Laptop buying guide: 10 things that you need to check before buying the right one

Buying the right laptop can be easy if you follow certain steps and are flexible with your budget. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to laptops, which is why we’ve broken down the process into 10 easy-to-follow steps.

This checklist that will help you narrow down your choices before buy a laptop that suits your needs. (Pexels)

Most tech purchases tend to be an emotional decision, especially when it comes to upgrading your existing devices. Big sales, new models, and fancy ads can sometimes make even the most sceptical buyer make an impulse purchase. Smartphones and headphones are two such gadgets that we tend to upgrade every couple of years. Laptops generally tend to have a longer usage cycle and if you're thinking of buying a new one, chances are you either need an additional unit for someone else in your family or your current model isn't capable of handling your workload any longer.

If you're not sure what you want, choosing a new laptop can be a daunting task. There are a tonne of options in the market, so it's important to do a bit of your own research before venturing to shopping apps or to a store. You don't need to be a computer geek to find the best deals (although, it helps), but a little bit of knowledge about some of the tech jargon surrounding laptops can help you make a more informed decision. In this guide, we'll go through a 10-point checklist that will help you narrow down your choices, and help you arrive at a laptop that suits your needs and budget the best.

Identity your needs

Before you do anything, stop for a minute and think about this – do you really need a laptop? If all you'll be doing is checking emails, web browsing, and doing occasional video calls, then your phone should be good enough. If you're buying a laptop just for doing these tasks on a larger screen, how about getting one of the best tablets in India instead? There are plenty of good budget Android tablets that perform well for such tasks, and you can simply connect a Bluetooth keyboard to it to complete the laptop experience.

Not sure which
laptop to buy?

You need to identify your key requirements before you finalise on your laptop. (Pexels)

You need to identify your key requirements before you finalise on your laptop. (Pexels)

If you already have a laptop and want to upgrade because its battery doesn't last as long as it used to or it feels sluggish, consider getting the battery replaced from an authorised service centre, or deleting old files and unwanted programs to make it feel snappy again.

On the other hand, if you're a student and have projects to work on, you want to play all the latest PC games but don't want a desktop, or you need a computer for video or audio editing and mobile apps just aren't cutting it, a laptop is a good place to start.

Choose your platform

The second important step is to pick your OS or platform of choice. If you're already in the Apple ecosystem or need specific apps that only work on macOS, then a MacBook Air is the best laptop for most people. Prices start at 1 Lakh Rupees for Apple's M2 SoC, which is still just as good as the M3 option for most tasks. More on CPUs in the upcoming section. If you don't need macOS, then I'd recommend getting a Windows laptop. Prices generally start at around Rs. 20,000 for models from reputed brands.

You choice of operating system depends a lot on your ecosystem of gadgets. (Parallels International)

You choice of operating system depends a lot on your ecosystem of gadgets. (Parallels International)

Another way to look at this is by identifying the type of apps you'll be using. If all your apps and services can be accessed by a browser, then the platform shouldn't really matter. You might even want to consider Chromebooks, which are laptops running Google's ChromeOS operating system. If you need to run specific apps though, then deciding between Windows and a Mac at this stage is important.

Don't skimp on the basics

Like any purchase, you'll probably have an approximate budget in mind for your laptop. I'd advise to be flexible with this and not skimp on certain features just to save a few thousand Rupees in the short term. RAM is one of the main areas where you should not compromise. Avoid any laptop which has 4GB of RAM, and this includes Chromebooks. Android phones with this amount of RAM are generally unusable, so you can imagine the state of performance on a laptop.

8GB RAM should be the bare minimum, no matter which OS you pick. Aim for 16GB as an ideal spec. In case this doesn't fit in your current budget, check to see if the RAM can be upgraded. Many newer and slimmer laptops have RAM soldered onto the laptop's main board itself, in which case, it's important to opt for higher RAM from the get go.

Storage is the second most important spec to pay attention to. It's not so much about the amount of storage, but the type of storage that's crucial. You ideally want an SSD (Solid State Drive) in your laptop as they are faster, noiseless, smaller, and have a much lower failure rate than a HDD (Hard Disk Drive). SSDs used to be quite a bit more expensive than HDDs, but today, you can find laptops under Rs. 25,000 with upgradable SSDs. Some laptops even use a combination of an SSD + HDD, giving you the best of great speed and plenty of storage.

Laptop SSD storage uses either of the two interfaces – SATA or NVMe. SATA drives are usually found in budget laptops and come in multiple form factors like a 2.5-inch drive (just like laptop HDDs or the one in your portable drive), or the M.2 form which is much smaller. NVMe drives offer much faster read/write speeds since they use the main board's PCIe bus (same as your discrete graphics card) for communication. These drives commonly use the M.2 form factor.

CPUs: What's good and what to avoid

CPUs in laptops keep changing every year just like in our phones, and while you don't always need the latest model, it's important to know what's good and what to avoid. Tasks like video encoding/ editing, compressing files, gaming (physics simulations), AI computations, and anything that requires mathematical computation, are all reliant on the CPU. Having a capable CPU in your laptop will ensure good system and app performance for years to come.

If you're getting an Intel laptop, make sure it has a 12th generation CPU or newer (14th Gen being the latest). This is when Intel made the switch to a hybrid core system, with a mix of performance and efficiency cores similar to the processor in your smartphone. This not only increased the total number of cores in the CPU (from a maximum of eight, to up to 24), but also improved power efficiency.

It is recommended to invest in latest-gen CPU to run heavy software smoothly for the years to come.

It is recommended to invest in latest-gen CPU to run heavy software smoothly for the years to come.

If the apps you use perform on-device AI and machine learning computations, then having an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) in the CPU will be an advantage. Look for laptops based on Intel's Core Ultra CPUs for this use case. Avoid laptops with Intel's 11th Gen or older CPUs as they are not worth buying anymore.

AMD's CPU numbering can get confusing, but broadly, you should be aiming for its Ryzen 6000 series or newer laptop chips. If you want an NPU, then most of the Ryzen 7000 and 8000 series CPUs have it. You can see the full list with exact models here. The Ryzen AI 300 series CPUs will be coming in future Copilot+ laptops. Apart from Intel and AMD, Qualcomm's processors have also come to Windows laptops. These are Microsoft's first wave of Copilot+ PCs and a few models have already launched in India, with more to come.

If you're considering a Macbook, you only have one choice and that's Apple's own M series processors. Avoid getting a Macbook with an Intel processor, no matter how good the deal may be. Apple has discontinued the M1 Macbook Air, but you can find it online at a heavy discount, and it is eligible for the upcoming macOS Sequoia update.

Do you need a GPU or graphics card?

This is easy to answer. If you don't plan on doing any kind of 3D gaming, then you don't need a laptop with a dedicated graphics card or GPU. All laptop CPUs will have a built-in GPU that's capable of handling basic 3D games from the Microsoft Store. Some of the newer in-built GPUs from Intel and AMD can handle more demanding games too, but performance won't be as good as having a dedicated GPU. There are just two options here, from Nvidia and AMD. The former is a more popular choice, and you should be looking for a GeForce RTX 30 series or later only. AMD graphics cards in laptops are fewer in number, compared to Nvidia. They are usually found in laptops with an AMD CPU. Opt for a Radeon RX 6000M or 7000M series card only.

Display size and type

Next, you should think about what display size is right for you. This will totally depend on the type of work you'll be doing and if you need to travel with it a lot. A 15.6-inch display size with a Full-HD (1920x1080) resolution is the most common. Try and avoid a resolution lower than this for this screen size as text, icons, and system menus would look blurry and pixelated. If you're buying a laptop for home use and you won't be moving it around a lot, you could consider getting a larger display or a heavier one with a larger battery.

Gaming laptops are generally on the bulkier side, but that's by design due to the beefier cooling that's needed. Having a larger display size of up to 17 inches will make gaming more enjoyable. A 13- or 14-inch screen size is ideal for those that travel a lot. While you do sacrifice some screen real estate, you can always connect your laptop to a larger monitor when you need more screen space.

Your laptop's display size and type depends on the type of work you will be doing on the machine. (Pexels)

Your laptop's display size and type depends on the type of work you will be doing on the machine. (Pexels)

Apart from the size, the type of panel is equally important. LCD and OLED are the two most common types available. An LCD display is cheaper, available on more models, and isn't prone to issues like burn-in. An OLED display is generally found on more expensive models (with a few exceptions), and produces richer colours, deeper blacks, better HDR support, and has wider viewing angles. Most LCD displays on laptops have a matte finish, which helps cut out reflections. OLEDs on the other hand tend to have a glossy finish and this attracts unwanted reflections, which can be distracting.

Connectivity and other features

All modern laptops come with basic wireless connectivity like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and physical connectivity like a headphone jack and USB ports. Depending on the type of peripherals you need to connect to your laptop regularly, make sure you have enough ports on the model you choose. Slimmer models tend to have just USB-C ports, in which case, you have no choice but to buy a dock or a dongle for additional ports.

Remember to focus on other features too depending on your use case. If you need to make important video calls for work, get a laptop with a good quality webcam. Anything greater than 2-megapixels should offer decent image quality. Many laptops these days feature a privacy shutter, which is a physical sliding cover to block the webcam. Having more microphones on the laptop can also improve voice clarity on video calls, and help in cancelling out background noise in the event you don't have your earphones with you.

A backlit keyboard is a life saver if you have to work in dimly-lit conditions, so try and opt for a laptop that has it. Convertible laptops (where the screen folds backwards 180 degrees) offer touch displays, so you can use it as a tablet for drawing and sketching. However, if you're never going to use this feature, try and avoid a laptop with a touch screen altogether. They are generally more expensive and not worth the hassle.

What's user upgradable?

This is soon becoming an obsolete aspect in the buying process as more components are being either embedded in the CPU or soldered directly to the main board. In the case of Windows laptops though, many budget, mid-range, and gaming models still offer the option of upgrading the RAM and storage. This gives you some flexibility when you need to add more RAM or upgrade to a higher capacity SSD. Before doing any upgrade procedure yourself though, make sure to check the warranty terms to ensure you don't accidentally void it.

Try before you buy

You've now narrowed down your research to a few models that you're confident enough to pull the trigger on, but it's a good idea to try it out first before you buy it. This is easy to do if you're buying a Macbook as there are plenty of experience stores that offer the full range on display. The same is not the case for Windows laptops, mainly due to the sheer number of them. You can start by checking if the brand you're opting for has its own store nearby, as there are better chances of your model being on display. Next, look at major retail stores that sell electronics. They generally have the most popular models on display, from all big brands.

During this in-person inspection, what you should be looking for are ergonomics, keyboard and trackpad layout, trackpad responsiveness, loudness of the speakers, and build quality. The specs may look great on paper, but a sluggish trackpad, dull keyboard, and low volume from the speakers can ruin the experience. Avoid silver painted keyboards with white backlighting, as the letters can be notoriously difficult to make out. Check the weight to see if it's balanced well. Try using it on your lap or in a position you'd typically be using it to use it to see how comfortable it is. This is also a great time to confirm what is upgradeable and what's not.

How to get the best deal?

So, you've done your homework, checked the laptop in person, and decided to zero in on a specific model. The final step is placing the order, and here, it's important to check online and offline for the best deals. First, always check the official selling price from the manufacturer directly as that should give you a good baseline to compare discounts from other retailers. Buying directly from the manufacturer also guarantees you're getting an untampered product, and some offer exclusive deals or even models that you wouldn't otherwise get anywhere else.

Next step is to check reputed offline and online stores that might be offering a lower price for the laptop. Look for cashback offers, savings on credit cards, and other similar discounts. When buying online, make sure to check the seller's ratings and feedback to lower the odds of any foul play. If you're not in a hurry, you can time your purchase according to shopping festivals where you could save even more money.

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