Make Sure Its Portable
Video editing takes a ton of processing power, but powerful systems are often large and bulky. This makes a lot of laptops difficult to carry around, ultimately defeating the purpose of having a mobile workstation.
Many modern computers can provide the processing power needed to edit video, but when it comes to editing on the go, you need to be able to take that power with you. You need a laptop that has the power required for the work youre doing while still providing the portability you need to work where you want. Otherwise, you might as well edit at home a huge inconvenience for pro video editors who travel constantly for work.
Do I Want A Hybrid Laptop Or A Traditional Laptop
You’re already familiar with traditional laptops that open on a hinge, but now there’s another breed of hybrid laptops to consider. Hybrid laptops, also called convertible laptops or 2-in-1s, are laptops that double as stand-alone tablets.
Some hybrid laptops’ screens detach completely from the keyboard, while others have hinges with a 180-degree range of motion, so you can fold the laptop inside out and use it as a tablet. Employees who travel a lot or currently switch back and forth between a laptop and a tablet may be a good match for a hybrid design. However, you should be aware that a 2-in-1 with high specs will cost more than a standard-hinge laptop with the same specs.
Placement Of Hot Keys
Every laptop offers several function keys which are more like the one-stop executioners. In most cases, these cases are raked atop and offer one-touch functionalities. These include volume up, volume down, flight mode, Bluetooth activation, undo tab, and more.
Better the number of Hotkeys and the explanatory symbols, the better is your chance of saving time and improving device productivity. When it comes to selecting laptops with these features, Lenovo and Dell are the best possible choices.
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So Which Laptop To Buy
This question should include diverse possibilities while factoring in all the aspects of the concerned laptops. However, to simplify things further, we first need to analyze the preferences and the exact set of requirements before even considering this discussion.
To begin with, if you are an avid gamer, you might require a device that packs in a lot of processing and gaming power. Basic professional use shall demand portability and speed, more than anything else. If you are into graphics, video rendering, and editing, no device looks powerful enough. These attributes include firepower and multitasking capabilities.
The shape and weight of the device are also a matter of concern if you have plans of carrying the device along. If you are planning to restrict the same to indoor usage stop worrying about the aesthetics and concentrate on performance!
Lastly, brand fixation is always a matter of concern. Laptops and devices purchased before this offer a good indication regarding the buying behavior of the user. Mostly, individuals persist with the tried and tested brand names, provided the budget is on point.
Looking For Portable Storage
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi speed is important because fewer laptops come with a built-in ethernet port for plugging into your local wired network.
If this is the case, you may be able to purchase a USB-to-ethernet adapter of the same brand or a third-party alternative.
In either case, look for a laptop that supports the current Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ac, now rebranded as Wi-Fi 5. This is backwards-compatible with previous standards including the previously most popular 802.11n, but is much faster.
The emerging standard for newer laptops is Wi-Fi 6 which is faster and designed to support more devices than Wi-Fi 5.
USB-C connectivity
Connectivity on laptops these days is all about USB-C, the new low-profile standard that’s becoming common on more models. A USB-C plug is slimline and easy to use , but its appearance can be deceptive, as the same-shaped plug is used for several different standards USB 3.1 Gen-1 and Gen-2 and Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4.
Most USB-C ports will be either USB 3.1 Gen-1 which is rated at 5Gbps , the same speed as USB 3.0. The faster version of this is USB 3.1 Gen-2 . There’s also USB 3.2 Gen-2×2 . Then there’s the blazingly fast Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4.
Avoid cheap third-party cables and chargers or you may risk damaging your computer or worse
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How To Buy A Laptop 2021
Mobile computing isnt a luxury anymore these days, having ready access to a laptop is a flat out necessity.
Whether you need to edit video on the go, email your boss, play games, or just keep in touch with family, performance and portability come together when you pick the right notebook.
Although prices have come down, laptops are still a big investment. Thats why you should be confident that youve found the perfect laptop to fit your needs and budget before checking out!
Thats where we come in!
A typical laptop will last between 3 5 years. When its time to replace a new laptop, from start to finish weve got a full guide to walk you through every aspect of the buying process.
How To Chose A Perfect Laptop In 2021
If youve made it to the end of our buying guide, you should finally be able to answer the question what laptop is best for me? with a clear and definitive answer.
No matter your budget or how you intend to use your device, the steps above should clearly break down every option you need to pick at each stage of the buying process.
Still, need more help or arent sure which specific model to pick? Leave us a comment below with a general idea of your needs and we can respond with a couple of the best models for you!
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Most Popular Business Laptops
Once you’ve fully acquainted yourself with the above considerations for the best business laptop, you should feel more prepared to browse the vast market of options. Even with all you’ve learned, though, you might still face a bit of as you navigate the seemingly countless options in front of you. To give you a good starting point, we’ve listed a few of the very best business laptops and summarized their features below.
Solid State Drives Not Hard Disks
For storage, the number of files your device can hold, youll notice many computers today offer solid state drive memory instead of a hard disk drive. Generally, SSDs are preferred.
Why? SSDs are like the flash memory in your smartphone or iPad smaller, lighter and faster than a hard drive, with no moving parts. Hard drives spin. So solid state drives are less prone to damage and much easier on a battery.
SSDs do have a downside: less storage, on average, than a hard disk. A laptop may have 256 gigabytes of SSD storage compared to 1 terabyte, roughly 1,000 gigabytes, available with a hard disk.
But storage doesnt matter as much today as it once did. Streaming services like Netflix for movies and TV shows and Spotify for music dont require you to download files, and free cloud services can hold files for you offsite via a password-protected website or app such as Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud or OneDrive.
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Graphics Processing Unit And Vram
The type of GPU that the laptop holds depends entirely on your set of preferences. For instance, if you are not into gaming or demanding graphics-oriented tasks, you can easily do away with dedicated graphics cards. Otherwise, you can opt for integrated GPUs like the latest Iris Plus from Intel.
In case of reasonable gaming and moderate to high graphic-intensive tasks, you can either choose an NVidia graphics card or the more affordable devices featuring the AMD graphics processors. To begin with, the basic setup would include the likes of GTX 1650 or the NVidia MX250 GPUs. These units are more than capable when it comes to handling the low-end to even moderate processing requirements.
In the case of mid-range devices that have slightly escalated graphics-oriented demands, the best choices for GPUs are the RTX 2070 and RTX 2080 or anything that even slightly precedes the model at RTX 2050 or RTX 2060. This conglomerate of GPUs, however, covers all the mid-range and even high-end requirements. NVidia offers a wide range of choices based on your preferences and pocket.
Another underrated aspect of graphics processing is the inclusion of the Video RAM that is closely associated with the GPU and helps the concerned device render and process images and videos with ease. Every wondered what helps your game or photoshop files to load!
Keep These 5 Key Features In Mind As You Shop
When deciding which laptop to buy for video editing, look for one thats portable but still carries a powerful CPU and dedicated GPU. Youll also want long battery life, a 4K resolution monitor, and a good-looking design. If you keep these five things in mind when purchasing your laptop, youll be editing your videos away from home without issue.
For more information about the MSI Prestige 15, visit www.msi.com.
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Silver Keys Pick A Better Backlight
HP Spectre x360 13 looks great in silver, but those keys are hard to see at night.
There are still quite a few silver laptops on the market. While some lament the color scheme as being “too Apple,” the color has many benefits. For one, it hides fingerprints, hand grease, and general dust better than a black laptop .
The use of silver or white keys looks excellent right up until nighttime when the lights go down. Using a white LED to act as a backlight on silver keys? Big fail.
But the solution is more divisive: use a different color LED. Red, green, blue pick your color, they all look better than white. The issue is, we all can’t agree on what tint would look OK. Razer solves this with its Chroma RGB zone lighting, but this solution drives up the cost of a laptop.
PC makers can resolve this by merely using extremely high quality and bright white LED lights. Many do not.
Choosing The Right Os
Aside from niche systems like Linux, there are usually three main options when buying a new laptop:
- Windows 10
- Chrome OS
- Mac OS
Windows will often be your main pick, simply because it has the most options in terms of apps and programs.
There are downsides of course, as Windows is a resource-hungry OS that frequently slows down while installing large update files.
Theres no question that gamers or anyone using a laptop for business applications will want to go with Windows in the vast majority of cases, however.
If you mostly spend your time online watching YouTube videos and browsing social media, you may be better served with the Chrome OS. Chrome also now has access to the full Google Play app store, which radically increases your options.
..the Mac OS is a solid alternative to Windows if you dont mind learning a different system
Finally, the Mac OS is a solid alternative to Windows if you dont mind learning a different system. If you use music or video editing software, Mac is an excellent option, and they are also much less prone to viruses and spyware.
For the tech enthusiasts, MacBooks have a few features that Windows machines dont normally offer, such as high resolution retina displays and the nifty Touch Bar.
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Meet Your Needs And Budget
Of course, you need to balance these features with your budget and your needs, and you might have to make some compromises. Rarely does a laptop come along that ticks all the boxes, especially when it comes to price.
Let us know in the comments below if you consider other aspects of a laptop to be more important , and especially let us know if youve already found the perfect laptop for your needs.
What To Look For In A Display
A laptop with a crappy screen just isnt that fun to use. When you shop for a laptop, you should make sure that it has a comfortably sized, bright screen with decent resolution. Power users, artists, gamers, and professionals may even want to shell out for a cutting-edge display with a high refresh rate or an OLED panel.
Heres what to look for in a laptops display:
Display Size and Aspect Ratio
Screen size can make or break a laptop. While larger screens are often better for desktop-class multitasking or creative work, a smaller screen is better for portability and working without a table or desk.
Manufacturers measure laptop displays from corner to corner, much like a TV. Most laptops have 13 to 15-inch displays, which is a perfect compromise between too big and too small. If you want something ultra-portable, try to find a laptop with a 10 to 13-inch display, and if youre all about a big screen, go for 15 inches or larger.
Aspect ratio can also play a role in the perceived size of your laptop display. Many laptops have a 16:9 aspect ratio, while others sport a 16:10 or a 3:2 aspect ratio. Laptops with a 16:10 ratio feel a little roomier than their 16:9 counterparts, even when they have relatively small screens. Displays with a 3:2 aspect ratio feel quite boxy, which is perfect for Windows users who are tired of their taskbar and toolbars taking up so much screen real estate. .
Different Types of Display
Display Quality and Specs
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Storage Size: What Can It Hold
One of the latest technological advancements in terms of space is server-based storage, known as the cloud, in which documents and media are streamed from a remote server that you can access and share from anywhere.
If you are only going to use your laptop for basic tasks, you will be fine with storage space with a smaller capacity. However, if you are going to be storing a lot of documents, photos, videos, graphics, for example, you will want to look into a much larger storage space with enough capacity to hold all of your data and documents.
Shop by storage size:Small Medium Large
Getting Started With Operation System
The usual inclination is to always start with the physical aspects of a laptop. However, we need to understand that the operating platform plays a major role in determining the choices we make. To begin with, we will talk about each operating platform and what benefits the same brings to the device.
We also check if it is appropriate based on your requirements or even personal preference. We must also note that most laptops feature one of the three prime operating platforms like the Windows OS, macOS, and the Chrome OS. However, certain devices even feature Linux, allowing them to be installed along with one of the existing platforms.
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What To Look For When Buying A Laptop: A Complete Guide
If youve been looking for a new laptop, you have probably come across a lot of confusing terms like CPU, GPU, RAM, and more. In order to make an informed purchase, it is important to understand what these basic terms mean. Heres our guide on everything you need to know when buying a new laptop, so you can find one that works for you.
Will I Be Traveling With My Laptop Or Mostly Working In One Place
Portability is a major concern for some business owners and a nonissue for others. If you travel a lot or work in different locations on a regular basis, it may be worth sacrificing the screen and keyboard size for a lighter computer. You can always check the dimensions and weight of a laptop under the technical specifications online.
Keep in mind that laptop screens, like television screens, are measured diagonally and that, in general, any device lighter than 3 pounds is portable enough for business travel. Before you choose an ultraportable, though, make sure the device has the ports you require and a battery life you can live with.
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Solid State Drivers :
Solid-state drives use flash memory chips to store data. Theyre lighter, much faster, and use less energy than a traditional hard drive but can be more expensive. You may consider going with an SSD if youre on the go or need to work quickly.
Its also possible to find a laptop with a hybrid of the two that combines the capacity of a larger HDD with the performance of an SSD.
Important Features To Consider When Buying A Laptop
While the overall performance offered by the RAM and CPU will typically be the most touted factors, there are several other components you need to carefully consider.
3.1. Laptop Screen Size & Resolution Options
The old axiom that bigger is better doesnt usually apply when buying a laptop. In most cases, you want to go smaller for enhanced portability. These will be your typical size options:
- 11 inch
- 15 inch
- 17 inch
Its important to keep in mind that as you go up in size, you also increase in weight and decrease in battery life.
17 inch screens are typically meant for gamers who dont mind being plugged into a wall outlet at all times. For the best crossroads between battery life, keyboard size, and display area, we recommend 12.5 inch 14 inch laptops.
You also need to look at resolution options, particularly if you plan on watching full movies or frequently playing games. The two most common resolutions available are:
- 1366 x 768
- 1920 x 1080
For true HD, we recommend going with the 1920 x 1080 option, but that may not always be available in budget models.
If you have more money to spend, you can find even higher resolutions that are referred to as retina, 3k, or 4k.
3.2. Form Factor
While laptops used to only come in one variety the standard clamshell youve now got several major options to choose from, including:
- Normal clamshell
- Clamshell that can lay 180 degrees flat
- Hybrid 2-in-1 360 degree hinge
- Hybrid with detachable keyboard
3.3. Keyboard Style
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