Hi Chris,
(Had to split this into multiple posts, LOL)
Great points/questions, as usual. I'm glad to see how obvious it is that you actually use your tablets in the field. By that, I mean that I can tell because of the type of questions you ask - i.e. concerns that come from the experience of real world usage... OK, I'm just rattling this stuff off without "composing" a proper response. I may (ahem) wander a bit (big surprise, huh?) ;-)
I have no longer see an anti-reflective screen option either the P40 or Y460 models - they are apparently all glossy now :-( I just tried going to their site to double check, but the site seems to be having an issue "drilling down" to specific ThinkPad models. Maybe they are doing site maintenance ATM... (?) With respect to seeing a difference, you can tell a difference in the color depth between the two FHD (1920 x 1080) screens, but seriously, that is not a factor (for me) when doing field or even regular desktop-oriented appraisal stuff - it is really just important to people who are sensitive to the higher accuracy in actual colors... Artists, photographers, etc. For most of us boring valuation types (LOL), we would probably only notice it is the two were put side by side and then someone pointed it out... Realizing that, once someone does point it out, someone who seeks quality (like you) may have a hard time going with the lower color gamut screen, despite the fact that it is probably actually better than their regular screen, LOL. All in all, color accuracy is of dubious value to most office workers and I would argue that it is really a silly thing to worry about in the field where the ambient lighting conditions wreak havoc on that sort of thing anyway... Heck, the built-in anti-reflective treatment on your existing screen technically lowers the screen accuracy with respect to color gamut, accuracy, etc., yet that is the very thing you find so useful. BTW, I know you already know this, so I am not admonishing you - just pointing it out for other readers. I am known for "ranting" on this type of thing, so if you have something based on your actual usage, feel free to comment (pro or con) since you'd probably say it better anyway. At the end of the day, all that matters to most is getting the best performance for the buck...
Oh, and there it is - I used the word "performance" again. In this context, I am not talking about raw computational things - I mean it with respect to how well the screen performs in difficult lighting conditions (i.e. with typical outdoor lighting challenges.) As you know, glossy screens look sharper to most people's eyes, but the reflections are a problem. Reflections are bad enough in a "static" environment like an office, but outdoors the backgrounds, lighting intensities, etc. are constantly changing, so it is usually a major factor is how usable the device is. Also, when I mentioned the Surface Book screen, I meant that the 3:2 (comparatively 15:10) aspect ratio of the MS Surface devices allows you to be more productive when compared to the "vertically challenged" 16:9 aspect ratio on the P40, Y460 and all others like it. I'm sure that you know what I mean, but you really have to load your own apps on both and use them side-by-side for a little bit to see just what a difference it makes in real world scenarios. The only downside is watching video, etc. which is optimized for 16:9... For MY money, I can easily justify the expense based on productivity gains, but YMMV, of course.
So, what this means that you will probably want to just get a good quality screen protector film which addressed reflectivity. Most people find that a "matte" type film works best for them. Some people feel that a matte type screen protector makes their screen fuzzy, but FWIW, the good ones pretty much look like the treatment on your P40 now. In fact, technically, they are a little better since the reflections are dispersed at the surface instead of behind the protective glass layer on your device. Poor quality matte screen protectors can impart a "screen door" effect on a high-resolution screen, but FWIW, I am using a 5 - 10-year-old (albeit high quality) matte screen protector on my high-resolution phone and it has a MUCH higher DPI than any commercially available desktop or laptop screen, and it preforms wonderfully. In fact, people ask me all the time "What phone IS that?" I think it is because of the screen since my phone is in a nondescript black carbon fiber case - hence it is essentially just a boring black slab... The only distinguishing characteristic is the low reflectivity screen via the matte screen protector film I have applied. For those who just cannot bear to use a matte style screen protector, the best choice is an anti-glare type, which still looks "crisp" but addresses the glare factor. The effect is more subtle - to the extent that most don't think the company shipped them the right product. This type affects glare, not reflections, though it does diminish them somewhat... YMMV on this topic, but for my money, I go with a high quality matte style first.
That said, since you use a pen (yea!), a matte style screen protector is slightly more abrasive on pens if you use soft nibs designed for smoother glass. Unless you are using it like an artist "colors", this will not affect you in a major way - i.e. causing you to spend a lot on replacement nibs. You'd just want to switch to a slightly "harder" nib. The difference in feel is usually a positive experience since it feels more like writing with a pencil or "ink pen" on paper vs. a rollerball on wax paper or glass... Most business class devices today have high performance screens with respect to the pertinent factors which affect work conditions you and most appraisers face today. This includes the devices we are discussing today - both ThinkPads and the Surface devices. In order to more effectively combat outdoor lighting, you want to have adequate brightness (of course) but once you approach approximately 400 nits there, the contrast ratio becomes the dominant factor. It is already an established “fact” that the Surface devices have a superior screen when the regular factors are compared – they routinely outperform almost every other device in their category. Still none of that matters if you can’t see it in the sun, right? I won’t bore you with all the technicalities behind this, but FWIW, most people can use a Surface device in their regular working conditions due to the way the screen is made. Even many appraisers can use them… But, I still recommend a matte screen protector for almost everybody – and you in particular because of what you are already used to. You have higher expectations because you have been using devices with a matte treatment for years, where most have not.
So, I would suggest that the best test for you would be to directly compare a Surface (SP4 or SB) to a Lenovo P40 or Y460. You would, of course, want to have your own P40 handy for comparison, but the main thing is to compare how the screens look between the “combatants” of your test. Once a matte screen protector is applied, you will likely find that the Surface device is superior to your existing P40. A newer P40 or Y460 with matte screen protector will probably be comparable to your existing device, maybe even a little better (?)…
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