Ask HN: What is your preferred notebook screen size and why? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What is your preferred notebook screen size and why?

#31

Post by teleforce » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 3:02 PM UTC

asadkn wrote: post #19

Macha wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1080p at 15" = 140 DPI 1440p at 27" = 100 DPI I'd expect better text clarity on the 1080p laptop screen, whether you keep the same pixel size or adjust for similar physical size. The real tradeoff you're making is how much you can fit on screen.

Technically correct. But practically the perceived PPI/DPI would matter more, with distance. Relevant: https://tonsky.me/blog/monitors/#the-myth-of-apple-patented-...

Yes, thank you very much for the explanations!

It seems to my eyes that even with 10" devices with 1080p display, my six years old 27" display with 1440p is much better to work with than 1080p of the much smaller devices. I guess we need a more objective definition of Quality of Experience (QoE) for display quality to avoid being duped by the manufacturers.

Re: Ask HN: What is your preferred notebook screen size and why?

#32

Post by z-nexx » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 3:03 PM UTC

jtthe13 wrote: post #7

14 inch 3:2 ratio would be ideal. Wish there was an apple notebook with this form factor

Have you checked out the Huawei Matebook 14s? I had the Matebook 13 years ago and it was the best laptop I've ever used, and very similar to corresponding Apple laptops

Re: Ask HN: What is your preferred notebook screen size and why?

#33

Post by foooobaba » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 3:06 PM UTC

13 (14 is fine too). It is super portable, can even fit in a purse or backpack without weighing it down, if I want a big screen I hook up to a monitor. With 13 I can easily sit on the couch and read an ebook and almost feel like it is a real book since I can position the computer easily. With macbook air the battery also last super long.

Re: Ask HN: What is your preferred notebook screen size and why?

#34

Post by foobarbaz33 » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 3:30 PM UTC

I absolutely adore large screens. But I get that with an external monitor.

When using a laptop as a ...laptop, portability is key. 13" is big enough to do work on the go.

Re: Ask HN: What is your preferred notebook screen size and why?

#35

Post by draklor40 » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 3:57 PM UTC

15-16 inch is my comfort zone. Anything else is too small and my eyes hurt and bigger than that is unwieldy.

Re: Ask HN: What is your preferred notebook screen size and why?

#36

Post by mithusingh32 » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 4:01 PM UTC

15 is my sweet spot. Anything smaller makes doesn't have enough real estate and anything bigger is unwieldy.

The other thing I look for is centered keyboard without numpad. I can't stand laptops with the home row offset to the left because of the numpad.

Re: Ask HN: What is your preferred notebook screen size and why?

#37

Post by rubyn00bie » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 4:56 PM UTC

I used to be in deep within the 15-16" camp, but if I can get a "full power" in a 14" form factor I'd take one in a heart beat. "Full power" meaning maximum number of cores, I've always resented the fact you can only get a quad core processor in the 13"... Because quite frankly, four cores ain't enough.

Also, I'm having a solid laugh because I just realized Macbook Pros are like the only good universally sold using imperial units for its dimensions (at least according to what I'm seeing). There ain't no Macbook Pro ~35cm/~40cm coming out anywhere. Honestly, is that like... a little fucking weird for folks in other countries or is it just another drop in the bucket of weird crap from the USA?

Re: Ask HN: What is your preferred notebook screen size and why?

#38

Post by knaik94 » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 5:14 PM UTC

jtthe13 wrote: post #7

14 inch 3:2 ratio would be ideal. Wish there was an apple notebook with this form factor

I would suggest the chromebook spin 713, 13.5" 2K - Gorilla Glass– Intel Evo Core i5 – 8GB RAM – 256GB SSD – Thunderbolt™ 4. It's considered a premium, so it's 619usd but that's still a less than any apple or Microsoft product i have seen in that category with those kinds of specs. SSD user upgradable. You can install Linux apps including vscode, Chromeos had come a long way.

It's a 13.5 3:2 and I think I remember it being about as tall as my 15.6 16:9.

Re: Ask HN: What is your preferred notebook screen size and why?

#39

Post by Oddskar » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 5:15 PM UTC

Having used both a 15 inch and a 13 inch within the last couple of years, I will give the most measured answer: “it depends”.

If you’re lugging the laptop on a lengthy commute every day the I would say that speaks against having a heavier 15 inch. On the other hand if the work requires an external GPU and sustained CPU-bound workloads such that a robust cooling solution is necessary: then 13 inch is probably not a good choice.

I’m definitely not in the same camp as some “road warriors” that don’t use external peripherals though, so screen sizes really don’t matter much: for the work I do (webdev) you’re nuts if you don’t use external min 1440p screens. Also external ergo keyboards are a must in my book. Laptop keyboards are absolutely terrible for your wrists.

Re: Ask HN: What is your preferred notebook screen size and why?

#40

Post by knaik94 » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 5:20 PM UTC

A 15.6 because I watch a lot of media and movies but if I cared more about portability, I would love a 3:2 13.5" that has gaming notebook level power that I could just hook up to a monitor.

Acer chromebook spin 713 comes closest and I want it, and initially got it but returned it. I needed more power for a main machine, I got into video encoding and streaming so I have a 15.6" hp omen.