Here’s A Free Bite-Sized Laptop Guide Checklist

Use this handy list to make laptop buying a whole lot easier

Design credits: Komal Telagavi.

Need a laptop but don’t know how to pick the right one?

You’re in the right place.

Here’s why I made this laptop guide checklist

I’m Antony, your friendly neighborhood geek, that dude you approach for tech recommendations.

My dad assembled a computer in front of me as a child. When I set out to buy my first graphics card, I picked one with a green dragon on its packaging. Looking back, I realized that countless others are also at the mercy of salesmen and techie friends for their tech purchases.

Buying a laptop doesn’t have to be an exercise in frustration.

Here’s a sneak peek at one segment of my laptop guide — a simple checklist that covers the basics.

The guide splits your decision into:

• Design (Form|Ports|Keyboard|Screen)
• Performance (Processor|Graphics|Storage|Battery)

A checklist for dark mode enthusiasts. Checklist created by the author and Komal Telagavi.

Here’s what you need to look for when buying a laptop

Form Factor -

1. Decide on the size and weight. (10–17 inches) | (kg)
2. Pick its form. (Regular/Convertible/2in1)
3. Check out the laptop’s speakers, webcam, and biometrics. (Fingerprint/Face Unlock)

Ports -

1. Look for the ports you need: USB A/C | Thunderbolt | HDMI | DisplayPort Ethernet | 3.5mm | SD | LTE (eSIM support)

Keyboard -

1. Check out how the key switches feel. (Travel distance)
2. Look out for the size of the trackpad.
3. Backlight — Check for multi-level or RGB lighting.

Screen -

1. Check out its type, resolution, and aspect ratio —
   (IPS/OLED) | (FullHD/QHD/4K) | (16:9/16:10/3:2)
2. Look for touch and stylus support. (Sensitivity)
3. Keep these geeky details in mind —
   Brightness (nits) | Color Accuracy (sRGB %)
4. For a more responsive display, note its refresh rate. (60/120(+) Hz)

RAM/Storage -

1. Pick the right storage type — (HDD/SSHD/eMMC/SSD)
2. Decide on the amount of RAM. (8 GB or above)
3. Look for upgradeability as well.

Processor -

1. Choose the power consumption of the processor. (W)
2. Pick an Intel or AMD processor. (Pentium → i9)/(Athlon/Ryzen 3→9)

3. Just use a performance chart for the apps/games you need.

Graphics -

1. Decide the power class and VRAM of the graphics card. (W) | (GB)
2. Pick a laptop with a decent cooling system if you want to run intensive applications. (Fans/Heat pipes)
3. Pick between an integrated (more battery life) or dedicated (more performance) graphics card.
4. Decide between Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD cards.
   (HD/Iris Pro/Xe)|(MX/GTX/RTX)|(Vega/RX 580X/RX 6000M)
5. Again, use a performance chart for the applications that you will be running.

Battery -

1. Decide on the size of the battery. (Wh)
2. Use battery life tests to understand how long a laptop will last for your unique use case.

And here’s a light mode one! Checklist created by the author and Komal Telagavi.

While store pages won’t necessarily have all these details, a review or two should give you the info you need.

Design credits: Renga Prasad.

I hope these get you started on your laptop hunt! If you need something comprehensive, I’m working on a guide that goes into these points in detail. Stay tuned for more announcements!

Drop a comment if you’d like some help with purchasing a laptop (or any consumer tech).

If you’re wondering who worked on those gorgeous illustrations, meet designers Renga and Komal.