11 Best Laptop For Watching Movies With Buyers Guide

Why Should You Buy A Laptop For Movie Watching?

Buying a laptop if you don’t need it for work, gaming, or any other advanced tasks, just to watch movies may seem a waste of money, especially if you already own a TV where you can watch movies. However, watching movies on a laptop definitely has its advantages. A laptop is light and portable enough that you can move it around the room, adjust its position, and even place it on your lap. You can carry it with you when go have a toilet break or when you go to the kitchen to prepare some snacks. You can watch it by yourself without disturbing your roommates or family members. Besides, it enables you to do all the other stuff that you usually do on your smartphone, such as reading and writing emails, browsing the web, and managing files, in half the time.

Minimum And Recommended System Requirements For A High-quality Movie Watching Experience

If you are not planning to use the device for graphical design, gaming, on running any other more advanced programs and tasks, then you don’t have to buy a laptop with high-end specifications, like an enormous amount of RAM and storage or a super-powerful processor. The two most important requirements for high-quality movie watching are the display and the sound system. Nonetheless, let’s check out in detail the minimum and recommended system requirements for a great watching experience.

• Full HD display

For the most enjoyable watching experience make sure to opt for a laptop with a Full HD display or even a 4K or a UHD display. Having crystal-clear visuals, rich colors, and enough brightness is of the utmost importance when it comes to watching movies.

• A high-quality sound system

The second most important thing is to choose a device with a high-quality sound system. A clear, warm, smooth, and loud enough sound makes the movie watching experience more immersive. However, if you are planning to use earphones instead, then you can safely disregard this specification. Moreover, it may be more economical to invest in high-quality speakers instead of high-end speakers anyway.

• A GPU

As we have mentioned before, a high-end processor shouldn’t be your main concern. An i3 processor is more than capable of providing a smooth watching experience. However, a GPU will guarantee a perfect and immersive experience.

• More than 4 GB RAM

To make sure the movies run smoothly choose a device with at least 4 GB of RAM. 8 GB would be even better.

• 500 GB storage

Nowadays, you can find most movies on major streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. However, when you can’t find a movie on those platforms you will have to download it. A high-quality movie file can be pretty large (anywhere between 1 GB to 8 GB). To run a file of that size smoothly, you may need an HDD of at least 500 GB.

• Big battery

Watching high-quality movies on Full HD screens can be pretty battery-consuming, therefore you may want to consider opting for a device with a bigger battery and a longer battery life.

• Lightweight and portability

Watching movies on a laptop is way more fun than watching movies on a smartphone. As soon as you realize that you will be tempted to take your laptop with you on every business trip, boring commute, or family vacation. Therefore, you should consider buying a relatively light and portable laptop.

The Top 11 Best Laptops For Watching Movies

1. Apple MacBook 13 inch – Best For Watching Movies

As we all know, Apple is one of the most reliable computer manufacturers in the world. Their laptops are user-friendly, durable, high-quality, and suitable for a large variety of tasks, including watching movies. It features a powerful processor with turbo boost, more than enough RAM, an excellent graphics card that even enables you to play middle-end games, a backlit keyboard, great Wi-Fi connectivity, and many other connectivity options. Most importantly, it has a high-quality sound system and a Full HD retina display that provides rich colors, enough brightness and contrast, and a crystal-clear image. The storage may not meet the recommended requirements, however, you can always store your movie files on a hard drive, and for streaming, you don’t need any storage. Overall, this is one of the best laptops for watching movies. If you want a larger display, you can opt for MacBook Pro 16 inch, which has similar specs but it comes with a higher price tag.

Technical specifications:

Processor: 1.4 GHz 8th generation Intel core i5
RAM: 8 GB or 16 GB
ROM: 256 GB SSD (expandable up to 2TB)
Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Size and display: 13.3 inches retina display
Camera: 720p FaceTime HD camera
Portability: Yes
Wi-Fi Connectivity: Yes
Battery life: 10 hours

2. Dell XPS 15 – Best Laptops For Watching Movies

This is another great laptop for watching movies by Dell. It has a beautiful slim design, a well-spaced comfortable keyboard that offers bouncy feedbacks and a high response rate, but no numeric keypad, a powerful processor, sufficient RAM, great Wi-Fi, and ample other connectivity options. The high-quality laptop comes with great speakers and a superb Infinity Edge anti-reflective 15.6-inch display covered by Corning Gorilla glass with one of the highest resolutions currently available. The display offers deep tones, rich colors, clear images, and an uninterrupted smooth movie watching experience. The storage is less than impressive and so is the battery life, which only lasts up to 8 hours. Even with these two minor disadvantages, this is one of the best laptops for watching movies.

Technical specifications:

Processor: 2.6 GHz 9th generation Intel core i7
RAM: 16 GB
ROM: 256 GB SSD (expandable up to 2TB)
Resolution: 3840 x 2400 (4K)
Size and display: 15.6 inches OLED display
Camera: 720p webcam
Portability: Yes
Wi-Fi Connectivity: Yes
Battery life: 8 hours

3. Acer Predator Helios 300 – Best Laptops For Watching Movies

The Predator Helios 300 by Acer definitely deserves a spot on our list of the best laptops for watching movies. It is a very powerful machine suitable even for heavy gaming. It features a powerful processor and an Nvidia GeForce 1060 graphics card. The device has sufficient RAM but below-average storage, which can luckily be expanded up to 2 TB. The powerful speakers and the unparalleled Dolby Audio Performance feature provide a crisp sound regardless of the volume and activity. The HD IPS display provides intense and bright colors and it’s good enough for streaming or playing high-definition content. The laptop also has reliable Wi-Fi connectivity as well as ample USB ports, an Ethernet port, and an SD card slot. The battery life is quite short, so it may not be the best option for traveling. This device is overkill for watching movies, but if you are also planning on doing some serious gaming, this may be just the laptop for you.

Technical specifications:

Processor: 2.6 GHz 7th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H
RAM: 16 GB
ROM: 256 GB SSD (expandable up to 2TB)
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Size and display: 15.6 inches OLED display
Camera: 720p webcam
Portability: Yes
Wi-Fi Connectivity: Yes
Battery life: Up to 3.5 hours

4. Dell Inspiron Flagship – Best For Watching Movies

This is one of the most popular laptops for watching movies – mostly due to its good quality sound speakers, huge storage that allows you to store tons of movies, and a sufficient Ram to handle all kinds of everyday tasks with ease. It offers a solid Wi-Fi connection and many other connectivity options, including an HDMI output port, a headphone jack, an Ethernet jack, three USB 3.0 ports with an SD card reader, and a disc drive. The 15.6-inch HD display offers a crystal clear image for an immersive movie-watching experience, however, it only has 67 % of the sRGB color gamut which falls below the mainstream laptop average which is 89 %. Some users also complain about the plain and dull design and the battery life is below average as well. Still, this is one of the best laptops for watching movies, especially considering the affordable price.

Technical specifications:

Processor: Intel Core 8th Generation i5-6200U
RAM: 8 GB DDR4
ROM: 1TB HDD (expandable up to 2TB)
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Size and display: 15.6 inches display
Camera: 720p webcam
Portability: Yes
Wi-Fi Connectivity: Yes
Battery life: 7 hours

5. Acer Aspire E15 – Best Laptops For Watching Movies

This durable and reliable laptop for everyday tasks is another great option for streaming movies. It features solid Wi-Fi connectivity, good quality sound speakers, and a Full HD display with an incredible resolution, vibrant colors, and 400 nits of brightness, which makes it an ideal option for watching movies outside on a bright day. The powerful processor ensures a smooth performance and the 6 GB DDR4 RAM provides sufficient speed. The storage may not be big enough to store lots of movies, but you can expand it up to 2 TB. The Intel HD graphics 620 card delivers above-average graphics and the long-lasting battery life makes sure your enjoyable movie-watching experience won’t be interrupted even while traveling. The device comes with an extraordinary amount of ports, including a USB 2.0 port, a USB 3.1 Type-C port, two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, an 8X DVD-RW double-layer drive, a headphone jack, a VGA input, a Kensington lock lives, and an SD card reader. The specs are quite remarkable, especially for such an affordable device.

Technical specifications:

Processor: Intel Core 8th Generation i3-8130U
RAM: 6 GB DDR4
ROM: 245GB SSD (expandable up to 2TB)
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Size and display: 15.6 inches display
Camera: 720p webcam
Portability: Yes
Wi-Fi Connectivity: Yes
Battery life: Up to 9 hours

6. Lenovo Legion 5 – Best Laptops For Watching Movies

Due to its powerful processor, large RAM, and the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics unit, this laptop is not only suitable for watching movies, but also for serious gaming. It delivers smooth performance, provides enough storage for downloading tons of movies, videos, and other large files, and gives ample connectivity options, including An HDMI port, four USB3.0 ports, one USB-3.2 (Gen1)-Type-C, a display port via USB-C, a Gigabit Ethernet port, a headphone/microphone socket, Bluetooth, and of course the modern Wi-Fi 6-802.11ax module. The 15.6-inch full HD display provides a clear and relatively bright image and the sound quality is good as well. The device is light and portable and the battery life is quite impressive. Thanks to the battery’s Rapid Charge function it recharges 62 percent of its capacity within 30 minutes.

Technical specifications:

Processor: AMD Ryzen 7-4800H
RAM: 8 GB or 16 GB
ROM: 512 GB SSD
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Size and display: 15.6 inches full HD display
Camera: 720p webcam
Portability: Yes
Wi-Fi Connectivity: Yes
Battery life: 11 hours

7. Huawei Mate Book 13 – Best For Watching Movies

This is a very lightweight yet sturdy laptop for watching movies by Huawei. It is very portable and thus suitable for traveling. The 2K Full HD display is very bright and it provides crystal-clear image quality, true colors, optimal contrast, and a stable viewing angle. The backlit keyboard is comfortable, large, and provides a pleasant resistance. The strong processor with Turbo Boost, a decent RAM, and a long battery life ensures a smooth performance and uninterrupted movie watching experience. The storage isn’t very impressive, but as streaming doesn’t require storage and as you can always store your content on an external hard drive, this shouldn’t be a problem. The device is only equipped with the most basic connectivity options – two USB 3.1 type C ports, a 3.5 mm jack to connect headphones, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi 5.

Technical specifications:

Processor: 8th Generation Intel Core i5 8265U
RAM: 8 GB
ROM: 256GB SDD
Resolution: 2160 x 1440
Size and display: 13 inches full HD display
Camera: 720p webcam
Portability: Yes
Wi-Fi Connectivity: Yes
Battery life: Up to 9.6 hours

8. Acer Swift 3 – Best Laptops For Watching Movies

This laptop for watching movies by Acer has a powerful processor for smooth performance, sufficient RAM for great speed, and a large enough storage that enables you to store some movies directly on the device. It offers many connectivity options, including four USB ports, a full-size HDMI, an SD card reader, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi 5. The design is light and portable, and the backlit keyboard is very user-friendly. The battery can last almost 12 hours of video rendering and 8 hours of more intensive use. The display provides vivid colors and a stable viewing angle. The sound is decent as well. Overall, Acer Swift 3 is a great option for watching movies.

Technical specifications:

Processor: AMD Ryzen5 3500U
RAM: 8 GB
ROM: 512GB SSD
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Size and display: 14 inches IPS HD display
Camera: 720p webcam
Portability: Yes
Wi-Fi Connectivity: Yes
Battery life: Up to 12 hours

9. Lenovo Flex 4 2-in-1 Best Laptops For Watching Movies

This is one of the lightest and most portable laptops on our list, therefore one of the most suitable devices for watching movies on the road. As a 2-in-1 work machine, the laptop can be used (with the help of strong and reliable straps) in clamshell mode, tent mode, and tablet mode. It comes with a strong processor, a large enough RAM, and a powerful AMD Ryzen R3-3500U graphics card suitable for middle-level gaming. The storage may not be huge, but it is expandable. The device features good quality sound speakers, a vibrant full HD display, and a decent battery. In addition, it offers excellent connectivity options (a USB Type-C port, two USB 3.1 ports, a power adaptor port, an HDMI port, an audio jack, a Novo power button, and a card reader), however, it lacks a Thunderbolt port. All in all, this is a great movie watching laptop.

Technical specifications:

Processor: Intel Core 6th Generation i5-7200U
RAM: 8 GB DDR4
ROM: 256GB SSD (expandable up to 2TB)
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Size and display: 14 inches display
Camera: 720p webcam
Portability: Yes
Wi-Fi Connectivity: Yes
Battery life: 8.5 hours

10. LG gram – Best Laptops For Watching Movies

This is a light, thin, and very portable laptop from LG. Due to its sleek sturdy design and astonishingly long battery life (up to 19 hours), it is one of the best laptops for traveling. The 15.6-inch full HD display provides a vibrant, bright, and clear image and thus an immersive movie-watching experience. The device features a tactile and responsive backlit keyboard and many connectivity options, including a USB-C port, three USB 3.0 ports, and an HDMI port. The powerful processor and sufficient RAM offer a smooth, fast, and reliable performance even when dealing with more complex tasks. This laptop may be rather expensive, but it is worth the price.

Technical specifications:

Processor: 8th Generation Intel Core i5
RAM: 8 GB
ROM: 256 GB SSD (expandable)
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Size and display: 15.6-inch full HD IPS LCD display
Camera: 720p webcam
Portability: Yes
Wi-Fi Connectivity: Yes
Battery life: Up to 19 hours

11. ASUS Vivo Book Pro 17 – Best For Watching Movies

This laptop from Asus comes with a large 17.3-inch full HD LCD screen that provides rich colors and with good quality sound speakers, which make the movie-watching experience even more immersive. The great GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card, powerful processor, and large RAM ensure smooth performance, speed, and simple multitasking. The storage allows you to store your basic data and if you expand it, you will even be able to store many movies and other large files. On the other hand, battery life is very short – it only lasts up to 5 hours. However, as the battery is small it can be charged quickly – it only takes an hour to charge it up to 86%.

Technical specifications:

Processor: Intel Core i7-8565U
RAM: 16 GB DDR4
ROM: 256 GB SSD (expandable up to 1 TB)
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Size and display: 17.3 inches Full HD LCD display
Camera: 720p webcam
Portability: Yes
Wi-Fi Connectivity: Yes
Battery life: Up to 5 hours

Alternatives To The Best Laptops For Watching Movies

If you need a device for watching movies but a laptop doesn’t seem to be the right choice, there are some alternatives – some other computers that may better suit your needs.

• Tablets, which tend to be smaller, more portable, and user-friendly. If you choose a tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard, the device is similar to a laptop.
• Convertible models, which enable you to switch between laptop and tablet mode may be a great option for those who may need both devices.
• Touch Notebooks, which you can operate with the keyboard, the mouse, and also by touch.
• All-In-One-PCs for home use, which contains all the necessary hardware in the screen.
• Compact PC towers with a tiny convenient housing that you can place basically anywhere.

Buying Guide – How To Choose The Best Laptop For Watching Movies

Performance

In order to ensure a smooth watching experience and a good overall performance, make sure to choose a laptop with a good processor. It’s best to opt for at least an Intel Core i5 processor or an Intel Core i3 processor if you are on a budget.

Screen size and resolution

We have already emphasized the importance of a Full HD (1080p) resolution for a good movie watching experience. A 4K or a UHD display is even better, however, as most movies are limited to 1080p resolution, the additional pixels wouldn’t be put to use anyway. You should also make sure the screen is large enough that you won’t have to strain your eyes to see all the details.

Speakers and sound quality

Sound quality is very important when it comes to creating a great cinematic experience. Therefore consider investing in high-quality speakers that provide excellent sound quality. Make sure the speakers have a noise cancellation feature. Some speakers even provide the option to select sounds based on genre (action, comedy, or romance). If you are planning to use an external sound system, then make sure the external system is of high-quality.

Brightness

Opt for a laptop with excellent brightness or luminance levels and anti-glare functionality, which will provide a great movie watching experience even outdoors on a bright sunny day. If you are planning to watch movies exclusively indoors in dark rooms, then brightness levels might not be one of the most important considerations.

Panels

IPS panels are currently the most popular ones. They are perfect for watching movies, especially because the colors of IPS panels don’t get distorted when viewed from different angles. The old TN panels, on the other hand, tend to distort the colors, which makes them a less suitable option.

Storage and Memory

As internal and external drives are where your movies will be stored, it’s pretty important to meet the recommended or at least the minimum storage and memory requirements. In addition, your RAM plays another important part as it communicates with your disk drives when running a movie, thus ensuring a smooth viewing experience. If you are planning to store lots of movies on your device, you should choose a laptop with a large, perhaps even expandable storage and memory.

Battery performance

When it comes to battery, the most important consideration is battery life. An average standard battery lasts more than 4 to 5 hours under average load, while the best batteries tend to last somewhere between 20 to 24 hours. If you are most planning to use the computer at home, then this may not be very important to you, but if you are planning to use the device on the road, it may be one of the most important factors overall. Make sure to choose a device that fits your needs.

Connectivity

Connectivity is also an important consideration, especially when it comes to streaming movies. To ensure a smooth watching experience without connectivity interruptions, make sure your laptop has a good Wi-Fi adapter and a reliable high-speed wireless connection. A suitable laptop for watching movies should have an excellent 802.11 A connectivity to stream movies. In addition, make sure the computer has a Bluetooth technology feature for connection to other peripheral Bluetooth devices, including ear pods, loudspeakers, etc. Lots of ports and slots also provide better connectivity to other devices, such as bigger screens, USB flash drives, and hard drives, where you may store your movies.

Tips For Watching Movie Online

1. Make sure you have an internet speed of 4k

If you are planning to stream 4k movies, make sure you have the required internet plan and speed. The minimum internet speed for 4k is 25 megabits per second, according to Netflix. Also, streaming 4k movies on Netflix requires you to upgrade your plan.

2. Is memory, disk space, processor, and graphics card important?

When it comes to watching movies memory, disk space, processor, and graphics card are not that important. However, as it’s unlikely that you’ll only use your laptop for watching movies and you may use it for work, school, or gaming as well, you may want to take these characteristics into account.

FAQ

Why does resolution matter when it comes to watching movies?

The resolution is the number of pixels that the screen will display. More pixels means more visual information, more details, more clarity, and less blurriness. The recommended resolution is 1920×1080 pixels.

How to watch movies on the best laptops for watching movies?

You can watch DVDs, Blu-Rays, or downloaded movie files or you can watch movies on online streaming services. The Blu-Ray discs provide maximum image quality.

What is the most reliable laptop brand for watching movies?

It’s hard to say. All major laptop manufacturing companies have their pros and cons. Some focus more on user-friendliness, others on performance, etc. However, generally, the major manufacturers are all reliable, therefore it comes down to the user’s preference.

Do I need laptop insurance for the best laptops for watching movies?

Having laptop insurance is always a good idea, especially if you have an expensive laptop or if you tend to lose it often. A laptop is one of your most valuable belongings, not only due to its price but also due to all of the irreplaceable data. Losing or damaging it in any way is always highly unpleasant, to say the least. Laptop insurance supplements the dealer’s or manufacturer’s warranty with important services such as fall and breakage damage, liquid and water damage, and theft and robbery.

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