My wife is asking for one for Xmas. Here’s what I’m looking for with some of her input:
She’s a writer so less bells and whistles and more ease of use keyboard. That said she is on Facebook a lot and love to play Facebook games.
She wants to use it for work, which is all Microsoft so Apple products aren’t an option.
Looking for a true laptop, not an “eBook” or “Chromebook”.
We don’t need the best laptop out there but don’t want shit either. Something decent. I’d say north or south of $500 but I will go higher if that takes me out of the “shit” category.
Size and weight. Large screen or medium. How much lugging is going to be done?
Touch screen. Mrs. FtG loves her touch screen. Some people don’t care for them.
I can get a nice, name-brand, touch screen laptop for under $400 from MicroCenter. Regular screen for even less. Unless you have extra needs (gaming, video/photo editing, etc.) there’s no reason to go over $500.
(I prefer ASUS myself, but they’re not running a sale on one this this now. Maybe next week.)
Assuming she intends to use the built-in keyboard and not an external one, I recommend she shop in person for the computer. I know that Best Buy and Microsoft Stores have a variety of computers by different manufacturers and there may be other places where she can try before you buy. She can try out the keyboards, lift the computer to see if the weight is acceptable and see if she likes the screen.
At the same time, though, I think most notebook computer keyboards are essentially similar.
The most common sizes for laptops seem to be 13.3 inch, 14 inch and 15.6 inch. The 13.3" laptops are the ultra-portable laptops, typically 3 lb or lighter. These are for people who transport the laptop all the time, and willing to sacrifice screen size for lighter weight. 15.6" laptops are better for people who mostly use the laptop in the same place. The 14" laptops which can be an OK compromise if you want a reasonably large screen and reasonably light weight.
I strongly recommend “IPS” screens on any laptop (or monitor) - those screens look much better, especially when seen at an angle. Cheaper laptop screens (“TN”) only look OK when seen at exactly the correct angle. If the specs don’t explicitly say “IPS” but lists 178 degree view angle, it’s usually the same thing (or comparable). Thankfully IPS screens are becoming more common these days. At this point I’d recommend full HD resolution (1920x1080).
SSD (solid state drive) is more reliable and much faster than a hard drive.
Whichever size you decide on, it should be possible to find a name-brand laptop with a 1920x1080 IPS screen and 256GB SSD for under $500. I’d be reasonably comfortable with Lenovo, HP, Dell, ASUS, MSI, LG and Acer.
Lenovo usually gets good reviews because they’re very reasonable when it comes to price/quality.
After owning one Asus Zenbook laptop and two Asus 2-in-1 Transformer tablets in the last few years, I personally wouldn’t recommend them anymore. All had hardware problems within in the first year already (which was still covered by the warranty, but annoying nonetheless) and then more issues later on - including one dead speaker, two full screen replacements, and an assortment of battery/charging issues.
(I’ve also had problems with their customer service when it came to repairs, starting with the free shipping that needed three tries to actually happen, and ending with my tablet returning to me with a huge nasty scratch on the back cover - but to be fair, that’s probably more of a local problem.)
@Mallard Are you still happy with your HP? My parents are asking me, who only uses Lenovo at work and Macs and home, for laptop suggestions. As they have have a Costco membership, the HP line looks like a good buy.
I will do some more research on the current offerings, but I thought I’d check here first.
I also like HP. I have one I’ve been using for years - with an external keyboard, monitor, and mouse though.
Another consideration in deciding on a laptop is the warranty. It might be a good idea to look at recent user experiences with warranties and support from different manufacturers.
If possible, I would try not to get one with black keys. They’re harder to see in low light. One of those things you’d never think of until it’s too late.
Maybe a Microsoft Surface could do? You know, the one that’s a laptop but can turn into an iPad of sorts when folded backwards? I’m not exactly sure how much specific models cost, but I’m sure it could work into your budget in some way.
With my own computer I have an illuminated keyboard. Not sure what my mom thinks on the subject but I’ll put it on the list of things to think about.
I do wonder if a surface might be more useful for her as she likes to play certain cames (Words with Friends, mahjong, etc.) which I suppose can be played with a touch screen.
I really like my Dell XPS 13. Small foot print, and light weight. Now what I mostly use it for is our ‘coffee table’ laptop - emails, internet, SDMB. Or to look up a quick fact. And my Wife uses it as her home computer. But typing is no problem. I must have a real keyboard. I don’t do touch screen, since I hate it. So can’t comment on that.
And, you can actually put the thing on your lap. Some are just too unwieldy for that. My Wife will lay on the couch in the early morning hours and catch up on things.
I only know that my company stopped supporting the Lenovo version because of it wasn’t meeting the expectations of the users. Screen hinges are one of the weak points of a laptop so I wonder if such a solution would be even less reliable than a typical laptop.
However, I think my mother might get a lot of use out of a touchscreen laptop for games, instead of using her phone.
I’ve bought four Dell Latitude refurbs online for around $150 shipped from Tampa. Every one like new in the box and cleean of any bloatware. Highly recommended.
