The quality of the screens used in laptops is far from matching that of desktop LCD monitors. Among the 15’’ to 17’’ notebooks tested over the course of the year, some do nevertheless stand out from the rest. Here are the three best!
To give you an idea of how the computer screens featured below do in comparison to the rest, here are classification tables for two of the criteria (contrast and deltaE) we use to judge screens, measured for all the laptops tested in 2011.
- Contrast: the contrast ratio is the ratio between the readings for brightness on an all white screen and an all black screen (ideally 0). The average contrast ratio reading for laptop panels in 2011 on 15’’ to 17’’ screens was 456:1. For comparison, monitors have an average in the order of 850:1, thanks to deeper blacks.
- deltaE: the value corresponding to the difference in reading between ideal colours and the reading for those displayed. The deltaE of a screen must be less than 3 for it to be considered 'accurate'. This year, only one of the notebooks in this section managed a score of under this threshold. The average deltaE measured on 15’’ to 17’’ laptop computer panels is 8.9, against about 5.5 for desktop monitors.
Other data also comes into play, such as colour temperature (blue-red balance) or the gamma (consistency in variation of greys, from darkest to lightest). Once again, the desktop screens do a great deal better than laptops.
Based on the criteria above, the notebooks with the best screens are:
As with the 10’’ to 14’’ screens, Apple once again scores top spot: The MacBook Pro (15-inch version). Its contrast ratio is 670:1 (with a white level of 200 cd/m²). More impressive still, its deltaE is only 2.9, a truly exceptional score that will please the most demanding users. As you can see in the table above, very few models can claim to equal it here!
Two Alternatives
- Contrast: the contrast ratio is the ratio between the readings for brightness on an all white screen and an all black screen (ideally 0). The average contrast ratio reading for laptop panels in 2011 on 15’’ to 17’’ screens was 456:1. For comparison, monitors have an average in the order of 850:1, thanks to deeper blacks.
- deltaE: the value corresponding to the difference in reading between ideal colours and the reading for those displayed. The deltaE of a screen must be less than 3 for it to be considered 'accurate'. This year, only one of the notebooks in this section managed a score of under this threshold. The average deltaE measured on 15’’ to 17’’ laptop computer panels is 8.9, against about 5.5 for desktop monitors.
Other data also comes into play, such as colour temperature (blue-red balance) or the gamma (consistency in variation of greys, from darkest to lightest). Once again, the desktop screens do a great deal better than laptops.
Based on the criteria above, the notebooks with the best screens are:
Editor's Choice 
As with the 10’’ to 14’’ screens, Apple once again scores top spot: The MacBook Pro (15-inch version). Its contrast ratio is 670:1 (with a white level of 200 cd/m²). More impressive still, its deltaE is only 2.9, a truly exceptional score that will please the most demanding users. As you can see in the table above, very few models can claim to equal it here!
Two Alternatives 
The MacBook Pro Again!
Review: Apple MacBook Pro 17-inch
Apple has claimed both the top two spots. The MacBook Pro 17-inch has a contrast ratio of 680:1 and a deltaE of 3.8. Only these two machines manage to ally accurate colours with an acceptable contrast ratio.
Apple has claimed both the top two spots. The MacBook Pro 17-inch has a contrast ratio of 680:1 and a deltaE of 3.8. Only these two machines manage to ally accurate colours with an acceptable contrast ratio.
5 Stars And Not Too Bad
Review: Asus N75SF
The Asus N75SF 17’’ may have a lower contrast than the AlienWare M17x-R3 (810:1 against 820:1), but its deltaE is 6.8 – the third most accurate machine in our sample - and this earns it third spot. Note however that this doesn't really make the colours good enough to call them accurate.
The Asus N75SF 17’’ may have a lower contrast than the AlienWare M17x-R3 (810:1 against 820:1), but its deltaE is 6.8 – the third most accurate machine in our sample - and this earns it third spot. Note however that this doesn't really make the colours good enough to call them accurate.
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