Due to the pandemic, schools, offices, and different institutions have been forced to operate remotely for the safety of everyone against the COVID-19 virus. With this, everything we do has been moved online as people do not want to put the world on a pause as economies will collapse if operations of these institutions stop. Having said this, laptops have become one of the most essential tools a person must have during this quarantine, be it for school or work.
Because of this, people have been looking for a laptop that is suitable for their budget and their needs. Numerous laptops can be easily purchased online and different lists of rankings on the quality of laptops like the best laptop under 700 and more are available on the internet as well. But before you go searching for these rankings, to help guide you, here are some of the factors you may want to consider in looking for a laptop:
- Structure
The structure of the laptop consists of size, form, and its build quality.
Build Quality
As laptops have been an essential part of our daily lives, these three features address how we bring our laptops anywhere. Inevitably, our laptops might get dropped, bumped, or knocked around as we go on about our daily lives. This is why we must check a laptop’s build quality.
One of the ways we can check for a laptop’s build quality is by looking for a MIL-STD 810G certification on the laptop. This type of certification signifies the laptop has military-grade protection which is built for any environment. Having a certification as this also means you have tested a product through 29 tests of resistance to shock, cold, heat, humidity, and more.
Size and Form
People have different purposes of use for their laptops. One of the features a person may look for its portability. This is why some opt for small-sized laptops which lie around 13 inches. Although, it is important to note that there is a downside to choosing a smaller laptop, and this is not being able to have a more advanced CPU. There are different kinds of laptops based on their size. There are notebooks, ultrabooks, convertibles, and more. Ultrabooks are laptops that are slim and light-weight. On the other hand, notebooks strike a balance between portability and power, while convertibles are foldable where it can easily turn into tablets or simply hide away keyboards
- Screen Quality
Since you’ll be spending a lot of time with your laptop, it would be best to find one where its screen is comfortable to look at. Also, you may want to consider whether you want a touchscreen or not. You should also make it a minimum of 1920×1080-pixel resolution for Full HD. 4K resolution is also available in modern laptops, however, this is very costly and would only be recommended for those who truly need it.
For photographers and videographers, a laptop that is colour accurate would be best for them although these laptops are costly.
- Keyboard Quality
With different tasks to accomplish using the laptop, keyboard quality is also something to be considered as one that may have long-typing sessions. One of the indirect productivity boosters for many is having a comfortable keyboard where keys are easy to press and are not cramped up together. Additionally, keyboards should also be backlit so you can work in dim settings.
- CPU
In laptops, most of the CPUs are Intel Core Processor, it is believed to be the best in the market. The difference we can observe is the progression of the advancement of these core processors ranging from i3, i5, i7, and i9. A laptop with i7 or i9 can bring out the best performance a laptop could have with its efficient and fast processing of data. However, if you’re one of those who aim for portability, you must understand that having either i7 or i9 will require a larger laptop, and heating up would be one of the issues.
- Battery Life
Good battery life is one of the factors you must never forget to consider. Not only does it allow you to bring your laptop anywhere, but it also helps in not having to be constantly worried about when your laptop will be shutting down as the battery becomes empty. Although, there are numerous factors to consider in your laptop’s battery life since individuals have different tasks they’re doing, different levels of brightness, Bluetooth connectivity, and others. More so, another good sign of a healthy battery life that you should also aim to have is a fast-charging battery. Other than the less task of charging your laptop, you can also save energy in your house.
- RAM
RAM stands for Random-access memory, and it is what allows you to multitask and run applications at the same time which is why a higher RAM capacity is suggested for those whose tasks are photo and video editing. Moreover, for the best gaming experience, 32GB and even beyond are preferable. For some, they have been living by 8GB, and it would be better if the minimum would be 16GB.
Also, one thing you should consider is whether you should be having a single or dual-channel for your laptop. The difference may not be obvious, but a dual-channel allows you to transfer data at once in a larger amount than a single one.
- Storage
For decades, hard drives have been what experts have been trying to improve and maximize. However, it has also been evident through the years that it has been getting slower through time and has been heating up.
With this, solid-state drives (SSD) have entered the market and are starting to dominate laptops. An SSD, unlike the hard drive, does not produce noise and does not contribute to the weight and bulk of the laptop. It also operates faster than the typical hard drives.
You may want to make sure to have a laptop with an SSD instead of a hard drive, so you can enjoy a better experience.
