Laptop screen sizes in cm: real width and height of 13 to 17 inch screens

What the laptop screen size measures

Laptop screen sizes are diagonals of the visible panel, quoted in inches. The measurement runs from one corner of the lit image to the opposite corner and ignores the bezel and the case. That is the same convention used for televisions, which how to measure a TV screen describes in more detail.

Because the number is a diagonal, the width and height depend on the aspect ratio, the proportion of width to height. Two laptops both sold as 14 inch can have visibly different panels if one is 16:9 and the other 16:10. The conversion is exact: one inch is 2.54 centimeters by definition (see the inches to cm chart and the NIST and BIPM references it cites).

For a ratio a:b, the width is the diagonal × a ÷ √(a² + b²) and the height is the diagonal × b ÷ √(a² + b²). Every figure in the tables below comes from that formula, computed in code from the diagonal in inches, then rounded to one decimal.

Screen width and height by laptop size (16:9)

16:9 is the traditional widescreen shape and is still common on budget laptops.

The same sizes in 16:10 and 3:2

Taller shapes show more lines of text for the same width. A 16-inch 16:10 screen is 34.5 × 21.5 cm, while a 16-inch 16:9 screen is 35.4 × 19.9 cm: the 16:10 panel is 1.6 cm taller and 1 cm narrower.

Screen area: why 14 and 15.6 inch feel so different

The area of a screen grows with the square of its diagonal, so small jumps in inches matter more than they look. Going from 14 to 15.6 inches adds 11% to the diagonal but 24% to the screen area at the same aspect ratio. Moving from 13.3 to 16 inches raises the diagonal by 20% and the area by 45%.

This is the main reason a 16 inch laptop feels like a different class of device from a 13 inch one, while 15 and 15.6 are barely distinguishable on a desk. It also explains why monitors, covered in monitor sizes and desk space, are compared by width rather than by the headline number.

What the screen size does not tell you

• The width and height of the machine. The case adds a bezel and a chassis around the panel, and that margin varies by model from a few millimeters to several centimeters. Take the footprint from the maker's technical specifications.
• The thickness and weight. Neither can be derived from the diagonal.
• The usable resolution. Pixels per inch depend on resolution as well as on size, so two 14-inch panels can look very different.
• The bag or sleeve you need. A sleeve described as "for 15.6 inch laptops" is designed around that diagonal class, but a thick chassis or a wide bezel may not fit. Compare the laptop's measured footprint with the sleeve's internal dimensions.

How to check a laptop size yourself

• Measure the lit image diagonally with a tape or ruler, corner to corner, with the laptop on.
• Divide the measurement in centimeters by 2.54 to get inches, or use the cm to inches converter. A measurement of 39.6 cm is 15.6 inches.
• Round to the nearest common size. Panels are sold at 11.6, 13.3, 14, 15.6, 16 and 17.3 inches, so a measured 34 cm (13.4 in) is a 13.3 inch panel.
• If you need the case size, measure the closed laptop across and front to back in centimeters and convert with the inches to cm converter if the data sheet lists inches.

Which size to choose

A 13 to 14 inch screen suits travel and train commutes, 15.6 inches is the traditional all-round size, and 16 to 17.3 inches serves a laptop that stays on a desk. If you will connect an external display most of the time, a smaller laptop and a larger monitor is often the better combination, so read the monitor guide next. For phones and tablets, see phone and tablet screen sizes in cm; the screen sizes in cm guide has the full chart.