I noticed that my HP computer has a screen that looks clearer when I look at it straight on, but when I move to the sides or lie down watching the screen, everything looks much darker and the colors change. Is this a problem with my laptop or is it normal for all screens?
Don't go looking to replace the screen thinking it's damaged, because what you're seeing is completely normal in laptops. All LCD panels have limited viewing angles, so the image gets darker and colors distort when you're not looking straight at it. I've even laid down on the couch trying to watch something on my laptop and the exact same thing happens - the screen looks like it loses brightness out of nowhere. If you really need better visual experience from any angle, you could connect an external monitor, but your HP screen is working exactly as it's supposed to.
I have the same problem with my laptop and it's completely normal, almost all LCD screens work that way! Limited viewing angles are a feature of this type of display, so when you move to the sides or change the angle, the image gets darker and the colors distort. It's especially noticeable on laptops because the screen is fixed and you can't adjust it like you can with a desktop monitor. If it really bothers you, you could try looking for a screen with better viewing angle coverage (some have IPS technology which is more generous), but honestly it's just something that comes with the territory of using a laptop!
That's completely normal and happens to almost all laptop screens, especially ones with IPS or TN panels. These panels have limited viewing angles, so when you move to the sides or change the angle, the image darkens and colors get distorted because pixels lose their optimal color outside the front viewing range. If you want to check it out, try slowly tilting the screen to the sides while looking at a clear image and you'll see how it gradually changes. For your everyday use it's not a problem unless you work with critical color (professional photo or video editing), in which case you'd need a better panel like OLED, but for normal stuff it's just an annoying feature of cheap laptops.
My laptop does exactly the same thing and it drove me crazy until I found out why it happens! LCD panels have very limited viewing angles, so when you're not looking at the screen head-on, the image gets darker and the colors distort quite a bit. The typical thing is you'll see inverted or weird colors if you lie down or move too much to the sides. If you want to improve the experience without changing anything, you can adjust the brightness or the screen height to get a more direct angle, but the real solution would be to switch to an IPS panel with better viewing range, though that's expensive and not always worth it in a laptop.
Technically it is normal but not equally on all screens 😅 IPS panels have much better viewing angles than TN, so if your HP has a cheap TN-type panel you're gonna suffer more. That said, something nobody mentioned: lower your screen brightness a few notches in the settings, because screens that look darker from the sides are way more noticeable when they're at max brightness - if you turn it down a bit the difference becomes almost imperceptible and plus your battery will thank you for it 🔋
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