I know I need a new laptop, because mine is old and slow. I had a PC for about three years, and I want a new one that’ll last through my college years (senior in HS right now). I’m going to be a political science or international affairs major, so I might be writing quite a few essays. I doubt that I’ll need much storage (I was planning to just use Google docs for everything), but I do need something long lasting with a good battery life that’s portable and not too expensive. What would you recommend? Please include size.
I use a MacBook Air, I’m going to be upgrading to a Pro in a few months. I love them.
@falcon97 why do you like them so much?
I just think they’re fast, sleek and really easy to use. Nothing wrong with PCs if that is your thing, I just prefer Mac.
If you’re worried about costs, Macs are not the best option. They’ll get you the sleek looks, battery life, and badly last through college, but you it will cost you more than a PC with similar specs.
PCs are a cheaper option, but you should be aware of build quality: the cheapest computer can start to break down after a few years, become unreliable, or battery capacity will drop dramatically. After a few laptops of my own, my current recommendation are Lenovo ThinkPads. (For your case, I’d look at the T or L series.) They’re known for being dependable workhorses, but they’re not as sleek as a MacBook.
Since you said you find need a lot of storage space and you plan to use mostly Google docs, another (very cheap) option for you might be Chromebooks. Your major is not the type to generally require specific hardware or OS, so you could quite likely opt for a laptop running Google’s Chrome OS with no problem. Many also come with a package deal providing a couple years of free Google drive storage, as well.
With those requirements I’d just go for a Chromebook. Something with 4GB of RAM and a 1920x1080 screen will be nicer and give you a bit more leeway than the cheaper models, while still getting 7-8 hours of battery life sometimes. It’ll be far cheaper than most alternatives too (a 1920x1080 Toshiba Chromebook 2 is $330).
13" is a nice size, but they range from 10" (for one of the hybrid tablet/Chromebooks) to 15".