Comparison Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 PHN16-72 [PHN16-72-76KW] vs Lenovo Legion 5 16IRX9 [5 16IRX9 83DG004BCK]

— Glossy. A glossy surface improves the overall picture quality: other things being equal, the picture on such a screen looks brighter and more colorful than on a matte one. On the other hand, pollution is very noticeable on such a surface, and in bright external lighting, a lot of glare appears on it, which can greatly interfere with viewing. Therefore, instead of the classic gloss, laptops are increasingly using an anti-reflective version of such a coating (see below). Nevertheless, this option still does not lose popularity: it is somewhat cheaper than the “anti-glare”, and in soft, relatively dim lighting, it can even provide a more pleasing image to the eye.

— Matte. Matte finish is inexpensive and does not form glare even from fairly bright lighting. On the other hand, the picture on such a screen is noticeably dimmer than on a similar glossy display. However, this moment can be compensated by various design solutions (primarily a good margin of brightness); so this option can be found in all categories of modern laptops — from low-cost models for working with documents to top gaming configurations.

— Glossy (anti-glare). A variation on the glossy finish described above, designed to reduce glare from external light sources. Such screens really glare noticeably less than traditional glossy ones (or even do not give glare at all); at the same time, in...terms of image quality, they are at least superior to matte ones. So it is this type of coating that is most popular nowadays.

Screen response time to a control signal — in other words, the time between the receipt of such a signal on the matrix and the switching of pixels to a given mode.

Theoretically, the lower the response time, the better the screen handles with dynamic scenes, the higher the frame rate on it can be achieved. At the same time, it is worth noting that almost all modern matrices have sufficient response speed to effectively process the classic frame rate of 60 Hz — and, recall, it is quite enough for most cases. So paying attention to this parameter makes sense, first of all, if you are purchasing an advanced gaming model, the screen of which operates at a frame rate of more than 60 Hz. In other cases, the response time is often not indicated at all.

The maximum brightness that a laptop screen can provide.

The brighter the ambient light, the brighter the laptop screen should be, otherwise the image on it may be difficult to read. And vice versa: in dim ambient light, high brightness is unnecessary — it greatly burdens the eyes (however, in this case, modern laptops provide brightness control). Thus, the higher this indicator, the more versatile the screen is, the wider the range of conditions in which it can be effectively used. The downside of these benefits is an increase in price and energy consumption.

As for specific values, many modern laptops have a brightness of 250 – 300 nt and even lower. This is quite enough for working under artificial lighting of medium intensity, but in bright natural light, visibility may already be a problem. For use in sunny weather (especially outdoors), it is desirable to have a brightness margin of at least 300 – 350 nt. And in the most advanced models, this parameter can be 350 – 400 nt and even more.

The contrast of the screen installed in the laptop.

Contrast is the largest difference in brightness between the lightest white and darkest black that can be achieved on a single screen. It is written as a fraction, for example, 560:1; while the larger the first number, the higher the contrast, the more advanced the screen is and the better the image quality can be achieved on it. This is especially noticeable with large differences in brightness within a single frame: with low contrast, individual details located in the darkest or brightest parts of the picture may be lost, increasing the contrast allows you to eliminate this phenomenon to a certain extent. The flip side of these benefits is an increase in cost.

Separately, we emphasize that in this case only static contrast is indicated — the difference provided within one frame in normal operation, at constant brightness and without the use of special technologies. For advertising purposes, some manufacturers may also provide data on the so-called dynamic contrast — it can be measured in very impressive numbers (seven-digit or more). However, you should focus primarily on static contrast — this is the basic characteristic of any display.

As for specific values, even in the most advanced screens, this indicator does not exceed 2000: 1. But in general, modern laptops have a rather low contrast ratio — it is assumed that for tasks that require more advanced image characteristics, it is more...reasonable to use an external screen (monitor or TV).

Laptop display certification for safe blue light emission levels and panel flicker rates. The presence of a TÜV Rheinland certificate confirms that the screen is comfortable for the eyes.

TÜV Rheinland is a large international concern headquartered in Cologne, Germany, providing a wide range of audit services. The company's specialists have developed and approved a number of tests for the compliance of the screens of mobile devices, monitors and TVs with the required level of eye protection from the harmful effects of display radiation on the user's vision on the other side of the screen. The authoritative opinion of TÜV Rheinland is respected in the tech community. Certificates from this body are issued to successfully tested electronics for the implementation of blue light filtering and screen flicker suppression technologies.

HDR technology format supported by the laptop.

This technology is designed to expand the range of brightness reproduced by the laptop screen; Simply put, an HDR screen will display brighter whites and darker blacks than a regular matrix. In fact, this can significantly improve image quality. First, the expansion of the dynamic range contributes to the brightness and fidelity of colours on the screen; secondly, the visibility of individual details in very bright or very dark areas of the frame is preserved (whereas on a normal screen such details often “sink” in solid white or black).

Note that in order to fully use this function, you need not only a laptop with HDR, but also the corresponding content (video files recorded in HDR, games where this technology is implemented, etc.). In addition, the laptop must support the HDR format used by the content being played. Nowadays, you can find such options:

— HDR10. Historically the first of the consumer HDR formats, less advanced than those described below, but extremely widespread. In particular, HDR10 is supported by almost all streaming services that provide HDR content at all, and it is also common for Blu-ray discs. Allows you to work with a colour depth of 10 bits (hence the name). At the same time, devices of this format are also compatible with content in HDR10 +, although its quality will be limited by the capabilities of the original HDR10.

...— HDR10+. An improved version of HDR10. With the same colour depth (10 bits), it uses the so-called dynamic metadata, which allows transmitting information about the colour depth not only for groups of several frames, but also for individual frames. This results in an additional improvement in colour reproduction.

Dolby Vision. An advanced standard used particularly in professional cinematography. Allows you to achieve a colour depth of 12 bits, uses the dynamic metadata described above, and also makes it possible to transmit two image options at once in one video stream — HDR and normal (SDR). At the same time, Dolby Vision is based on the same technology as HDR10, so in laptops it is almost guaranteed to be combined with at least HDR10, and even with HDR10 +.

The result shown by the laptop processor in the Passmark CPU Mark test.

Passmark CPU Mark is a comprehensive test that is more detailed and reliable than the popular 3DMark06 (see above). It checks not only the gaming capabilities of the CPU, but also its performance in other modes, based on which it displays the overall score; this score can be used to fairly reliably evaluate the processor as a whole (the more points, the higher the performance).

Number of USB 2.0 ports provided in the laptop.

USB of all versions is the most popular modern interface for connecting various peripherals to computer - from keyboards, mice and flash drives to very original devices. It can also be used to charge smartphones and other gadgets. The more USB ports laptop has, the more peripherals you can connect to it without using splitters. Specifically, USB 2.0 is the earliest version found in modern laptops. It uses regular full-size connector and provides speeds of up to 480 Mbit. In light of the emergence of faster and more advanced versions of USB 2.0, it is considered obsolete; more and more laptops are being produced that do not have such connectors at all. At the same time, this interface is still far from completely disappearing, especially since its capabilities are quite sufficient for many peripheral devices.

Number of USB 3.2 gen1 ports provided in the laptop. Initially, this interface was called USB 3.0, later USB 3.1 gen1.

Be that as it may, USB is the most popular modern interface for connecting various peripherals to computer - from keyboards, mice and flash drives to very original devices. It can also be used to charge smartphones and other gadgets. And USB 3.2 gen1 is the successor to the popular USB 2.0. In this version, the data transfer speed was increased 10 times - up to 4.8 Gbit/s, and the power supply for external devices was also increased. At the same time, devices with other versions of USB can be connected to the USB 3.2 gen1 port - the main thing is that they have full-size USB A plugs and have enough power for normal operation.

As for the number of USB connectors, the more there are, the more peripherals you can connect to the laptop without using splitters.