Comparison Lenovo Ideapad 120s 14 [120S-14IAP 81A500BQRA] vs Acer Swift 1 SF113-31 [SF113-31-P1U7]

General device type.

In addition to traditional laptops, nowadays you can find varieties such as netbooks, ultrabooks, 2 in 1 tablet laptops and transformers. Here are their main features:

— A laptop. Laptops of a more or less traditional format that do not belong to any of the specific categories described below. The classic, most popular screen size in these models is 15.6 ". 13.3" and 14" laptops are considered compact, laptops with a 17.3" screen are large-format, and larger displays are found in advanced gaming models. At the same time, devices from this category are also very diverse in terms of characteristics and capabilities: they range from “typewriters” designed for education and home tasks, to high-end gaming solutions, and workstations and multimedia complexes.

— Ultrabook. High-end laptops that combine compactness, light weight and advanced features. The diagonal in ultrabooks ranges from 11 "to 14", the thickness of the case does not exceed 21 mm, while the internal equipment usually includes powerful processors, a large amount of RAM, fast drives like SSD and other similar solutions. In addition, many devices from this category are made in a characteristic stylish design and are also designed for...the role of fashion accessories.

— Transformer 360°. Another type of laptop that can turn into a tablet. However, unlike the laptops-tablets described above, in this case, not a removable keyboard is used, but a special swivel connection of the upper and lower blocks. The design of this connection is such that the top of the device can be rotated 360° and placed face up on the keyboard. Thus, the transformer can be converted from a laptop to a tablet without removing the bottom half; this is the fundamental difference between such models and the “2-in-1” described above. This format of work is generally more convenient — no need to look for a place for the removed keyboard, there is no risk of forgetting or losing it; in addition, the mounting design usually allows you to use the device in the format of a “photo frame” — an inclined tablet on a stand without a keyboard. Thus, transformers have become more widespread today than collapsible laptops-tablets. Their disadvantages include the inability to reduce weight by removing the keyboard. The diagonal of such devices can be from 12" to 17".

— 2 in 1 (laptop-tablet). Laptops that can turn into tablets. In such models, the entire “hardware” (or at least its key components) is placed in the upper half, the screen is made touch-sensitive, and the lower half with the keyboard can be completely separated. From traditional tablets, which can also be equipped with keyboards, such devices differ in three main points. The first is more powerful hardware: in particular, most 2-in-1 models carry full-fledged laptop processors (up to and including Core i7), while tablets mainly use CPUs similar to smartphone chips. The second point is a larger screen size, usually 13 – 15". The third caveat is that the keyboard of a laptop-tablet can include not only a set of keys and a spare battery, but also some system components: a discrete graphics card, an additional drive, etc. .
In general, 2-in-1 models are more versatile than traditional laptops; however, nowadays they are much less common than another similar type of laptop — transformers (see below). This is due to the fact that the removable keyboard is not always convenient: when using a device in tablet format, it usually has to be removed; it is not always possible to find a place nearby for the removed keyboard; besides, it can be forgotten or lost through inattention. However, this design also has advantages: for example, if there is enough tablet on the road, there is no need to carry additional cargo in the form of the lower half of the device.

Diagonal size of laptop display.

The larger the screen, the more convenient the laptop for watching high-definition movies, modern games, working with large-format graphic materials, etc. Large screens are especially important for multimedia and gaming models. On the other hand, the diagonal of the display directly affects the size and cost of the entire device. So if portability is key, it makes sense to pay attention to relatively small solutions; especially since most modern laptops have video outputs like HDMI or DisplayPort and allow connection of large-format external monitors.

In light of all this, the actual maximum for laptops these days is 17"(17.3"); however larger devices (18") reappeared at the beginning of 2023. The standard option for general purpose laptops is 15"(15.6"), less often 16", a diagonal of 13"(13.3") or 14" is considered small by the standards of such And smaller screens can be found mainly in specific compact varieties of laptops — ultrabooks, 2 in 1, transformers, netbooks; among such devices there are solutions for 12 ", 11" and even 10" or less.

The technology by which the matrix of the laptop is made.

Matrices of the TN+film, IPS and *VA types are most widely used nowadays; less common are screens like OLED, AMOLED, QLED, miniLED, as well as more specific solutions like LTPS or IGZO. Here is a more detailed description of all these options:

— TN-film. The oldest, simplest and most inexpensive technology currently in use. The key advantages of this type of display are low cost and excellent response time. On the other hand, such matrices are not of high image quality: brightness, colour fidelity and viewing angles of TN-film screens are at an average level. These indicators are quite enough for working with documents, web surfing, most games, etc.; however, for more serious tasks that require a high-quality and reliable picture (for example, design or photo / video colour correction), such screens are practically unsuitable. Thus, TN-film matrices are relatively rare nowadays, mainly among low-cost laptops; more advanced devices are equipped with better screens, most often IPS.

— IPS (In-Plane Switching). The most popular type of matrix for laptops in the middle and top price range; however, it is increasingly common in low-cost models, and for trans...formers and 2-in-1 devices (see "Type") it is almost a standard option. Screens of this type are noticeably superior to TN-film in terms of the quality of the “picture”: they provide a bright, reliable and rich image that hardly changes when the viewing angle changes. In addition, this technology allows to achieve extensive colour gamuts in various special standards (see below) and is suitable for creating displays with advanced features such as HDR support or Pantone / CalMAN certification (also see below). Initially, IPS matrices were expensive and had a slow response time; however, nowadays, various modifications of this technology are used, in which these shortcomings are fully or partially compensated. At the same time, different modifications may differ in practical characteristics: for example, some are created based on the maximum reliability of the picture, others differ in affordable cost, etc. So it's ok to clarify the actual characteristics of the IPS screen before buying — especially if you plan to use a laptop for specific applications where image quality is critical.

— *V.A. Various modifications of matrices of the "Vertical Alignment" type: MVA, PVA, Super PVA, ASVA, etc. The differences between these technologies are mainly in the name and the manufacturer. Initially, matrices of this type were developed as a compromise between IPS (high-quality, but expensive and slow) and TN-film (fast, inexpensive, but modest in image quality). As a result, *VA screens turned out to be more affordable than IPS and more advanced than TN-film — they have good colour reproduction, deep blacks and wide viewing angles. At the same time, it is worth noting that the colour balance of the picture on such a display changes somewhat when the viewing angle changes. This makes it difficult to use *VA matrices in professional colour work. In general, this option is designed mainly for those who do not need perfect colour accuracy and at the same time want to see a bright and colorful image.

— OLED. Matrices based on the so-called organic light-emitting diodes. The key feature of such displays is that in them each pixel is a source of light in itself (unlike classic LCD screens, in which the backlight is made separately). This design principle, combined with a number of other solutions, provides excellent brightness, contrast and colour reproduction, rich blacks, the widest possible viewing angles and a small thickness of the screens themselves. On the other hand, laptop OLED matrices for the most part turn out to be quite expensive and “gluttonous” in terms of energy consumption, and they wear out unevenly: the more often and brighter a pixel glows, the faster it loses its working properties (however, this phenomenon becomes noticeable only after several years of intensive use). In addition, for a number of reasons, such screens are considered poorly suited for gaming applications. In light of all this, sensors of this type are rare these days — mostly in individual high-end laptops designed for professional colour work and with appropriate features such as HDR support, wide colour gamut and/or Pantone / CalMAN certification (see below).

— AMOLED. A kind of matrices on organic light-emitting diodes, created by Samsung (however, it is also used by other manufacturers). In terms of its main features, it is similar to other types of OLED matrices (see above): on the one hand, it allows you to achieve excellent image quality, on the other hand, it is expensive and wears out unevenly. At the same time, AMOLED screens have even more advanced colour performance combined with better power optimization. And the low prevalence of this technology is mainly due to the fact that it was originally created for smartphones and only recently began to be used in laptops (since 2020).

— MiniLED. Screen backlight system on a substrate of miniature LEDs with a size of about 100-200 microns (µm). On the same display plane, it was possible to increase the number of LEDs several times, and their array is placed directly behind the matrix itself. The main advantage of miniLED technology can be called a large number of local dimming zones, which in total gives improved brightness, contrast and more saturated colors with deep blacks. MiniLED screens unlock the potential of High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, suitable for graphic designers and digital content creators.

— QLED. Matrices on "quantum dots" with a redesigned LED backlight system. In particular, it provides the replacement of multilayer colour filters with a special thin-film coating of nanoparticles. Instead of traditional white LEDs, QLED panels use blue ones. As a result, a set of design innovations makes it possible to achieve a higher brightness threshold, colour saturation, improve the quality of colour reproduction in general, while reducing the thickness of the screen and reducing power consumption. The reverse side of the QLED-matrices coin is an expensive cost.

— PLS. A type of matrix developed as an alternative to the IPS described above and, according to some sources, is one of its modifications. Such matrices are also characterized by high colour rendering quality and good brightness; in addition, the advantages of PLS include good suitability for high-resolution screens (due to high pixel density), as well as lower cost than most IPS modifications, and low power consumption. At the same time, the response speed of such screens is not very high.

— LTPS. An advanced type of TFT-matrix, created on the basis of the so-called. low temperature polycrystalline silicon. Such matrices have high colour quality, and are also well suited for screens with high pixel density — in other words, they can be used to create small displays with very high resolution. Another advantage is that part of the control electronics can be built directly into the matrix, reducing the overall thickness of the screen. On the other hand, LTPS matrices are difficult to manufacture and expensive, and therefore are found mainly in premium laptops.

— IGZO. An LCD technology that uses a semiconductor material based on indium, gallium, and zinc oxides (as opposed to more traditional amorphous silicon). This technology provides fast response time, low power consumption and very high colour quality; it also achieves high pixel densities, making it well-suited for ultra-high resolution screens. However, while such displays in laptops are extremely rare. This is explained both by the high cost and by the fact that rather rare metals are used in the production of IGZO matrices, which makes large-scale production difficult.

— Glossy. A glossy surface improves the overall picture quality: other things being equal, the picture on such a screen looks brighter and more colorful than on a matte one. On the other hand, pollution is very noticeable on such a surface, and in bright external lighting, a lot of glare appears on it, which can greatly interfere with viewing. Therefore, instead of the classic gloss, laptops are increasingly using an anti-reflective version of such a coating (see below). Nevertheless, this option still does not lose popularity: it is somewhat cheaper than the “anti-glare”, and in soft, relatively dim lighting, it can even provide a more pleasing image to the eye.

— Matte. Matte finish is inexpensive and does not form glare even from fairly bright lighting. On the other hand, the picture on such a screen is noticeably dimmer than on a similar glossy display. However, this moment can be compensated by various design solutions (primarily a good margin of brightness); so this option can be found in all categories of modern laptops — from low-cost models for working with documents to top gaming configurations.

— Glossy (anti-glare). A variation on the glossy finish described above, designed to reduce glare from external light sources. Such screens really glare noticeably less than traditional glossy ones (or even do not give glare at all); at the same time, in...terms of image quality, they are at least superior to matte ones. So it is this type of coating that is most popular nowadays.

The result shown by the laptop processor in the Passmark CPU Mark test.

Passmark CPU Mark is a comprehensive test that is more detailed and reliable than the popular 3DMark06 (see above). It checks not only the gaming capabilities of the CPU, but also its performance in other modes, based on which it displays the overall score; this score can be used to fairly reliably evaluate the processor as a whole (the more points, the higher the performance).

The amount of random access memory (RAM or RAM) actually installed in the laptop.

The amount of RAM is one of the most important indicators characterizing the overall flow Rate of the system. The more RAM installed in a laptop, the better it will cope with “heavy” resource-intensive programs, and the more tasks can be performed on it simultaneously without “brakes” and failures.

Today , 4 GB of RAM is considered the minimum required. A capacity of 8 GB is usually enough for comfortable household use and simple games, 16 GB and 32 GB are enough for running resource-intensive applications and confidently launching modern games. And in advanced gaming and professional laptops there are also larger amounts of RAM - 64 GB or even more.

Note that many laptop models allow you to increase the available amount of RAM; For more details, see “Maximum installed volume”.

Laptops mainly use different variants of DDR (so-called double data transfer memory). Here is a list of common types of such memory:

— DDR3. Third generation DDR RAM. Outperforms outdated DDR2 in terms of speed and power efficiency. However, it is also outdated against the background of the fourth version and new items - DDR5.

— DDR3L. A modification of DDR3 memory that supports operation at a reduced voltage - 1.35 V instead of 1.5 V (Low Voltage - hence the index L). Lower voltage contributes to both lower power consumption and better performance. Note that conventional DDR3 memory cannot be installed in such a slot, while the reverse option is quite possible.

— DDR4. A memory standard released in 2014. Introduced further improvements in speed (up to 25.6 GB / s in the future) and energy efficiency. The most popular among laptops of recent years of release.

— DDR5. The procession of the fifth generation of the DDR standard began at the turn of 2020-2021. It provides for approximately a twofold increase in memory subsystem performance and increased bandwidth compared to DDR4. Instead of a single 64-bit data channel, DDR5 uses a pair of independent 32-bit channels that work with 16-byte packets and allow 64 bytes of information to be delivered per clock on each channel. New memory modules require a voltage of 1.1 V, and the maximum volume of one DDR5 bar can rea...ch an impressive 128 GB.

It is worth noting that different types of RAM are not interchangeable.

Some laptops have LPDDR4, LPDDR4X, LPDDR5, LPDDR5X RAM. It was developed by a specialist for mobile devices and is non-expandable, since the corresponding memory modules are built directly into the motherboard. The use of "RAM" standards LPDDR is determined by the achievement of an optimal balance between the performance of the laptop, its size and battery life.

The clock speed of the RAM installed in the laptop.

The higher the frequency (with the same type and amount of memory) — the higher the performance of RAM in general and the faster the laptop will cope with resource-intensive tasks. However modules with the same frequency may differ somewhat in actual performance due to differences in other characteristics; but this difference becomes significant only in very specific cases, for the average user it is not critical. As for specific values, the most popular modules on the modern market are 2400 MHz, 2666 MHz, 2933 MHz and 3200 MHz. Memory at 2133 MHz or less is found mainly in outdated and low-cost devices, and in high-performance configurations this parameter is 2933 MHz, 3200 MHz, 4266 MHz, 4800 MHz, 5200 MHz and more.

The result shown by the laptop graphics card in the 3DMark Vantage P test.

Vantage P is a variant of the popular 3DMark test — namely, the next version of this test after 3DMark06 (see above). Like all such tests, it is designed to test the performance of graphics under high loads and displays the results in points; the more points, the more powerful and performant the graphics card is. Good results in 3DMark Vantage P are especially important if the laptop is going to be used for demanding games. However, it is difficult to call them reliable, since measurements are made on video cards with different TDPs and an overall average score is given. Thus, your laptop can have either more or less than the specified result - it all depends on the TDP of the installed video card.