Finding “The One”: What to Consider When Purchasing a Laptop

With so many different cutting-edge features on the laptop market today, it’s hard to navigate through your search for the perfect one for you. To avoid getting overloaded with information when doing your research, start narrowing it down by asking yourself a few questions. What will you primarily use your laptop for? Where will you use it, and how long do you need the battery to last? Finally, what’s your price range? Once you have a clearer sense for your unique needs, you’ll know what to look for in a laptop.

Desktop Replacement Laptop

If you want all the features of a desktop PC, but you want to be able to unplug it and take it with you, a desktop replacement laptop is for you. They’re great for gamers, digital artists, graphic designers and video editors, as they can run sophisticated software at a high speed and have large keyboards and large screens (14 to 17 inches long). Since they’re bigger, desktop replacement laptops are also heavier. They typically give you at least two hours of battery life, which means they don’t last as long as smaller mobile PCs.

Notebooks

Notebook computers are light-weight mobile PCs that are easier to transport than desktop replacement laptops, and generally boast longer battery lives. The typical notebook gives you more than four hours of battery life. This, combined with its thinner build, makes notebooks more ideal for travel and use outside the home. As opposed to desktop replacement laptops, notebooks generally don’t have the capacity to utilize CDs or DVDs. They also have minimal graphics subsystems, which make them less ideal for people who need high-functioning graphics. The typical notebook screen is between 12 and 14 inches, with a keyboard just big enough to be functional.

Ultraportable Mobile PCs

What if you wanted your mobile PC to work as an all-in-one mobile device? Ultraportable mobile PCs can give you the sleek and compact effect of a notebook, with the 4G data access of a smartphone or tablet. The most bleeding-edge technology in the world of laptops, mobile PCs let you run Windows 10 while using your PC like a smartphone, staying connected with built-in 4G LTE and Wi-Fi.

One new mobile PC on the market is the NovaGo from ASUS, which is built to last all day no matter what you’re using it for — that’s up to 22 hours. It has an LTE modem for cellular connectivity, so you can stay online no matter where you are. It weighs only 3.1 pounds and is only 0.6 inches thin, making it ideal for on-the-go use. It gives you 256 GB of storage and up to 8 GB of memory for just $699.

If you’re an artist, you might prefer the HP Envy X2: a mobile PC with a 12.3-inch display and 1,920 x 1,280 resolution that starts at $1,000. It converts into a tablet and comes with a digital pen that gives a natural pen-to-paper feel. It weighs only 1.54 pounds and is 0.27 inches thick, making it extremely portable. In addition to cellular connectivity, it also has a 13MP rear camera and 5MP front camera, so you can easily shoot pictures on the go, collaborate with a team and stay in touch with friends and family the way you would on a smartphone.

The Lenovo Miix 360 is also 12.3 inches with a bright 1,920 x 1,280 display and digital pen. The keyboard is detachable, allowing you to use the device in full-on tablet mode. It has a 13MP front camera and gigabit LTE. Even in sleep mode, this device syncs emails and messages, so you’re always up-to-date. It offers 20 hours of battery life and weighs just under three pounds. You can get it with 4 GB or 8GB RAM, starting at $799.

The Verdict

If you need a laptop that will give you functionality for long stretches of time and allow you to stay online, you might opt for a mobile PC with built-in cellular connectivity. The all-in-one appeal means you don’t need to switch between a computer and mobile device while on the go. If you don’t need to leave the house with your laptop every day and you want all the features of a desktop, you might want a desktop replacement laptop. For something in between that’s not as light as a mobile device but better for travel than a desktop replacement laptop, you might choose a notebook you can carry around yet still have a screen that’s larger than 12 inches. Take some time to think about what features matter most to you before deciding on the right everyday laptop.

 

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post and the author’s views here do not necessarily reflect those of the blog owner.