For those who use a laptop for business, what screen size do you prefer?

My 11 year old 14” Sony weighs double anything out today and the battery life was short even when new. Screen resolution is 1600x900.

I don’t use it often, but it’s one of those things - when you need it, you need it.

I’m thinking a 15” 1080p screen might be a nice upgrade with sales coming up - Lenovo or Dell. Reading document text clearly is my top priority.

I used a 17" laptop back in college 13 or so years ago. I commuted so I was hauling that thing around. I would never get another that large again. Anything needing a large screen I'll just use my desktop. I now have a 15" laptop. I personally wouldn't go any smaller. I do not currently use my laptop everyday for business though.

I think you are on the right track.

13 or 14 whatever is issued.

When you lug the thing all over the world, weight is important.

Resolution and clarity are more important than size. A 13" Apple Retina display is way better than a 14-15" Full HD display any day.

I don't use my LT as much as my desktop and iPad, but my 13" dell XPS seems to be a good compromise, size weight and screen size. I had a 15" Sony which I still have because it's technically still functional. It's XP without an upgrade path and weights a ton and the battery is shot. I guess I should stop using it as a door stop and recycle it.

I'd say a quality 13 or 15 with a good weight factor will fit your needs.

14" is about right. 15" feels pretty luxurious.

Higher resolution is nice.

Personally, I love my 14" Lenovo T450 that's a few years old. I think a 14" laptop is just about perfect in terms of size and weight.

90% of time I’m using external displays. But 14” 1440p is usable for short periods while on trips. Age related far sightedness sucks. 15” 1080p probably better if you’re using the laptop display often and you can handle the size snd weight when carrying.

If i had eagle eyes 20/20, I’d opt of 13-14” 1440p.

I don't work (retired) but I have a 17" laptop I take on my vacation tours. I like being able to read text on it--smaller screens just do not do it for me. (I have a 27" monitor on my desktop.)

flashguy

14" is ideal for me. Smaller sounds cool but isn't enough real-estate. 15.6" is becoming reasonable as they make them so small.

The 13” Dell XPS is tempting. It’s similar to a MacBook Pro but I am concerned I may regret going with the small screen.

Have you considered an IPad?
The resolution is fantastic. I gave up my laptop years ago and don’t regret it at all.

15.6" is considered the 'standard' size but get one according to the mobility and viewability needed.
Smaller, lighter machines can be more versatile if you move it around but can be harder to use/see.
The standard weight used to be 5.5 lbs but that has come down with technology including the lack of an optical drive and use of solid state drives.
Battery technology has improved too as to lighten the machine as well.
On the other hand use of a smaller machine you can dock the peripherals like monitor, network, keyboard, mouse and even optical drives so you can have both a desktop environment and a mobile one.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
Have you considered an IPad?
The resolution is fantastic. I gave up my laptop years ago and don’t regret it at all.

I've attempted that a few times, but always find myself going back to a LT or Desktop. I find things are simply easier to do with a full function keyboard (yes I know you can get a keyboard for iPad) PC or Mac. Now if all you're going to do is surf internet and email, iPad is great.

For me the 15" is in my sweet spot - I'm farsighted and wear progressive glasses. I'd be tempted to try the 16", depending on weight.


Couple guys in the office went with 17", and those were great to look at, but really heavy to carry. I don't want to be carrying something that heavy through the airports (or even to/from work) on a regular basis.

My personal laptop and the one I was issued by my employer both have 15.5" displays. The office machine is a lot smaller physically (13.5" wide vs 15"), but the displays are the same size. Both are comfortable to view, but if I had to pack one around with me it would be the smaller one, even though the bigger one has a full keyboard with numeric keypad. Both have touchpads but I never use those, hate them.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
Have you considered an IPad?
The resolution is fantastic. I gave up my laptop years ago and don’t regret it at all.

I have an iPad Pro. It just does not integrate as well for my needs in an all Windows office environment. The Apple keyboard for it is almost as much as a lot of laptops.

15.5 on my laptop. I don't think I could go smaller.

Bezels are getting smaller and smaller, allowing you to fit more screen in the same size chassis. I have a Dell Precision 17" that is the same size as most 15" laptops and fits in backpacks and carry-on bags without trouble. I can't imagine going back to a smaller screen at this point.

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
I used a 17" laptop back in college 13 or so years ago. I commuted so I was hauling that thing around. I would never get another that large again. Anything needing a large screen I'll just use my desktop. I now have a 15" laptop. I personally wouldn't go any smaller. I do not currently use my laptop everyday for business though.

Going back to my first laptop circa 2003, I have almost always had 15" laptops. There was one 14"er in there and a 12" Microsoft Surface and I've spent a fair amount of time on my wife's past 13" Macbooks.

I find 12", 13" or even a 14" noticeably harder to be productive on.

I actually have a 17" laptop now and absolutely love it - but it's a very unusual 17" laptop. It's not a massive gaming beast, it's a 17" ultraportable, an LG Gram 17.

Between the screen being a bit more square than usual and the very thin bezels around the screen, the footprint is about the same as 15" laptops from a few years ago. It's less than 3/4" thick, weighs less than 3 pounds, and the battery lasts forever.

I'm a huge fan. This is my favorite laptop I've ever had, and I've always gone for the highest-end from the big names before (off the top of my head, Dell, Apple, Sony Vaio, MS Surface, and Razer).