Reasons not to waste money on RGB laptops

1. Limited practical benefits

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RGB lights on laptops don't provide any practical benefit for everyday use. These lights are often used for aesthetic purposes, to enhance the visual appearance of the device and make it stand out. That's basically it.

You may be wondering if the same applies to backlit keyboards. Yes, a backlit keyboard is necessary when it's dark; however, you can get a backlit keyboard without the flashing RGB lights. MacBook keyboards and keyboards on productivity-focused Windows laptops, like the Dell XPS 15 9530, have backlighting on the keyboard. However, they use single-color lights instead of the dazzling RGB type.

2. Causes distraction and is too bright

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RGB laptops may appeal to some people. However, it can also be distracting, especially since most have added animations. In the case of RGB backlit keyboards, constantly changing colors or bright key lighting can distract attention from the screen or the task at hand, causing distraction. and reduced productivity.

This situation gets worse when the RGB lights are in other parts of the laptop. For example, the ASUS ROG Strix G16 has RGB lighting on the keyboard and an RGB light bar on the bottom front. You can imagine how distracting the flashing RGB lights on the keyboard and bottom front panel would be in a dark room.

Additionally, RGB lighting can look unprofessional in a work environment because it is too bright. RGB laptops may be fine if you are a professional gamer. But in this case, if you need more power and don't care about portability, you should buy a gaming PC instead of a laptop.

3. Unnecessary power consumption

Another reason RGB lights are pointless is the extra power it takes to light them. In essence, the LED lights used to add RGB lights to laptops do not consume much power. But they still consume some battery.

According to a video uploaded by the CPU modder channel on YouTube (shown above), its creator discovered that his Dell XPS 15 could operate for 6 hours a minute with the keyboard on. When the lights go out, he has an extra 37 minutes. That video is from years ago, but keep in mind that the Dell XPS doesn't have RGB lighting; it uses single color lights.

Since RGB lights can consume more power than single-color lights, although not significantly, the difference can be a bit higher. With more RGB lights placed on the keyboard and elsewhere, power consumption will increase further. It's no surprise that ASUS recommends turning off the RGB lighting on the ROG Ally to extend battery life.

4. Prices are pushed up due to gimmicks

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Adding RGB lights to a laptop will increase material costs. Companies have to increase laptop prices to recover investment capital. Like every new feature, you have to pay more for fancy RGB lighting on your laptop.

A good example: The MSI GL-65 Leopard is sold in many different variants, of which the keyboard backlight is one of the features that makes the difference. A model with an RGB keyboard costs $100 to $150 more than a model with a keyboard with monochrome backlighting.

The price you pay for fancy RGB lighting varies by brand and model because manufacturers rarely give you the option of having RGB lighting built in or not. Regardless, you still have to pay as long as it appears on the spec sheet.

Although it adds cost to the device, RGB lighting provides no real benefit, consumes unnecessary power, and is distracting. For these reasons, you should not buy them. If you want a powerful laptop, there are many options that don't require fancy RGB lighting. Some of the best laptops for 4K gaming, like the Dell XPS 17, are proof of this.

Kareem Winters

Update 21 August 2024