A laptop is an alternative to a PC and the obvious choice when it comes to portability. However there are many types of laptop on the market right now, from a traditional hinged screen and keyboard to touchscreen versions and even detachable screens forming a 2-in-1 laptop / tablet device. In this guide we’ll take a look at the different facets of a laptop and offer advice as to the best options to choose for given scenarios, whether for home use or professional workloads.
The first decision you need to make is what screen size you want in your laptop. Popular sizes include 10.5” or 12.3” at the 2-in-1 end, up to 13.5” and 15.6” at the mid-range and high-end. While a larger screen is obviously more practical for graphics applications and large spreadsheets, it does come at the expensive of weight, so if you’re going to take your laptop around with you a lot a smaller screen may be preferable. It is also worth remembering that a larger laptop may also require a dedicated bag, whereas a small one will fit into a regular bag.
It’s also a good idea to look at the weight and thickness of the laptop. High-end laptops tend to be made from lightweight metal, whereas cheaper laptops are made from heavier plastic. You’ll also pay a premium for thinner laptops versus a thicker bulkier laptop, however you’ll also pay for versatility too.
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| SURFACE 4 | SURFACE LAPTOP STUDIO 2 | SURFACE LAPTOP FOR BUSINESS 7TH ED. | |
| SCREEN SIZE | 13.5in | 14.4in | 15in |
| SCREEN RESOLUTION | 2256 x 1504 | 2400 x 1600 | 2496 x 1664 |
| THICKNESS | 14.5mm | 22.0mm | 18.2mm |
| WEIGHT | 1.26kg | 1.98kg | 1.66kg |
| COST | £ | £££ | ££ |
As you can see depending on the materials used, the laptop with the largest screen size isn’t always the heaviest or most expensive - particularly if a smaller model has additional 2-in-1 capability, as demonstrated by the middle model above.
The two key characteristics to look out for in a laptop screen are the resolution, which is the sharpness, and if you want a touchscreen.
Resolution is the number of pixels (the tiny dots that make up the image) that the screen possesses - it is shown as a number for screen length and a number of screen height. The higher the resolution the sharper and clearer applications will appear. If you’re going spend a lot of time using graphics applications or spreadsheets you’re more likely to want as high a resolution as possible, a variety of which are displayed on the image opposite.
Having a touchscreen on a laptop offers an additional way to control your applications over and above the keyboard and touchpad - either using your fingers or a pen / stylus. Many touchscreen laptops feature detachable screens, creating a 2-in-1 laptop / tablet format for greater flexibility. However, it’s worth noting that touchscreen functionality will increase the price significantly, so it’s definitely worth considering how much you will use the increased flexibility before you pay for it.
Most laptops also have at least one graphics output for you to connect an external monitor. This is often a preferred method of using your laptop at home - we’ll cover this a bit more later.
The most important aspect of laptop performance is the processor. CPU choice essentially comes down to what you intend to use the laptop for - light web browsing, basic work applications such as Word or Excel, more graphically-demanding tasks such as Photoshop. You should make your decision based on the most intensive workloads to ensure the laptop doesn’t struggle with any work you wish to do - even if you don’t intend to use a processor hungry application very often, you’ll still notice the problems you have when you do use it if your processor is underpowered.
If your usage will be limited to just web browsing and simple software packages such as Word, then you may want to consider a more budget laptop featuring an Intel Atom or Celeron processor; or AMD Athlon or A-Series.
However, for a more capable laptop you should look at a laptop with one of the following CPUs: AMD Ryzen, Intel Core, Intel Core Ultra or Qualcomm Snapdragon. Each of these brands produces a wide range of laptop CPUs, which can be roughly divided into the following groups. Intel has recently added to its Core range with the Ultra series, aimed at premium laptops, offering built-in AI acceleration to boost productivity and improved efficiency.
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| AMD PROCESSORS | INTEL PROCESSORS | QUALCOMM PROCESSORS |
| MID-RANGE -> HIGH-END | MID-RANGE -> HIGH-END | MID-RANGE -> HIGH-END |
Following your processor choice, it is important to ensure that its performance will not be hindered by lack of memory or RAM within your laptop. Usually the base memory listed will be in line with the processor’s capabilities – an entry-level laptop will feature 4GB, mid-range laptops 8GB and high-end laptops 16GB or more of memory. If you intend to use numerous applications together or one or two graphic heavy ones, then consider upgrading the memory capacity. This can be done at the time of buying or a later date, as your needs develop.
Most laptops come preinstalled with Windows 11, the latest operating system from Microsoft. It is available in two main versions - Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro. But which one should you choose?
Pro is safer and easier to manage if your business has lots of PCs. In addition, you can link a Pro device to a domain, which isn't possible with Home. Pro also has useful features such as Remote Desktop to remotely connect to another PC in the office.
For further details please read our WINDOWS BUYERS GUIDE.
A Solid State Drive (SSD) is highly recommended in any laptop, not only as they consume less power than a traditional spinning hard disk, but they also help to boost battery life and weigh less too. These are both key factors in making the laptop as portable as possible and less prone to damage as the SSD has no moving-parts to affect whilst the laptop is being moved about. The amount of storage capacity you choose very much depends on what usage or applications you will use and whether you intend to store things like music, photos or videos on it. Depending on photo resolution, HD or 4K video, these types of files can be large so allowing room to grow is key.
Although you may be choosing a laptop over a PC due to the added flexibility and portability, you may still have a desk area at home where accessories will improve your user experience.
Every laptop includes a compact keyboard, however, if you’re sat at a desk you may prefer a full-size keyboard with number pad. There’s a huge choice out there discover Moresby browsing our range of KEYBOARDS.
Every laptop includes a touchpad, however they are really only meant for web browsing and office productivity applications. Any graphical applications or extended use would benefit from a dedicated mouse. As with keyboards there’s a vast choice out there but you can discover more by browsing our MICE.
Although every laptop includes speakers and a microphone, because these are integrated into the underside or sides of the laptop and feature tiny drivers the sound quality and maximum volume usually leaves a lot to be desired, so if you have a desk area, you’ll likely want speakers. Additionally, if you’re using online meeting tools you’ll want a headset with built in microphone. Browse our range of HEADSETS and SPEAKERS.
Almost all laptops will come with a least one camera, usually mounted above the screen facing the user, intended for video calling. On 2-in-1 models where the screen can be detached there will also be a rear-facing camera too, located in the back of the screen - much like a traditional tablet. We recommend adding a camera cover when not in use to maintain your privacy as many applications enable video by default and cameras are also easily hacked.
As mentioned previously having an additional external monitor can either provide simply a larger screen when you’re working in a fixed desk environment, or a second (or third) screen to view multiple applications at once. Much like your laptop’s screen there are the same resolution parameters to consider. You can learn more by reading our MONITORS BUYERS GUIDE.
The size and thickness of your chosen laptop will govern the amount of inbuilt connectivity it has - some small devices may have just a couple of USB ports, whereas larger models will feature multiple USB, HDMI, Ethernet and SD card slots. It is worth thinking about what you may need to connect to your laptop, whether it be an additional monitor, keyboard, mouse, an external drive or USB back-up devices. Browse our range of CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS.
If you’re planning on taking your laptop with you on the road make sure you invest in a good quality bag. This not only makes carrying the laptop and accessories such as mouse and headset a lot more convenient, but also will protect it from damage. We stock a wide range of backpack and executive style laptop bags at a wide range of price points. Browse our range of LAPTOP BAGS.
As this guide is primarily concerned with home office laptops, if you’re a keen gamer or want to run more graphically demanding applications such as 3D modelling and video editing it’s worth buying a specialist laptop instead as explained below.
If you’re planning on using your laptop for content creation applications such as music making, video editing and grading, CAD and 3D rendering then you should look for a workstation laptop instead of a standard laptop. Workstation laptops have far more powerful CPUs and GPUs than home office laptops, and often have higher resolution screens as well. You can learn more by reading our WORKSTATION LAPTOP BUYERS GUIDE.
If you do intend to play more intensive games then you need to invest in a dedicated gaming laptop. It will still perform all the regular tasks home and work-wise you wish to do but will have better screen resolution and most importantly a dedicated GPU to properly play games. You can learn more by reading our GAMING LAPTOP BUYERS GUIDE.
There you have it, everything you need to know about choosing a new laptop. We sell a wide variety of models from top laptop brands such as Asus, MSI and Microsoft.
Browse our range of laptops.
Alternatively, if you have any further questions you’d like answering about laptops, don’t hesitate to call one of our friendly advisors on 01204 474747.