Watching movies on a laptop might not have been a very enjoyable experience before, but nowadays, with the most modern laptops – it can definitely be an amazing experience. And that’s why we had to write a post on the best laptops for watching movies in 2020.
There are plenty of choices which make the decision hard, especially if you don’t know what to look for in a laptop that is great for watching movies.
We spent hours narrowing our list of laptops and then reviewing and testing laptops individually so we can provide hands-on experience and knowledge to you in this post.
This would help you make up your decision without any prior technical experience or without any knowledge at all.
Recommendation for March 2023
- LG Gram – Largest Screen & Lightweight
- Apple MacBook Air – Retina Display
- Lenovo Flex 14 – Versatile DesignVersatile Design
- HP Spectre X360 – Best Audio Quality
- Asus ROG Zephyrus S – With 4K Resolution
- Acer Aspire 5 Slim – Best Budget For Watching Movies
- Dell XPS 15 – High-End Graphics
- Asus VivoBook Thin – Enormous Storage
- Lenovo Chromebook C330 – Cheap Chromebook Option
- Dell Inspiron 15 – Bang For The Buck
Best Laptops For Watching Movies In 2023
LG Gram – Largest Screen & Lightweight
Watching movies on a laptop is always better with a larger screen, however, that can most of the time sacrifice the versatility. However, that doesn’t happen with LG Gram.
In fact, this laptop is so well manufactured that it is actually lighter than some 13” laptop models.
Yet it still features a widescreen 17” display which offers a 16:10 aspect ratio with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. It’s not a true 4K resolution but it’s a resolution in between 2K and 4K. You can find Full HD screen on the newest version
LG Gram features a 72Wh lithium battery that can last up to an amazing 17 hour on a single charge. This will leave you with plenty of movies to watch. When the battery life drains, it won’t take long to charge it (approximately 2 hours) and you’ll be good to go for another day.
LG did a really good job at manufacturing this laptop since they were able to combine perfect material that gave this laptop a lot of durability with the 8th generation, Intel Core i7-1065G7, 1.8 GHz, and yet still have kept it lightweight.
Recommended configuration for LG Gram
CPU: Intel Core i7-1065G7 | Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 17″ 2560×1600 IPS HD Display| Storage: 1TB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 17 hours | Weight: 2.98 pounds
Apple MacBook Air – Retina Display
Apple MacBook Air is pretty expensive for its specs, while there are surely more powerful in this list with the same price tag. Apple’s name is known for its excellent laptops that are compactly built and optimized performance that separates them from other brands.
When watching a movie, the display is the first basis for most users and the Apple MacBook Air is equipped with a Retina display that lets you see realistic images from all angles.
It comes with a sleek and slim body that is compact you can bring it everywhere you go, while the battery lasts for 12 hours, perfect for binge-watching movies even when there are no plugs available near you!
This laptop has a reputation for being fast and durable at the same time so buying one is a worthy investment.
Recommended configuration for Apple MacBook Air
CPU: Intel Core i5-8th Gen | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 617 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 13.3″ Retina with True Tone Display| Storage: 128GB SSD | Operating System: Mac Os | Battery Life: 12 hours | Weight: 2.75 pounds
Lenovo Flex 14 – Versatile Design
If you’re someone who is constantly watching movies on the go, is there great for watching movies than with a laptop that is flexible and can adjust to your position?
Lenovo Flex 14 is a 2-in-1 laptop is very great at giving you a pretty decent viewing angles no matter if you’re laying, sitting, or being somewhere in between on your couch.
This flexible design introduces hinges that allow users to rotate screen 360-degrees which allows you to use this laptop in 3 different modes. It’s either as a laptop, as a tablet, or as a studio.
It’s very thin and lightweight, yet it features a decent performance with AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, 2.1 GHz or Intel Core i5 processor-8265U up to 3.9GHz processor on the newer model of this item, and a Full HD screen that comes with the touchscreen capability. Lenovo even includes their own pen you will be able to use for increased productivity.
Not only we’ve enjoyed the stunning visuals on this screen, but it was a real pleasure to take full advantage of this screen by using the pen which comes included. It’s ideal for a creative person who is looking for a laptop that will combine both entertainment and graphic design tasks.
Recommended configuration for Lenovo Flex 14
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5-3500U | Graphics: Radeon Vega 8 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 14″ 1920×1080 4K IPS HD Display| Storage: 256GB SSD | Operating System: Chrome OS | Battery Life: 10 hours | Weight: 3.52 pounds
HP Spectre X360 – Best Audio Quality
Not only HP improved the overall design, they have also surprised us in both configuration and design with Spectre x360 laptop.
It’s a 2-in-1 laptop which is relatively thin and lightweight, yet it packs up some serious components inside its sleek aluminum body.
This laptop features the latest 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA graphics card, and plenty of RAM and storage space.
On top of that, it features a very sleek design which has changed drastically in the last few editions – which was a positive surprise by HP.
HP has just got into partnership with Bang & Olufsen company which is one of the leading companies when it comes to speaker production.
Therefore, you can expect to see many more HP models featuring Bang & Olufsen speakers integrated into laptops.
For the price, this is a really ideal combination which will be a great fit for almost everyone out there, no matter whether you enjoy watching movies on the go or in your bed.
Recommended configuration for HP Spectre X360
CPU: Intel Core i7-8550U | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce MX150 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 15.6″ 3840×2160 4K IPS HD Micro-Edge Display| Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 8 hours | Weight: 2.85 pounds
Asus ROG Zephyrus S – With 4K Resolution
ASUS Rog Zephyrus S features a 15.6” IPS display which doesn’t only offer a decent screen size, but also a great viewing experience.
However, what’s one of the best selling points of this laptop is the screen’s refresh rate which is 144 Hz. This will provide a silky smooth visual experience, no matter what you do. You can play games or watch movies and you’ll never be able to spot a visual lag or stuttering.
If you’re familiar with ASUS’s Republic of Gamers line, you’ll know that this is one of the best gaming laptops you can get within this budget. And you can definitely expect this laptop to run every one of the latest gaming titles without any frame drops.
Therefore, it’s clear that this sleek and slim body is hiding some pretty powerful components such as the 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor combined with a GTX 1070 graphics card.
Once you look at the laptop as whole, no matter what you’ll be using this laptop for – you’ll love the powerful processor and visuals it offers. Considering the value of this laptop – it’s totally worth the price.
Recommended configuration for Asus ROG Zephyrus S
CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 4K IPS Full HD 144Hz Display| Storage: 512GB or 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 5 hours | Weight: 4.63 pounds
Acer Aspire 5 Slim – Best Budget For Watching Movies
With Acer Aspire 5 Slim, you get an IPS display, and on that price that’s pretty considerable a good bargain.
Quipped with ComfyView technology that reduces reflection that ensures you won’t have tired eyes even when binge-watching movies for hours! (Watch Prison Break it’s a good series).
Acer Aspire 5 got a really narrow bezel so you get a pretty large viewing area, perfect for binge-watching movies.
Powered by AMD Ryzen 3 and AMD Graphics card so you won’t get laggy and have a smooth experience either watching movies or doing some computing.
It has a pretty decent speaker but not much when you turn the volume in full mode, lower that then you’ll be fine.
Looking at the laptop as a whole and based on specs, this one is definitely worth buying!
Recommended configuration for Acer Aspire 5 Slim
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3-3200U | Graphics: AMD Radeon Vega 3 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 IPS Full HD Display| Storage: 128GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 7.5 hours | Weight: 3.97 pounds
Dell XPS 15 – High-End Choice
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Want to enjoy watching movies like HD TV on your laptop? Well, Dell XPS 15 is like an all-around machine that offers mesmerizing viewing experience.
Dell XPS 15 features a powerful Core i7 processor backed by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card so you won’t have a problem with anything. This could be your powerhouse laptop.
Furthermore, Dell XPS 15 comes with an OLED display that delivers more life-like images that only a few laptops screen could achieve. It also features an almost borderless InfinityEdge technology so it’s a pretty large display.
The sound on this laptop is insane too! It is equipped with Waves MaxxAudio Pro that ensures every sound is crystal clear that you’ll hear every word without any problem.
Now, you have a beautiful display and great sound, what Dell XPS 15’s edge on other laptops on the list is that it has CinemaStream that allows users to channel bandwidth to a particular stream.
Recommended configuration for Dell XPS 15
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 InfinityEdge Anti-Glare IPS Full HD Display| Storage: 256GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 8 hours | Weight: 5 pounds
Asus VivoBook Thin – Enormous Storage
Asus ViviBook looks like a MacBook with its sleek metal looking body that weighs less than 4 pounds.
While this laptop is cheaper than other premium laptops on the list but aside from having a great visual feature this laptop packs a punch in terms of power.
It features a powerful Core i5 processor and 4GB RAM so you won’t have a problem with everyday computing tasks you may need to do.
In terms of watching a movie, Asus VivoBook Thin features a WideView IPS display with Asus Splendid software that enhances viewing experience to the max level.
What’s more appealing is that this laptop comes with an enormous storage capacity so you can download any movies you want without the worry of getting out of storage, the 1TB HDD can handle your files.
Recommended configuration for Asus ViviBook Thin
CPU: Intel Core i5-8250U | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 Full HD WideView Display| Storage: 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 5 hours | Weight: 3.7 pounds
Lenovo Chromebook C330 – Cheap Chromebook Option
The Lenovo Chromebook is a nice laptop with an affordable price and has uniques features, designed to be portable so you can use it in daily life more comfortably.
For people who’s always on the go, you can easily carry this laptop with you it does not weigh too much. For people who love watching movies, even though this laptop is cheap it comes with an IPS display making the image and video quality better than average laptops.
Although this laptop is not equipped with the most powerful components, it could suffice everyday computing needs without a problem so if you intend to do some intense computing look for another option on the list.
Even at a very low price, Lenovo manages to provide a sturdy looking laptop that is very durable.
The sound is not out of this world but it is decent enough for watching movies and you can always use speakers or headphones to have a better sound quality if you opt to.
This laptop runs on Chrome OS but what’s on Windows OS have a similar applications available on Android so don’t worry about a thing.
Recommended configuration for Lenovo Chromebook C330
CPU: MediaTek MT8173C | Graphics: PowerVR SGX543 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 11.6″ 1366×768 Full HD IPS Display| Storage: 64GB eMMC | Operating System: Chrome OS | Battery Life: 10 hours | Weight: 2.64 pounds
Dell Inspiron 15 – Bang For The Buck
The Dell Inspiron 15 is the most balanced laptop in terms of specs and price, it has a powerful processing power and affordable price tag.
Powered by the latest 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor backed by 8GB RAM to suffice your everyday life computing needs, so watching movies is just a piece of cake.
The Narrow Border Display makes the screen look bigger backed with HD screen so you can have an immersive viewing experience. The 256GB storage is not so much but watching movies don’t require so much storage space as streaming is the new norm in movie watching.
So if you don’t have much budget but want a decent laptop then Dell Inspiron 15 is your best choice.
Recommended configuration for Dell Inspiron 15
CPU: Intel Core i5-1035G1 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 Full HD Narrow Border Display| Storage: 256GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 5 hours | Weight: 6 pounds
Picking The Best Laptops For Watching Movies In 2023
Size & Resolution
If you are someone who loves watching movies wherever you go – watching movies on a laptop is a great decision.
And it doesn’t need to be an awkward experience as long as you make sure you get a laptop with decent size and resolution.
The first thing everyone goes for is the screen size, but we highly recommend you to pay attention to resolution as well. Depending on the quality of a screen, some modern laptops are able to reach a 4K resolution which is 3840 x 2160 pixels.
If you get a chance to find movies that are in true 4K resolution, you’ll have the smoothest and the most enjoyable watching experience.
You’ll definitely forget you’re watching a movie on a laptop. However, 1080p is a really decent resolution we would recommend your laptop to have. It’s very common to see laptops nowadays featuring 1080p resolution which is ideal for this purpose.
Form / Design
Since you’ll be watching movies on a laptop, you should take the full advantage of a laptop by making sure you find a laptop with a very thin and lightweight design. This will allow you to take your laptop anywhere you go and still have an enjoyable watching experience.
However, there’s much more than just design in terms of versatility. What is really important when you’re looking for the best laptop for watching movies is the screen shape and design.
Most modern laptops feature a screen with a narrow bezel that basically fits a big screen inside a smaller laptop body which removes large bezels and replaces them with a narrow one.
This increases watching experience by allowing you to focus more on the screen and opposing no distraction. Also, making sure that your laptop’s screen comes with an anti-glare feature is really important.
Battery Life
There is no worse thing happening than having to get up out of your comfy bed just to plug in your battery charger. Watching a movie will probably require an internet connection or video software or two.
However, that isn’t very demanding on a battery life and if you happen to purchase a laptop with modern battery life – you’ll be able to get a long battery life on a single charge.
With some modern laptops which offer over 20 hours of battery life on a single charge – you’ll be able to finish many movies in a row without having to think about long battery life. This is especially useful when you’re traveling. Watching movies on a bus, train, airport, and even on an airplane will be a lot simpler than ever before.
The best thing is that such great batteries don’t sacrifice the versatility or lightness of most laptops so you have nothing to worry about.
O.S
Depending on the software you’re using for watching movies and platforms you’re relying on to watch movies online, you’ll want to have an operating system that can handle the most popular software and video platforms.
In case you need to download software, plugin or app to access your favorite movies platform – you don’t want to find out that you aren’t able to do it just because of the operating system.
Sticking with Windows or Mac OS X will be the ideal choice where you will have plenty of versatility and even choices between software and video streaming platforms to choose from.
However, if your only goal is watching movies – you won’t have a hard time since most operating systems are versatile, and you can always access online platforms for movies.
Touchpad
Since you’ll be most of the time using a laptop without additional peripherals, therefore, you’ll want a laptop to have a very responsive touchpad and it should even be decent in size.
This will allow you to multitask, switch between the videos, and even precisely pinpoint the time inside a movie. If you’re someone who loves watching movies on a go, you will definitely want to pay attention to the trackpad since you’ll be relying on it most of the time.
Some trackpads offer multitouch gestures which will allow you to do a lot more than just move the cursor along with the screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are 4K Movies Already Available?
There are plenty of 4K movies available and you can choose whether to purchase them physically as a BluRay disc or watch them online – depending on the movie platform you’re using. There are more and more movies coming out available in 4K resolution so it’s definitely worth purchasing a laptop with a 4K display.
Best Resolution For Watching Movies On A Laptop?
While there is no best resolution, we recommend you to go for at least 1280 x 720-pixel resolution and higher. This is considered to be an HD or Full HD screen resolution which is ideal for watching movies. However, if you aren’t on a tight budget, going for a 4K resolution is a great idea since there are a lot of 4K movies coming out.
How Important Is A Graphics Card For Movie Watching?
You’ll either watch movies on the internet using your browser or through software installed on your laptop which will be mostly relying on how powerful the processor is. Graphics card isn’t very necessary, but it’s good to have one – especially if you plan to watch 4K movies or do some gaming in your free time.
Is Chromebooks Good For Watching Movies?
Yes, a Chromebook with a good display is great for watching movies. Though most Chromebooks lack storage, most movies today are available on the streaming platform so you don’t need to have big storage.
Resources
- Premium PC audio by Bang & Olufsen, Bang-Olufsen.com
- Top 5 Things You Should Know Between True 4k and Streaming 4K – TVSpecialist.com, 25th Sep, by Raquelle Dickerson