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Choosing a laptop is harder than it should be, because the listings describe everything except what it will be like to use. Most of the numbers do not matter to most people. Five things do.
1. Memory: 16 GB
Memory, also called RAM, is what decides whether the laptop stays quick with a browser, email and a few programs open. 8 GB is the minimum and it is tight already. 16 GB is right for almost everyone, and it is the one thing you cannot change later on most laptops, because the memory is soldered to the board. Do not buy 8 GB to save money unless the laptop is for one simple task.
2. Storage: an SSD of 512 GB
Every laptop worth buying now has a solid-state drive rather than a spinning hard drive, but check, because some cheap ones still ship with the old kind. 256 GB fills up faster than you expect once photos and updates arrive. 512 GB is the comfortable size. Storage can sometimes be upgraded later, and an external drive is always an option, so this is the number to compromise on if you must.
3. The screen
You look at it all day. What matters is the size, the resolution and the brightness.
- Size: 13 to 14 inches for something carried daily, 15 to 16 inches for a laptop that mostly stays on a desk.
- Resolution: at least Full HD (1920 by 1080). Anything lower looks coarse.
- Brightness: 300 nits or more. Cheap laptops have dim screens, which is the thing people notice most and complain about least, because they do not know what to call it.
- Finish: a matte screen is easier on the eyes in a bright room. A touch screen is a convenience, not a necessity, and it costs battery life.
4. Build and keyboard
A laptop with a plastic body that flexes, a keyboard that rattles and a trackpad that clicks unevenly is unpleasant every day for years. If you can, try one in a store, or at least read reviews that describe the keyboard. A metal body costs a little more and is worth it on a laptop you will carry.
5. Battery
Ignore the hours in the advert, which are measured under ideal conditions. Look for reviews that measure it. A laptop that lasts a real working day is one that reviewers get eight hours or more from. Thin, light laptops with efficient processors last longest; gaming laptops and big screens last least.
What matters less than the listings suggest
- The processor. Any current mid-range processor is more than most people will ever use. The generation matters more than the model: a recent mid-range chip beats an older top-end one on battery life and heat. Avoid the very cheapest processors, which are noticeably slow.
- Graphics. Only matters for games, video editing or 3D work. Everyone else should ignore it and enjoy the longer battery life.
- Speakers, webcam, fingerprint reader. Nice to have. Do not pay much for them.
Windows, Mac or Chromebook?
- Windows runs everything, comes at every price, and is what most small businesses need.
- A Mac costs more, lasts a long time, and is a good choice if you already use an iPhone or iPad, or if you simply prefer it. The base MacBook Air is excellent value for what it is.
- A Chromebook is a browser with a keyboard. For a student or someone who lives in Gmail and the web, it is cheap, secure and nearly maintenance free. It will not run Windows or Mac programs, so check first that everything you need works in a browser.
Ports and the dock question
New laptops have few ports. Count what you plug in: monitor, printer, external drive, wired network. If it is more than the laptop has, budget for a USB-C dock, which turns one cable into all of them and is the best desk upgrade a laptop owner can make.
Where to save money
Last year's model of a good laptop, bought after the new one is announced, is the best value in computing. So is a refurbished laptop from the manufacturer's own outlet. The very cheapest new laptops are not a saving: they are slow from the first day and replaced within two years.
If you would like a second opinion
Tell us what you do with a computer and roughly what you want to spend, and we will suggest two or three that fit. We do not sell computers, so the advice is only about what suits you. If you want, we will then set it up and move everything across from the old one.