Laptops can be a great way to enjoy your favorite movies or tv-series while at the same time getting a device for your everyday work. Even if you don’t have space big that enormous big screen TV, you can still get an enjoyable experience streaming movies.
And in this article, we’ll tell you exactly how. Here are the best laptops for watching movies and streaming videos in 2022 (you DO NOT want to Miss out).
Enjoy a movie experience and your favorite tv-series, or films on Hulu, Netflix, and other online platforms on high-quality ultra HD graphics and top sound quality by picking the right laptop.
Make Watching Movies a Delight With These Laptops
Acer Predator Helios 300
Acer Aspire 5 Slim
Lenovo Flex 14
Acer Predator Helios 300
Acer Aspire 5 Slim
Lenovo Flex 14
In-Depth Reviews of Laptops for Streaming Movies
#1: Acer Aspire 5
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Looking for a lightweight and slim machine that gets both work and play done, and also doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket? Look no further, because the Aspire 5 hits the mark right in the center.
The Acer Aspire cruises through daily tasks such as web surfing, movie watching, writing essays, spreadsheet calculations, and the likes. The CPU is capable enough to provide a very smooth experience with light to moderate usage.
RAM while initially low at 8GB RAM is upgradable up to 32 GB. The default storage configuration is 256 GB, which may seem to be a little less if you want to build a huge movie library. But luckily you can easily expand the storage up to 1TB if you ever feel the need to.
The screen on the Aspire 5 is a crisp 15.6 inch Full HD display, running at 1920x1080p. Although the display is not high-end, it is still a crisp display that holds its own against the competition.
The Acer Aspire provides you with plenty of features that make everyday operations way more convenient. The laptop comes with a backlit keyboard, an aluminum lid, and 2 USB 2.0 ports along with one USB 3.0 port. The battery lasts a comfortable 7.5 hours, perfect for everyday on-the-go usage.
Pros
- Lightweight and portable
- Good color reproduction
- Ample ports
- Decent battery life
- Value for money
Cons
- No backlight
#2: Dell XPS 15 7590
- Windows 104K Ultra HDNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB dedicated graphics; 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H, 15.6" display, 16GB memory, 1TB solid-state drive; Backlit keyboard, Bluetooth, HDMI output; DVD/CD drive not included
The Dell XPS 15 7590 is a beautiful machine, combining the sleekness of aluminum with the rigidity of carbon fiber. Added to those are top-of-the-line internals and a great display, the machine gives buttery smooth responses to every input you put.
It comes equipped with the 9th Gen Intel i7-9750H which shreds every process with its 6 cores and Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology. The CPU absolutely soars through daily activities like web-surfing or Microsoft office and even CPU-intensive tasks like video editing.
The Dell XPS 15 also has 16 GB of DDR4 RAM running at 2400 MHz along with an Nvidia GTX 1650. You can have multiple browser windows open, have multiple programs running and they would all function perfectly smoothly.
The laptop comes with a 256GB M.2 SSD, which delivers speeds more than twice that of a regular SSD. If you are transferring movies or pictures, you will see decreased import/export times at least 10 times to that of a hard drive.
The display is essential for a great movie-watching device, and the XPS 15 does not disappoint. It comes with a beautiful edge-to-edge 15.6 inch Full HD panel, which has a non-reflective anti-glare coating as well. The display gets fairly bright up to 500 nits, which makes it ideal to use in all lighting conditions.
All in all, if you are looking for a sleek, aesthetic, and powerful laptop that can act both as a workstation and a leisure device, the Dell XPS 15 is a great option to consider.
Pros
- Powerful hardware mix
- Excellent display
- Superior sound quality
- Easy to upgrade
- Beautiful design
Cons
- Slightly expensive
- Not so portable
#3: Acer Predator Helios 300
- 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H 6-Core Processor (Upto 4. 5 gramHz) with Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Graphics with 6 GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM
- 15. 6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen LED-backlit IPS display (144Hz Refresh Rate, 3ms Overdrive Response Time, 300nit Brightness & 72% NTSC)
- 16 GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M. 2 Slots | 1 Slot Open for Easy Upgrades) & 1 - Available Hard Drive Bay
- Backlit Keyboard | LAN: Killer Gaming Network E2500 | Wireless: Killer DoubleShot Pro Wireless-AX 1650 WiFi 6 802. 11ac | 4th Gen All-Metal AeroBlade 3D Fan
Predator is an apt name for this laptop, for it absolutely devours every aspect a laptop could compete in. A durable body with enough RGB settings that you never have to repeat, internals that will never disappoint, and an absolute visual treat of a display, it doesn’t get much better than this!
Equipped with an i7-9750H, the Acer Predator is a very fast laptop that can handle various multi-tasking operations at once. You can have a movie streaming while all your work tabs just sit in the background and your downloads get finished.
The Predator series are machines generally used to crush graphical processes, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti inside leaves no stone unturned to fulfill that promise. The 1660Ti has 6GB of VRAM that will make sure any visual on the screen is razor sharp and smooth. Streaming movies on this laptop would be an absolute pleasure, and not even push the GPU to 10% of its complete capability.
The Helios 300 comes pre-loaded with a single stick of 16GB DDR4 RAM that clocks in at a lightning-fast speed of 2666 MHz and a super-fast 512 GB NVMe SSD. There are also two open M.2 slots for future storage upgrades.
Housing a beautiful 15.6-inch FHD panel, with the option to choose a 17.3-inch panel as well, the Helios does not disappoint with the display. The colors look sharp and accurate with deep shadows and bright colors. Watching movies feels much smoother on this display because of the high 144 Hz refresh rate.
Acer has provided a truckload of features that set this laptop miles apart from the competition. The cooling technology used in this laptop is patented by Acer and has been perfected over four generations to cool your laptop with ease. Just pressing a button puts the fans into overdrive and cools down the laptop much faster.
Pros
- Powerful performance
- Excellent 144hz display
- Good port selection
- Backlighting
- Quiet cooling
Cons
- Average battery life
- Expensive
#4: M1 Macbook Air
- All-Day Battery Life – Go longer than ever with up to 18 hours of battery life.
- Powerful Performance – Take on everything from professional-quality editing to action-packed gaming with ease. The Apple M1 chip with an 8-core CPU delivers up to 3.5x faster performance than the previous generation while using way less power.
- Superfast Memory – 8GB of unified memory makes your entire system speedy and responsive. That way it can support tasks like memory-hogging multitab browsing and opening a huge graphic file quickly and easily.
- Stunning Display – With a 13.3 inch Retina display, images come alive with new levels of realism. Text is sharp and clear, and colors are more vibrant.
- Why Mac – Easy to learn. Easy to set up. Astoundingly powerful. Intuitive. Packed with apps to use right out of the box. Mac is designed to let you work, play, and create like never before.
The M1 MacBook Air is the perfect content consumption laptop. It’s got a great build quality and a super light chassis. It is surprising how powerful the MacBook Air is given its dimensions and weight.
The M1 chip is an 8-core monster that can boost speeds up to 4.5 GHz and does so at one-tenth the energy costs. As a direct result, the laptop has a fantastic battery life that lasts up to 18 hours. Even though it’s equipped with such a powerful processor, the MacBook Air does not have any fans. It still maintains its temperature and is dead silent. You never have to worry about closing different apps to make sure your movie is streaming or the browser doesn’t crash, the laptop has you covered.
Connectivity on the MacBook is brilliant as the Macs have always supported superior internet capabilities. Bundled with WiFi 6 capabilities on the new version, high-speed downloads and high-resolution movies will all go down without any hiccups.
The Apple True Tone display is an essential display feature that adjusts the white point of the display according to the surroundings to make a more natural viewing experience. The laptop lacks ports, but with the correct dongle, the given Thunderbolt 3 port is compatible with most demands you will have, be it reading SD cards, connecting to an external display or speakers, etc.
The MacBook Air speakers are also another industry-leading area for Apple. There is simply nothing better on the market than a MacBook speaker, which provides clear highs and mids with ample bass and fantastic volume. Listening to audio with loudspeakers is a complete substitute for an external speaker to watch movies on the MacBook.
Pros
- Excellent retina display
- Good battery life
- Sleek and portable design
- Silent and fanless design
- Great speakers
Cons
- Only two USB C ports
#5: Lenovo ThinkPad P15s
The Lenovo ThinkPad sports the best display you can get for the price. The laptop comes with a massive 15.6-inch screen that is a 4K IPS panel, on which watching videos and movies will be a truly immersive experience.
While having a great display, the ThinkPad series never compromises the connectivity of their laptops too. The ThinkPad P15s has two USB 3.2 ports, one USB 3.2 Type-C Thunderbolt 3.0 port, one USB 3.2 Type-C port, an ethernet port, and a headphone jack too.
It also has the latest Intel 11th Gen i7 chip inside it, alongside an Nvidia Quadro GPU with 2GB VRAM. The newest generation of Intel CPU makes sure that the laptop performs perfectly on Windows 11 and continues to do so for years to come. The chip is also very efficient and the laptop delivers a staggering 15 hour battery for light-moderate usage.
The speakers produce a decent sound with above-average volume but lack a little bass. Audio however is clear and audible, perfect for the content-consuming audience. There’s a fingerprint scanner to help you log in securely and swiftly as well.
The build quality on the ThinkPad P15s is tested against military-grade requirements and is sure to be a durable product that can take the test of rough usage and can be carried around constantly without scuffing the body.
The ThinkPad P15s is a great pick for people that want the absolute best display on a laptop to watch movies and its durable body and lasting battery life make it a stellar product to buy.
Pros
- Good performance
- Great battery life
- Fair selection of ports
- Blazing performance
- Premium quality speakers
Cons
- Bulky design
#6: Dell XPS 15 (Best 4K Laptop for Watching movies)
When you are looking for a laptop for movies, there is one thing you simply cannot compromise on and that is the screen size and display. But the Dell XPS 15 doesn’t just have an eye-popping display, there’s more to this beast than meets the eye.
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Best Features
If you thought you could not enjoy quality like your HD TV on your laptop, your world is about to change.
The Dell XPS will 2x those eye-grabbing colors and details as it is equipped with a large 15.6”, 4K display. With 6 million more pixels than Full-HD screens, 4K ensures you never have to worry about blurred pictures or jagged lines ever again.
But that’s just the beginning.
Furthermore, the display is OLED. And in case you didn’t know, OLED delivers more life-like images as it can achieve full blackness and whiteness where needed, a contrast image quality range not many laptop screens can achieve.
The anti-reflective screen in tandem with the 500-nit brightness means you can watch movies in sunlight as well. Plus, it has a wider viewing panel so you get a clear picture from pretty much any angle (watching movies with your bae just got a whole lot more comfortable).
It also features InfinityEdge Technology which makes the laptop almost borderless. Yup, the bezel measures just 6.04mm on the sides and 7.08mm on the top. Furthermore, there are features like the CinemaColor that help add more vibrancy and depth making the pictures more realistic.
But what is a jaw-dropping display without awesome sound quality, right?
This is why the Dell XPS is equipped with the Waves MaxxAudio® Pro which ensures every dialogue is crystal clear and you get to hear every beat on those songs you so love (no earphones? No problem).
You have great sound and display, now the one thing you do not want is for slow internet speed to kill the stream, right?
To counter this, the laptop comes with a CinemaStream that allows users to channel bandwidth to the particular stream (say goodbye to trouble of buffer).
And you can carry the laptop around with you anywhere and everywhere as it weighs just 5lbs.
Lastly, the laptop has an i7 processor, 16GB RAM, and GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card which is powerful enough for professional work like programming, graphics designing, and even a few games like Overwatch, making it a worthy mention in the gaming laptops scene.
Drawbacks
One of the few drawbacks here is that the laptop comes with just a 256GB SSD. While that makes the laptop fast, you will need to upgrade memory if you happen to store a lot of data on your laptop.
Also, it costs over $1000 but if you are a movie fanatic, its display and performance are worth every penny.
Pros
- Comes with a 4K display
- OLED screen ensure better colors and more details compared to an LCD
- The display is almost borderless giving you more viewing area
- Get crystal clear images in bright sunlight and from almost every angle
- Waves MaxxAudio® Pro deliver excellent music and dialogues
- CinemaStream allows you to adjust bandwidth for a smoother stream
- It is lightweight
- Powerful enough to be also used for programming, graphics designing, etc.
Cons
- Costs more than $1000
- It has less space
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#7: Acer Predator Helios 300
If your life is all about shuffling between your favorite movies, TV Series, and games, the Predator Helios 300 checks almost every box. Here’s more about it.
- 9th Generation Intel Core i7 9750H 6 Core Processor (Up to 4.5GHz) with Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Graphics with 6GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM
- 15.6 inches Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen LED backlit IPS Display (144Hz Refresh Rate, 3ms Overdrive Response Time, 300nit Brightness and 72 percentage NTSC)
- 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory, 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD (2 x PCIe M.2 Slots; 1 Slot Open for Easy Upgrades) and 1 Available Hard Drive Bay
- Backlit Keyboard; LAN: Killer Ethernet E2500 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN; Wireless: Killer DoubleShot Pro Wireless AC 1550 802. 11ac; 4th Gen All Metal AeroBlade 3D Fan
Best Features
With a 144GHz refresh rate and 3ms2 Overdrive response time, the Predator Helios has one of the fastest displays. This ensures that whether you are gaming or watching movies, the pictures are crisp and clear (ghosting or blurring will be a thing of the past).
Yup, we are a little disappointed the display isn’t 4K but hey, one look at the 15.6 inches, Full-HD IPS Display, and I promise, you’ll be hooked as it delivers colors and depth that can outperform your old LCD all day long.
Also, don’t you just hate it when you are watching a movie with a friend and have to constantly adjust the screen to get a good view? Not anymore, the wider viewing panel ensures you could be seated, laying down, etc., and still get clean pictures.
And with a 300nit brightness, the display works just as well outdoors in bright sunlight without having to tinker too much with the brightness and colors.
Once again, good sound is important and Acer understands that. This is why the laptop comes packed with the Waves MAXXAudio that gives you complete control over the sound. Yup, you can now plug in your headphone jack and turn your headphones into a surround sound system and experience 3D sound with just a touch of a few buttons.
And even if you didn’t have headphones, the speakers are just as good for both movies and music.
But you can only make the most of a good display and sound if your stream buffers at high speed, right? To ensure that the laptop comes with the Killer DoubleShot Pro feature that allows you to prioritize bandwidth usage for faster streaming.
As for gaming, the 9th Gen i7 9750H 6-Core Processor in tandem with the GTX 1660 Ti (6GB) GPU Unit, and 16GB DDR4 ensures there aren’t many games this baby can’t handle.
Plus, if you happen to run the laptop for too long, it won’t turn into a frying pan either thanks to the 4th Gen Aeroblade™ 3D Technology. This keeps the laptop cool with multiple fans and vents and hardly creates any noise either (it is virtually soundless).
Drawbacks
As you already know the display isn’t 4k but the Full-HD, IPS display performs impressively.
Again a 256GB SSD means you will have to upgrade soon. There are variants with higher storage but these will cost you more.
Pros
- The laptop is perfect for both movies and games
- It has a 144GHz refresh rate and 3ms2 Overdrive response time that eliminates blurring and ghosting
- Being a Full-HD, IPS panel the display delivers excellent colors and depth
- 300 nit brightness gives you a good view even when outdoors
- The 79% screen to body ratio is quite good
- Waves MAXXAudio allows you to enjoy make dialogues clearer and enjoy the 3D sound.
- With the Killer DoubleShot Pro, you can adjust bandwidth for smoother gaming or streaming of movies
- Aeroblade™ 3D Technology keeps the laptop cool and noise to a minimum
Cons
- On the expensive side but also an excellent gaming laptop (you get 2 in 1 benefits)
- 256GB isn’t enough storage space
- The display isn’t 4K
#8: Acer Aspire 5 Slim (Best Laptop for Watching Movies on a Budget)
Are you on a budget? What if you could get a laptop for movies for less than $350? Yup, the Acer Aspire 5 Slim is a best-seller, and for good reason.
- Aspect Ratio:16:9
- AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Dual Core Processor (Up to 3.5GHz); 4GB DDR4 Memory; 128GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- 15.6 inches full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED backlit IPS display; AMD Radeon Vega 3 Mobile Graphics
- 1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports & 1 HDMI port with HDCP support
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi; Backlit Keyboard; Up to 7.5 hours battery life
Best Features
First and foremost, getting a large 15.6-inch IPS screen that is Full-HD in this price range is itself a bargain. Being an IPS screen the display is comparatively brighter and readable from various angles.
But that’s not where the buck stops
Equipped with the ComfyView technology that reduces reflection, this ensures you do not end up with red or tired eyes once you are done watching the whole season of Witcher in a day (trust me, it is a good one, must watch).
Plus, you get a pretty large viewing area thanks to the narrow bezels.
As for the sound, the laptop has decent speakers. Until and unless you like to watch your movies loud, you should be fine (even get a hint of bass when listening to music).
Furthermore, the laptop has an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Processor, integrated Vega 3 Graphics, 4GB DDR4, 128GB SSD. Clearly, the laptop isn’t a powerhouse as the ones mentioned above but you can always make the occasional presentation or write articles on it when not watching movies.
Also, while most cheap laptops do not have Windows installed, the Acer Aspire 5 comes loaded with Windows 10.
As the name suggests, it has a sleek, compact build and it weighs just about 4lbs so carrying it around should be a breeze whether on a trek or business trip. And you do not have to worry about charging the laptop frequently either as it delivers a run-time of 7-8 hours.
Lastly, another feature rarely seen in cheaper laptops is SSD storage. No doubt 128GB is a little lesser than we would have liked but adds to the speed of the laptop (expect great loading times) and also increases durability.
Drawbacks
One small drawback of the display is that the brightness is just 200 nits. The standard brightness we go for is 250 nits but being lower than that means viewing the screen on a bright sunny day can be tougher.
Also, the laptop has limited usage due to its low configuration.
Storage is even lower than the laptops mentioned above so you will need to constantly take backups or get an upgrade.
Pros
- It is the ideal laptop for budget buyers
- You get a large 15.6-inch, Full HD display
- The IPS panel gives you a bright and readable display from various angles
- Narrow bezels ensure a larger viewing area
- Speakers are decent
- Comes with Windows 10 pre-installed
- SSD storage increases speed and durability
- Compact and ultralight build (4lbs) makes carrying it around easy
Cons
- The laptop is ideal only for watching movies and other light tasks
- Storage is pretty low
- Watching outdoors can be tough due to lower brightness (just 200 nits)
Obviously, the display is no match for the Dell XPS or the Helios when it comes to clarity, viewing angles, etc. but considering you are paying less than $350, I would again tell you, it is a bargain you won’t regret.
#9: Lenovo Flex 14 2-in-1 Convertible Laptop
While most of the laptops are light and easy to carry nothing matches the convenience a convertible laptop can deliver and the Lenovo Flex 14 is hands down one of the most impressive, here why.
- With a 1920 x 1080 full HD touch screen display and the powerful and efficient AMD Ryzen 5 3500U mobile Processor, you can work, stream, and game for hours, along with Radeon Vega 8 for fast video and photo editing. Includes HDMI, USB-C, and USB 3.1 inputs
- Comprehensive, built-in, ongoing protection with Windows 10 helps protect you against viruses, malware, and ransomware
- Convenient true block privacy shutter allows you to physically close your PC's webcam whenever you're not using it
- With the included active pen, you can draw or take notes directly on the screen, anywhere you go
- Up to 10 hours of battery life with recharge technology to power your laptop computer up to 80% in just one hour
Best Features
With a 300-degree hinge, the laptop can be converted from a traditional laptop, into tent mode or to a tablet in a matter of seconds. Plus, the touchscreen makes navigating around easy peasy. This means you can watch your movies and TV series anytime, anywhere (even when you are cramped up in a car or flight).
Furthermore, it is also one of the lightest laptops on the list and weighs a mere 3.52 lbs (there are mobile and tablets heavier than this)
But how good is the display?
Considering it is another cheaper laptop, pretty good. Firstly, it is Full-HD. And since it is an IPS panel, you can expect good readability from various angles and top-notch colors and depth.
Also, the laptop delivers an amazing 8-10 hours of battery life on a single charge and when you do run out of battery, it charges to 80% in a whopping 1 hour.
The laptop is also armed with an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Processor, 12GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB Nvme SSD, and Radeon Vega 8 (integrated) graphics card which means the laptop can handle some lightweight graphics designing, presentations, etc.
As you can notice, the laptop has an SSD so you get excellent speed when booting or starting an app. Plus, it has lesser running parts and hence, lasts longer than any HDD.
Drawbacks
The brightness of the screen is just 224 nits so the display won’t be as good outdoors as indoors.
Also, the use of an integrated graphics card means the laptop will not be able to handle graphic-intensive tasks like video editing or gaming (though you can still play PUBG, Fortnite, or Overwatch).
The storage space again is slightly lower. Though not much of a dealbreaker considering the low cost and if you already have an external drive for backups, problem solved.
Pros
- It is a convertible laptop and can be used in tent mode or as a tablet
- The touchscreen makes it easy to navigate around
- Carrying it is easy as it is lightweight and compact
- Charges to 80% in just 1-hour
- Delivers a battery 8-10 hours with a single charge
- Another great laptop for budget buyers who love to travel
- SSD storage ensures speed and durability as it has lesser running parts
Cons
- A dim display means watching outdoors won’t be clear
- Not suitable for graphics-intensive tasks
- Low on space
How to Buy The Right Laptop for Watching Movies
In the introduction, several features of a good laptop for watching movies were discussed. This section of the article looks to further elaborate on those features so that the reader is better equipped with knowledge if he or she ever decides to buy a laptop.
Screen Resolution
As discussed at the beginning of this article, screen resolution comes in all sorts of qualities. It’s essential to pick the right sort of screen resolution because that’s where your favorite movies will be shown.
And if the screen is not at par with your viewing preferences, then your entire experience won’t be what it should. This is regardless of the laptop’s other features. And, there are also other important aspects when it comes to a laptop’s screen. So, let’s look into each of them.
Resolution
Resolution defines pixel density per inch of the screen where your HD movies will be displayed. The best laptops for streaming videos usually have a screen resolution of about 1080p.
If your budget is limited, then a resolution of 720p can also be considered. However, since we’re looking to find the best laptop, then it’s best to go with 1080p. Screen resolutions higher than 1080, such as QHD or 4k, are also available, but those aren’t recommended because most HD movies support just 1080p tops.
Panels
The second feature of a laptop is the panel that’s supported by its screen. Currently, IPS panels are quite popular, as most of the recent laptops in this list have IPS displays. IPS panels are great for watching movies because, unlike TN panels, their colors do not get distorted when viewed from an angle.
Imagine watching a live stream with a friend. Unlike old laptops with TN panels, the best laptop for watching movies, i.e., a laptop with an IPS display, won’t distort the colors of the currently playing HD movie for the perspective of your friend, even if he or she’s viewing it from an angle.
Brightness
If you’re watching a movie indoors where you can normally control lighting, then screen brightness won’t matter too much. However, brightness becomes a critical factor in determining the viewing experience of a user watching a movie outside under the sun or in any environment where he or she can’t control lighting.
That’s because the sunlight dims the visibility of the screen, and unless the laptop screen has high brightness, watching movies becomes a nuisance. Screen brightness is measured in nits, and a screen brightness of 250 nits is good enough.
Battery Performance
There is no set metric to decide which battery is likely to give you much better performance. Some users opt to judge this through the rating and power output of a battery, but that doesn’t form a good metric, because many batteries, although having a good power rating, don’t sometimes last as long as it should due to their poor quality components and overall design. A general way to characterize the battery of a laptop is to test how long a battery lasts under a normal load.
A decent battery lasts more than 4-5 hours from a full charge, while the best battery can last somewhere from 20 to 24 hours. This is mostly during normal use. Generally, good battery clocks around 20 hours.
Portability
A laptop used for streaming movies needs to be easy to carry around and place comfortably in your lap. You, therefore, need to consider portability when deciding on a movie laptop because nobody watches movies from an uncomfortable position.
The portability of a laptop is judged based on two metrics, size, and weight. A laptop’s form factor size matters because you wouldn’t want to lug around a huge machine. A laptop needs to be of reasonable size. This primarily depends on the laptop’s screen, which defines the total size of the laptop. Generally, a laptop with a 15 or 17-inch screen works best for many users who love to watch HD movies.
On the other hand, the weight of a laptop is essential in determining its portability. If a laptop weighs 9 lbs or more, then it’s likely to be difficult for you to carry it around or even keep it on your lap while watching movies.
These laptops need to be lightweight, around 4 to 5 lbs. is considered to be decent. Anything a little more than that, like say 6 to 8 lbs., is considered average and not lightweight, which is also acceptable for some users.
However, anything more than that is considered heavy and is undesirable. This won’t only cause issues while watching movies, but can also increase the likelihood of accidental drops and other damages.
Storage
Last but not least, data disk storage capacity is an essential feature that you must consider during your search for the best laptop for watching HD movies.
The internal disks and external drives of your laptop are where your favorite HD movies need to be stored and played from. And, also keep in mind that your laptop’s CPU also communicates with your disk drives when running movies in coordination with your machine’s RAM resources.
And, two things are essential to consider in any storage device, namely type, and space. Internal storage devices of laptops are characterized as either the newer solid-state drives (SSDs) or traditional hard disk drives (HDDs).
An SSD is the upgraded version of HDD technology. SDDs are generally much faster, safer, and reliable than HDDs. That’s because HDDs are made up of mechanical parts, while SSDs have electronic components.
However, if you intend to download and store lots of HD movies, beyond the average, then an HDD might be a better choice because commercially available SSDs aren’t usually equipped with data storage capacities greater than 1TB. Simply put, SSDs are more recommended than HDDs, unless extensive data storage capacity is required.
Best Laptops for Watching Movies FAQs
Q1: Is the best laptop for streaming videos the same for watching movies?
Generally, yes. With reasonable Internet bandwidth, speed, and connection reliability, streaming HD movies online won’t be too much different from watching offline HD movies when a laptop has the right components, i.e., Good quality CPU, screen resolution, video card, data disk storage capacity, RAM, battery and so on. However, some laptops aren’t as optimized as others when it comes to Internet connectivity features. This is where online HD movie streaming becomes less rewarding than watching offline HD movies.
Q2: How much does a processor matter when buying a laptop for movies?
It matters a lot. This is because processor speed can significantly affect the quality of video streaming. However, most laptops these days have enough processor speed to stream movies.
Q3: Can the brightness level of screens be changed because my laptop has a dull resolution?
Yes, it can be changed through the control panel. However, every laptop has its own set of limitations.
Q4: Is an Intel Core i7 processor better than an Intel Core i5 processor for watching movies?
Generally, yes. However, in some cases, considering that other components might be able to allow the i5 laptop to catch up with the i7 model, both of them can provide equal performance when it comes to streaming videos.
Q5: How much does the appearance of the laptop matter?
In most cases, the visual appearance of a laptop can be significantly affected by its size and weight. So, because many users prefer to watch HD movies on bigger screens, the visual appearance of a laptop can matter in this regard.
Conclusion
This article has taken a look at the four most popular laptops for watching movies in the market today, where we’ve reviewed their hardware components, form factor, and overall design.
Considering everything discussed in detail here, Apple’s MacBook Air wins the race for the best laptop for watching movies because it fully satisfies all requirements of most users who want to use their laptops to watch HD movies regularly.
And, the other laptops in this list can be reasonable alternative options if your budget won’t allow you to get the MacBook Air.
