13 VS 15 Inch Laptop in 2024: Which Ones Are Better? (Comparison)

In the old-time times, buying a laptop was not a very demanding process. But these days, it can be a little hectic especially when you have so many choices. People get confused between 13 vs 15 inch laptop all the time.

If you are one of them then this guide is for you in this guide, you will find everything you need to know that there are about 13 inches vs 15 inches laptops.

Screen Size vs Specifications

The very first thing that you need to address is the screen size vs specifications debate. When you will go out and see some of the 13 and 15 inch laptops then you will see that they come in all types of specifications.

These days, most brands focus on 13 or 14-inch compact laptops so you will find a lot of 13 and 14-inch laptops with great specs sheets. They will have top-of-the-line CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage options. But the important thing to note is that you can also find flagship specifications in 15-inch laptops as well. So just try to keep an open eye and analyze all of the options carefully.

Use Case

The entire 13-inch vs 15-inch laptops debate comes down to your use case. Do you have to first write down why you need the laptop? What type of work you will do on it? How often will you carry it around from one place to another? These are some of the questions you should have answers to before you make any decision.

Normal User

Defining a normal user is one of the most complex things ever. A normal user can be anyone from a person who just uses a laptop for streaming videos to someone who uses it to write blogs and whatnot.

Whatever the case is, a normal user can be defined as who just uses laptops for small day-to-day tasks and does not require much performance. So here the choice just really comes down to the screen size. If you watch a lot of movies and stuff then getting a bigger screen would be good for you. Otherwise even a 14-inch laptop with medium-performing internals will be more than enough for you.

Studio User

Studio users are the users who do high-performance tasks on their laptops. So it does not matter whether you are getting a 13 inch laptop or a 15 inch laptop, it must have flagship specs so that it can handle your workload.

Once you are clear on your use case, it comes to the screen and this is where it gets interesting. There are a lot of different types of studios. Some are creators who work with images, videos, VFX, etc. In that case, you will need a big display, most likely an LED screen with good resolution(4K preferably), brightness, and refresh rate. So a 15 or 16-inch laptop would be great for you and the same case applies to gamers as well. The bigger the screen, the better and more immersive experience you get.

Office User

This is where things change a little bit. For office users, the day-to-day work involves developing code, crunching numbers, passing files, replying to emails, etc. Some of these tasks might be performance-intensive but still getting a big screen for them is not really necessary.

You can do all of the office-related tasks easily with your 14-inch laptop and it is great for portability as well. So if you are an office user, getting a 14-inch laptop with good specs is not a bad deal at all.

Students

For students, one of the main factors is portability because they move around a lot. In that case, they need a laptop that is easy to carry around. On top of that, the laptop should also be capable of handling some good performance-intensive tasks such as a little bit of gaming, running codes, etc.

Thankfully, most 14 inch laptops these days have top-of-the-line specifications. This means that not only are they portable but they are also capable of handling high-performance tasks with ease. So 13 or 14-inch laptops are a good choice for students.

Also Read: Refurbished vs New Laptop

Factors to Consider when choosing a 13 VS 15 Inch Laptop

Now that we have talked about the use case and which screen size suits each of the use cases, there are some other factors that you need to consider as well. These factors will further help you get more clarity on this whole debate:

Portability

In terms of portability, the 13 and 14 inch laptops are always going to have an edge over the large 15-inch laptops. The compact laptops are much easier to fit in a bag and carry around. So if you want portability then 13-inch laptops will be good for you.

Ports

For many people, ports are an important part of a laptop. Many studios rely on ports to connect external displays like drawing tablets, screens, projectors, etc. Because 13 inch laptops are highly compact, they do not have a complete array of ports. That is why if you want more ports, you will find them on 15-inch laptops.

Display

The display is one of the most important factors in this 13 inches vs 15 inches laptop debate. It all comes down to the screen real estate users want. For this, you will have to see your use case and if you require a big screen then you should go for the bigger one.

Battery Life

A small and compact laptop automatically means less room for internals and hence, less room for the battery. That is why 13 inch laptops often have a lower battery life than bigger ones. So that is something to keep in mind.

Price

Finally, price is where everything comes to a halt. You have to see the specs, the screen size, and the display type you are getting in a particular price range and then compare the best offers.

13 Inches VS 15 Inches Laptop for College

If you are going into college and confused between 13-inch and 15-inch laptops then you should think about why you want to buy a laptop. If you are in animation and VFX, then a bigger screen size will be more favorable for you. But other than that, getting a compact 14-inch laptop is always a good choice for college. Plus, you can get the best specifications even on the 13-inch or 14-inch laptop so that works for you as well.

Closing Phrase

So that was all about the 13 inch VS 15 laptop debate. We hope that this guide gives you some clarity and you buy the best laptop per your use case and have a good time with it.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is a 13 inch laptop too small for college?

It all depends on what you need. For the everyday scholar, a 13 inch laptop will more than suffice for research papers and basic documents. However, if high-performance demands require heavier tasks such as video or photo editing then you may want to consider investing in something with greater power like a larger-sized laptop.

Q. Is 15 inch laptop too big for college or University?

Choosing the right laptop for college or university can be a difficult decision. While many students may prefer smaller laptops if their studies involve more intensive tasks such as video editing or graphic design then going with something larger like a 15 inch model could make all the difference in achieving better results.

Q. Is 13 inch laptop too small for programming?

Choosing the right laptop for programming is no easy task. Depending on your needs, 13 inches may not be enough as it might hinder efforts to view multiple windows and tools at once. Do some deep thinking about what size best serves your development plans.