Choosing a portable device during COVID-19 times.
These days a lot of friends, colleagues and individuals in general started to accelerate their personal computer refresh and/or moved to a portable personal system/device. This is usually a notebook/laptop but can include also tablets, convertibles, 2in1s or 360s.
This is not an article about any particular brand or concept. It is an article about what we should consider when buying a portable PC. This can range from format, processor, RAM, storage, screen size, ports and, why not, color.
The current situation accelerated the refresh or the adoption on a larger scale of the new portable devices. On the other hand people usually bought what was available in stock, from retailers, on-liners or personal systems hardware partners. I will not discuss price because although price is extremely important it will not drive in the end your satisfaction.
You don't know how much time will be spent inside, you really don't. One week, one month, several months. This is the portable device you will use over and over again and it needs to be good. You also must like it because the world will be different after the COVID-19 situation and we will work more from home.
Screen. After more than 14 years in the personal systems business I would say that the screen is the one that impacts your work and experience more. I would not choose a lower model than Full HD (1920x1080) screen resolution, simply because of the cost difference being small and the advantages it has. You will choose the size. 13", 14" or 15.6". Even 17". It is said that 14" is the optimal display size but this also depends. Why choosing the size of the screen is important? Because it will dictate the weight, keyboard layout and overall the ports and connectivity your device will have. Touch or non touch? It is also up to you. While touch is more expensive it also unlock some very nice treats. Also a narrow bezel can be nice.
Processor. I will not dive in the Intel vs AMD discussion because this is not the purpose of the article. I will just say that the class of the processor (i3/i5/i7 | Ryzen3/5/7 etc.), frequency and cores will dictate how your laptop will behave in Office Apps, movies or games. For a average type of user I believe i5/Ryzen5 is just perfect. The processor will also determine how much battery life your portable you will have. The more powerful the processor is, the more battery it needs and also can determine if your notebook is heavy or not.
Memory. Here I will be extremely brief. I do not recommend any portable with less than 8GB RAM. Why? Simply because of the sheer number of apps we are using these days. Frankly speaking I would even go for 16GB RAM but this will increase your cost and reduce battery life.
Storage. While SSDs (Solid State Disks) are ramping up in sales, there are still a lot of offers with classic HDDs. I believe that the cost has been reduced dramatically for the SSDs and also the SSD capacity in the offers is quite good. I will also choose a 256GB SSD versus a 1TB/2TB HDD. Why? Because of the speed and battery consumption. Because it is safer, it makes the notebook lighter. And in the end you will not even use all those 1TB or 2TB. If you are not a professional photographer or videographer you will not use more than 100-150 GB in local storage.
Format. Here is debatable. From a classic clam-shell to a convertible or a detachable. It is simply a problem of need and taste. Just have in mind the advantages or disadvantages. For instance a classic clam-shell will not be as good for reading e-books as a convertible or a tablet with a magnetic keyboard, but also the latter will not be suitable for working on a couch. The list can go on.
Weight. This part is determined by the display, other components and, in the end, the purpose. Usually normal clam-shells should be max. 2kg. I would not go for something heavier than 2.5kg. Also, have in mind that "lighter than air", "lighter than a feather" or slim portables are a trade-off between weight and performance. Most of them run on ultra-low voltage processors making even the simple of excels problematic or have very few ports.
Accessories. Yes, yes. Accessories. A sleeve, a mouse, a keyboard, a docking station for that "lighter than air" notebook or a second monitor can improve dramatically your experience when working from home and reduce your external interaction with shopping for some HDMI cable or USB-C adapter these days.
Business or consumer? Nowadays this is not a valid question anymore. Most of the notebooks are having TPM hardware encryption, offer multi-factor authentication or increased reliability by having durable materials. Of course some differences still exist between the segments but they are becoming thinner and thinner.
Operating System. Wheter is Windows, Linux or MacOS it should be pre-installed. Why? Because it is natural to be so. Because it is easier, safer and cheaper. It offers you a peace of mind especially these days. You have support and official recovery discs. It is as simple as that.
Hopefully the above will make it easier for you to choose a portable these days.
Stay safe ! Stay inside !
*Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer.