What to Look for in a Laptop: 12 Must-Have Features

Don’t give up hope in your search for a high-performance laptop that’s also affordable. 

Since everybody has different needs from a laptop, it can also be difficult to know what features you’ll want your computer to have.

You want to get the best features, but you also have a tight budget. Though it used to be necessary to make a choice between price and performance, there are new options available that can offer you the best of both worlds. 

In order to help you make sense of what to look for in a laptop, we’ve broken down the twelve important features that you can’t live without. Read on and we’ll tell you everything that you need to know. 

1. Table of Contents

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   Choosing the Best Operating System

Most people would assume that the first features to look for while shopping for a laptop are the physical features such as the hard drive, and screen quality. What they don’t realize is that non-physical features such as the operating system are important as well. 

The most popular operating system is Windows. People prefer this operating system because it is user-friendly and has many interactive features. This is why Windows might be the best option for you if you want to buy a dependable laptop that is easy to use. 

Windows 10 is the most popular version of the operating system, but keep in mind that Windows 11, after Windows released in October of 2021, will eventually become the most popular version. 

There are many people who prefer to use the MacOS for the comfort and features that it offers. Though it is less user-friendly, it has many compatibility features that let users seamlessly integrate between their iPhones, Apple Watches, and computers. 

2. Computer Structure and Screen Size

There are many new computers on the market that offer new options in terms of structure and screen size. The most exciting of these options are the smaller-sized laptops that are packed with features. 

The smallest-sized laptop that you’ll generally be able to find starts at around eleven inches. If you’re looking for a larger screen size, you shouldn’t have a problem finding screens that are as large as seventeen inches. 

Most of the major laptop manufacturers offer several different screen sizes for each model that they produce. For example, many brands offer three different screen sizes for most of their models: 13.3 inches, 15.6 inches, and 17.3 inches. 

If you’re looking for a portable laptop, you should invest in a smaller screen size. Thirteen-inch screens are a great option, but it is possible that you’ll need to sacrifice the small size for high-powered features that larger computers are more likely to offer. 

3. The Quality of the Screen

If you’re somebody who works from your computer, chances are that you’ll need to spend many hours gazing at your screen. This is why it’s important to look for a laptop with a high-quality screen if you use it often. 

You should also consider whether or not you want to have a touchscreen. This is a feature that is more common for laptops to have, but they do tend to cost more than standard screens. 

4. The Screen Resolution and Refresh Rate

Another feature related to the screen is resolution. You should consider full HD (1920×1080 pixels) resolution to be a minimum. This is enough for most peoples’ needs, but if you want to have more space on your screen to do complex work, you should consider paying more in order to invest in a higher resolution. 

If you are a photographer or videographer who does lots of editing on your computer, you should consider buying a laptop that has a 4k resolution.

If you like to play games on your computer, look for a laptop that has a fast refresh rate. If this is you, then consider buying a laptop that has a screen response time of less than 5ms and a refresh rate of more than 144hz. 

5. The Quality of the Keyboard

If you’re a writer or a student, you’ll be spending a lot of time tapping away at your keyboard. This is why it’s important that you invest in a keyboard that feels good on your hands and that has a build quality that will last. 

Unlike other kinds of features, a keyboard is something that you should test out in person. This way you can tell whether the keyboard will work for you or not. 

Look for a keyboard that has full-sized keys and that has a comfortable layout. It can also be nice to have a backlit keyboard. 

6. Get the Right CPU

If you don’t know much about CPUs and want to invest in one that performs well and is dependable, you can’t go wrong with an Intel CPU. Intel’s processors work well for all kinds of multimedia tasks and perform well for multitasking. 

One exciting option for those who are looking for a laptop with the most advanced Intel processors is the Intel Evo platform. You can find this platform on Lenovo’s newest computers which are also some of the thinnest, lightest, and fastest laptops on the market. 

7. Find a Laptop With Plenty of RAM

It used to be the case that computer users wouldn’t need any more than 4gm of RAM to do everything they needed to do on their computers. But people need their laptops to do a lot more than in the past. This is why you should not even consider a laptop that has less than 8GB of RAM. 

8. Hard Drive Storage

If you’re looking to invest in a thinner and lighter laptop, you should search out a model that has a solid-state drive (SSD). These are faster than traditional hard drives, don’t make noise when they run, and weigh almost nothing. 

One downside of SSDs is that they cost more in terms of price-to-gigabyte than traditional hard drives do. That’s why many laptop manufacturers offer models that include both types of hard drives. This lets you store data that you don’t often use on a traditional hard drive and store data and programs you use more frequently, such as your computer’s operating system, on your SSD. 

9. The Battery 

If you’re looking for a laptop that has the best battery life, consider looking into ultrabooks and convertible laptops that run on Chrome OS. Since these laptops are smaller and lighter, they usually have better battery life. 

You should also keep in mind that no matter what kind of laptop you choose to buy, the battery will drain more quickly if you run programs that need lots of processing such as streaming videos, editing films, and playing games. 

10. USB Type-C Ports

If you find a laptop that only has one or two USB-C ports, look elsewhere. It’s a good idea to buy a laptop that has at least a handful of these ports. Since they are the industry’s most popular connector port, you know that they’re the best option in terms of adaptability. They have very fast data transfer speeds. 

11. Security and Biometrics

Many new laptop models offer user-friendly security biometrics such as fingerprint readers. These are great features to have because they make it easier and faster to access your computer while also offering more security than laptops that don’t offer this feature. It’s possible for people to figure out your password, but they can’t imitate your fingerprints. 

When going laptop shopping, you should also keep a lookout for computers that have facial recognition technology. This is not yet a standard feature for new laptops, but it probably will soon become one. 

12. Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Build Quality

Whether you’re a traveler, a busy commuter to the office, or a university student, chances are that you’ll be moving your laptop from place to place. This is why it’s inevitable that your laptop will be subject to the wear and tear of everyday use. 

Under these kinds of stress, cheaper laptops will fall apart. This is why, when you’re buying a laptop, you should look for models that have strong build qualities. One way to make sure that you’re buying a laptop with great build qualities is to make sure that it has military-grade certifications such as MIL-STD 810G. 

It’s Easy to Know What to Look For in a Laptop

If you’re not sure what to look for in a laptop, remember that it is important that you invest in a computer that has the right features. Since everybody has different needs and uses their laptops for different purposes, it’s important that you know what features to look for. It’s also important for you to buy a laptop that has the best possible features. 

If you want to find out more about how to invest in high-performance computers that are also affordable, please check out this blog. They publish many informative articles on this topic.