
If you are looking for a laptop for watching movies, then you should immediately pay attention to the presence of a good screen, long battery life. Screen size is probably the top choice for most (17 inches or more). In this article, we’ll take a look at 6 best laptops for watching movies. Each of them differs in its cost and characteristics.
Table of Contents
Choosing the best laptop for watching movies Buyers Guide
Now everyone has the Internet, everyone watches movies and TV series online. You don’t need powerful hardware for this. If you only need a laptop for one purpose, then you can safely focus on the following processors:
- Intel Core i7 series processors (MQ, HQ, HK);
- Intel Core i5 HQ and i7 U processors;
- Intel Core i3 or i5;
- The worst option would be Intel Atom, Celeron and Pentium (but that is if there is no money at all).
From this list, we recommend using the next generation processors – Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. They are fast enough for watching movies and surfing the Internet.
SSD OR HDD
An SSD is optional. In short, a laptop with an SSD will turn on faster than a laptop with an HDD. These drives are much more expensive than older hard drives. An SSD is good if you want to quickly open a browser, open tabs, open folders on a laptop. Otherwise, there is no difference, so there is no point in overpaying for this device.
RAM
Here you will have to find a laptop with at least 2GB of RAM. One way or another, we would advise you to take a laptop with 4 GB of RAM with Windows, so that later you will not suffer from lags after using the laptop for a long time. As they say, the more the better.
CPU
The processor is essentially the brain of your laptop. Hopefully you’re a modern person and don’t think the processor is a dusty, buzzing black box under the accounting desk? The higher the processing power of the processor, the faster the laptop will run. And generally, the more expensive the laptop, the better the processor.
The only question is, how important is the processor when buying a laptop that you plan to use for watching movies?
Having a very powerful processor is essential if you are going to use your laptop for such complex tasks as video editing or to play new PC games. However, watching movies from the internet doesn’t put a lot of CPU load, so it’s definitely less important.
Nevertheless, I would recommend choosing a laptop with at least an Intel i3 or i5 processor. With such a “brain” on board, your laptop will be fast enough that you will not face the annoying delay in video playback for the foreseeable future. And also you can work with resource-intensive applications if necessary.
Ideally, when buying a laptop for watching movies, focus on the processor. It’s worth picking it as powerful as possible based on your buying budget. There are also Intel i7 and i9 processors, they are already much more expensive and occupy the pinnacle of the evolution of engineering, but we don’t need them now.
IPS matrix
The matrix type of your laptop screen is very important. I recommend choosing a laptop with an IPS matrix. In a nutshell, IPS is a liquid crystal display screen technology that provides the widest viewing angles and the best color reproduction of any other type of matrix.
The image of an IPS matrix does not tend to distort the image if you look at the screen from an angle, as is sometimes the case with TN matrices. So IPS has a clear advantage, because when friends come to visit, everyone is guaranteed to see the same high-quality image from any angle. Here is Best Laptops For Writers And Photographers.
Display
A good screen is very important if you are going to watch movies from your laptop.
- We recommend using Full HD (1080p) resolution. But if you are really struggling with money, then you can look for a cheap laptop with HD 720p. We will not talk about high resolutions 4K, because most movies are limited to 1080p, i.e. there is no point in wasting money.
- Take a closer look at laptops with an IPS panel. They have superior contrast and viewing angles compared to other types of display panels. Older TN panels look pretty good too, only if you look directly at the display. Otherwise, you will see distorted colors. It will not be very good if you start watching the movie more than one.
- Brightness. Since many people watch movies from home (meaning in the apartment), this means that you don’t need a bright screen. But another thing is, if you are going to watch movies in the daytime outside, then you need a bright screen.
Battery capacity
Who will enjoy the moment when you’re watching a movie and your laptop turns off in the middle of watching? Therefore, look for a laptop only with a good battery that can withstand a charge for watching a whole movie (2-3 hours, and this is the very minimum!).
Laptop weight
If the laptop weighs less, then it can be easily dragged to another place. As you might not like, the weight of a laptop depends more on its screen size, so we have attached a table that shows what to expect when buying a laptop, depending on its screen size.
Display size in inches | A light weight | Average weight |
---|---|---|
10 ″ – 12.5 ″ | 1 kg | 1.4 kg |
13″ | 1.2 kg | 1.5KG |
fourteen” | 1.6 kg | 1.9 kg |
15″ | 2.2 kg | 2.4 kg |
17 ″ | 2.7 kg | 3.5 kg |
Speakers and sound
If you are a true music lover and sound is important to you, pay attention to your laptop’s speakers and sound system. Good speakers reproduce high-quality sound and watching a movie becomes more immersive and interesting.
In case you are going to use headphones, then the speakers fade into the background. This means that here, too, you can save money and not spend it on expensive speakers in a laptop. Instead, it is better to buy comfortable and high quality headphones.
Wireless connection
Don’t forget to keep up-to-date wireless devices! Your laptop should at least have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapters. Agree, a laptop without wifi is a useless contraption. Yes, you can connect it to the Internet using a network cable, but you can immediately forget about the freedom to watch movies anywhere. Although, today it is extremely rare to find a laptop without Wi-Fi. But when buying a laptop, it is still worth clarifying this point.
Laptop cost
And now we get to the most important thing – the cost of a laptop. I am always on the lookout for the ideal value for money. The best laptop for watching movies can probably run you around $ 50- $ 65,000. Of course, there are also more inexpensive and very good models that will serve you for a long time and delight you every day.
I did this. First, I clearly set the budget for the entire event for buying a laptop, and looked after it specifically for watching my favorite TV shows. That is, I knew in advance what I was going to use it for. I thought about the final amount that I could afford to spend on a laptop for a long time, about a week. But there is no need to rush here. Knowing the amount you are counting on makes it much easier to find a laptop.
For myself, I have set the following priorities:
- Quality screen
- Battery life
- Compactness
- Availability of wireless communication and ports for connecting to a TV
And after that, I considered the parameters of the processor power and the amount of RAM.
Rating of the best laptops for watching movies
- HP Notebook 17
- Laptop Acer ASPIRE 3
- Laptop DELL INSPIRON 3793
- Lenovo V340 17 laptop
- ASUS TUF Gaming FX705GM laptop
- Laptop Apple MacBook Air 13 Retina display with True Tone
6 Best Laptops For Watching Movies
6. HP Notebook 17

- 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8265U mobile processor, Ultra-low-voltage platform. Quad-core, eight-way processing provides maximum high-efficiency power to go. Intel Turbo Boost Technology delivers dynamic extra power when you need it.
- 17.3 HD display. BrightView glossy screen maintains the vivid colors in your photos and videos. 1600 x 900 resolution for high-quality images and fine detail. WLED backlight. Intel UHD Graphics 620.
- 8GB system memory for advanced multitasking, 256GB PCI-e Solid State Drive.
From the budget option, we can offer a laptop model from HP, which has a 17 inch screen, which is very rare to find at such a price! The processor will be integrated from AMD (because it is the cheapest of the choices, so many people prefer it over Intel). From the characteristics, the following points can be emphasized: Full HD, a good video card. Additionally, you get 8 GB of RAM, 1 TB of storage, which is considered sufficient.
The disadvantages include the fact that you can install Windows 10, tk. drivers are not included for other versions of the operating system. Fingerprints remain on the keyboard and case. But if you don’t pay attention to such subtleties, then a laptop can be safely purchased for your needs.
The price-performance ratio, something like that on Intel will be more expensive, 17 inches, Full HD, a pretty good video card, 8 gigabytes of RAM, a terabyte hard drive and only 2.5 kg, no pre-installed Windows for your money. Take a look Best Amd Processor For Laptop.
5. Laptop Acer ASPIRE 3

- 15.6 HD widescreen LED-backlit display with 1366 x 768 resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio, Intel UHD Graphics 620
- 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U Quad Core processor 1.6GHz (6M Cache, Max boost to 3.4GHz), built-in stereo speakers
- 4GB DDR4 SDRAM + 16GB Intel Optane Memory, 1TB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive, 640 x 480 webcam, No Optical Drive
We present to you the Acer Aspire 3 laptop model – this is a great solution from budget laptops in 2023. It is 15.6 inches, and weighs only 3 kg, which is the average. As you understand, the big screen is considered its plus.
This model from Acer will be your faithful companion for many years to come. You can use it not only for a weekend getaway after hard days of the same type, but also as an office work. Thanks to the modern processor and large amount of RAM, it will be useful even in undemanding games thanks to the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 processor.
The autonomy of the laptop can be made up to 6 hours, but on condition that the brightness is reduced to 20 percent. TFT IPS panel, which is an excellent option for watching your favorite movies.
Overall, if you want a balanced laptop for watching movies and for work / study, this is your best bet.
4. Laptop DELL INSPIRON 3793

- Intel Core i5-1035G1 1. 0 GHz, Turbo to 3. 60 GHz, 6MB Cache, 4 Cores, 8 Threads, Intel UHD Graphics with shared graphics memory
- RAM is upgraded to 16GB memory for better multitasking. Hard Drive is upgrade to 512GB SSD + 1TB HDD. 512GB SSD(Solid State Drive) has faster data access speed, better performance and greater reliability, 1TB HDD for larger storage so you could store more data and files on it
- 17. 3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare LED-Backlit Non-touch WVA Display. Built-in HD webcam with dual array microphone
If you are looking for a Linux laptop for watching movies, the DELL INSPIRON 3793 should be your first laptop. It also has a 17-inch screen, which allows you to enjoy the process while watching your favorite movie, where you can crunch chips, drink beer and have a successful night session. It has a small SSD storage, but it should be enough for streaming and even storing multiple movies. It has an IPS panel and its brightness is pretty impressive.
3. Lenovo V340 17 laptop

A quality laptop from Lenovo called v340 was made quite recently. This 17-inch laptop has good specs to lie in your favorite crib and play the anticipated TV show. Depending on the type of laptop configuration, you may be offered an Intel Core i5 8265U processor. Memory for 8 GB of RAM. The battery lasts for five hours of maximum operation (at 75% brightness), but when watching movies it will get sadder, maximum 2 hours.
The laptop from Lenovo boasts cool and loud sound. This means that you do not need to buy separate speakers, as the built-in sound is enough. This laptop, due to its weak battery, is good to use only with an active connection to the outlet. Everything else is in order.
2. ASUS TUF Gaming FX705GM laptop

- 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H mobile processor
- 17.3 Full HD display. The 1920 x 1080 resolution boasts impressive color and clarity. IPS technology for wide viewing angles. Energy-efficient LED backlight
- 16GB DDR4 RAM to smoothly run your graphics-heavy PC games and video-editing applications, as well as numerous programs and browser tabs all at once
The processor of this laptop is comparable to the i5 8300H and i7 8750H. These are high-end processors, good enough for watching movies and other basic uses you’d expect from a laptop. More importantly, this processor is optimized for low power consumption and low heating to keep it cool at all times.
It has a huge 500GB SSD storage which will provide great performance and plenty of room for movies if you want to store them for offline viewing. Finally, it has an excellent IPS Full-HD touchscreen with decent brightness, contrast and color grip. One of the best displays you can find.
1. Laptop Apple MacBook Air 13 Retina display with True Tone

- Stunning 13.3-Inch Retina Display with True Tone technology
- Dual-core 8th-Generation Intel Core i5 Processor
- Touch ID
- Intel UHD Graphics 617
- Stereo speakers with wider Stereo sound
If you have no budget constraints, then the best option would be a laptop from Apple for watching movies – MacBook Air 13. Yes, the display here has a 13-inch screen, but despite this disadvantage, the laptop has an Intel Core i5 processor, a lot of memory and 250 GB of flash storage (SSD).
It stands out from the rest in that the laptop is very thin (which is why Apple became popular), has a long battery life and an excellent IPS display. If you are not afraid of its resolution, then you should take a closer look at this model. This is the best MacBook for watching movies.
Cleaning and maintaining your laptop
The life expectancy of a laptop is highly dependent on how you use it. Usually a laptop serves faithfully for 2 to 5 years. If you want your email friend to last as long as possible, then you should take proper care of him. These tips seem obvious, but it turns out that not everyone knows how to clean and maintain a laptop. Here are some tips to help keep your laptop looking great for years to come.
Try not to touch the screen with your fingers
Need more details here? Are you touching your laptop screen with your fat fingers? Shame on you! This is very, very bad! Stop immediately! Dried spots on the monitor if you try to remove them may damage the monitor. The screen is sacred. Remember this.
Clean your laptop screen regularly with special wipes
Sooner or later, your laptop screen will become at least dusty. Take a special microfiber cloth designed for cleaning optical lenses and gently wipe the screen with light strokes in one direction. And yes! Make sure your laptop is turned off first.
In addition to microfiber wipes, in an electronics store, you can find packs of wet wipes designed for cleaning laptop screens. I use just such.
Keep your laptop hard drive in order
Are you running out of free space on your hard drive? It’s time to put things in order. Delete unnecessary files, movies or music. And don’t forget to clean your wastebasket.
Clear your browser cache
To ensure the safety and speed of your web browser, delete cookies from time to time and clear your browser cache and history. For example, in Google Chrome, press Ctrl + H and then on the left in the “Clear History” menu. Best Laptop To Run Linux.
Clean your laptop’s ports and keyboard
Wet wipes are very good at cleaning laptop surfaces, but sometimes a deeper cleaning is required. The best way to clean the keyboard and ports is to blow them out with compressed air to remove any crumbs and dust that might get stuck there. And believe me, in six months they will definitely be there.
Compressed air cleaning is very effective, but the idea itself can be daunting. Compressed air? And into the laptop? How is it in general? And where to get it? I understand you. For a very long time, I have been using a conventional vacuum cleaner to clean my laptop.
I put it at about a quarter of the power, take the brush attachment, turn off the laptop and barely touch the surface, I vacuum it from all sides, including the keyboard and sides. Fast, efficient and safe. Repeat at least once a month. Please note, do not turn on the vacuum cleaner at full power! Otherwise, your keyboard buttons will fly away in an unknown direction!
Update laptop drivers and software
Update your laptop’s drivers and operating system regularly. It’s very easy to do this now. A couple of clicks and you’re done. Windows programmers are constantly working and releasing system updates to keep it safe and cybersecurity. Don’t neglect them! Make sure auto updates are turned on and your laptop can download them on its own. You can also check for updates manually.
Don’t forget your laptop battery
Unfortunately, the battery cannot last forever and sooner or later it completely discharges. And you will have to look for an outlet to connect your laptop to power. If you want to watch your favorite movies on the road without being connected to electricity and keep the battery working for many years, then you need to take care of it.
Try to keep the charge level between 20% and 80% to prolong battery life. This will help achieve more battery charging cycles. Do not let it completely empty and fully charge, as this primarily affects the state of the battery.
Troubleshoot laptop
Here are a few of the most common problems users face while watching movies on their laptop and how to fix them.
Problem: my movie is frozen and buffered all the time, the download circle is spinning
Solution:
In most cases, this is a wireless internet connection issue caused by its slow speed. Try to close all other browser tabs, stop any background downloads. You can also try connecting to a wired internet.
It is also quite useful to make sure that no one else uses the Internet in the house except you, because the simultaneous use of the Internet evenly distributes the bandwidth between the connected devices and reduces its speed.
Problem: poor movie image quality on screen
Solution:
When you watch a movie on the Internet in a browser, the video quality is usually set automatically depending on your screen resolution and Internet speed. Slow internet speed slows down video transmission and picture quality deteriorates. The Online Cinema will automatically try to optimize the video for your laptop.
You can try to change the video settings manually to a higher quality, but if this stops video playback and an indication of data buffering appears, then the reason is the slow Internet and you should increase its speed.
Problem: The movie freezes, the laptop behaves strangely
Solution:
In such cases, the problem most often lies in the laptop itself. Try deleting temporary internet files, clearing your cache and browser history. Free up space on your hard drive, update drivers, and restart your laptop. If all else fails, contact someone who understands computers better than you. Alternatively, you can take the laptop straight to a repair shop.
Problem: the movie doesn’t want to load in the browser
Solution:
If your laptop is working as it should, but the movie does not want to load in the browser, then most likely the problem is not with you, but on the side of the online cinema. Go to the official website of your video service and see if there is any news of a problem. And if you watch a video for free on a site, try to find it on another.
Still often asked
Which processor is better for watching movies, Intel i3 or i5?
The Intel i5 processor is more powerful and advanced, and it greatly improves the overall performance of the laptop. But for watching movies on the Internet, the Intel i3 processor is more than enough.
Is a gaming laptop suitable for watching movies?
Yes, a gaming laptop is great for watching movies on the Internet. Typically, such a laptop has an excellent graphics card, a very powerful processor, large RAM and a gorgeous screen. Of course, thanks to all this, watching movies on a gaming laptop is a pleasure.
How to watch movies on a laptop on the Internet?
How to start acquaintance with watching videos on the Internet? The best app for watching movies on the internet is the Google Chrome browser and Youtube.com. Here you can watch hundreds of thousands of videos, as well as feature films. And all this is completely legal.
For example, there is an official Mosfilm account on Youtube and good old Soviet films regularly appear there. And also you can register in the online cinema and watch the latest movies and TV series immediately after they are released.
Laptop for watching movies and streaming video from the Internet are different?
A laptop on which you can watch a movie uploaded to your hard drive is no different from a laptop on which you can watch videos from the Internet. Both of these laptops have a fairly good level of performance and the requirements are the same.
Or maybe a tablet is better for watching movies?
A laptop is much better than a tablet for watching movies, as it has a larger screen, but it all depends on personal preference. Some movie fans love tablets because they are lighter and more compact than laptops.
Is there the best laptop manufacturer for watching movies?
Apple is considered to be one of the best laptop manufacturers in the world and their laptop displays are very impressive. Many Apple laptop models are equipped with Retina screens, the images are very clear and beautiful.
But besides the leader, there are other manufacturers that produce no less powerful, modern, convenient and high-quality laptops. Very popular brands worth looking at are Acer, Lenovo, Dell, Asus, HP and the relatively recent Xiaomi.
Which headphones to choose for watching movies on a laptop?
In my opinion, the best headphones for watching movies on a laptop are the Bose QuietComfort 35. These are the best wireless Bluetooth headphones right now. They have an amazing noise cancellation system and excellent ergonomics.
I have never met anything more convenient before meeting them. The sound quality is amazing, and the absence of extraneous noise completely immerses you in the events taking place in the film. Words cannot convey. You need to try it yourself at least once.
Conclusion
Well. That concludes this guide to choosing the best laptop for watching movies. To summarize, we can say that everyone can find a suitable laptop based on the main characteristics listed above. After all, you have to start somewhere. Go to Yandex Market in the laptops section and filter them first by the cost according to your budget.
Look after a couple of models, take a picture of their name and be sure to go to any major electronics store to feel and examine them from all sides. The store manager can tell you a lot of interesting things about your customer or give advice on something else.
It is important not to go to the store with money for the first time. So you will be protected from spontaneous and thoughtless buying. Although now all bank cards are already attached to our phones and money is always with you … In any case, do not rush!
This is how I chose, by the way, for myself a Lenovo laptop from the Ideapad line. For my tasks, just a great machine. It is ideal for watching movies on the Internet both at home and on the road with the best possible quality.
I hope I helped you at least a little and you will find a laptop that suits you!