Like smartphones and tablets, Laptops have become quite the necessity in British homes. Here are some things we think you should consider before buying your home laptop.
Like smartphones and tablets, Laptops have become quite the necessity in British homes. According to a survey published by Aviva in 2020, the average British household owned 10.3 internet-enabled devices, 1.3 of them being a laptop. We predict this number may have risen even further since then!
Choosing the perfect laptop for your home
Similar to home desktops, household laptops may be used by multiple people living under one roof and can be used for several activities, including internet browsing, streaming, homework and more.
With so many different brands and models of laptops on the market, it can be a little daunting in which one to buy for all your needs.
Here are some things we think you should consider before buying your home laptop.
How much do you want to spend?
Before we get into the functions of a laptop, it’s probably better to figure out what sort of budget you want to be spending on a laptop, allowing you to narrow your choice down to something affordable for you.
Laptops can range from hundreds of pounds, to thousands of pounds, depending on the model, brand and specifications.
If your laptop is going to be used for general browsing, streaming and creating Word documents, then you’re not going to be needing to spend over the odds when only the basic of functionalities and features are required.
At Stone Refurb, we have a huge range of refurbished laptops for home use from brands such HP, Lenovo, Dell, and more!
We’ve even hand-picked a range of refurbished devices we believe are perfect for home users.
Where will the laptop be used?
The great thing about laptops, is they are portable and can be used in any room of the house.
If you are thinking of buying a laptop that will sit in one place, such as a home office or desk, then you might think about going for a larger laptop, but if you will be moving the laptop around the house for whatever reason, then you may consider buying a lightweight laptop.
Another thing to consider is whether the laptop is just going to be used at home or will it be used out of the house too? For example, some bloggers like to take their laptops on their travels so they can write on location and therefore would require a relatively small and lightweight device.
What features do your home users require?
As mentioned before, if the laptop is going to be used for general browsing, streaming and created documents, then you won’t be needing all the features a gaming laptop would require.
Generally, most household laptops just need the basic features:
- USB Port (or more!)
- HDMI Port (if you want to connect to your TV or monitor
- 4GB RAM (8GB is recommended)
- 250GB Hard Drive (unless you're storing lots of videos or photos - in which case 1TB would be better)
If, however, the laptop is going to be used for gaming or creating HD graphics, then you will need to consider extra features such as graphic cards, SSD drive, and multi-core processors.
Windows 10 or 11?
With Windows 7 now end of life, you now have the choice between Windows 10 and Windows 11 - sort of. Windows 11 is only currently available on 8th generation devices and newer due to certain security requirements. Anything older, and you can really only choose between Windows 10 Home or Pro versions.
If you decide to buy a refurbished laptop from Stone Refurb, your device will come pre-installed with Windows 10 or 11 as standard depending on the CPU generation as previously explained. You can choose if you want to switch back to Windows 10 from 11 though if you so wish!
Still debating what kind of laptop device to go for? Check out our Computer Finder or contact a member of our team who will be happy to point you in the right direction.