Is There a Right Choice?
If someone came up to you on the street and asked you if you would prefer to have a 12 inch or 15 inch laptop, I would not be able to give him or her a one word answer. Clearly, I would start rambling on about how it would depend on what situation I was in, money, and so many other things. Well, “you don’t have that luxury” the stranger would say, and naturally I would self destruct. But seriously, when I’m lugging around my 15 inch Macbook Pro, there are times when I wish it was a few inches shorter, and a few pounds lighter. Of course, humans are programmed to improve anything we can, so naturally we whine about stuff to the point that other people get so fed up, they solve the problem themselves.
Well back to the original idea; 12 inch vs. 15 inch laptops. Thank you to all the laptop companies out there introducing 14 inch models, and Apple with its need to introduce a 13 inch Macbook Pro, which just makes my argument more difficult with these happy medium choices. For the sake of argument though, let’s just stick to around the 12 inch and 15 inch models. It used to be you need more power; 12 inch laptops just did not stand a chance against 15 inch laptops. Well today, there are machines such as the ThinkPad X201 that comes with an i5 that have pretty identical specs to their bigger 15inch brothers, such as the T410. For me, here are the main compromises with going with these smaller machines: processor, heat, durability, screen usability, and keyboard. These days with lower voltage processors that perform fairly well, the heat and processor problem is taken care of. Durability comes into question because often companies opt to have less protection on these computers to save on size. Well, netbooks tend to be made of economical plastic, and tend to not be very durable at all. The Sony X series is extremely skinny and while it looks like it could be broken in two, is actually made out of an aluminum alloy that can hold its own against a large amount of force. The X201 takes the cake though in terms of durability versus weight, it is made of out of solid hard rubber that you could almost use as a weapon. There will always be something stronger and better made (HP toughbooks and customized latops that are built for desert and war use), but the X201 does so while staying small light, and not overly expensive.
Screen size may be the only obvious answer on this page, 12 inch latops have smaller screens than 15 inch laptops, and will not look as good. Ok, yes, some high end 12 inch computers, I’m looking towards Sony and Apple, have screens that may have higher resolution than some 15inch screens from other companies, but have more room to work with is just better. This is probably the biggest or second biggest thing on should think about when deciding on a laptop.
The most overlooked problem with smaller laptops is the smaller area available for the keyboard and trackpad. Typically smaller laptops have a smaller than normal sized keyboard, this can be a big compromise depending on how many hours a day you plan on using the keyboard. For me, working on a super-thin computer like the Sony X series tired my hands quickly. While it would not be a computer I would want to work on all day, it would be one I would always have with me because it is so light and thin.
There is no right answer for everyone, I’m not even sure if there is a right answer for me. When I’m at my desk I don’t even touch my laptop, it stays plugged into my display and connected wireless to my keyboard and mouse. So while I like to have my large screen sometimes, thinking about it, I would probably be better suited with a more portable machine. My general rule of thumb for picking between the two sizes depends proportionally to the amount of time spent carrying it versus actual use. If I need to carry a computer 12 hours a day and use it for about an hour, or even less, I’m going to look towards the Sony P series or X series if I need more power. If I’m carrying it about as often as I use it, I would definitely go for a light 12 inch machine such as the Lenovo X201, and have a desktop setup for it at home. If I’m using it twice as often as I am carrying it, a 15 inch model makes sense. Now for those that have the lap or desk space and use their laptop more than 4 times the amount of time they spend carrying it, I would step up to something like the 17 inch Macbook Pro and never look back.
Now laptop size also has to do with what space you’re working with, which varies person to person. My biggest problem with laptops smaller than 14 inches is my pinkies hang over the side of the computer, not a huge deal, but definitely something I would take into consideration if you are in front of your computer as often as I am.
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