3x2 Vs 16x9 Display: Which One Is The Best Choice For A Laptop?

Your choice between 3x2 and 16x9 screens makes a lot more difference than you may think. A 16x9 screen is more common which can be seen in Apple iMacs or MacBooks (16x10), for example. This aspect ratio features in all laptops from Dell, HP, Acer and so on.

However, there are other laptops which proudly offer taller displays of 3x2, including Google Pixelbook (2,400x1,600 pixels) and the Surface Pro 6 (2,736x1,824 pixels). The width of these laptops is greater than their height, but just the width of a 16x9 screen is nearly doubled its height.

The widescreen became popular after the century turned during the middle of the 2000s. Then, TV and TV content also changed from the square formats to the widescreen ones. If most movies and shows come in the widescreen formats, it is understandable that TV screens, computer monitors and laptop displays also change to match.

Wider screens also benefited game players. Gamers could see more of a game scene and making these laptops also costs less money. A laptop at the size of 15 inches with the 16x9 display does not give as much screen real estate as a laptop at the same size with the 3x2 display, meaning it is cheaper to make.

Thanks to Google, Microsoft and other companies like Huawei, the 3x2 display is currently coming back in small scale, now you have to choose whether widescreen or not when you want to buy a laptop.

A widescreen laptop has the same advantages as it has always been. It is better for you to watch movies, TV shows, Netflix, YouTube, etc.

A wider screen shows obvious benefits when it comes to things where width is critical, such as games with a lot of landscapes or spreadsheets. In addition, 16x9 screens are more like how we see things through our eyes.

Another advantage with wider screens is that it's easier to view documents, websites, programs, etc., side by side. In Windows, you can even snap apps to a half of the laptop’s screen. You are able to check social media on one side and write an email or take detailed notes from a web on the other half of the screen, without the need for continuously switching between two programs.

While technology is evolving every day, people are now spending more of their days staring at the tall screens (smartphones) instead of the wide ones. That may partially cause the 3x2 display to come back, however, these taller monitors also have numerous benefits.

It is simpler for you to fit in a vertical screen no matter you are reading an essay or looking at a social media new, a recent schedule or a website. The difference between two aspect ratios is felt particularly on the website when ads and pop-ups sometimes can make us see a webpage in mere sliver at any time.

In case you do not plan to have 2 application windows up on the screen side by side, the 3x2 displays are more suitable for emailing, word processing, scrolling long pages or an endless stream of tweets, from the top to the bottom instead of from the left to the right of the screen. You will not need to scroll that much if you do it on the 3x2 screen.

At the top and the bottom are usually docks, menus, tabs, and taskbars, instead of the left edge and the right edge. It means that if you buy a 3x2 laptop, there are fewer pixels taken up with the screen which is not necessarily helpful to you.

Finally, there isn't a definite right answer here. At the very least, we are now where you already choose between 16x9 and 3x2 display, if you do not stick to macOS which always has widescreen. You can also consider tablets which often have 4x3 display and now you have even more choices to pick.