Laptop Brightness Levels

[RenownnX]

Hello everyone,

 

I would like to know about brightness levels in laptops. What do you think is too bright or too dim? I read about the Lenovo Legion 5 having a brightness of "only" 300 nits

My laptop has a max brightness of 334 nits (according to Google) and most of the time I only use 4 out of the 16 bars of brightness level available.

 

Do you think anything more than 300 nits is necessary for me? Does it make a lot of difference between 300 and say, 500 nits? Especially when my eyes are much more suited to lower brightness levels.

 

Thank you

[ErykYT3]

I think you pretty much answered your own question. 

The only way I'd imagine this could be a question you'd really need to ask was if you were planning to use the laptop outside.

 

I own a Legion 5 and honestly am more distracted by the resolution as I'd come from a 4k laptop of 5/6 years previously. The brightness has never been an issue when I've had it on campus. 

 

Hope that helps. 

[IPD]

IMHO, brightness cannot be accounted for without factoring in matte vs glossy screens.  If you (god forbid) have a glossy screen (and I pity you if you do), then it will probably appear a bit brighter.  But it will also be more prone to glare.

 

You also have to account for where you intend to use it--and the ambient lighting conditions thereof.

[Stahlmann]

300 nits peak should suffice for most laptops, if you want to use it outsude in direct sunlight, aiming for around 400 nits would be my suggestion. But you really said everything you need to know yourself.

 

If you use your current 300 nit screen at 4/16 then you're probably only running around 100 nits. If that's bright enough for you then don't worry about brighter displays.

[ErykYT3]

On 4/20/2022 at 5:51 PM, IPD said:

IMHO, brightness cannot be accounted for without factoring in matte vs glossy screens.  If you (god forbid) have a glossy screen (and I pity you if you do), then it will probably appear a bit brighter.  But it will also be more prone to glare.

 

You also have to account for where you intend to use it--and the ambient lighting conditions thereof.

I haven't seen a config of the Legion 5 with a glossy screen but I'd absolutely agree with you. 

My previous Lenovo was was a glossy 4k screen and It did look clearer than a matte display would but using it outside or under any direct light was practically a no go, not impossible, just not enjoyable. 

I used my Legion 5 on the countertop in the kitchen just last night while cooking and was amazed at how much better it looked. I personally like matte displays, the fact that they aren't a mirror of everything around you is nice but I do often wonder why we don't see more glossy monitors, I mean it seems like 90% of the market has matte coatings when I've heard you get a clearer picture without it. 

[Stahlmann]

2 minutes ago, ErykYT3 said:

I haven't seen a config of the Legion 5 with a glossy screen but I'd absolutely agree with you. 

My previous Lenovo was was a glossy 4k screen and It did look clearer than a matte display would but using it outside or under any direct light was practically a no go, not impossible, just not enjoyable. 

I used my Legion 5 on the countertop in the kitchen just last night while cooking and was amazed at how much better it looked. I personally like matte displays, the fact that they aren't a mirror of everything around you is nice but I do often wonder why we don't see more glossy monitors, I mean it seems like 90% of the market has matte coatings when I've heard you get a clearer picture without it. 

I'm personally more of a fan of glossy screens. I have one matte and one glossy right here and the glossy screen preserves more image quality in 90% of ambient light situations. As long as there is no window or light shining directly on the screen glossy will look better. But obviously for laptops matte is better as they're often used in bright environments.

[ErykYT3]

4 minutes ago, Stahlmann said:

the glossy screen preserves more image quality in 90% of ambient light situations.

Therefore the option to choose between both types would be greatly appreciated but I found my experience with the computer display market to be extremely onerous and It's probably unlikely. 

[Stahlmann]

8 hours ago, ErykYT3 said:

Therefore the option to choose between both types would be greatly appreciated but I found my experience with the computer display market to be extremely onerous and It's probably unlikely. 

Yeah you don't really have a choice. 99% of all monitors are matte. The only glossy monitor i know is the 4K 144Hz one from Sceptre. And of course OLED TV's if you want to count them as "monitors". In the TV market where image quality is the top priority you will find a lot more glossy screens.

[IPD]

On 4/27/2022 at 7:26 PM, Stahlmann said:

Yeah you don't really have a choice. 99% of all monitors are matte. The only glossy monitor i know is the 4K 144Hz one from Sceptre. And of course OLED TV's if you want to count them as "monitors". In the TV market where image quality is the top priority you will find a lot more glossy screens.

Well at least now we know the truth behind your fascination with OLED.

[Stahlmann]

1 hour ago, IPD said:

Well at least now we know the truth behind your fascination with OLED.

OLED has plenty of arguments going for it. But still, a lot of LCD screens in the TV market also use glossy coatings.

 

You obviously never had a good look at an OLED screen before, otherwise you wouldn't be so hardcore against it.

[ewitte]

2 hours ago, Stahlmann said:

OLED has plenty of arguments going for it. But still, a lot of LCD screens in the TV market also use glossy coatings.

 

You obviously never had a good look at an OLED screen before, otherwise you wouldn't be so hardcore against it.

Best PQ I've had in a "monitor"

[IPD]

5 hours ago, Stahlmann said:

OLED has plenty of arguments going for it. But still, a lot of LCD screens in the TV market also use glossy coatings.

 

You obviously never had a good look at an OLED screen before, otherwise you wouldn't be so hardcore against it.

You're right.  I've never been able to stomach the idea of parting with hard-earned cash on a premium-priced option that by every available metric will have shorter lifespan than the cheaper alternatives.