Disappointed with LED LCD in E6400

I think both the Samsung and LG screens can get washed out at very high brightness. Mid brightness is fine for normal indoors use. I can't think how my LG panel could be much better. Vertical viewing angles aren't wonderful, but they aren't so narrow I keep adjusting the screen angle.

John

 

I was set to order a Dell E4300 this month, but outside of desiring a lightweight notebook the most important factor is the quality of the display followed by a quality keyboard. I have consistently been reading the new Dell E models just don't have quality LCDs when considering price vs. value.

Should I look to the Sony Z? I currently have a T431p and love the Lenovo keyboard but the weight and LCD are big negatives. Looked at new Lenovo models and the X300/X301 don't have enough processing speed and the X200/X201 don't have a built-in mouse pad or CD/DVD player.

Can anyone comment on the Sony Z keyboard vs. the Dell E4300? What about Sony support and quality?

 

I think we all agree that the keyboard is very good. As I've said just above, it's difficult to think how my E6400's display could be much better. However, I also agree that Sony's displays tend to be among the best.

John

 

If you're happy with it that's what counts. As you said, it looks neither good nor bad. I agree with that.

I have used Sony and Macbook screens often and when I worked with the E6400 I noticed contrast was just average. Looking at photos they did not look vibrant or realistic in my opinion. Now maybe 90% of the people don't really care about this or don't even notice this.

After I used the E6400 I had a look at the review of Notebookjournal.de which confirms it. Here are the numbers so it's clear what were talking about:

Dell E6400
Average brightness cd/m² 291,00
Blacklevel at 100 cd/m2 cd/m² 0,60
Blacklevel at max brightness cd/m² 2,00
Contrast at 100 cd/m2 :1 167,00
Contrast at max. brightness :1 145,50

Sony Z
durchschnittl. Luminanz cd/m² 276,00
Schwarzwert bei 100 cd/m2 cd/m² 0,30
Schwarzwert bei maximaler Helligkeit cd/m² 0,70
Kontrast bei 100 cd/m2 :1 334,00
Kontrast bei maximaler Helligkeit :1 394,00

Macbook Pro
durchschnittl. Luminanz cd/m² 292,00
Schwarzwert bei 100 cd/m2 cd/m² 0,24
Schwarzwert bei maximaler Helligkeit cd/m² 0,74
Kontrast bei 100 cd/m2 :1 416,00
Kontrast bei maximaler Helligkeit :1 394,00

As you can see the E6400 is brighter but the measured contrast of Z is twice as high. Macbook Pro and Air score even higher. Going by the average contrast I assume they reviewed the Samsung LED and not the LG. The blacklevels are good though.

By the way, these numbers don't say everything. Color vibrance or color accuracy for example are not reflected in these numbers.

 

I got the sec5442... i hate my luck sometimes... i never get the _perfect_ piece of equipment when i buy something new.

What frustrates me is that its impossible to find a vertical angle that doesnt burn the highlights at the same time as shadows are perserved... its horrible compared to my dell 24'.... i hope its better than the non LED that my GF gets tomorrow, or dell will hear from me.

To describe it better, when browsing these forums, I cannot se the graduations of gray to black on top of the page (below the blue Notebookreview.com logo) at the same time as i can see the light blue color and faint grey lines between the names of the threads.

 

Sony keyboard sucks. Just go to the Sony Store and try it yourself. Btw E4300 screen is matte, not glossy - awesome.

 

I can understand, most people feel the same at first. But as you can read in the thread you started most people love it after a week.

 

Why do you keep trying to convert me to the Sony side?

 

Feel free to ignore my posts. I am just trying to give you honest information.

In the Sony forum I read one owner who was dissatisfied with the Z keyboard, all the rest were satisfied. Most needed some time to get used to it.

 

I'm joking. I understand what you're saying. I just don't want to go through the hassle of reordering.

I'll go with the Sony if I find fault with the E4300. If I like the E4300, I prefer it due to the knowledge that I have the Dell Business warranty should anything later go wrong, which has proven impeccable so far in their service for my D820.