Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I really dislike a numpad on a laptop. Was going to say the same. Also, I will not buy a 1080p laptop. We're in 2021, give me 4K or at least 1440p or I'm not interested. I also personally prefer 13" laptops for travel convenience. (Not that its a concern right now , but I assume one day it will be again!)
I question whether 4K on the average laptop screen size is worth the added load on the GPU (and so, lowered everyday performance and battery longevity). On big screens, sure, but at 13 inches? At that point you're stretching the limits of perceptibility, and given the other compromises you're already making to have a laptop instead of a desktop, it seems like a doubly silly one to add.
For normal use, 1440p is fine, but 1080p is too low for me. 4K is probably not necessary if its only used to watch videos. I probably should have flipped it and said: "give me 1440p, or even 4K"
Although one area where I find higher resolution is beneficial code editors, if I have enough pixels that I can have 3 vertical splits and have the text still look crisp, that really helps my development workflow.
On a 15" and above though, I wouldn't go lower than 4K personally.