How to choose an office laptop

The processor (or CPU - Central Processing Unit) is the brain of a laptop where most calculations take place. For everyday office tasks, an Intel Core i5 processor is sufficient.

Architecture

Intel

Atom, Celeron and Pentium
Series with less power, suitable for performing simple office tasks, but not for gaming.

Core M
The new series of energy-saving chips used in some ultrabooks. They are more powerful than Celeron and Pentium processors and provide passive cooling, making devices with this type of processor absolutely silent.

Core i3, Core i5, Core i7
These series are designed for performance at a higher level. Core i3 processors are sufficient for everyday activity, whereas Core i5 processors can handle even the most demanding tasks.

AMD

Series A4, A6, A8 and A10

This processor family is generally considered the rival to Intel Core. The A4 and A6 series are sufficient for working with standard office programs.

The E series is used in basic laptops.

Processor number

Processors in the i3, i5 and i7 series come with a processor number consisting of four digits and a letter. The first digit indicates the generation. With regard to the future, it pays to choose the most recent generation.

1st generation - Nehalem

2nd generation - Sandy Bridge
3rd generation - Ivy Bridge
4th generation - Haswell
5th Generation - Broadwell
6th generation - Skylake

The end letter provides information about the processor's performance:

H - High performance graphics
HK - High performance graphics, unlocked
HQ - High performance graphics, quad core
MX - Mobile Extreme Edition
MQ - Quad-core mobile
M - Mobile
U - Ultra-low power
Y - Extremely low power

Frequency

Frequency is given in GHz and indicates the number of clock cycles the processor can perform per second. A higher frequency means a more efficient processor. Office laptops require a frequency of around 1.8 GHz, or around 2.8 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost 2.0.

Cores

The most important part of the processor, which is responsible for all computing operations. The more cores a processor has, the more tasks it can process at one time. A dual-core processor is sufficient for most office tasks.

Screen size

If you travel regularly with your laptop, it makes sense to go for something smaller - a display size of between 13" and 15" is suitable for life on the go. If, on the other hand, you plan to use your laptop mainly in one place, go for something with a larger display size,  such as 15" or 17". 

Resolution

Resolution indicates the number of pixels displayed in an image. The more pixels, the higher the resolution, and thus the sharper the image.

The most widely used resolutions:

Display technology

Laptops, mobile phones or televisions currently use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, which can be further divided into TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) and STN (Super-Twisted Nematic) displays. Today's laptops are equipped exclusively with TFT displays, which are divided into the following types:

TN (Twisted Nematic)

An older LCD technology that is still widely used. Compared with IPS, TN displays are cheaper to produce, have higher brightness, faster response times, and slightly lower demands on battery life. The downside, however, is worse viewing angles.

IPS (In-Plane Switching)

A cutting-edge technology that offers true colour reproduction and wide viewing angles of 178°. IPS displays are more expensive to produce, and so are often found on laptops in higher price ranges. Compared with TN displays, they have lower contrast and slower response times.

VA (Vertical Alignment)

VA displays combine the advantages of TN and IPS technology. They feature high contrast, wide viewing angles (but not as good as IPS), and true colour reproduction.

Surface finish

Glossy

Glossy displays offer more striking colours compared with matte displays, but they are less suitable for travel and work in direct sunlight, where they are almost unusable. In an appropriately lit room, however, they provide a rich colours and vivid images. Glossy screens are common on touch-screen laptops.

Matte and anti-reflective

If you travel frequently or sometimes work outside, choose a laptop with a matte (or anti-glare) display. While they can't compete with glossy displays for colour intensity, they come into their own when used in bright sunlight.

Type

The type of storage has a big impact on the overall speed of a notebook. There are two types of storage: HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive). For work with an emphasis on speed, we recommend SSDs as they offer fast data access, silent operation, and greater durability. Systems with an SSD respond much faster, and all programs and games run faster.

HDD

Higher capacity for the same price compared with SSDs.

SSD

With no moving parts, SSDs are many times faster than HDDs. They also offer greater shock resistance. As a result, they are perfect for portable laptops.

HDD + SSD

The unit contains two storage types in one, giving you the best of both worlds – the large capacity of a HDD and the speed of an SSD. This makes them a suitable solution for gaming laptops.

SSHD

A combination of a standard HDD with SSD memory. Smaller NAND flash memory (SSD) is used for the most frequently used programs, such as the operating system, and memory for data is provided by the HDD.

Capacity

The greater the capacity, the more programs, photos, videos and other data you can store. Typical HDD capacities are 500GB, 1000GB (1TB), or 2000GB.

Keyboard

Keyboards differ in terms of the layout and shape of the keys. If you frequently work with numbers, we certainly recommend a model with a numeric keyboard. For working at night or in darkened rooms, choose a laptop with a backlit keyboard.

So-called chiclet keyboards are adapted for comfortable typing during long texts. They feature an improved key shape that helps prevent typos.

Touchpad

Intelligent touchpads, which are found on more expensive laptops, support gestures similar to a touch device, allowing for easy scrolling or zooming.

TrackPoint

A pointing device consisting of a small rubber joystick. It is placed between the G, H and B keys and is an alternative to the touchpad.

USB

Used to connect a mouse, external keyboard, flash drives, external drives, optical drives, etc. For convenience, go for a laptop with at least two USB 3.0 connectors.

HDMI

The most widely used digital connector for transferring video and audio simultaneously in high definition. Used, for example, to connect a laptop to a television, external monitor or projector.

DisplayPort

Digital connector used to transfer video and audio in high definition. Common on professional and office laptops.

VGA

Analogue connector used for transferring images.

Ethernet (LAN)

For connecting your notebook to a wired network (local as well as Internet). We recommend a fast gigabit LAN (1000 Mbit/s).

WiFi

Wireless technology that comes as standard with every laptop.

Bluetooth

Used to connect wirelessly to other devices and equipment, e.g. headphones or speakers.

3.5 mm audio jack (jack)

For connecting headphones, speakers or microphones.

Memory Card Reader

Allows you to easily transfer a large amount of photos from your camera or mobile device.

Dock connector

A connector on the bottom side of a laptop that connects to a docking station. This allows you to connect your laptop to a wide range of devices, such as a keyboard, printer, audio system, internet modem, an additional monitor, and others.

Weight

Weight can be an important factor if you travel frequently with your laptop. Laptops up to 2 kg are suitable for travel and business trips.

Materials

Cheap and mid-range laptops are largely made of plastic, with some more expensive models featuring solid metal construction.

Opening angle of the lid

Some models can be opened up to 180 degrees, but some much less.

Battery life is particularly important if you plan to take your laptop on business trips. For such laptops, 6-9 hours is considered sufficient, but 9 hours or more is ideal.

Cells

Laptop batteries consist of several cells, with more cells meaning greater capacity and battery life. A 3-cell battery generally lasts two hours, a 6-cell battery around four hours, and 9-cell battery for six hours or more.

Battery life also depends on the type of use. Watching videos or working in demanding programs depletes the battery quicker than more basic tasks. For longer trips, one solution is to take a spare battery, which can replace your laptop battery in case of emergency. Battery capacity decreases over time, so it is advisable to replace them every 2-3 years.

The vast majority of laptops are sold with a pre-installed operating system. Some laptops, however, are sold without an OS, leaving the selection in your hands.

For home use - Windows 7 Home / Windows 10 Home

For work use - Windows 7 Professional / Windows 10 Pro

Low resolution display

A resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels is acceptable on an 11" laptop, but is insufficient on a 15.6" laptop.

Glossy display

While glossy displays offer high-quality colour reproduction, they can be almost unusable in direct sunlight.

Placement of connectors

It is good to have at least one laptop USB connector on the right-hand side, especially if you want to connect a wired mouse.

Poorly placed ventilation

It is important that the fan does not blow directly towards your hands, as this can lead to health problems in the long term.

There is a wide range of useful accessories available for office laptops, from software and internet security, to useful equipment such as mice, headphones, speakers and external storage.