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?

#41

Post by flashgordon » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 5:21 PM UTC

15-16" because it is big enough I can do most things (mostly coding for me) without an extra monitor but small enough to be well portable.

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

#42

Post by Oddskar » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 5:22 PM UTC

trevyn wrote: post #13

I’d love a 20”+ laptop. At one point I made a lap mount for a 27” monitor, and it was great for short sessions. At over 10kg the weight was a bit much for longer sessions. :)

But .. why? Nowadays you can pick in a very powerful desktop computer the size of half a shoebox. Portable workstations are just wasteful.

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

#43

Post by Eugeleo » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 5:27 PM UTC

Oddskar wrote: post #39

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 go…

Thanks. I don’t really like working at home, though I do plan to a have a nice external screen there (just can’t decide between high density and ultrawide). Maybe I should just ditch the caffes at get used to my desk.

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

#44

Post by jonwest » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 5:51 PM UTC

friseurtermin wrote: post #16

rcarmo wrote: post #3

I’m going to go with 12” here as my preferred size. And yes, I miss the original MacBook “one”. 13” is the absolute maximum for portability if you have to carry your machine around on a daily/hourly basis, and smaller is better for me, so I really hope the 14” has the same effective footprint as the 13” model…

Oh absolutely, I miss my 12" Macbook so much! It was underpowered, so I really hope they bring back an M1(X) version of that

Such a great size it’s a shame the hardware was such an unreliable turd

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

#45

Post by Oddskar » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 6:23 PM UTC

Eugeleo wrote: post #43

Oddskar wrote: post #39

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 go…

Thanks. I don’t really like working at home, though I do plan to a have a nice external screen there (just can’t decide between high density and ultrawide). Maybe I should just ditch the caffes at get used to my desk.

Ultrawide is overrated for dev work imo — not to mention getting a decent one is really expensive. And even the more expensive ones have issues, unless you really splurge. 1440p is the sweet spot of providing sufficient screen real estate while not breaking bank for monitors that are still decent.

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

#46

Post by aivarsk » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 8:41 PM UTC

The size of Thinkpad series T*s - 14". I had T460s, T470s, T490s and currently using T480s.

I picked the wrong CPU for T490s and it fried two keyboards: several keys on the right including enter and backspace stopped working after ~6 months.

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

#47

Post by godDLL » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 9:42 PM UTC

Get the largest screen you'll be comfortable to lug around.

From using a lot of different laptops over the years, I find 14" to be the minimum useful, and 15" the maximum luggable sizes.

For aspect ratio 5:4 is excellent, 4:3 is alright, 3:2 is fine. 16:10 is tolerable. 16:9 is tolerable with a 1" bottom chin.

Refresh rate is very important for something that isn't attached to a table or a wall. So is self-weight and hinge, it can't be jumping around when you're typing.

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

#48

Post by e-clinton » Sat, Oct 16, 2021, 9:47 PM UTC

I purchased a refurb Mac Mini M1 to try it out, and it has quickly became my primary machine. I haven’t owned a desktop in easily 10 years, but now I’m hooked.

Given this fact, I’m now re-thinking whether or not I need my 16” MBP. I love the portability of the Air and 13” Pro, but the screens just don’t feel adequate enough when viewing windows side by side. So maybe a 14” MBP is in my future?