.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Fujitsu has pretty much the best screens for color reproduction out there. Plenty bright, okay viewing angles, overall awesome.

15" SXGA+ or UXGA Thinkpads use "Flexview" screens which have an unbeatable viewing angle and very good brightness. Color reproduction is better, but not on par with Fujitsu.

Everything else is pretty similar. HP's are good for brightness, okay for color, relatively poor viewing angles. Sony's X-Brite displays are bright, but the blacks aren't very true and it can be too bright thanks to dual backlights. Non-glossy Dell screens are meh, not really good or bad; their glossy ones are okay but some have a sparkling effect.

 

[modedepe]

I second Fujitsu. Their screens are really great looking. Not the cheapest laptops usually, but you can probably find one within your budget.

 

[Granamere]

One thing I would point out is that just because it can got to a high resolution does not mean you have to run it at that res. Normally the higher the better.

Just a thought.

 

[imported_JS]

Well, but that means you've got to scale the image, which unfortunately is unacceptable for graphics and photo editing (unless you make it scale in a 2:1 ratio, which is unrealistic).

Does the higher resolution generally really mean a better screen? It feels a bit like the megapixel hype in digital cameras, where a high sensor pixel count doesn´t automatically translate into good overall image quality. It is a very tangible parameter that many consumers understand, though.

 

[UncleWai]

Fujitsu > Sony > Toshiba > *

Avoid the Dell inspiron 6000 for portability. I bought one thinking 15.4 would be alright, but when I got it I realized the thing's the big. 14.1" is a sweet spot at a little over 5lbs.
However Dell 6000 can get a WUXGA at 1900x1200 which I had and it is indeed extremely detail, but it's a matte screen.

 

[trikster2]

I own a T43 Flexview and a Precision M70 with ultraview. The ultraview is heads and shoulders above the flexview screen. Not sure if the same screen is on the 6000 series laptop (specs are the same) but my M70 screen is one of the best I have seen (not counting daylight viewable screens on specialty laptops). Note it may be "luck of the draw" there are zillion post threads over at notebook forums on the merits of the diffent LCD manufacturers. You need to check out the glossy screens before buying, they drive some people (like me) crazy.

 

[nealh]

I own a Fujitsu N5010..absolutely the best laptop screen around..it is almost 2yrs old and I owuld put this screen up against anything out there

I got from PortableOne..excellent service

http://www.laptopsinc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

http://laptopsinc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=FUJIN

 

[fbrdphreak]

Originally posted by: trikster2


I own a T43 Flexview and a Precision M70 with ultraview. The ultraview is heads and shoulders above the flexview screen. Not sure if the same screen is on the 6000 series laptop (specs are the same) but my M70 screen is one of the best I have seen (not counting daylight viewable screens on specialty laptops). Note it may be "luck of the draw" there are zillion post threads over at notebook forums on the merits of the diffent LCD manufacturers. You need to check out the glossy screens before buying, they drive some people (like me) crazy.

What is better about it? Color, brightness, viewing angle, which?

 

[silverpig]

I would recommend a very high res screen. I have a 1920x1200 laptop and I love it. If you have a problem with small text, just increase the font size. It'll look much better too.