We’ve written about the varying types of screens on PCs a number of times in the past, and there are a couple of core differences between all the various types of screens used in computers. The Question What are the different types of PC screens? is quite common.
The first is that a laptop screen is generally much smaller than a desktop monitor, and the second is that there are different technologies that are used in laptops and desktops to increase the viewing angles of a screen.
Laptop Screens
Laptop screens are known as WQHD and UHD, and desktops have TN and IPS, the latter being the name given to the light-up pixels that are common in ultra-thin screens and are usually good for night-time gaming.
However, even among the different types of laptop screens that are available on the market, there are still some specific things to consider.
Take for example the resolution of the laptop screens – just one spec-like resolution means nothing. It’s the overall quality of the display that’s most important, and it comes down to a number of factors.
First, a good IPS or TN screen has great viewing angles but is a lot more expensive. And even then the difference in price between a 1440p IPS screen and a 1080p IPS screen isn’t that great, and you can probably get your laptop done for under $1,000.
Reason
The reason for this is because of the “Retina” effect, which is the term given to the fact that the images on a Retina display are so crisp that text and images are indistinguishable. This gives notebooks good image quality, especially when they are small, but it means that a lot of them have to be shipped with dedicated software for boosting the resolution of images, or people have to send their notebooks to an expert to add the Retina feature themselves.
An additional bonus is that there are very few poor internet connections or media players that are able to display native high-resolution images, which is why it is very rare for a tablet to have a lower resolution than a notebook.
This is because the resolution is so high that the display just isn’t that impressive, which means there is no reason to sell it at a lower price than a notebook, so they just end up going for the cheaper option.
Of course, you can get a laptop with a higher resolution, but that comes with trade-offs. For example, a laptop with a 4K resolution screen can actually have worse battery life than a 3K display, due to the additional power required by the graphics chip, and it will generally take more power to drive the laptop, too.
However, the laptop with a 4K resolution is probably still going to be faster than a laptop with a 1080p screen, which is why you might see these two prices listed side-by-side, even though the high-res screen will often cost more than the more common 1080p option.
Desktop Screens
Desktop screens are smaller than a laptop, and they tend to be panel-based rather than LED-backlit. These are the screens that are found on desktop computers, so the two types are not really that different.
Unlike a laptop, desktop screens will usually be much larger, typically around 17 inches for WQHD screens and 24 inches for UHD screens, although smaller sizes do exist, and it is quite common to see screen sizes as large as 31 inches.
Difference between Laptop and Desktop Screen
The difference is that the panels on a desktop screen are not usually as bright as a laptop screen, but rather have a very low “nits” brightness level, and as a result, they are better for night-time gaming than a laptop screen, and also far better suited to displaying pictures or multimedia content in a dark room.
When it comes to contrast, an IPS panel will generally provide better contrast than a TN screen, which means that images will be easier to view even in darker conditions. They also tend to have a higher color resolution than a TN screen, so they’re easier to see in situations where you need to make quite a few color corrections in Photoshop or the like.
What it’s worth doing is comparing laptops to desktops with the same specification, as this will give you an idea of how the displays compare. If you look at gaming laptops, a WQHD screen will have a higher resolution than a 1920×1080 screen on a desktop, which will have a higher resolution than a 1440×900 screen on a laptop, so there will generally be a big gap in the spec.
What are the different types of PC screens?
But one thing that you can do with laptops compared to desktops, and will give you a good idea of what you are looking at, is to look at the spec of the screen. A lot of vendors don’t bother with all the bells and whistles when it comes to high-res screens on their desktops, so you may find that a notebook screen has a higher resolution than a desktop display.
If the same spec (for example, 1080p screen, Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, and Nvidia GPU) is all you care about, you can usually expect that the laptop screen will have a higher resolution.
You should be aware that you will also see higher-resolution screen options for mobile computers, which you will need to pay for. On some machines, like laptops, you will have the option to upgrade the screen, which will be a higher resolution, and this will cost an additional fee.
Another feature of the newer laptops is that the size of the screen may have been cut back, so there may be a reduction in the size of the borders around the screen, making it look slightly smaller. This can cause a problem if you use the laptop on your lap, as the device will become difficult to use.
Now, What are the different types of PC screens? is not difficult for you.
Hope You know the answer Now: What are the different types of PC screens?
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