What should young professionals consider when selecting a laptop?

After years of study and dedication, young professionals move into their careers. To be most effective, they need the right digital devices to support their ambitions.

While a smartphone can handle many digital tasks, it’s not suited for complex activities requiring more screen area to run concurrent applications.

Tablet devices offer screen estate and keyboard accessories, but they generally lack the power to multitask and support high-demand applications.

For busy professionals, their laptops remain at the centre of their productivity, says Renasha Papiah, Business Manager, Commercial and Education at Acer Africa:

“Smartphones and tablets are great companion devices. It’s not a competition on which device is better because they serve different roles, and they complement each other. But a laptop takes up a unique space: it has the power and versatility of a desktop computer yet the mobility we associate with smart devices.”

The first laptops appeared in the early Eighties and have been improving ever since. Today, there are many choices when picking a laptop, making it more likely that a new professional might select a machine that doesn’t fit their needs.

What should young professionals consider when selecting a laptop for their career?

Acer South Africa offers the following tips:

Look at mid-tier laptops

Mid-tier laptops are more powerful than entry-level laptops and less expensive than high-end laptops.

A typical mid-tier laptop will have the equivalent of an Intel i5 chipset (12th to 14th generation) or AMD Ryzen 5. It uses between 8 and 16 gigabytes of memory and a solid-state hard drive of 512 gigabytes or more.

“Mid-tier laptops tend to be one step behind the top laptops, but that’s not a bad thing,” says Papiah.

“That just means that a mid-tier laptop uses modern components that have become more affordable and widely available. The secret about mid-tier laptops is that they are designed to run modern business applications. So, the ‘mid-tier’ label is a little misleading—when it comes to most professional work, mid-tier laptops are the top choice at the best price.”

Don’t buy a gaming laptop (unless you really need it)

Gaming laptops are fantastic. They have the biggest and best components, vast amounts of power, and look very good with embellishments such as RGB lighting schemes. But a limited number of use cases need that much power.

If you are doing heavy video editing or developing hardcore artificial intelligence software, a more expensive gaming laptop will have professional uses. Yet for most career tasks, a mid-tier laptop does just as well, while being much more portable and affordable.

“Gaming laptops are bigger than other laptops. Constantly carrying them between desks, meeting rooms, client visits and coffee shops can become cumbersome.

A good mid-tier laptop can handle all of the same office work but is more portable and convenient. It is also just as good at handling multimedia tasks such as video conferences, watching movies, listening to music, and creating content such as videos for social media or sharing on WhatsApp.”

Think about battery life

In today’s dynamic workplaces, people rarely stay in one place. They move around, attend meetings, take lunch, and join collaborative sessions around large communal tables.

A laptop that needs to recharge its battery often is unsuitable for today’s professionals. Instead, be prepared with laptops that offer good battery life (10+ hours).

“A big laptop with a large 4K display looks very appealing but the higher-resolution display also uses more power and drains the battery faster. These issues are not deal-breakers, but they can make things very inconvenient. Mid-tier laptops typically have more portable designs and great energy efficiency.”

Making the best choice

A new laptop is an excellent investment if its cost and purpose match a professional’s needs. To help select the right device, here are a few more considerations:

● No laptop lasts forever. Spending a lot of money does not guarantee that a laptop will last longer. A mid-tier laptop can last as long as a high-end model.

● All laptops have standard features such as webcams, speakers, WiFi, and USB ports. If you require extra features, such as an HDMI port or MicroSD reader, specifically look for those, as not every laptop (even high-end ones) might include them.

● Save money by buying laptops that offer complementary items such as carry bags.

● Buy a laptop from a reputable brand, such as Acer, that provides warranty support and has world-class support centres.

● Remember that you can upgrade a laptop’s memory and storage space. At a minimum, start with 8 gigabytes of memory and 128 gigabytes of storage, then upgrade these later to add a few more years to your laptop’s service.

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