Choosing a Laptop Size

TECH · GLOBAL

Choosing a Laptop Size

Screen size against weight, resolution and aspect ratio, and how you actually use it

Laptop size is the decision people regret most, because it is chosen in a shop and lived with on a train.

Start from where you use it

A machine carried daily should be under about 1.4 kilograms, which in practice means a 13 or 14 inch screen. A machine that lives on a desk can be 15 or 16 inches, since the extra weight never matters.

If it spends most of its life plugged into a monitor, buy the smallest comfortable machine and spend the difference on the screen.

Aspect ratio matters more than size

A 16:10 or 3:2 display gives noticeably more vertical space than the old 16:9 shape, which means less scrolling in documents, spreadsheets and code. A 14 inch 16:10 panel shows more useful content than a 15 inch 16:9 one.

Resolution

Full HD is adequate at 13 and 14 inches and looks coarse at 16. Higher resolutions consume more battery, so a very high resolution on a small screen is a trade you may not want.

Brightness matters more than resolution for most people — under 250 nits is dim, and 300 or more suits working near a window.

Weight is the whole bag

Add the charger, which is frequently several hundred grams. A machine that charges over USB-C can share a phone charger, which is a genuine saving in a bag.

Keyboard and ports

Larger machines fit a number pad, which some people need and which shifts the keyboard off centre. Count the ports you actually use before accepting two USB-C sockets.

Ports and docks

Check whether the USB-C ports carry video and charging, since not all do. One dock and one cable turns a small laptop into a full workstation, which is what makes a 13 or 14 inch machine practical.

Count what you plug in regularly before accepting a machine with two sockets.

Keyboard and trackpad

These are what you touch all day and cannot be upgraded. Type on the machine for five minutes rather than judging from photographs.

Support lifespan

Find out how long the manufacturer will issue firmware and security updates, since that determines how long the machine is safe to use rather than how long it runs.

Refurbished as an option

Ex-corporate machines at the same price frequently offer better screens, keyboards and repairability than new consumer models. Ask for the battery health figure and check the operating system licence is genuine.

Manufacturing dominates a laptop's lifetime footprint, so buying refurbished avoids almost all of it.

Trying one

Open it one-handed, type on it for five minutes, and pick the bag up with it inside.

WHERE TO BUY

Ready to shop Acer NO? Use the link below to visit the official store.

→ Shop Acer NO — official site

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