7 features you don’t need when shopping for a laptop

With Black Friday and the holiday season approaching, expect a flood of ads from retailers and laptop manufacturers showcasing the latest devices with life-changing features. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype, believing you need the best display, high storage, and a bunch of software add-ons. But let’s be real: most of us don’t need a supercomputer to check emails, browse the web, and craft new documents and presentations.

This post is your ultimate guide to smart laptop shopping, highlighting some of the hyped things you can skip to save money and get a machine that truly aligns with your needs.

7 An OLED panel

A good IPS unit should be sufficient

While OLED screens with their perfect blacks and vibrant colors are tempting, you can’t dismiss the power of a good IPS panel. Unless you are a creative professional who demands absolute color accuracy in your workflow, a high-quality IPS display will likely do the job without the hefty price tag and potential burn-in risk of OLED.

Even Microsoft prioritizes IPS panels in their flagship Surface Laptops, proving that you can get stunning visuals and excellent color reproduction without OLED.

6 High-refresh rate display

90Hz should be a sweet spot

The jump from a traditional 60Hz to a 90Hz panel is significant. You will notice smoother scrolling, sharper visuals in motion, and an overall more responsive feel in daily tasks. However, the difference between 90Hz and 120Hz is much less dramatic, often negligible to the average user.

Unless you are a hardcore gamer who needs the highest frame rates, a 90Hz panel offers an excellent balance of fluidity and efficiency. You’ll enjoy a noticeable upgrade over 60Hz without sacrificing your battery life or your budget.

You should also be mindful of the screen size you pick. While a 16-inch device offers more screen real estate, a 14-inch laptop strikes the perfect balance between usability and portability.

5 A touchscreen

Unless it’s 2-in-1

Having used the HP Spectre x360 for eight years, here’s the truth about laptop touchscreens. Unless you are opting for a 2-in-1 device, that touch functionality might be more of a gimmick than a game-changer. I have hardly ever used touch functionality on my Spectre in normal mode.

Although Microsoft has improved touch support in Windows, the system and its apps are still primarily designed for keyboard and mouse input. Navigating through menus and applications with your fingers can feel clunky compared to a traditional setup. You also need to factor in ergonomics, as reaching across the screen can feel awkward.

Overall, for a traditional laptop, a touchscreen adds cost without significant benefits.

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4 A massive SSD

A 1TB storage with a cloud storage solution should be plenty

Before buying a laptop with 2TB or 4TB of space, consider if you actually need that much storage. Such upgrades are often expensive, often ranging up to $400. Instead, a 1TB SSD paired with a cloud storage service like OneDrive or Google Drive can offer a more flexible and cost-effective solution.

You can pay for more cloud storage as your workflow grows and avoid a major cost upfront. These services also support files on-demand, meaning you can access your files from anywhere with an internet connection, effectively expanding your laptop’s capacity beyond the built-in SSD capacity. Not to mention, your data may be more secure offboard in the event of local data loss.

3 Built-in SIM connectivity

Utilize a mobile hotspot or local Wi-Fi instead

While the idea of a laptop with a built-in SIM card and on-the-go internet connectivity sounds appealing, it’s often an unnecessary expense. In most situations, you can simply use a mobile hotspot and public Wi-Fi to get the job done.

Laptops with built-in SIM can be expensive, and on top of that, you would need to add another plan to enable cellular data. Make sure to evaluate your connectivity needs before investing in a laptop with a built-in SIM card.

2 Unnecessary add-ons

Don’t bundle McAfee during checkout

Image: Avira

Most laptop manufacturers have partnered with third-party solutions to offer antivirus and other similar products to potential buyers. Before you get tempted by those add-ons, wait! Windows Security, the built-in security suite in Windows, is more than capable of protecting most users.

It offers a robust antivirus engine, firewall, and other security features to protect your device against malware and bogus files. It’s built into the system, works seamlessly in the background, and gets the job done without affecting performance (which sometimes occurs with third-party software).

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1 An extended warranty

Often not worth it

If you take good care of your laptop, you don’t really need an extended warranty. Besides, these extended warranties can be surprisingly expensive, sometimes adding a significant percentage to the laptop’s price. You can get yourself a sturdy protective case, skip installing software from unknown sources, and avoid drinking or eating anything near your laptop to keep it in good condition for a long time.

Laptop buying traps to avoid

In most cases, you also don’t need the top-of-the-line CPU and GPU on your next purchase. For instance, the Intel Core Ultra 7 should be adequate, and the Core Ultra 9 may not be necessary for casual tasks. Before you hit the buy button, make sure to consider the above-mentioned points and make a smart purchase that won’t break the bank.

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