Do you love watching movies on a laptop? Well, worry not because as long as you have a machine with a relatively fast processor, decent storage, and superb resolution, you can always enjoy the latest blockbuster stuff. In fact, as you’ll find out in the following review, you don’t need to overspend to get a good deal especially with options for streaming movies being readily available.
Contents
| Laptop Model | Weight | Storage | Screen Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple MacBook 13-Inch | 2.75 lbs | 256 GB | 13.3 in | |
| Acer ChromeBook | 2.76 lbs | 32 GB | 11.6 in | |
| Acer Aspire E15 | 5.27 lbs | 1 TB | 15.6 in | |
| Lenovo Flex 4 | 3.68 lbs | 256 GB | 14.3 in | |
| Dell Inspiron T8TJG | 4.85 lb | 1 TB | 15.6 in | |
| ASUS Zenbook Flip | 3.31 lbs | 512 GB | 14.4 in |
1. Apple MacBook 13-Inch with Intel Core – (Best Overall)
Apple is known for producing great laptops that can be used for a wide variety of tasks. And when it comes to watching movies, their 13-incher MacBook might easily be the best deal available on the markets currently.
First off, the machine provides you with an Intel Core i5 processor. Plus, there’s a Turbo Boost option that gives you the freedom to experiment with speeds of up to 2.9GHz.
Fortunately, movies, unlike AAA games, aren’t resource-intensive. So, even this processor can handle most of them without the need to activate the Turbo Boost.
Another thing, the MacBook Air comes with a 256GB SSD storage. That may not seem like much but it’s just enough to store a few good quality movies. Moreover, with services like Netflix and Kodi existing, you wouldn’t really need to waste your memory space.
It’s worth noting that apart from the 256GB SSD variety, two other versions i.e. 128GB and 512GB exist. We’d recommend the 128GB version for users who stream most of their movie content. The 512GB would be best suited for those who like to download and store stuff to watch later.
To make the deal even sweeter, this machine boasts an unbeatable WiFi connectivity. So, provided you have a good ISP, you can go ahead and stream all the movies you like with comfort.
And there’s more – the MacBook is awash with native apps that make movie watching a breeze! We’re talking about the likes of iMovie and Siri. Plus of course, you can always download other third-party apps.
The USB 3 ports, as well as Thunderbolt 2 ports, are just but a few of the extra goodies you’d get on this machine. As such, connectivity is never an issue as long as you get this MacBook with you.
Small qualms with the, otherwise, great machine are that it costs above the $1,000 mark. So, if you’re on a really tight budget, we’d recommend trying a laptop from another brand.
Pros
- Light in weight and, therefore, portable
- Powerful battery for extended battery life
- Powerful processor
- High-quality display
- Has a modern, sleek and good looking chassis
Cons
- Pricey
2. Acer ChromeBook – (Best Budget-Friendly)
Whether you’re a student in college looking for an affordable laptop for entertainment or anyone looking for a cheap Chromebook for watching movies with over the weekend, the Acer Chomebook would, no doubt, be a great pick.
Going for an under $250 price range, the tiny machine packs all the torque you need to keep up with the latest HD movie series. Its Intel Celeron N2840 may not be the largest we’ve seen so far, but we’re impressed to report that this machine is quite capable of punching above its weight.
The only issue with the machine is that it provides an internal storage capacity of 16GB. So, we’d heavily recommend it for folks who want to stream stuff from services such as Kodi and Netflix.
If you must store your movie content, it would be a good idea to get a hard drive for that role. Otherwise, a 16GB capacity would fill up quickly before you even notice it. Alternatively, you can take advantage of Google’s 100GB free storage on Google Drive for 2 years.
Otherwise, everything else about this unit is awesome. Its casing is made from patterned aluminum which looks sleek and classy.
Its battery life is longer than 8 hours. That means you can watch movies for pretty much a whole Saturday afternoon without the need to recharge the battery.
Another awesome feature of this ChromeBook has to be its HD IPS screen. The screen is quite awesome and can comfortably deliver great quality views of 4K and 1080p content.
That’s further made possible by the presence of an Intel HD Graphics card which gives you the punch you need to handle a few graphically-intensive tasks.
So, is this ChromeBook perfect? No. Is it a great machine for entertainment? We’d say that not unless you’re a highly intensive consumer of video content, this laptop should suffice.
You only need to be careful not to store too much stuff in its Internal Storage. You can overcome that limitation by streaming stuff directly from the net instead.
Pros
- Relatively good processor
- Awesome display quality
- A beautiful chassis with a sleek appeal
- Powerful battery with the capacity to run for 8hrs+
- Fantastic WiFi connectivity
Cons
- Limited internal storage capacity
3. Acer Aspire E15 FHD with GeForce MX150 Graphics Card
If you aren’t in a position to fork out a grand for the MacBook Pro or put up with the limited storage capacity of the ChromeBook, we’d suggest you give the E15 a shot.
It’s not too expensive since (it goes for an under 700 tag) and offers you a beefy internal storage of 250GB.
What we really like about the E15 is the fact that it comes with a really powerful processor. The Intel Core i5-8250U has the power to deliver more than 3.4GHz of torque.
That’s more than you’ll ever need to stream HD video content. Therefore, you can confidently go ahead to launch other programs simultaneously with it.
As such, the E15 is suited for multi-tasking. So, if you’re bored at the office and want to psyche yourself up with one of the latest releases, this machine would not let you down.
For those of us who spend most of their time in the field, the Acer E15 has the resilience needed for a demanding lifestyle also. Note – it comes with a battery that’s capable of delivering more than 15-hours of run-time.
Feeling like sampling out some of the light computer games on offer? This machine provides you with a well-made MX 150 Graphics card from GeForce. That’s the card that’s next in line to the GTX 1050.
So, if you’re looking for great features and are a frugal shopper, we’d confidently single out the E15 as the best bargain for you. However, if you’re looking for a sleek machine, this one might not meet the grade.
In fact, its chassis is made from a cheap-looking piece of plastic. Plus its keyboard may not feel as comfortable as that of the MacBook Pro.
Pros
- Affordably priced
- Decent storage capacity
- Long battery life
- Strong graphics card
- Beefy processor
Cons
- Cheap looking chassis
- Takes a tad longer than average to boot up
4. Lenovo Flex 4 14 Model #80SA0003US
What if you could find a machine that’s ultra-light in weight, has a flexible display screen and above all comes with a huge storage capacity?
Well, first off, the Lenovo Flex 4 comes with a 360-degree hinge. This allows the screen to flip around. That way, you get the freedom to choose different modes ranging from the Tablet, Tent, Stand and Laptop modes.
Under the hood is a powerful 6-th generation Intel Core i5 processor. And as we had noted earlier, you don’t need the hugest processor in the pack to watch movies.
The sweetest spot on this machine is that it comes with a powerful Harman Audio system. Its speakers are probably the loudest and richest we’ve come across so far.
So, for those looking for an immersive video streaming experience, the Flex 4 would be a great find. That’s in addition to the fact that the machine presents you with a generous storage capacity of 1TB.
Therefore, unlike other machines that limit how much you can store, this one gives you a blank check. That’s pretty much the kind of freedom you need to store all your favorite Full HD resolution and even 4K content.
Who knows? You might need to watch them on the subway, during camping or when your internet connection decides to misbehave on a Friday evening (and they tell you to wait till Monday for it to be restored).
Pros
- Roomy internal storage
- 360-degree hinge for a flexible display
- Light in weight
- Reasonably priced
- Reasonably good display
Cons
- Its keyboard has some awkwardly designed keys
- Its touchscreen sensitivity could do with a bit of an improvement
5. Dell Inspiron T8TJG Home & Business Laptop
The T8TJG is renowned for its fast boot up speed, above-average processor speed, and superb DVD drive. So, if you’re shopping for the latest BluRay Disc movies, this would be a superb machine to bank on.
First off, it comes with a superb Display. This has a 1366×768 resolution. That’s a great level of quality and it’s just enough for a back-to-back movie watching lifestyle.
Its Core i5-7100U processor is designed to deliver a base frequency of 2.4GHz. That’s way above what you’ll ever need for movie watching. So, if you’re looking for a machine that can punch above its weight, the T8TJG would not let you down.
Its HD 620 Graphics card, further provides it with the power to stream even some of the most graphically-intensive titles. And to top it all up, this Inspiron packs Stereo speakers + MaxxAudio power.
That’s the kind of audio you need at all times. And to make the deal even sweeter, this machine comes with a headphone output/ microphone input combo.
So, all you need to do is find yourself a pair of good headphones and you’d feel like you’re in a mini-theater.
The machine provides you with an 8GB RAM. That’s a powerful RAM which ensures that you can run all your files and programs simultaneously without the machine getting bogged down.
Its 128GB SSD storage, however, seems tiny. But it’s worth keeping in mind the fact that SSD storage tends to be a bit expensive than HDD.
A major benefit of having an SSD storage rather than the older HDD is that the machine is able to boot up fast. It’s no wonder the 2017 Dell Inspiron is recommended as the go-to low budget laptop for home and office use.
The hugest weakness with this unit, however, is that it comes with a 3-cell battery. As you know, the longest run-time this kind of battery can offer is 4 hours. That can go to as low as 3 hours on video playback.
Pros
- Superior audio quality
- Comes with a built-in DVD drive
- Has a beautiful display which delivers a vibrant experience
- A relatively powerful processor
- Great SDRAM
- Uses SSD storage for a fast boot up
Cons
- A bit heavy and bulky
- Poor battery life
6. ASUS Zenbook Flip UX360CA
First off, we’d like to note that the ZenBook has a reflective screen which sucks when used in direct sunlight. Other than that, its IPS display screen tech is quite powerful.
On top of that, it packs an 8GB RAM which works so well alongside its Intel Core M3-6Y30 CPU. This 6-th generation processor may not win a beauty contest but it certainly has the power to support multitasking.
Moving on, the ZenBook comes with a 512GB SSD which comes in handy in improving the overall operation speeds. Add that to the fact that this unit comes with an 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, 1x Micro HDMI, USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Type-C – a great line up of ports for you.
Another thing, this cute laptop from Asus provides a 1920×1080 resolution. Therefore, you can enjoy viewing the latest movie releases in a cinematic environment.
Lastly, the machine’s audio quality is quite great. You simply need to use the ASUS AudioWizard platform to enjoy pre-set sound profiles and optimize your sound output.
But there’s one downside and that is the fact that this rig, though meant to flip to unleash a 178-degree viewing angle, is quite clumsy. That’s probably due to what seems like a poorly built hinge.
Pros
- Offers a huge SSD storage capacity
- Boots up fast and operates fast as well
- It’s ultra-thin and extremely light in weight
- Uses a USB charger which works at speeds 50% faster than average
Cons
- Reflective screen
- Poorly built hinge
Final Thoughts
In our opinion, if you’d like to get the best laptop for watching movies, the Apple MacBook would be the best choice overall. Unfortunately, it’s a bit pricey and some pundits have also faulted its outdated resolution.
Fortunately, our list of reviews comprises a wide variety of great machines. So if Option A doesn’t work, remember the alphabet has 25 more letters!
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