Laptop Buyers Guide: Screen type and resolution

Posted by admin on June 9th, 2008 at 09:52pm

Laptop screens range in size from 13” screens that are built for portability all the way up to gigantic 17” screens that require regular gym workouts to lug around.

When shopping for laptops you will see terms like SVGA, WXGA, and UXGA. If you are interested, read the explanations below.

Recommendation: Don’t pay too much attention to the WXGA stuff; Laptop Buyers Guide suggests to go to a big-box store to look at the screens in person. This will make the decision much easier. Many screens are glossy now, which makes the screen colors vibrant but also makes glare much worse. This glare can really become annoying if you plan on being outside a lot. It really comes down to personal preference

SVGA (Super Video Graphics Display)

Standards support the display of 16 million colors, but the number of colors that can be displayed simultaneously is limited by the amount of video memory. The greater number of colors, or the higher the resolution, the more video memory will be required. However, since it is a shared resource, reducing one will allow an increase in the other.

WXGA (Wide Extended Graphics Array)

This type of resolution can vary depending on the size of the screen. WXGA basically means wide screen, the proportion ratio is 16:9 or 16:10 versus the more box like 4:3 proportion ratio of a standard laptop. If you’re a movie fanatic who wishes you could watch that great DVD collection while on the road/plane/lunch break, then Laptop Buyers Guide suggest you take a look at laptop computers with this type of screen. There are variations on this such as WSXGA or WUXGA, which are wide screen versions with higher resolution.

UXGA (Ultra Extended Graphics Array)

This is a resolution of 1600×1200. This is featured on mainly high-end laptops that have medium to large screens (15.4” or greater). Like SXGA+ this resolution allows you to see more of the screen at once, an advantage for viewing spreadsheets or editing large photos, etc.

Recommendation: Typically, for a 15” widescreen, a good resolution is 1440×900 pixels, while for a 13.3” screen, about 1280×800 pixels is a good size. If you will be working with high-definition video, a 17” notebook with a resolution of 1920×1200 is a great benefit, though most models will use a 1680×1050 display or thereabouts.

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