In the 21st century, owning a laptop almost seems like an essential requirement. Although some smartphones are now capable of covering many laptop utilities, laptops are still necessary for students and corporates. Laptops have outstanding features compared to smartphones, such as excellent battery life and powerful graphics, among others. Additionally, many laptops now have touchscreen capabilities and full-size keyboards, which seem to get better with time. We might expect to see a buying surge in notebooks in 2021 since many companies have adopted a ‘work from home’ strategy for their employees. When it comes to buying a laptop, you’re spoilt for choices. This is because we have many options available in the market. If you’re overwhelmed about what to look for, we made a guide on what to consider first.
1. Choose a Platform
If you’re not familiar with PCs and Macs, this can be a tough question to answer. Many modern laptops come with one of three operating systems: macOS (limited to MacBooks only), Chrome OS, and Windows. Based on a review at https://laptopverge.com/, Windows is the most flexible operating system. Compared to other platforms, Windows runs on many laptop models available in the market. macOS is only limited to Apple’s MacBooks. MacOS might have similar functionality to Windows but different on its interface.
Additionally, while Windows uses Cortana as its digital assistant, a MacBook uses Siri. Chrome OS is only available on Chromebooks. This OS is designed by Google and is simple to use and secure. Chromebooks are easily portable, and you can use one for easy online tasks like checking emails or navigating social media.
2. Do You Want a 2-in-1?
A 2-in-1 laptop combines the convenience of a tablet with the utility of a keyboard. Under 2-in-1 laptops, you can find two designs, which include detachable and convertible. The latter can serve as a tablet by flipping the keyboard under the screen. The former is ideally a tablet that has a removable keyboard. Users say that it feels like an ultra-thin laptop when combined. These laptops can provide a lot of versatility to a user even though they’re not the best devices available. Their uniqueness comes with notable cons like weight and price. Most of them are often expensive compared to other conventional types of laptops.
3. Budget
If you’re going for a cutting-edge design with robust components, prepare to spend more. However, if you’re short of cash, you can get a cheap model for as low as 300 dollars. If you want to get the best deals, try buying during shopping seasons like Prime Day or Black Friday. You might get a considerable discount on a high-end device. Purchasing a standard model will limit you to the tasks you can perform with the laptop. Most standard models only perform standard functions such as word processing and will struggle with complex tasks. Buying a high-end device means getting access to cutting-edge features like a 4K display, a powerful processor, and a powerful battery that will last more hours.
4. The Right Size
Before looking at the specs and pricing, you also need to think about portability. This is mostly dependent on the display size. The smallest laptops available have around 11-12-inch screens and are too light. 13-14-inch laptops are useful if you’re looking for something portable. The most popular size with many users is 15-16 inches. Many laptops in this range will weigh about four pounds.
Additionally, this size is also useful if you prefer watching movies using your laptop. Finally, we have 17-18-inch laptops. Most laptops in this range have powerful processors and are familiar with high-end gamers. They can also increase your work productivity since you can multitask between applications.
5. What about Storage and Memory?
With improvements in technology, many laptops above entry-level come with solid-state drives (SSDs). These drives use memory cells compared to hard disk drives (HDD), which use a spinning platter to store data. SSDs have the best drive configuration and process data faster compared to their counterparts. You might also find laptops with both SSD and HDD. In this case, you can consider storing your apps in the SSD and your other files in the HDD.
6. Check Battery Life
If you travel regularly and use your laptop often, you should consider a laptop with at least six hours of endurance. Higher battery life means you can work in remote areas without worrying about your laptop powering off. If you want to check your battery life, we would recommend reading reviews from third-party sources.
You can also check for the ports available on your laptop. For technical purposes, it would be best to focus on the USB ports you need. Additionally, ensure you check if the manufacturer provides any warranty. Now that you know what to look for, we hope that differentiating the good from the bad will be much easier.
