I’ve been convinced in another thread that it’s time to replace my old faithful laptop and I now find myself bewildered by technology when it comes to choosing a new one. :o I can sort out the rest of the stuff for myself, but I need advice when it comes to the screen.
Do I choose an IPS screen or not? As I understand it, the downside of IPS technology is that it consumes more power. I don’t need a high-performance machine, but I do need the ability to run it on battery power for several hours at a time. I won’t ever be watching films/DVDs on it, or anything of that nature, so will I benefit from having an IPS screen, or will I be better off with an ordinary screen and lower power consumption? (The price difference is only £13.00.)
I think the IPS screens look like the ipad screens and are great for graphics and photos as Force flow says and I want one. But they do suffer a bit from reflections.
No. I do occasional photo resizing/optimising, but only of small decorative images for websites. (I work mostly on my desktop, not the laptop.)
Thank you.
Now that’s part of my problem - I’ve never used (or even seen ) an ipad, so I don’t know what we’re talking about.
Ah, now that’s very useful to know - thanks.
Thanks, guys, that’s helpful.
(In case anybody’s wondering why I don’t just have a look at screens and make up my own mind, I live in the middle of nowhere and it’s really not an option. Two hours by ferry and another three and a half on the bus (and the same again coming back) is a bit of a long shopping trip. :))
I don’t have an ISP screen so I don’t know how they look like but I can assure you that iPad screens are shiny (high quality but shiny) so yep, you get a bit of reflections there. Same with Amoled (Samsung’s). Very nice quality but you hate it when you’re walking on a bright day and you get too many reflections.
Colors look fantastic though
Ah, so there may be a difference here. The one I’m considering is described as “Glare Type: matte” - for both the IPS and non-IPS versions. But from what Force Flow says, I won’t need one anyway.
I can imagine (and brilliant sunshine is, of course, a year-round problem in the West of Scotland ).
If you can, always go with matte finishes on screens. Glossy finishes are quite reflective.
However–the colors on screens with glossy finishes are often much more crisp and brighter, which is the reason why they haven’t been phased out. However, the light reflections kind of ruin it (at least for me). It’s a trade-off.
And thanks all for raising the issue of glossy versus matte screens. It’s not something I would thought to check otherwise, but from the examples in Force Flow’s links, I know I’d never cope with a highly-reflective screen. Fortunately, as I say, the one I was already looking at is matte, so I won’t have to start looking all over again.