High color gamut ≠ wide color gamut, laptop screens also have pitfalls!

In the past two years, when we were buying laptops, we often saw screen parameters like this: 2.5K high resolution, 100% DCI-P3 high color gamut coverage, 120Hz high refresh rate, etc. These sound very good. What kind of experience improvement can the term "high-end" bring to our daily use? Today, we will intuitively reveal the true meaning behind these numbers to help you make an informed decision when purchasing.

1080P resolution: It really should be eliminated!

For a long time, 1920x1080 (commonly known as 1080P) has been the mainstream resolution for laptop screens, and its position has been stable for more than ten years. It provides users with crisp and clear images while also cleverly balancing performance and battery life. For 13- to 15-inch notebooks, 1080P resolution can undoubtedly meet the daily needs of most users.

However, with the rapid development and widespread popularity of 4K technology in the TV field, TVs have taken the lead in entering the new era of 4K resolution. Notebooks also took advantage of the hype in the early days of 4K popularity. At that time, many high-end notebooks, especially flagship models of various brands, were equipped with 3840x2160 4K resolution screens. The exquisite display effect once became the highlight of many brand marketing. However, due to the imperfect adaptation between the Windows operating system and software at that time, many software's graphical interfaces displayed abnormalities. In addition, on 13- to 15-inch notebook screens, the improvement brought by 4K resolution is not as significant as expected, but it also causes many problems such as text display being too small. Coupled with cost considerations, 4K resolution failed to become popular on Windows laptops, while 1080P remained firmly in the mainstream.

However, this stable state did not last long. With the widespread use of 2K OLED screens on mobile phones, people are beginning to realize that it is imperative to increase the resolution of notebook screens. As a result, in the past two years, laptop screens have finally begun to gradually upgrade to 2.5K (2560x1600) or 2.8K (2880x1800) resolution.

Upgrading from 1080P to 2.5K, the most intuitive feeling is that the picture becomes extremely delicate. After getting used to the high-definition picture of mobile phones, we often feel that the picture is a bit grainy when we switch to the computer screen. This is actually caused by the low PPI (pixel density) of the screen. Taking a 14-inch screen as an example, the PPI of 1080P is relatively low, while the PPI of 2.5K resolution is significantly improved, making the picture more delicate and clear. Visually, low-resolution displays will show obvious pixel grains, and you will see jagged edges when zoomed in. The 2.5K resolution can bring more delicate and smooth visual effects.

At the same time, the high-resolution screen can also display more window content. For example, when using office apps such as WeChat Business or DingTalk, we will find that the open chat window takes up more than half of the screen. For a 2560*1440 resolution screen, half of the screen space is still available. In this way, we can communicate online while checking web pages, documents and other information on the other half of the screen. For screens with lower resolutions, an Enterprise WeChat window will occupy almost the entire screen space, causing users to switch back and forth between various windows in daily use.

For professional software such as EXCEL, PS, PR, etc., high-resolution screens provide great convenience. For example, when processing an EXCEL table, 2.5K resolution can display more rows and columns of data, which is several times that of 1080P. When making charts, it can also carry more data. When using PS to adjust pictures, the high-resolution screen can provide a larger working area and a more refined operating experience. Similarly, when using PR for video editing, a high-resolution screen can also display more tools and material windows, helping to improve editing efficiency and professionalism.

So when buying a laptop now, 1080P should really be eliminated. If the budget is not tight, 2.5/2.8K resolution is the first choice.

The description trap hidden behind "high color gamut"

In today's laptop promotional materials, the screen part is often filled with words such as "high color gamut", "100% sRGB" or "100% DCI-P3". These terms sound quite high-end, but consumers are often confused about how to judge which configuration is better. In order to solve this mystery, we first need to deeply understand the concept of color gamut.

In short, the color gamut is the range of colors that a monitor can present. It can be compared to a painter's palette: the wider the color gamut, the more colors there are on the palette, allowing the painter to create richer, more vivid paintings. Likewise, a monitor with a wider color gamut can display more diverse and vivid colors, making images more realistic and vivid.

In order to standardize the screen's ability to display colors, the industry has developed a series of color gamut standards, common among which are:

1. NTSC color gamut: This is a color gamut standard established in the early days of the TV industry, although it is not for modern monitors Designed, but still used as a reference for measuring color gamut.

2. Adobe RGB color gamut: Developed by Adobe, it covers a wider color gamut and is especially suitable for professional image processing and printing industries.

3. DCI-P3 color gamut: Based on the industry color gamut standard of digital cinema, it has wider color coverage than sRGB and is suitable for film and television production and display equipment.

4. sRGB color gamut: This is the current color space standard generally supported by network content, digital cameras, scanners and other equipment, and it is also the default color space under Windows systems.

From the perspective of the number of displayed colors, sRGB is less than DCI-P3. Therefore, 100% DCI-P3 can be considered a high color gamut relative to 100% sRGB. However, this is where brands often play word games. Because there is no unified standard for "high color gamut", it is a relative concept. Today, many brands label products with 100% sRGB color gamut as "high color gamut" simply because a few years ago, many screens could only cover 75% of the sRGB color gamut. In comparison, 100% sRGB is considered a high color gamut, but its color gamut range does not exceed 100% DCI-P3.

So, when you see the term "high color gamut", remember that it is just a marketing term and does not accurately reflect the actual performance of the monitor.

In addition to "high color gamut", there is also a term "wide color gamut" in the industry, which has no official definition. Usually, wide color gamut refers to a display device that can cover a wider range than the standard sRGB color gamut. , the industry usually measures it by the following standards: covering more than 100% of the sRGB color gamut, and covering at least 90% of the DCI-P3 color gamut or at least 85% of the Adobe RGB color gamut. This statement has more reference value than simply "high color gamut".

What impact will a higher color gamut have on the display? If we use an sRGB monitor to view a pattern drawn with a color outside its color range, we will not be able to see the pattern. If the color happens to be in the DCI-P3 color gamut, then use a 100% DCI-P3 color gamut monitor , with correct color management, it can be displayed.

So the higher the color gamut of the display, the better? In fact, not necessarily, because the color gamut only reflects the screen's ability to display how many colors it displays. Whether the displayed colors are correct is another matter. Except for extremely professional and expensive workstations, most ordinary computers have poor color accuracy.

Another issue worth noting is that in the Windows ecosystem, most software and content work in the sRGB color gamut. This means that for everyday applications, a 100% sRGB color gamut is sufficient. Displays with higher color gamut cannot give full play to their color gamut advantages when used in daily applications in the Windows ecosystem, and may instead cause greater color deviations. This is because high color gamut screens require more professional color management, which not only requires OEMs to provide correct ICC files before leaving the factory, but also requires software and picture color space settings.

For Windows systems, the built-in picture viewing software "Photo" supports color management. If the computer's ICC file is configured correctly and no additional settings are needed, you can use it to open wide color gamut pictures and they will be displayed correctly. However, if you use a picture viewing software that does not support color management to directly open a wide color gamut picture, color distortion will occur.

Therefore, color management is a relatively complex issue. For professional users such as designers, photographers or video editors, they have the expertise to take full advantage of wide color gamut (such as DCI-P3 or Adobe RGB) displays to ensure color accuracy while working. For ordinary users, there is no need to pursue a higher color gamut range to avoid falling into the brand’s marketing gimmicks. Of course, it is okay to choose products with higher color gamut performance among products in the same price range, but the key is to keep your eyes open and make a wise choice.

OLED is the final destination

When choosing a screen, in addition to the color gamut and resolution that everyone is often concerned about, there are actually many other important parameters to consider. For example, screen brightness. Generally speaking, in order to achieve a better viewing experience, the screen brightness must be above 300 nits to be considered acceptable. The refresh rate of 120Hz is becoming increasingly popular. It determines the smoothness of dynamic images and is especially important for gamers.

There is also HDR technology, which can make the brighter parts of the picture brighter and the darker parts darker, while retaining more details. It not only takes the visual effect to a higher level, but also makes the picture even better for Windows computers. It can maximize the color gamut range and brightness of the screen.

So, if you want a Windows laptop with a truly outstanding display, OLED screen is actually the final destination. Compared with traditional LCD screens, OLED screens have the unique characteristic of self-illumination, which means that each pixel can be independently controlled on and off, resulting in almost infinite contrast, more vivid colors, and deeper black performance. . This self-luminous characteristic gives OLED screens unique advantages in display effects.

Not only that, the OLED screens now equipped with notebooks can usually achieve wider color gamut coverage, such as Adobe RGB, DCI-P3, etc., which makes the color performance more realistic and vivid, whether it is used for professional design or daily entertainment , can bring a better visual experience.

More importantly, the OLED screen has almost no afterimage or blur when displaying dynamic content. This is because the OLED screen has an extremely fast response speed and can complete the switching action of pixels in a very short time, making the dynamic picture more smooth and natural, whether it is watching high-speed sports events or playing fast-paced games. Get a more immersive experience.

In addition, many OLED laptop screens also support HDR400 or HDR600 standards. Coupled with its high-brightness output capability, OLED screens can present a wider dynamic range, making light and dark details richer. When watching HDR video content, users can get a more realistic and shocking viewing experience.

Of course, OLED screens are still high-end products and the price is relatively high. However, its excellent display effect and viewing experience are absolutely unmatched by ordinary computers.

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