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How big is a 15.6-inch 16:9 laptop screen? The classic workhorse size, with dimensions and PPI

By TechCompare · Updated · How we check

A 15.6-inch 16:9 screen is about 34.5 cm (13.60 inches)13.60 inches (34.5 cm) wide and 19.4 cm (7.65 inches)7.65 inches (19.4 cm) tall. These are screen dimensions and exclude the bezel and stand.

The 15.6" 16:9 laptop panel next to a 15.6" 16:10 reference

Drawn to scale so you can see the size difference at a glance

15.6" 16:9 laptop: 34.5 cm (13.6 in)13.6 in (34.5 cm) × 19.4 cm (7.6 in)7.6 in (19.4 cm) · 671 cm² (104 in²)104 in² (671 cm²)
15.6" 16:10: 33.6 cm (13.2 in)13.2 in (33.6 cm) × 21.0 cm (8.3 in)8.3 in (21.0 cm) · 706 cm² (109 in²)109 in² (706 cm²)
Width difference: 0.9 cm (0.4 in)0.4 in (0.9 cm) (2.7%) · Height difference: 1.6 cm (0.6 in)0.6 in (1.6 cm) (8.1%) · Area ratio: 1.05×
Both panels share a corner and are drawn at the same scale, so the extra width and height of the larger screen are true to size. Open these two in the full Screen Size Comparison ›
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A 15.6-inch 16:9 laptop screen measures 34.5 cm (13.60 inches)13.60 inches (34.5 cm) wide by 19.4 cm (7.65 inches)7.65 inches (19.4 cm) tall, giving you about 671 cm² (104.0 square inches)104.0 square inches (671 cm²) of display area. For almost 15 years this was a common laptop diagonal, shipped on budget Windows machines and some ThinkPad and Dell models. A 16:9 screen can show 16:9 video without letterboxing, while other source ratios may show bars or be cropped. The format dominated laptops for a long time before 16:10 started coming back.

15.6-inch laptop screen dimensions

The diagonal is 39.6 cm (15.60 in). Width and height depend on the aspect ratio. These are screen dimensions, not the full laptop dimensions.

Spec16:916:10
Width34.5 cm (13.60 in)33.6 cm (13.23 in)
Height19.4 cm (7.65 in)21.0 cm (8.27 in)
Dimensions
34.5 cm × 19.4 cm13.6" × 7.6"
13.6" × 7.6"34.5 cm × 19.4 cm
Screen area
104 sq in
671 cm²
Aspect ratio
16:9
39.6 cm (15.6") diagonal15.6" (39.6 cm) diagonal

How this is calculated

At the typical 1920×1080 resolution on a 15.6-inch panel you get about 141 PPI, which is sharp enough for most work at typical laptop viewing distance (50-60 cm).

Many productivity and gaming laptops still ship 15.6-inch 16:9 panels because the panel supply chain is mature and cheap. The 16:9 ratio does cost you vertical workspace versus a 16:10 panel of the same diagonal, which is why the 16:10 15.6-inch form factor is now the modern successor for productivity work.

Verdict

Choose 15.6-inch 16:9 for a media-first laptop, and 15.6-inch 16:10 or 16-inch 16:10 when productivity work needs more vertical room. The panel measures 34.5 cm (13.60 in)13.60 in (34.5 cm) wide by 19.4 cm (7.65 in)7.65 in (19.4 cm) tall for about 671 cm² (104.0 in²)104.0 in² (671 cm²) of area. At 1920x1080 it hits about 141 PPI, sharp enough for most work at a typical laptop distance of 20-24 inches (50-60 cm).

A 16:9 screen displays 16:9 video without letterboxing, but other media ratios may show bars or be cropped. The 16:10 successor takes a small width hit to add roughly 8% more vertical space.

More Screen Size scenarios

24" 16:9 monitor
The classic desktop size: big enough for a browser plus sidebar, and it fits on any desk.
View details
27" 16:9 monitor
A 27-inch 16:9 monitor measures 23.53 inches (59.8 cm) wide by 13.24 inches (33.6 cm) tall, giving you about 312 square inches (2010 cm²) of screen area, excluding the bezel.
View details
32" 16:9 monitor
A 32-inch 16:9 monitor measures 27.89 inches (70.8 cm) wide by 15.69 inches (39.8 cm) tall, giving you about 438 square inches (2823 cm²) of screen area.
View details

Related guides

15.6" 1080p laptop PPI
PPI of the standard 15.6-inch 1080p laptop panel.
View guide
16:9 at 27" aspect ratio
The aspect ratio this 15.6-inch laptop shares with desktop monitors.
View guide
Screen size chart
Width, height and area of common screen sizes, in inches and cm.
View guide

Frequently asked questions

What are the exact dimensions of a 15.6-inch laptop screen in inches and cm?
A 15.6-inch 16:9 screen is 34.5 cm (13.60 inches)13.60 inches (34.5 cm) wide and 19.4 cm (7.65 inches)7.65 inches (19.4 cm) tall. The screen area is about 671 cm² (104.0 square inches)104.0 square inches (671 cm²).
What is the PPI of a 15.6-inch 1080p screen?
A 15.6-inch panel at 1920x1080 has about 141 PPI (pixels per inch). At 3840x2160 (4K) it rises to about 282 PPI, which is visibly sharper but rarely worth the battery and GPU cost on a 15.6-inch panel.
Should I get a 15.6-inch 16:9 or a 15.6-inch 16:10 laptop?
A 16:9 display fits 16:9 video without letterboxing, while other video ratios may show bars or be cropped. For productivity work like coding, writing, or spreadsheets, 16:10 gives roughly 8% more vertical space at the same diagonal. The chassis size is nearly identical.

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