Laptop Buying Guide | 13 Mistakes Buyers Make When Buying a New Laptop

Did you know that most people make at least one of these laptop-buying mistakes? This ends up either costing them money up front or forcing them to spend more money because they must upgrade too soon. I've been guilty of some of these in the past. So, I put together this guide to help you avoid the most common laptop-buying mistakes.

 

1. Not Considering Ergonomics

The first mistake that people make when purchasing a laptop is overlooking ergonomics. When people shop for laptops, most of the time what they're doing is simply comparing a list of specs, and this isn't only true for online shoppers; the next time you're at a store and you see someone looking at laptops, watch them, and you'll see that they're basically going from one to another, looking at the display, and then just reading the specs sheets.

They don't type on the keyboard, they don't use the trackpad, they don't play around with the brightness on the display, and they don't pick it up to see how heavy it is. They're about to spend some serious cash on a device they plan on using for the next bunch of years, and they don't even try it before they buy it. I know that not every person has access to every laptop they're considering, but I'd recommend that you try a similar model, maybe with the same keyboard and trackpad, just to give yourself a sense of the ergonomics.

 

2. Overpaying for a laptop

Speaking of spending money, another mistake that people make is overpaying for a laptop. Look, this happens with every product, but that doesn't mean that you need to buy the most expensive laptop to consider. If a laptop is more expensive because of a feature that you're going to use and that's going to provide you with value, then invest in it, but if you're just spending more money on a laptop that costs more because that laptop is better, then that could be a waste of money.

 On the other end of the spectrum is buying the absolute cheapest laptop. If it's a budget laptop and it serves your needs now and, in the future, go for it, but if you're saving 100 or 150 bucks now only to have to replace it in two years by spending 1200 bucks, you end up spending more money.

 

3. Overlooking Portability

This mistake is one that I'm guilty of, and that's overlooking portability. When 17-inch laptops came out, I immediately got one after seeing it at the store. If you see my main workstation, you know that I like a lot of desktop real estate, and I couldn't wait to use the 17-inch display. Well, guess what? It was so heavy and cumbersome to bring with me that I never used it. It just stayed at home, where, of course, I would use it when I still had my main workstation available.

So, think about where you'll be using your laptop, and then consider whether small and light is or isn't more important than a bigger machine.

 

4. Not Considering The Ports You Need

You need to look at what type of ports a laptop offers. How many of them are there? and where they're located. Does the laptop charge via USB C? or do you need a dedicated power adapter? that you must remember to bring with you. Is there a Thunderbolt port for faster connectivity? or does it have an SD card slot, so you don't need to remember to bring a dedicated card reader?

Think about what you plan on doing with the laptop, and then what types of adapters or hubs you'll need to bring with you for your workflow. Accessories are great, but you do lose some of the portability and convenience of using a laptop.

 

5. Not Considering Storage

So first, I want you to think about how much internal storage you need, and you can look at your current laptop to see how much you're using. Then I want you to consider whether the laptop you're buying is upgradeable or not. I think the M1 Macbooks are a great buy, especially now. But they're not upgradeable, so what you buy now is what you'll have forever.

However, some other laptops allow you to upgrade the SSD and RAM. So, you can make a smaller investment up front, and then later, when you have more money, you can upgrade. You can always supplement the internal storage with an external SSD, but you would want to make sure that you have enough internal storage for all your apps now and for as long as you plan on using that laptop.

 

 6. Being Obsessed with One Spec

Manufacturers have become absolute marketing ninjas, and they do an excellent job at making buyers think that they need the latest and greatest features. They get it in your head that you can't live without this one thing, and they get you to spend more money than you need to.

Since we just talked about ports, a simple example would be a Thunderbolt slash USB 4 port. Yes, it offers higher maximum transfer speeds, and yes, it will allow you to use more powerful accessories like absurdly fast external SSDs, but you should only spend money on this feature if you plan on using it; otherwise, you're just wasting money.

 

7. Not Buying Enough Power

We're all on a budget—well, at least most of us are—and we're always looking for a good deal. But if the laptop you buy doesn't serve your needs now or soon, then you're just throwing away money. I get this question a lot: can I do XYZ, whatever it is—video editing, photo editing, whatever it may be—on whatever laptop? The issue is that most recent laptops can do all those things.

You can edit 4K video even on basic laptops using proxies, but I want you to think about time and money. If it takes me twice as long to edit a video because I must transcode all the footage because I can't smoothly scrub the timeline, or because it takes forever for effects to apply, how many hours am I wasting by saving a few hundred bucks up front? Then multiply that by every video you'll ever edit on that laptop, and you'll see it add up quickly.

I'm only using video editing as an example, but I want you to apply this to your needs. I know I talked about portability already, but now I want you to look specifically at the size of the display, depending on what you're using your laptop for. If you get a laptop that's too small, it may be so frustrating to use that even though you can carry it along, you end up not working on it. 

So, make sure that you get a display that works for what you need, and at the same time, try to minimise the weight by looking at thin and ultra-thin options if portability is a priority.

 

8. Just Buying for Now

Not thinking about the future and only buying for now is a double-edged sword because I don't fully buy into the whole concept of future-proofing, but there are levels there. When you put together your requirements, think about what you need now and what you think you'll need for the lifetime of the device. Now this isn't the same for every buyer because you might get a new laptop every three years, five years, or 10 years.

But whatever that cycle looks like for you, make sure that you get a machine that serves you well for that long.

 

9. Two-In-One Laptop as a Laptop

Another mistake that some buyers make is thinking of a two-in-one as a laptop. In some cases, it's true, like with a Samsung Book Pro 360, but in other cases, you're essentially buying a tablet with a keyboard attachment. In my experience, the two-in-one laptops that I've used haven't been as good as laptops in that same price range, and they haven't been as good as the tablets that I already own.

 So, you really need to make sure that you want that hybrid touchscreen functionality, because, for the most part, if you're looking at laptops at that same price point, you'll be giving up on something. Maybe it's processing power or maybe it's the quality of the display, but something must be given because of the additional cost the manufacturer has to put into the two-in-one.

 

10. Not Watching Reviews

Another mistake that laptop buyers make is not watching reviews. There are a tonne of reviews on YouTube, so find someone who you trust and see what they have to say about the laptop that you're thinking of buying, and don't watch just one; watch a few of them. It doesn't mean that you must come to the same conclusion as the reviewer, but if this is something that they take seriously, they should give you a balanced perspective that may cover some aspects that you didn't think to consider.

 

11. Being Blindly Brand Loyal

Another mistake that I always see is buyers who are blindly brand loyal. I completely understand that there's some familiarity involved. Especially when you've had a positive experience with a brand, there is some trust that's built there. But this shouldn't come at the cost of you doing your research. What if this brand made great laptops at a great value five years ago but now it's overpriced? 

Or maybe there's another brand that's putting out some amazing products and you're missing out because you've limited your research to one brand? Take your time looking at the pros and cons of a few different brands and then get the one that works best for you.

 

12. Not Considering Display

This might be a personal pet peeve, but I do not like glossy displays. They initially look really nice at the store, but then when it comes to actually using them in real-life situations, I always get frustrated. Now, this is where using the laptop at the store for a few minutes can really help you get a sense of what you can expect.

 However, some buyers believe that they absolutely need a very high-resolution display. A nice 4K display indeed looks amazing, but do you really need one on a laptop? If you do cool, get one; otherwise, you're paying a premium and your battery life will suffer.

 

13. Buying Without Considering Your Needs

The last mistake is one that I see all the time and just makes me shake my head. I'm talking about people who buy a laptop based on other people's needs. When you're either watching a review or accepting a recommendation from someone, make sure that they're addressing your specific needs. There are some amazingly powerful gaming laptops out there, but if you need portability more than you need power, then it's not the right fit. 

Just because a laptop has better features doesn't mean that it's a better value for your needs. What's right for someone else might not be right for you, so please do your best to make an informed decision based on what you actually need.

Conclusion

This guide outlines 13 typical mistakes individuals make when purchasing laptops, highlighting the importance of giving it considerable thought to minimize problems with usability and cost. The article urges consumers to read reviews, think about their unique demands, and shed their mindless brand allegiance to avoid overspending on superfluous features. Making an educated choice guarantees a cost-effective and productive computing experience, as well as a laptop that precisely suits long-term needs.

Which one of these have you been guilty of?