11.6 vs 14 Inch Laptop [8 Things To Consider]

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Small-sized laptops are super popular currently as people prefer to take their devices wherever they want without any problem.

There is only a 2.4-inch gap between the two screen sizes but it makes a lot of difference. Also, 11.6-inch laptops are underpowered.

Each size has particular advantages and disadvantages. It ultimately comes down to your priorities.

When choosing a laptop, the screen size is not the only thing you should consider. There are more factors.

I’ve included 8 important factors in this article that you should think about before making any decisions.

I can assure you that after reading this article you don’t need to go anywhere.

Let’s go a bit deeper.

11.6 vs 14 Inch Laptop (Quick Answer)

If you are a student or travel often and are happy with some light content creation, browsing, and media consumption, an 11.6 laptop is preferable.

On the other hand, a 14-inch laptop is a standard-sized laptop with a good display and nice specs.

Choose an 11.6-inch laptop if you –

  • Have a limited budget
  • Don’t care about upgradability
  • Want something small and portability matters a lot to you
  • Don’t plan to do anything too creative or hardware intensive
  • Want it for note-taking, light content creation, and media consumption

Choose a 14-inch laptop if you –

  • Have a higher budget
  • Prefer a bigger screen
  • Want some upgradability
  • Plan to do medium to heavy content creation
  • Prefer a slightly bigger keyboard
  • Want something powerful yet portable
  • Want a stunning high-resolution display

1. Screen Resolution

11.6-inch

Naturally, the resolution is lower on an 11.6-inch device than on a 14-inch laptop because it is a much smaller and limited budget.

Most consumers who go for an 11.6-inch laptop mainly use it for streaming YouTube, shows and some light works on the go. So a 768p display is acceptable.

Sure there are exceptions. Take Microsoft Surface Go 2 for example. It has a 1280p display, the standard resolution of a 14-inch laptop.

14-inch

Compared to 11.6-inch laptops, these laptops are standard-sized laptops with a budget high enough for a much better display.

Depending on the model and price, 14-inch laptop displays normally range from a 1280p resolution to a 4K resolution.

Such a resolution is excellent for both high-end graphic tasks and casual video/show streaming.

Winner: 14-inch

2. Comfort of Eyes

Comfort-for-eyes

11.6-inch

An 11.6-inch screen can put more strain on your eyes if used for a longer period of time while staring at a laptop because of the lower resolution and smaller screen.

14-inch

Because of its larger size and higher resolution, a 14-inch screen makes staring for a longer period easier.

The text appears larger and more defined.

Winner: 14-inch

3. Productivity

Productivity

The term productivity varies from person to person.

While some people may find a compact, smaller laptop more productive, others may find a more powerful device with a larger screen to be more so.

I’ll share my thoughts on both, but it all depends on how and where you want to use them.

11.6-inch

Mainly students use 11.6-inch laptops a lot because it is small and light.

These are mostly used to take notes, browse the internet to collect data or read something or take an online course, and many basic tasks like that.

14-inch

If you prefer a larger screen, a 14-inch laptop is more effective.

Coding, photo/video editing, and other tasks can be done well without sacrificing portability.

Touchscreen 14-inch laptops are also available in the market. A larger screen gives you more space to work on digital notes.

Especially, it is easier to split the screen between two apps when having a bigger screen.

Winner: Tie

4. Specifications & Upgradability

Specifications

11.6-inch

Its compact physical size limits an 11.6-inch laptop’s performance and upgradeability.

Since these laptops rely on passive cooling, it is expected for them to include Intel Pentium or Celeron processors with Intel HD/UHD graphics.

Most 11.6-inch cheap laptops contain 32GB or 64GB of coin-sized eMMC storage. However, slightly more expensive variants can also be found with the common 128GB SSD.

The 4GB RAM is standard and might go up to 8GB. Both the RAM and storage are soldered on the motherboard. So, you can upgrade or replace those parts.

14-inch

The form factor of the 14-inch laptops is larger, and they have a dedicated cooling system (fans & heat pipes). So it is possible to put a powerful processor and graphics card.

These laptops can be found in Intel Core i3 with integrated graphics up to AMD Ryzen 9 processor with RTX 30 series graphics cards.

Up to 32GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD storage are available. Most models don’t allow you to upgrade the RAM, but you may swap out the SSD.

In other words, 14-inch has what you need if you require more power and some upgradeability.

Winner: 14-inch

5. Keyboard

laptop-keyboard

11.6-inch

These laptops come with a small keyboard that lacks a number pad. The lack of a number pad may affect you if you work in an office or with numbers.

Due to the compact form factor, the keys feel mushy. 11.6-inch laptops don’t have the nicest keyboards if you type a lot.

14-inch

These laptops have a small keyboard as well, yet they are excellent for typing.

The keyboard layout makes it easy to reach the keys for your fingers. A 14-inch laptop has more responsive keys.

Due to the slightly larger layout, some extra keys, such as home/end/pg up/pg dn, can be found in the majority of 14-inch laptops.

Winner: 14-inch

6. Portability

Portability

11.6-inch

Due to their smaller size and lighter design, 11.6-inch laptops are clearly more portable. These laptops are only 1.2 to 2.2 pounds in weight.

Even though the 11.6-inch laptops have smaller and weaker batteries, the battery life is nearly identical. You may use the laptop for 8 to 12 hours.

14-inch

These laptops often weigh between 3 and 3.5 pounds due to their somewhat larger size. Lightweight enough to carry every day.

The battery capacity is almost double of an 11.6-inch laptop. So, despite having higher resolution and powerful specs, the battery life is somewhat equal.

Winner: 11.6-inch

7. Affordability

Affordability

11.6-inch

These laptops only cost around $200-$350. Unless we are talking about Surface Go laptops costing over $600.

For students on a tight budget, such a low price is really reasonable.

14-inch

A good 14-inch laptop can cost 3-4 times an 11.6 laptop ($750-$1200), which is more suitable for professionals and business persons.

These 14-inch models are expensive unless you are a working professional making a good living.

Winner11.6-inch

8. Gaming & Media Consumption

gaming-_-media-consumption

11.6-inch

A convertible 11.6-inch laptop might make media consumption more enjoyable because it is compact and light.

You can even lie on your bed or sofa. But the quality is a limitation.

The hardware of these laptops is bad for gaming. So, the gaming experience is lacking in these.

14-inch

You get a bigger screen and a higher resolution display. It is easier to stream any video on YouTube or a Netflix show on 1080p to 4K depending on the model.

Of course, playing games on a larger, brighter, and sharper display is much better. You can have a satisfying gaming experience depending on the model and specifications.

Winner: 14-inch

Final Words

This comparison shows that an 11.6-inch laptop wins if you prefer portability and affordability.

A 14-inch laptop takes the lead when it comes to performance and convenience.

To make the best decision you need to decide based on these 8 important factors I discussed in this article –

  • Screen Resolution
  • Comfort of Eyes
  • Productivity
  • Specifications & Upgradability
  • Keyboard
  • Portability
  • Affordability
  • Gaming & Media Consumption

Hope this article will you to make a better decision. If you still have any questions related to this topic, feel free to comment down below.


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