Buying a new laptop in 2022 is a daunting experience. There are more options than ever on the market, with something for everyone, but it is tough to trust reviews and most people don’t really know what they’re looking for.
The one-size-fits-all approach taken by Apple is relatively effective. Both the Macbook Air and Pro can probably do what you need it to do. If you do go for the Apple standard, make sure you have theft coverage for your MacBook in your insurance policy. This is a great device, which makes it particularly attractive to thieves.
But if you want to figure out for yourself which laptop suits you, here is what your laptop should be able to do.
Basic Office Tasks (With No Lags)
Of course, the very basis of what a laptop needs to do in 2022 is the basic office tasks laptops have been doing for decades. However, the experience of using a word processor or Excel on your new laptop should feel very different. Your laptop should be able to run this software with no lags, even if you have been using it heavily throughout the day.
There is simply no reason to get a laptop that is still slow in running basic software like this, even if you would save a few bucks. A cheap laptop that is slow in processing basic tasks will not last very long. It will only get slower, and you will need to replace it in a couple of years anyway.
Browsers With Many Open Tabs
You may think that any modern laptop would be able to run a browser no matter how many tabs you had open. But the reality is that this is slightly tricky even for the best devices. Keeping tabs open uses a lot of processing power, especially if you want to be able to skip between tabs with ease.
That being said, while having a ton of tabs open may slow your laptop down, it shouldn’t crash the browser. Most web browsers now have tab grouping, which keeps your tabs available even after you close your browser, without requiring you to favorite them.
Efficient Media Processing
We no longer just use our laptops for work or web browsing. Nowadays, you likely use your laptop for everything from listening to music to watching movies. As such, the ability for your laptop to process media efficiently shouldn’t be overlooked. It is a primary function and you need to be confident that your laptop won’t lag, as this will just become another frustrating reality in your life.
What About Gaming?
The question for many casual laptop users is if they should get a laptop capable of gaming. You may not be a gamer, but having the option is always great. Is it worth going for a laptop that brands itself as a gaming laptop?
Gaming laptops are excellent devices with a lot of processing power. If you get a gaming laptop, it will be able to perform all of your other requirements with absolutely no issues. It will load quickly and efficiently and provide a great experience.
However, it will also cost significantly more than other kinds of laptops, even if you get a low-end gaming laptop. Furthermore, low-end gaming laptops don’t offer the best gaming experience, and you may find that the extra money you spent for the chance to occasionally game is wasted.
If you do decide you want to spend the money for a gaming laptop, you are going to have to do some legwork to find the best option available. This is because the best gaming laptops are those that are custom-built. You need to determine the hardware you need in the laptop you’re building.
It becomes particularly difficult when you’re looking for something like a graphics card, considering graphics cards today are expensive and in short supply. You will definitely need to spend a lot more time figuring out the ins-and-outs of a gaming laptop than you may have expected.
Whether you want to put in this work is up to you. If you’re not all that into gaming, however, you may as well go with a regular laptop with good processing power.