14 inch or 15.6 inch

[selectivesloth]

Hello Everyone,

I am about to buy a notebook and have zeroed down on a couple of Samsung models.

The configurations are more or less the same --

Intel Pentium B950 processor with Intel HM65 Chipset

2 GB DDR 3 RAM

There is a price differential of around $40 between the two models which I reckon is because they come in two different screen sizes 14" and 15.6".

I am looking to get some help so that I may be able to better decide on which screen size will be better for me.

From what I could find on the web, 14 inch notebooks offer better portability and longer battery duration. 15.6 inch notebooks offer a better viewing experience and tend to be slightly heavier.

But by how much?

I am looking to find out just how much difference can I expect in these departments and would also need to factor in the price differential.

There is a lot of conflicting opinions on which screen size is better, because I think ultimately this is more subjective.

This is my first laptop purchase and I am not sure which screen size will suit me more. I would like to be able to conveniently lug it around and also hope that the screen will be big enough to make for fairly comfortable viewing.

As of now I feel more inclined towards the 14 inch model because it's cheaper, and will I guess give me better battery experience and will also be easier to lug around. I am just hoping the smaller screen size won't be an irritant later on.

But I have no experience in this, so if someone can throw some light on the differences between these two varieties, that will help me.

Thanks.

 

[jaguarskx]

Generally speaking, since the price difference is only $40 I will assume both laptops have the same resolution. If so then things will appear larger on the 15.6" screen which can be a good or bad thing.

I have a 14" laptop and the one thing I find really limiting is the low 1366x768 resolution. Some people don't mind, but I find it to be crimping my multi-tasking style. A larger resolution screen means there is a larger desktop to work with so it's not necessary to move windows out of the way to get access to some info when there are lots of windows open. The downside to higher resolution is smaller text which can be difficult for some people to read.

A 14" laptop is good because it is generally lighter and more compact than a 15.6" laptop. So if you are on the move a lot and carrying a laptop, then small and light are good. My Lenovo Y470 is just around 4.85lbs according to the specs. By itself it is not that back, but toss in the weight of a bag and other things in the bag and it can be a drag to lug around. But fortunately for me the laptop usually stays home. For you, well... if you are always carrying it around with you for work or for school, then I think the lighter better.

As for me, I'll probably ditch my Lenovo Y470 by next year for a laptop with higher resolution like 1600 x 900 on a 14" screen or 1920 x 1080 on a 15.6" screen. Probably something like the 2013 successor to the 3.84lbs 14" Lenovo ThinkPad T420s. This year's new model is the T430s.

 

[selectivesloth]

Generally speaking, since the price difference is only $40 I will assume both laptops have the same resolution. If so then things will appear larger on the 15.6" screen which can be a good or bad thing.

I have a 14" laptop and the one thing I find really limiting is the low 1366x768 resolution. Some people don't mind, but I find it to be crimping my multi-tasking style. A larger resolution screen means there is a larger desktop to work with so it's not necessary to move windows out of the way to get access to some info when there are lots of windows open. The downside to higher resolution is smaller text which can be difficult for some people to read.

A 14" laptop is good because it is generally lighter and more compact than a 15.6" laptop. So if you are on the move a lot and carrying a laptop, then small and light are good. My Lenovo Y470 is just around 4.85lbs according to the specs. By itself it is not that back, but toss in the weight of a bag and other things in the bag and it can be a drag to lug around. But fortunately for me the laptop usually stays home. For you, well... if you are always carrying it around with you for work or for school, then I think the lighter better.

As for me, I'll probably ditch my Lenovo Y470 by next year for a laptop with higher resolution like 1600 x 900 on a 14" screen or 1920 x 1080 on a 15.6" screen. Probably something like the 2013 successor to the 3.84lbs 14" Lenovo ThinkPad T420s. This year's new model is the T430s.

Yes, I am personally more attracted to the 14 inch one. It's like a little more than netbook size and offers me good processing capabilities. Being 14" it's more portable than bigger laptops. So it's a bit like getting the best of both the worlds.

Another option that I am looking at is an 11.6" Lenovo netbook. The processing won't be anywhere near the Samsung laptop but the looks and price are tempting. Plus I wonder if even a basic netbook will suffice given that I am a fairly light web user.

Here's a link that compares the two models.

http://www.flipkart.com/computers/compare?ids=COMD6JYDWERH3HQZ,COMD69ZERYUYHQG2

Any suggestions will be most welcome!

 

[jaguarskx]

The Lenovo X120E netbook uses a relatively weak AMD E-350 processor. The Samsung gives you better bang for the buck. It is larger and heavier, but the CPU is significantly more powerful (but it's still considered weak) than the AMD E-350.

If all you are going to be doing is taking notes, surf the net and watch video, then the Lenovo X120E is capable of doing that. Just be aware that both come with FreeDOS so you need to spend money on a Windows 7 OS.

 

[jaguarskx]

The following Acer Aspire One netbook comes with Windows 7 Starter. It is comparable in size and price to the Lenovo X120E. It saves you the time, trouble and money of buying and install Windows 7 yourself.

http://www.flipkart.com/acer-aspire-one-722-netbook/p/itmdf228kh7mdc2k?pid=COMD6ARA5HWGJXWZ&_l=X69UvAJ_Up4njPhnRiGLAA--&_r=HmZCTbaErYKXd6EDfQD2hw--&ref=f15229d9-e53f-4461-8376-c0fb46840e1a

If you need a word processor or a productivity suite that is similar to MS Office, then download OpenOffice.

http://www.openoffice.org/


Unfortunately, it seems all the laptops in your price range do not come with Windows 7 Starter.

 

[selectivesloth]

The following Acer Aspire One netbook comes with Windows 7 Starter. It is comparable in size and price to the Lenovo X120E. It saves you the time, trouble and money of buying and install Windows 7 yourself.

http://www.flipkart.com/acer-aspire-one-722-netbook/p/itmdf228kh7mdc2k?pid=COMD6ARA5HWGJXWZ&_l=X69UvAJ_Up4njPhnRiGLAA--&_r=HmZCTbaErYKXd6EDfQD2hw--&ref=f15229d9-e53f-4461-8376-c0fb46840e1a

If you need a word processor or a productivity suite that is similar to MS Office, then download OpenOffice.

http://www.openoffice.org/


Unfortunately, it seems all the laptops in your price range do not come with Windows 7 Starter.

Buy Windows? I have never done that!

I am sure there must be workarounds around that?

 

[jaguarskx]

Not if the laptop or netbook does not come with Windows 7.