7 Best Laptops for Watching Movies in 2024

By Robin Owens 19 days ago, Hardware

What is the best stylish laptop for watching movies?

best laptops for watching movies

With the appearance of reasonably priced streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime, sitting down on your couch to catch up with your favorite series or watch a new movie became simpler than ever.

Laptops represent possibly the best device to enjoy those services while also being a terrific tool for your work and casual browsing. If that’s what you’re interested in as well, then continue reading this post to find the best laptop for watching movies that is perfectly tailored to your needs.

Top 7 Best Laptops for Watching Movies

  1. Acer Predator Helios 300 - The best laptop for watching movies
  2. Acer Aspire 5 Slim - Cheap
  3. HP 15 2020 - Compact
  4. Lenovo ThinkPad E590 - Premium
  5. Microsoft Surface 3 - Excellent display quality
  6. Dell Inspiron 15 - Solid performance
  7. Lenovo Flex 14 - Great battery life

When picking the best laptop for streaming movies, there isn’t an exact list of specifications that you have to follow. That said, there are still several vital aspects you need to consider.

Strive to purchase a laptop with a fast CPU, a solid amount of storage, and a high-resolution display – that is essentially all you need to enjoy the latest movies with maximum convenience.

1. Acer Predator Helios

The best laptop for watching movies
laptop for watching movies acer predator helios 300

CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H | GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 256GB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 5.07 pound

  • ✚ Impressive CPU
  • ✚ Keyboard backlight
  • ✚ Killer DoubleShot Pro
  • ✚ VR support
  • Battery doesn’t last long
Rating

Many users consider the Predator Helios to be the best laptop for watching movies on the market. It offers an IPS screen that has terrific viewing angles and color accuracy compared to other panel types. The laptop also has a response time of 3ms, which completely removes blur, allowing you to enjoy every moment of the action with high sharpness.

In terms of hardware, Helios will impress you with its i7 9750H CPU, GTX 1660 graphics card, and 16GB of RAM. The built-in speakers also produce fantastic audio, which is great for people that prefer to watch their movies without headphones.

2. Acer Aspire 5 Slim

Cheap
laptop for watching movies acer aspire 5 slim

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200U | GPU: Vega 3 | RAM: 4 GB | Storage: 128 GB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 3.97 pound

  • ✚ Highly portable
  • ✚ Powerful CPU
  • ✚ Acer TrueHarmony
  • ✚ Long-lasting battery
  • Doesn’t feel very sturdy
Rating

Aspire 5 Slim is supplied with a 15.6" screen with an FHD resolution. The produced image looks fantastic, has clean, rich colors, and is the reason why this option deserves to be in the best laptop for movies and music discussion. Furthermore, the implemented BlueLightShield technology ensures you won’t feel eye fatigue no matter how long you look at the screen.

The Aspire 5 also offers some impressive specs such as the Ryzen 3 3200U dual-core CPU that has a max clocking speed of 3.5GHz and a standard speed of 2.6GHz. Another great aspect of this laptop is the battery that can last for up to 8 hours.

3. HP 15 2020

Compact
laptop for watching movies hp 15 2020

CPU: Intel Core i5-1035G1 | GPU: Intel UHD 620 | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 512 GB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 3.75 pound

  • ✚ Touchscreen controls option
  • ✚ Quick CPU
  • ✚ Turbo boost technology
  • ✚ Integrated webcam
  • Cooling system can be rather noisy
Rating

HP 15 is supplied with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 10-gen Core i5 CPU that can produce a max clocking speed of 3.6GHz thanks to Turbo Boost technology. It also comes with a 512GB SSD that offers plenty of space for your downloaded movies and TV series and a 15.6-inch LED touchscreen with a max resolution of 1366 by 768.

If your goal is to watch TV on laptops, then you’ll greatly appreciate the crisp colors and high sharpness produced by the display. As for connectivity options, the HP 15 offers Bluetooth and WLAN 802.11ac WiFi support.

4. Lenovo ThinkPad E590

Premium
laptop for watching movies lenovo thinkpad e590

CPU: Intel Core i5-8265U | GPU: Intel UHD 620 | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 256 GB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 4.7 pound

  • ✚ WLED-backlit display
  • ✚ Fingerprint scanner
  • ✚ Dolby AudioWebcam
  • ✚ Media card slot
  • Disappointing SSD performance
Rating

E590 has earned the right to contend for being the best laptop for watching movies thanks to its stylish design, solid performance, a broad range of connectivity options, and security. It’s equipped with a 1.6GHz i5 4-core CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD that is great for quickly processing data and can store quite a lot of movies.

This laptop also comes with a fingerprint reader that lets you log into the system without having to type in a password, and a convenient platform module that encodes all of your data, ensuring it remains secure and private.

5. Microsoft Surface 3

Excellent display quality
laptop for watching movies microsoft surface 3

CPU: Intel Core i5 | GPU: Intel Iris Plus | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 128 GB | Display: 13.5-inch | Weight: 3.4 pound

  • ✚ Slim build
  • ✚ Fantastic screen
  • ✚ Convenient keyboard
  • ✚ Good performance
  • Lacks a fingerprint scanner
Rating

Surface 3 just might be the best laptop for streaming movies since it comes with a 10-gen Core i5 CPU, a solid 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage space. The provided RAM is more than enough for watching movies, working, and even playing most games, while the storage is perfectly fine for streaming, but can’t fit many downloaded films compared to some other options. Surface 3 has a 13.5" touchscreen that produces terrific contrast and minimum glare, which is exactly what you want from a movie-watching device.

This product comes with a solid number of ports, including USB-C, USB-A, and a Surface Dock that lets you use multiple monitors. Surface 3 supports fast recharging, allowing you to restore 80% of the 12 maximum hours of battery life in about 60 minutes.

6. Dell Inspiron 15

Solid performance
laptop for watching movies dell inspiron 15

CPU: Intel Celeron 4205U | GPU: Intel UHD 610 | RAM: 4 GB | Storage: 1 TB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 4.8 pound

  • ✚ Anti-glare screen
  • ✚ Respectable performance
  • ✚ Integrated DVD-RW
  • ✚ Comes with a webcam
  • Lacks touchscreen functionality
Rating

Inspiron15 is powered by the Celeron 4205U CPU and comes with an FHD 15.6"" screen, which makes it a respectable candidate for being the best laptop for entertainment. The colors and brightness levels produced by this model are on par with what you’d expect at this price point. The provided 1TB HDD should be more than enough for most users that want to store their favorite movies on the laptop.

The speakers are powerful enough to watch movies without having to use headphones and the audio quality itself is quite pleasant as well. The laptop’s battery lasts an acceptable 6 hours, which allows you to watch 3 films in a row without having to recharge it. The Inspiron 15 comes with an 802 11A connection that makes use of the latest WiFi technology and can improve your internet speed.

7. Lenovo Flex 14

Great battery life
laptop for watching movies lenovo flex 14

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3500U | GPU: AMD Radeon Vega 8 | RAM: 12 GB | Storage: 256 GB | Display: 14-inch | Weight: 3.52 pound

  • ✚ Convertible model
  • ✚ Full-HD touchscreen display
  • ✚ Fantastic battery
  • ✚ Comes with a pen
  • Keyboard doesn’t have a backlight
Rating

Flex 14 is a solid consideration for being the best laptop for watching movies and replacement of the best tablet for movies, as it offers an FHD screen with sharp, crisp colors and impressive viewing angles. The provided touch controls are very intuitive and you can use the provided Lenovo Active stylus to navigate the laptop. The pen has over two thousand sensitivity levels, reacting to even the slightest changes in pressure.

This 2-in-1 laptop comes with 300o hinges that let you set it to clamshell, tablet, and tent modes. The battery included in the device is also quite impressive, lasting for up to 8 hours while you watch movies, browse the web, work, and game during the day or on a trip. Moreover, the implemented Rapid Charge system lets you recharge about 80% of battery life in less than an hour.

IMAGE NAME FEATURES
laptop for watching movies acer predator helios 300
Acer Predator Helios
Our Choice
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Storage: 256 GB
  • Display: 15.6-inch
  • Weight: 5.07 pound
CHECK PRICE
laptop for watching movies acer aspire 5 slim
Acer Aspire 5 Slim
Lower Priced
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Storage: 128 GB
  • Display: 15.6-inch
  • Weight: 3.97 pound
CHECK PRICE
laptop for watching movies hp 15 2020
HP 15 2020
Compact
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Storage: 512 GB
  • Display: 15.6-inch
  • Weight: 3.75 pound
CHECK PRICE

How to Choose the Best Laptop for Watching Movies?

laptop for watching movies

Display

If you mainly want to use your laptop for watching movies and TV series, then its resolution and image quality become paramount. It’s recommended to only consider products with at least a Full-HD (1920x1080) resolution since most streaming platforms offer content in 1080p and sometimes in 4K quality. Another aspect to consider is the screen type. If you want to enjoy superior colors, then get a laptop with an IPS LCD matrix or, better yet, an OLED screen.

The difference between an LCD and an OLED screen is that the former employs a backlight to illuminate the image, while the latter has pixels that illuminate themselves. This allows OLED laptops to produce deep blacks, fantastic contrast, and crisp colors.

Storage

If you’re interested in laptops only for movies, the amount of available storage space becomes a crucial characteristic, especially if you want to enjoy them in HD quality.

Unless you’re streaming the movie, you’ll have to store it either on your built-in or external drive. The laptop’s processor and RAM later access the drive, hence, why you should make sure those components are capable of providing a smooth viewing experience.

When picking storage devices, you have to be aware that other than their size, drives are also distinguished by their type, as you have to pick between solid-state and hard disk drives (SSDs and HDDs for short).

A solid-state drive is a straight-up upgrade on an HDD since it provides better speed, reliability, and security. The main difference between the two is that a hard drive is made of mechanical components while an SSD is an electronic device. That said, if you want to download hundreds of movies and TV series, then a hard disk drive is probably your go-to choice since SSDs with more than 1TB of space are not only a rarity but also extremely expensive. In all other cases, it’s wiser to go with a solid-state drive.

Battery Life

best laptop for streaming movies

If you want to find the best laptop for watching movies that can be your travel companion when you can’t use a power outlet, then you should prioritize options with long-lasting batteries. When immersing yourself in a movie, you want to focus on the captivating storyline and stunning visuals, rather than constantly monitoring the battery indicator. Opting for a laptop with an extended battery life allows you to relax and enjoy the cinematic experience to the fullest, whether you're traveling, on a long flight, or simply lounging on the couch.

A laptop with a substantial battery life can keep you entertained for hours, allowing you to binge-watch entire movie marathons or catch up on your favorite TV shows without interruption. It ensures that you don't miss crucial plot twists or thrilling moments due to sudden power loss.

Additionally, a laptop with long battery life offers convenience and versatility. It eliminates the need to constantly search for power outlets or carry bulky chargers. Whether you're in a coffee shop, park, or any other location, a laptop with excellent battery life lets you enjoy movies without constraints.

Your goal should be purchasing a laptop with at least 6 hours of battery life on a single charge, but it’s recommended to go even higher. Some premium models come with batteries lasting 12+ hours.

FAQ

  • • What is the recommended RAM for watching Netflix?

Netflix is available on a long-range of devices and so doesn’t have particularly strict requirements when it comes to hardware. If you’re using a Windows laptop, all you need is 512MB of RAM, while a Mac computer should have at least 1GB of RAM for you to enjoy optimal performance.

  • • Can I improve the streaming quality by getting more RAM?

If you notice that the movie playback seems choppy and tends to suffer from freezes or lags, then it’s highly likely that your laptop doesn’t have enough RAM.

  • • Why does Netflix use a lot of memory?

Netflix requires quite a bit of space because it employs overtime file storage to enhance video quality by making the stream smoother. 

  • • How important is the CPU for watching movies?

A good processor is crucial for watching and streaming movies, as it’s largely responsible for the quality of the video you get to enjoy. Thankfully, the majority of modern laptops have a fast enough CPU for movie streaming.

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