When buying a laptop, the operating system should be your first major consideration.
Windows-based laptops are incredibly diverse, with many manufacturers producing them.
Macs are known for their quality design, user-friendly interface, and stability.
Chrome OS is an increasingly popular alternative to macOS and Windows, often found on more affordable laptops.
There are several categories of laptops, each with a specific use in mind, such as entry-level, midrange, premium, 2-in-1, business, and gaming.
The hardware of a laptop, including the CPU or processor, graphics, memory, storage, ports, displays, and touchscreen support determine its capabilities.
16GB of RAM is the new sweet spot, but more may be necessary for intensive applications.
Solid-state drives (SSDs) offer a dramatic performance boost over conventional hard drives and are now standard in most laptops.
The best times to buy a new laptop are during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, back-to-school season, or a couple of months after a big release.
Doing research in advance, watching tech news, and signing up for manufacturer newsletters are all smart strategies to snag the best deals.