An Ultimate Laptop Buying Guide 2021 India
If you are thinking to buy a new laptop in 2021, you must go through this ultimate Laptop buying guide 2021 India. In this post we will explain in details how to choose Best laptop as per your need. Laptop industries has changed many folds in last one decade. Due to many models & brands available in market it is become difficult to choose a right laptop as per your need.
After windows 8 and 10 there are touch screen and 2 in 1 laptop has also increased along with clamshell type traditional laptops.
Laptops can be categorised by their specifications, form factor, usage and screen size. We can also categorise them as Home, Student, Business and Gaming laptops. We will discuss one by one all the laptop categories to finalise and see how to choose Best laptop as per your need and budget in this laptop buying guide 2021.
Fist we need to understand the hardware specifications of laptops, which plays big role in selection of laptop along with their performance.
Laptop Hardware can be specified by Processor, Hard Disk, RAM, Graphics Card etc.
When you search a laptop over a website or at offline store you will see the following type of figures:
- Processor Intel i5- 10210U
- Ram – 8GB
- Hard Disk – 256GB / 512GB SSD or 1 TB HDD (7200 rpm)
- Graphics card – Integrated Graphics (Intel UHD 620) or Nvidia MX 230 2GB GDRR5
- Screen Size – 14 inch, 1920×1080 resolution
We will what what does mean by above figures and numbers in this laptop buying guide 2021.
Table of Contents
Laptop Buying Guide 2021 India Laptop as per Processor
Processor is the brain of a PC or Laptop. As much powerful of this as much your laptop will be capable to do tasks faster and multiple tasks as same time. There are two processor manufacturers worldwide one is Intel and other one is AMD. Earlier only Intel processors were dominated in the laptops. On the desktops there were both Intel and AMD processor available.
Intel processor’s nomenclature is like Core i3, i5 and i7 and AMD processor named like Ryzen 3, 5 and 7. We can say that r3 is equivalent to i3 and similarly r5 and r7 equivalent to intel i5 and i7 etc.
i7 processor are more powerful than i5 and i5 are powerful by i3. Intel core processor come with 2, 4, 6 cores with hyperthreading technology. Latest i3 Processor of 10th Gen also come now with hyperthreading technology.
What is hyperthreading and CPU cores
Hyperthreading is a technology by which cores can be split into virtual cores to utilise more from a single core.
Core is just like a single CPU inside main CPU and threads are virtualisation of cores. You can understand by this like a 4 core 8 thread is a physically 4 core processor which works as 8 core virtual processor. Core can be termed as a single separate CPU that can handle processes as per requirement. As much the no. of cores higher as much the CPU capable to do multitasking and can smoothly handles the load without getting stressed.
What is Clock speed in GHz
This is defined in GHz, which means numbers of cycles per seconds a CPU can executes.
A 2.4GHz processor is faster than 1.6GHz processor. But Quad core processor with same GHz can be better than dual core processor, because it can handle more processes compared to dual core processor at the same time.
What is turbo boost in processors
Turbo boost is a technology that allow processors to run at faster clock speed when demand arises within Thermal Design Power. In normal usage processor work at lower frequency and when requirement came it can increase the frequency to task faster and thereafter again come at lower frequency.
What is cache in Processor
Cache is the small amount of memory integrated with CPU that stores clock and frequency details and usage. It is in MBs like 4MB or 6MB Cache.
Intel processor nomenclature
Intel processor are named like i5 – 8250U, here first digit 8 is for generation as this is 8th generation CPU and other digits are called SKU (Stock Keeping Unit, an alphanumeric number defined the product). Intel is continue improving their processor performance in every generations. For example, core-i3 processor in 10th Gen come with hyperthreading while earlier it was come as only dual core. Now it is a dual core four thread processor.
You may see U, G, H like numbers after the processor, these number have different identities as per Laptop usage requirement. U is designed for power saving and long battery life and with the same time able to handle most of tasks required for moderate use. H is generally used in Gaming laptops and for high processing power with high consumption of battery and higher heat dissipation. These processors can also be defined with the TDP that is called Thermal Design Power.
| Processor Type | Example | Usage |
| U | I5-8250U
I7- 8665U I7-10510U
|
Low power Usage, Good for every day usage. Found in Portable thin and light laptops |
| H | I7-9750H
I5-9300H |
High power Usage, Good for all gaming and high processing usage like video editing. Found in gaming laptops |
| G | I7-1065G7
I5-1035G1 |
These processors are come for better graphics performance. Generally come with AMD graphics card or with integrated intel UHD Graphics. |
Along with above processors Intel also come with Celeron and Pentium processors these are designed for low budget computers. Some of example Intel Celeron N4000, Pentium N5000.
AMD Processor for Laptops can be categories as Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7. See the details below:
| Processor Type | Example | Usage |
| R3 | 3200U | Light to medium usage |
| R5 | 3500U | Medium Usage |
| R7 | 3700U | Heavy usage |
Along with above processors, AMD also come as A6 and A9 processors in low budget Laptops.
Understanding Random Access Memory (RAM)
RAM is also a vital component of a PC, as much this RAM size is higher in GB, you can work with multiple tasks at same time. For example, if you have opened multiple of tabs in Chrome browsers say 20-30 and you have only 4 GB of RAM installed. Soon your PC will be start overloaded and less on memory and this will automatically close your open browser tabs and even can stooped PC working.
For an average user earlier a 4 GB RAM was sufficient in the era of Windows XP and Windows 7 also. But nowadays Windows 10 itself runs many apps is background, windows update, antivirus update, and other processors runs in background. If you want to run your Laptop smoothly it is recommended purchase a laptop with 8 GB RAM. Power users can go for 16 GB RAM.
Here Power users can be defined which usage high end processing task like video editing, high end gaming, AutoCAD and industrial software applications.
RAM are defined like 8 GB DDR4 2667 MHz, here DDR4 is the newer version and better than DDR3 RAMs those found in earlier laptops. Some Laptops are come with Dual slot for RAM and some come with single Slot. In single Slot you need to remove the existing RAM for upgrading however in dual slot laptops you can upgrade RAM by adding another RAM chip in spare slot.
Laptop Buying Guide 2021 India Laptops as per Hard Disk and Storage Options
SSD, SSDH and HDD
Nowadays Laptops are coming with SSD. SSD is called solid state drive that is very much faster than traditional Magnetic Disk type hard disk. SSD are nand type storage just like RAM or USB disk, there is no movable parts inside the SSD. Booting and loading of applications are very much faster in the SSD. But price wise SSD is costlier compared to traditional HDD. Therefore, cost of SSD laptops are higher than HDD laptops.
Further weight of SSD laptop is slight lower than HDD laptops. SSD are also come with two type of form factor, one is traditional SATA connector type that is similar to 2.5 inch HDD. Another one is M.2 form factor that is very smaller and lighter is shape and size. See the picture below:
Along with above two drive you may also found SSHD in some laptops, that is a hybrid drive with some lower amount of SSD (say 16GB) with traditional HDD. SSDH are cheaper than SSD from the same GB of capacity. Hybrid disks are loads applications faster and OS to boot faster. In my personal opinion SSD will be better than SSDH for overall smooth operations. SSDH laptops are now found lesser as SSD price is also decline time by time.
What is Optane memory and what is its use
Some laptops come with Optane memory technology that can be found on intel 7th gen or newer versions. To enable this feature Laptop motherboard should have M.2 slot along with traditional SATA Bay for HDD. These Optane memory are like M.2 size SSD which come with smaller capacity like 24GB or 32GB.
Optane memory is works as a cache of applications to load them faster and boot faster from normal Hard Disk.
Graphics Card – Laptop Buying Guide
Graphics card required to run and load graphics hogging applications smoother and faster. There are two type of graphics card available in a Laptop. One is called integrated graphics card and another is discrete graphics card. You can understand this as integrated graphics card is the inbuilt property of processor and discrete is additional graphics chip that embedded in the laptop motherboard.
Laptop can run with both the graphics card simultaneously. Or you can turn off also discrete graphics card using BIOS or using device manager.
For the tasks such as image editing, playing a 4K video, browsing web etc. inbuilt intel graphics card will be sufficient. You may see that in many business laptops only intel integrated graphics card is available. These are named like intel UHD 620.
For the apps such as high-end video gaming (AAA type games), editing videos, photo shop, videos converter, graphics intensive applications as AutoCAD etc. you should buy a laptop with good graphics card. Graphics card also come with memory like RAM 2GB/4GB/6GB etc. so that these graphic cards need not to share memory from RAM for doing graphics enhanced apps. Details of graphics cards can be found here.
Screen Size
Laptop screens are typically found as 13.3 inch, 15.6 inch and 17 inch. Along with another screen sizes are also available 11/ 12/ 14 etc.
These screen sizes are measured diagonally from one end of screen to another. As much the screen size higher as much it will be bulkier and bigger. And as much the screen size is smaller it is difficult to work on two windows side by side or in big excel files etc.
If you want to use your laptop for most of the time at home and some casual travel, you can opt for 15 inch laptop. Frequent travelers and students can opt for smaller size laptop like 13 inch. 17-inch size will become to big for travelling and can be treated as alternative of desktop.
Screen also defined by their resolutions. A higher resolution screen will be pleasant to watch movies and photos and also web browsing. But as much resolution increase the price of laptop will also increase. Further in higher resolution screen, icon and texts size become smaller. Window upscaling feature is required to adjust the screen readability by increasing the scaling. That can be found on display settings.
Laptop resolutions can be found like this 1366×768 (HD), 1600×900 (HD+), 1920×1080 (Full HD). Ideally an 1920×1080 screen resolution will be ok to work smoother.
Further screen brightness designed in terms of nits e.g. 300 nits screen is brighter than 250 nits but it will be costlier too.
Screen are also come in touch mode now, but touch screens are slight glossy or reflective compared to non-touch screen those are anti glare and non glossy. If you are not fond of touch screen you can opt for non touch screen that will be cheaper also than touch screen.
Form Factor
Laptop are nowadays coming in different form factor. Along with traditional clamshell type, these are coming with detachable, fully rotatable (360deg) and in Tablet form. We will see in this section how to choose Best laptop as per form factor.
Examples of such laptops are:
Clamshell type
- Lenovo IdeaPad, HP Envy 13, Dell Inspiron, Asus Zen Book
360 deg rotatable
- HP Envy 13 x360
- HP Spectre 13 x360
- Dell Inspiron 2 in 1
- Dell XPS 13 2 in 1
- Lenovo Yoga 530,740, 940
Detachable
- Lenovo IdeaPad D330
Tablet mode
- Microsoft Surface Pro 6 and Surface Go
- Acer Iconia W 500
In the 360 deg screen laptop you can use them as tablet mode, tent mode and also clamshell mode. For detachable laptops you can use them as totally tablet mode that also reduced weight after removing keyboard.
Laptop as per Operating System (OS)
OS is also very much important before buying a laptop. Generally, laptops are come with Windows / Chrome / Mac / Linux OS.
Windows
Windows OS is now coming in two version i.e. Windows 10 Home and Pro version. Windows 10 home, as name defined designed for normal home and student users. However, Windows 10 Pro is for business users for enhanced security and Active directory support.
Using Active directory laptops or PCs can be connected in domain. Further benefit of Windows 10 pro is that cloud updating of windows of multiple PCs are possible using servers. You can also apply group policy to all the PCs connected with domain.
Majority of PC are come with windows OS as large numbers of availability of games & applications. Windows GUI is also easy and user friendly. Further After Windows 8 and 10, windows machine can be used in both laptop mode and tablet mode using single OS.
Mac
MAC OS is only available on Apple MacBook Air and Mac Book Pro laptops. This OS is designed for Apple laptops. Mac OS works smoothly and having Good GUI. But there are some restrictions with MacBook as there is no touch support, there are no much games and other applications available as available in Windows OS. Graphics card support are limited in Mac Books.
Chrome
Chrome OS is designed for light usage that includes web surfing, document editing, watching movies and photos. Now latest version of Chrome OS also supports Android Apps. Examples of Chrome based laptops are as below:
HP Chrome Book, Asus Chrome Book, Google Pixel BooK
Linux
Linux is an open source platform OS. It is free to download and license free for noncommercial users. You can download and install it on your laptops. There are some popular versions are available as Ubuntu, Fedora, Open Suse. Linux is an open source OS, therefore no proprietary drivers are available for Laptops as like Windows drivers provided by OEM. Therefore, users have to search and found the suitable driver if any issues arise. Linux also come with free office applications like Libre office. Further using wine applications you cam also install and use windows apps inside Linux.
Understanding Laptops ports
Laptops are come with different ports some of common ports are as below:
- USB Type A
- USB Type C
- USB Type -C Thunderbolt
- Headphone jack
- Ethernet ports
- HDMI
- SD Card reader
Different types of laptops are now having different ports. In some high-end laptops like MacBook, Lenovo Yoga 920, Dell XPS 13 you will find only Type C ports that is also having thunderbolt support for high speed data transfer. Using These Type C ports you will need extra dongle to convert type C to HDMI, Type C to Type A USB to connect with external display and USB devices.
Modern laptops not come with DVD drive, Ethernet ports, VGA port. As movies and software can be downloaded from websites. DVD drives are now omitted from Laptops. If you need, you can buy an external DVD drive at very cheap price from Amazon.
Ethernet and VGA ports are also found in very limited laptops. Therefor you need to buy Ethernet to USB and HDMI to VGA adaptor if required in your work place.
Laptop Buying Guide 2021 India – How to choose best Laptop by Usage
You can browse your desired laptop by usage. For example, average usage like web browsing, watching movies, editing documents, checking emails you can buy a laptop with intel i3 processor, 4 to 8 GB RAM.
For Medium usage such as lot of documents editing (MS Word, Excel, PPT), light image and video editing, working in multiple tabs of browsers, Playing Music etc. you cam go for intel i5 processor and 8 GB (or higher) RAM
For high end usage such as Video editing (HD/4K), Photo editing (Photo shop apps), AutoCAD, High end gaming you should go for intel i7 processor, 16GB RAM and a decent graphics card.
Laptop by Home and Business usage
In this part we will see how to choose a best laptop as per home usage or business usage.
Home Laptop
Laptop for Home and Student usage can be defined from slightly lower end hardware specifications. At home people using laptop for browsing web, casual document editing and playing videos. Students use laptops for document editing and surfing the web, student also require a laptop that is light weight that can be taken into college and during travel. Therefore, 13/14 inch laptop will be ok for them. However, at home you can buy a 15-inch laptop also.
Business Laptops
Business laptops are some with extra security, good specifications and good quality of material (Hard plastic or Metal chassis). So that it can bear some tough handling (frequent drops also). These laptops come with Windows 10 Pro, i5/i7 processor, RAM 8/16 GB. More battery life. Web cam for conference and skype calls. Active directory support for domain users. Some of the example are:
- Lenovo ThinkPad and Think Book
- HP Elite Book, HP Pro Book
- Dell Vostro, Dell Lattidue, Dell XPS
Other things to consider while buying Laptop:
Laptop Battery backup
Battery backup is very important if you are buying a laptop for frequent travelling and portability. You need a good battery backup. Do not rely on the specifications provided by OEM, read users reviews to decide. Battery are defined as 3 Cell, 4 Cell and 6 cell batteries. Chargers are defined in wattage, as much high the charger wattage it can charge faster the batteries.
Keyboard and Touch Pad
Keyboard and touch pad are important factor in a Laptop. Backlit keyboard are always good as you can work in low light environment. Further there is should be sufficient gaps between keys, good feedback and deep travel of keys.
Check if touchpad supports windows precision drivers, using this you can scroll from two fingers, pinch out to zoom. Touchpad should work smoothly, with good sensitivity.
Fan noise and Heating
There is should be not much FAN noise and heating on a laptop. To check this there is no any separate specification on data sheet. You have to read reviews and physically check at store.
Built Quality
Some laptops are designed with cheap plastic that looks clumsy, some are designed with Good plastic or with metal body chassis. Please check the same before buying. It is obvious that good quality built laptops are higher in price but you can check many models to select good price model.
Frequently Asked questions and myths on laptops
- How much RAM is sufficient
For even as average user you should go for min 8GB RAM if budget permits. Higher than 8GB is always Good
- What should be the ideal weight of Laptop?
Laptop come with different size and weight; a large screen size laptop will be bulkier than small size laptop. If you are frequent traveler and need portability you can go for 1 KG to 1.7 KG weight. Otherwise if you want to use most of time your laptop at home and occasionally to go outside you can buy a 15 inch laptop with 2-3 kg.
If laptop is only required for travelling and another laptop or PC available at home for work, such people can also opt for windows tablets like Surface Go and surface Pro.
- Is costlier means always better?
No, it is not necessary laptop cost not depends on performance, It depends on many factors like built quality, Brand and extra features like OLED screen, thunderbolt etc.
Choose wisely you can get a 15-inch good hardware laptop cheaper than some premium business laptop of same specifications.
- Which brand is better for Laptop HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, Acer
You have to read reviews and see physically. It is not necessary that HP and Dell are better than Lenovo and Acer. Also check after sales supports, read user reviews and ask from friends to finalize.
- Is Windows 10 come with MS office and Antivirus
No, it is not necessary, you have to check and read specifications carefully that MS office and Antivirus included in price or not.
- Touch screen is not good over Non touch
No touch screen laptops are having many features e.g. you can use them as laptop mode or tablet mode as per your ease. Further scrolling documents and zooming images easy on touch laptops. If budget permits you can go otherwise not necessary.
- How much screen rotation is good for laptop
Some laptop come with 145 deg rotation, some with 180deg and some can rotate 360 deg. As much rotation is available is good for working from, different angle as per your need.
- Is 512GB SSD better than 1TB normal HDD?
Both have different perspective, in SSD you will get more speed but lower storage and in HDD you will get more space but lesser speed. For my opinion, go with 512GB SSD, because for extra storage we can go for cloud or external HDD. Some laptop come with two HDD bays. You can install second HDD if required on second bay.
- Is upgrading laptop RAM and Hard Disk void the warranty?
No you can upgrade without any issue. However, some laptops come with soldered SSD or RAM that not allow you to upgrade. You have to check the laptop manual or specifications. For further clarification please confirm your laptop manufacturer customer care.
- If I format the windows partition it will void the warranty?
No if you format the Windows partition or install another OS like Linux will not void the warranty, as warranty is provided for hardware’s. For further clarification please confirm your laptop manufacturer customer care.
- Is intel always better than AMD?
Nowadays AMD Ryzen processor are come with equivalent processing power to intel, even AMD based Laptops are cheaper than intel Laptops. Please read the user reviews if you have doubts.
From where to buy Laptops in India
- Offline Stores – You can buy laptop from Tata Chroma, Reliance Digital, Vijay Sales. Further laptops can be bought from OEM offline stores like HP, Dell, Lenovo showrooms. Asus and Acer do not have much offline stores in India. You have to purchase from online stores
- Online Stores- Laptops can also be purchase from online stores like Amazon, Flipkart and OEM’s online stores.
Sometimes selected laptop model not available on offline stores, that can only be purchased from online stores.
What is the Good time to purchase Laptops in India
In India during festivals, mainly on Diwali lot of offers are provided by online stores and offline stores also. You may get extended warranties on lower process, may get accessories at lower and discounted process. Some credit card companies provided discounts on laptops during festivals.
5 Things to do after purchasing the Laptop
- Register the warranty of laptop with OEM website, sometime warranty is not updated on the servers of OEM. Therefore, you have to register your laptop on the OEM website for the warranty.
- Register Windows 10 and MS office using Microsoft account. In case you have to reinstall windows or MS office you can again activate your product without any Hussle if it is registered with your Microsoft account. If you don’t have one, create the new one. Same is the case of Antivirus software to reactivation.
- Buy additional warranty if required. You can purchase additional warranties during warranty period.
- Partition of C drive, laptops are come with single C drive partition, You can create another partition for better data management. After some time of usage, the space available for shrinking a drive restricted due to many files stored them (like restore points etc.).
- Buy peripheral and accessories as per your need such as HMDI to VGA adapter, type C to type A etc.
Wrap Up
Hopefully you have got many information and guideline on this Ultimate Laptop Buying Guide 2021 India to choose a best laptop as per your requirement. First decide your budget, do research, finalize usage and screen size and form factor.
Search the product and compare price and offers at various stores. Visit stores for physically view the laptop.