There are a few things to think about when you are picking out your laptop. It’s something that will be with you for a few years, so you need a good fit for your personal (or professional) needs. Here are a few things to consider, so you can buy the perfect laptop for you.
The two things that you have to consider size wise are the screen and the keyboard, though the two go hand in hand. You may prefer a smaller screen, so your laptop is more compact. You may need a larger screen (17-inch for example) because it would be more convenient for work or gaming.
Think about whether you are buying a laptop that you are going to keep at home most of the time or something you plan on carrying in your bag everyday. The bigger laptop would be more convenient if you use it at home, however, it won’t fit in a regular bag and it will be substantially heavier. The laptop for you will fit perfectly in your everyday life. For example, this Dell laptop has a quite a large 17.3” screen.
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Maybe the perfect laptop for you is one that has a brilliant touchpad. Maybe this isn’t important because you like using a mouse.
Touchpads can be tricky because some laptops don’t have a really responsive touchpad. Look at how the clicking works. Think about whether you use gestures (scrolling with two fingers, zooming in and out, etc). The laptop for you should be intuitive to your user needs and the touchpad can be a significant part of that. It is for me at least. Macbooks are known for their great touchpads.
Think about what the laptop for you requires in terms of performance. Are you planning on using it for video editing, for gaming or mostly for documents and browsing the internet? Different processors will suit different needs. It’s a good idea to make a list of the tasks you will be performing on a daily basis and then matching them to a processor. This in tern will help you pick the right laptop for you. For example, if you are a gamer, you’re going to need a powerful laptop such as the Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701.
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For some people battery life is crucial, for others it is just a plus. Some people who work from home remove the battery of their laptop altogether and keep it plugged into the power. Personally, a long battery life is something really important for me, because I don’t like carrying a charger aorund. If I take my laptop to uni with me, or go write somewhere, I prefer not to take my charger unless I know I’ll be there a long time. The perfect laptop for you, however, might not need a long battery life. It’s all about preference. The HP Envy x2 is a good laptop to consider if you are often on the move. Its battery lasts over 22 hours and charges in 90 mins.
This is the one thing I compromised on, which I wish I didn’t when I bought my last laptop. I edit videos on my laptop and I have had to use an external drive for a lot of projects because my laptop couldn’t handle the large amount of data. Do keep in mind that you might need to compromise on some of the points in this list, so prioritise your needs. Personally, although I regret compromising on storage battery life, performance and the touchpad are things that are more important for me. The laptop for you may be the other way round. HP Spectre x360 has massive storage!
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When it comes to ports I’ve noticed a tendency of people either really relying on ports or not caring about them at all. Realistically, a lot of the newer, lighter laptops, will not have a lot of ports. Size dictates here. So if you are working from home and buying a bigger laptop, chances are, you’ll have more ports. If you carry your laptop around and want something light and on the smaller size, you won’t have many ports. Think about what you might need to plug into your computer. Do you need an HDMI cable, would you use an adapter, do you use a hard drive, etc. Maybe the perfect laptop for you needs nothing more than a usb port. If you have chosen a laptop with very few ports (such as the Macbook Air) and find you need more, you can always get an extension.
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