Everyone needs at least some sort of computer in their lives. Whether you favor a desktop PC or you’re a fan of more mobile, portable devices like laptops or tablets, pretty much everything is online now, so you’ll need something that can help you accomplish all the tasks you need to in your everyday life. If you’re looking to buy a laptop in 2022, you’ll likely come across a lot of confusing jargon and seemingly interchangeable specs, so we’re here to help bust some of that. Here’s our 2022 laptop buying guide for beginners.
You Don’t Need To Break The Bank
The first thing to know about buying a laptop in 2022 – whether it’s your first computer or you’ve been buying devices for a long time – is that it doesn’t need to break the bank. You can pick up budget laptops that will do everything you need them to for less than £250, and you don’t necessarily need to compromise on quality. Even if you need to look outside the box and go for credit when buying your laptop, you’ll be able to find a very bad credit loan direct lender who can help you, and many solid laptops can be had for the amounts they’ll lend.
More RAM Is Better
You’ll likely be using your laptop for productivity tasks rather than gaming (unless you’re buying a gaming laptop, which we’ll go into later). As such, one of the most important factors when buying a laptop is the RAM. This is the memory of your device; it’s what dictates whether your laptop is able to run demanding applications side-by-side. Some apps, like video editing or photo editing suites, demand high RAM values in and of themselves, and some of the most popular web browsers (such as Google Chrome) also need a lot of RAM to run comfortably.
You Don’t Need A Graphics Card
If you’re a seasoned PC gamer, you might balk at the idea that laptops don’t come with dedicated graphics hardware. The truth, however, is that if you’re not planning to do any hardcore gaming on your laptop, then a graphics card isn’t necessary. Integrated graphics will take care of web browsing, watching videos or streamed content, and most other basic tasks you’ll need to accomplish on your laptop. You can get external graphics cards (or eGPUs) for laptops if you want to, but for the most part, you won’t need to worry about graphics.
Gaming Laptops Are Available
Gaming laptops used to be something of an in-joke with the PC gaming crowd. After all, how could a device that small and portable match the sheer heft of a dedicated tower with a huge graphics card inside it? Well, these days, there are gaming laptops available, and they can even be had for reasonable prices (although this will depend on your definition of the word “reasonable” to some degree). If portability is your absolute watchword and you don’t want to sacrifice gaming power, then you’ll be surprised at the breadth of options available to you these days.
Windows and Mac Have Different Advantages
You’ll probably encounter MacBooks on your laptop buying journey, as well as plenty of Windows laptops, especially since the Windows 11 has landed. They operate differently, and which apps you need to download will differ depending on which laptop you have. It’s important to know that if you have a MacBook, you might encounter some compatibility issues with apps intended for Windows, although most major productivity apps do have Mac versions available. Mac advantages include a clean, clear user interface and better virus protection. Windows laptops tend to have more widespread compatibility with both apps and peripherals.
Look For Intel 11th Gen Laptop Processors
The 11th-gen Intel processors – named “Tiger Lake” – have finally arrived. If you want the best possible performance out of your laptop, it’s worth looking for a device that has these processors, because they have better-integrated graphics performance and speedier, zippier task management all around. However, if you can’t find a Tiger Lake, then the 10th-gen Ice Lake processors will suffice too; they’re still more than capable of handling most day-to-day tasks you could want to accomplish as a laptop user, and they’re also more widely available in stores.
Get The Ports Right
If you’ve got an external hard drive with lots of media on it that you want to access regularly, then you’re going to need a USB-A port on your laptop. That might sound like an obvious inclusion, but MacBook devices don’t actually have these ports. Other ports you might need include a 3.5mm jack socket (for headphones and speakers), as well as an Ethernet port for a wired internet connection, or an HDMI port for connecting an external display. Again, MacBooks don’t natively have these ports, so you’ll need to consider what your port needs will be when you’re buying a laptop.
Battery Life Is Critical
Another critical aspect when you’re buying a laptop is whether or not the battery life holds up. Laptops, after all, have one distinct advantage over desktop PCs: they’re portable and can be used without a power source for a period of time if necessary. Some laptops, however, will have more stringent power requirements than others. As a general rule of thumb, if a laptop’s display has a higher resolution or uses OLED technology, it will need a bigger battery. Similarly, if you’re getting a gaming laptop, you’re going to be charging it more often, and it may even be best to simply leave it connected to the power source.
We hope our 2022 laptop buying tips have been helpful! Are you planning to buy a laptop this year? What are your requirements?
