The Pros and Cons of Different Laptop Display Technologies
When you’re shopping for a laptop, one of the most important features to consider is the display. The display is the part of the laptop that you interact with the most, whether you’re browsing the web, watching videos, playing games, or working on documents.
The display can also affect the battery life, performance, and portability of your laptop. But how do you choose the best display for your laptop? What are the different types of display technology and how do they differ from each other? And what are the pros and cons of each type?
In this blog post, we will answer these questions and more. We will take a closer look at the different types of laptop display technology, how they work, what are their advantages and disadvantages, and how to choose the best one for your needs and budget. So, let’s get started!
What Are the Different Types of Laptop Display Technology?
Laptop displays are all liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), which means they use liquid crystals to create images on the screen. However, there are different types of LCDs that use different backlight sources, panel technologies, and resolutions to produce different image qualities. The main types of laptop display technology are:
LED
LED stands for light-emitting diode, which is a type of backlight source that uses tiny LEDs to illuminate the screen. LED displays are more energy-efficient, thinner, lighter, and brighter than other types of displays.
They also have better contrast, color accuracy, and viewing angles than other types of displays. LED displays can be further divided into two subtypes: edge-lit and full-array.
Edge-lit LED displays have LEDs along the edges of the screen, while full-array LED displays have LEDs across the entire back of the screen. Full-array LED displays can offer better brightness uniformity and local dimming than edge-lit LED displays.
OLED
OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode, which is a type of panel technology that uses organic compounds to emit light when an electric current is applied to them. OLED displays do not need a backlight source because each pixel can emit its own light.
OLED displays are more energy-efficient, thinner, lighter, and brighter than LED displays. They also have infinite contrast, perfect blacks, accurate colors, wide viewing angles, and fast response time than LED displays.
However, OLED displays are also more expensive, less durable, and more prone to burn-in than LED displays.
LCD
LCD stands for liquid crystal display, which is a type of panel technology that uses liquid crystals to create images on the screen. LCD displays need a backlight source to illuminate the screen because liquid crystals do not emit light by themselves.
LCD displays are cheaper, more durable, and more resistant to burn-in than OLED displays. However, LCD displays are also less energy-efficient, thicker, heavier, and dimmer than OLED displays.
They also have lower contrast, poorer blacks, less accurate colors, narrower viewing angles, and slower response time than OLED displays.
Resolution
Resolution refers to the number of pixels that a display can show on the screen. The higher the resolution, the sharper and clearer the image. Resolution is measured in pixels or dots per inch (dpi).
Laptop displays follow a rating system based on VGA (video graphics array), which stands for 640 x 480 pixels. Some common resolutions for laptop displays are:
HD (high definition): 1366 x 768 pixels
HD+ (high definition plus): 1600 x 900 pixels
FHD (full high definition): 1920 x 1080 pixels
QHD (quad high definition): 2560 x 1440 pixels
QHD+ (quad high definition plus): 3200 x 1800 pixels
UHD (ultra high definition): 3840 x 2160 pixels
Retina (Apple only): Varies depending on device size
What Are the Pros and Cons of Each Type?
Each type of laptop display technology has its own pros and cons that make it suitable for some purposes but not for others. Here are some of the pros and cons of each type:
LED
Pros
More energy-efficient than LCD
Thinner and lighter than LCD
Brighter than LCD
Better contrast, color accuracy, and viewing angles than LCD
Available in different sizes and resolutions
Cons
More expensive than LCD
Less energy-efficient than OLED
Thicker and heavier than OLED
Dimmer than OLED
Lower contrast, poorer blacks, less accurate colors, narrower viewing angles, and slower response time than OLED
OLED
Pros
More energy-efficient than LED
Thinner and lighter than LED
Brighter than LED
Infinite contrast, perfect blacks, accurate colors, wide viewing angles, and fast response time
No backlight bleeding or ghosting issues
Cons
More expensive than LED
Less durable than LED
More prone to burn-in than LED
Limited availability and compatibility
LCD
Pros
Cheaper than LED and OLED
More durable than OLED
More resistant to burn-in than OLED
Cons
Less energy-efficient than LED and OLED
Thicker and heavier than LED and OLED
Dimmer than LED and OLED
Lower contrast, poorer blacks, less accurate colors, narrower viewing angles, and slower response time than LED and OLED
How to Choose the Best Laptop Display Technology for Your Needs and Budget?
Choosing the best laptop display technology for your needs and budget depends on several factors, such as:
Purpose
What are you going to use your laptop for? If you are going to use it for gaming, video editing, or graphic design, you might want a display that has high resolution, high brightness, high contrast, high color accuracy, and fast response time.
In that case, you might prefer an OLED or a full-array LED display. If you are going to use it for web browsing, word processing, or casual entertainment, you might not need a display that has such high specifications. In that case, you might be fine with an edge-lit LED or an LCD display.
Portability
How often are you going to carry your laptop around? If you are going to travel a lot with your laptop, you might want a display that is thin, light, and energy-efficient. In that case, you might prefer an OLED or an edge-lit LED display.
If you are going to use your laptop mostly at home or in the office, you might not care about the weight or the battery life of your display. In that case, you might be fine with a full-array LED or an LCD display.
Budget
How much are you willing to spend on your laptop display? If you have a high budget, you might want a display that has the best image quality and performance. In that case, you might prefer an OLED or a full-array LED display.
If you have a low budget, you might want a display that is affordable and reliable. In that case, you might be fine with an edge-lit LED or an LCD display.
Conclusion
Laptop display technology is one of the most important features to consider when buying a laptop. The display can affect the image quality, performance, battery life, and portability of your laptop.
The main types of laptop display technology are LED, OLED, and LCD. Each type has its own pros and cons that make it suitable for some purposes but not for others.
To choose the best laptop display technology for your needs and budget, you need to consider your purpose, portability, and budget. You also need to compare different models and configurations of laptops with different types of displays.
We hope this blog post has helped you understand what laptop display technology is and how to choose the best one for your needs and budget. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share them below. We would love to hear from you.
