Let me say this up front, because I’m super excited: laptops have never been better. From
the newest processor innovations that bring lightning-fast performance to sleek and futuristic
design, laptops continue to evolve. You might not realize just how slow your current laptop
is until you get your hands on something new. So, in this video I want to show you the top
things I look for when buying a new laptop and you should too.
If you want a quick TLDR right at the top, then you’re in luck. One of the easiest
ways to know you’re getting the best features you should look for in a laptop is to find
an Evo badge – and it just so happens that Intel is the sponsor of this video. When you
see Intel Evo branding you can be assured that the laptop manufacturers have worked
alongside Intel engineers to focus on real-world performance and a premium user experience,
with devices including all day battery use, instant wake technology, fast charging, and
the latest connectivity standards. Visit intel.co.uk/evo to find out more and to see the full list
of Intel Evo laptops.
So, what are the top features I look for in a laptop? This is where things really get
personal. Some laptop manufacturers limit your ability to create work the way you need
to. I love the fact that Windows-based laptops come in all shapes and sizes, sport a variety
of features, and truly let me tailor a laptop to my needs.
But with so many options, how can you know what to get? Well, let’s start with the
screen. For my needs I gravitate towards a 15-inch 4k UHD screen with OLED technology
for a truly breathtaking view of my footage or games. And if you haven’t had a touch
screen laptop before you don’t know what you are missing, it really does change how
I use a computer.
Something else that can make or break a laptop is ports. You see, for my kind of work I need
lots of different kinds of ports and I would rather not carry around dongles everywhere.
I look for laptops with USB type A, USB-C, SD card reader, and HDMI out ports. Luckily
USB-C ports can be used for fast charging as well as data transfer - all in one plug.
On top of that, I look for USB-C that enables another kind of connection called Thunderbolt
4 which allows for the use of even more peripherals like an external graphics enclosure.
When I’m at home editing I’m always plugged into the wall for power, but if I’m on the
road for something like a trade show I need to know that I have a large battery that I
can depend on to last the day. For this, I’m looking for at least seven hours of base battery
life on a 4k panel. Of course, it’s going to eat up quicker under editing loads, but
this gives me enough leeway in between charges.
When looking at Intel Evo branded laptops, you get all these features and more. Things
like the fastest WiFi 6 connection, quick charging over USB-C, and narrow bezel displays
ensure a quality experience regardless of brand. On top of that, Windows 11 pairs very
well with Intel processors, and provides added benefits by being on the latest Microsoft
operating system.
All this power and all these cool features are crammed into some truly stunning designs
and form factors. There are so many different looking (and feeling) laptops that it truly
is exciting right now. But it’s not just about looks, these designs help to push the
performance side of things as well as the engineers come up with new ways to get laptops
thinner and more powerful.
Speaking of power, the number one thing for me is performance. I’m a video director
and photographer here at Tech Advisor, and I do plenty of work on a laptop, so having
a powerful machine for editing is priority #1 for me. The main specs to look at are the
computer processor and graphics chip, but things like memory and an SSD contribute to
a snappy system as well. I’ll only briefly touch on some of these in this video, but
for more in-depth coverage and explainers head over to TechAdvisor.com.
To ensure fast response times during intensive tasks like video editing, I look for the latest
computer processors. Without getting into the weeds of CPU architecture and benchmarks
(because it can be daunting), I can tell you that I almost always default to choosing the
newest generation of processors available from Intel. Currently Intel is on the 11th-generation
of laptop CPUs, which has brought some great gains over 10th-gen and provide plenty of
power for both personal and professional use. I tend to look at Core i5 and Core i7 as being
the sweet spot for work and play.
And yes, I know this video is sponsored by Intel, but I can tell you that I’ve always
personally preferred Intel hardware over the competition for many reasons - here are a
couple. As an Adobe user I find Intel CPUs to be very reliable, which is very important
in a work environment. Intel laptop CPUs also benefit from having integrated graphics, called
Iris Xe, available on the processor for added performance during things like video playback
and rendering without the need of a dedicated GPU.
But if you are like me and you are looking for a laptop with creative and/or gaming chops
then you will want a dedicated GPU. These powerful graphics processors greatly benefit
my video production workflows but also provide enough power for gaming in the off hours.
If you’re not a video editor or gamer, however, you can opt to save money on a laptop without
discrete graphics and lean on the integrated graphics inside the Intel chip instead. They’re
surprisingly good – and you’ll usually get a thinner, lighter laptop too.
Memory is also important for responsiveness and having 16GB of fast RAM is what I aim
for. But fast storage is equally as important - and for those I look at SSDs. A laptop running
on an SSD is a huuuuuuuuuuge improvement over older laptops running hard disk drives. I
typically go for a 512GB NVMe SSD as the main drive but also look for laptops that let you
install, or come preinstalled with, a second SSD for added storage.
All these specs contribute to a fantastic user experience and enough power that can
handle everything you throw at it for years to come. And there are so many other little
features that add to that fantastic ‘instant on’ lifestyle while providing plenty of
battery life. Like I said earlier, this is all exciting, futuristic stuff and I love
to see such innovation!
I hope you now see that we really are living in a time of great innovation in the laptop
space. I continue to be amazed by all the new and exciting things that laptops do nowadays,
and however you slice it, laptops just keep getting better and better. To find out even
more details on Intel’s Evo program and check out all the laptops that qualify, head
to intel.co.uk/evo. And be sure to check out all our laptop coverage on TechAdvisor.com
to see the newest models in action and to find one that fits your needs.