15 Laptop BUYING MISTAKES! 2023 Laptop Buying Guide

Check on YouTube (Source)

1. Overlooking Ergonomics:

When people shop for laptops, they majorly compare a list of specs. People basically look at the display and then reading the spec sheets.

They don’t use the keyboard, 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.

Not every person has access to every laptop that they are considering but it is recommendable to try a similar model if you can. Maybe one with similar keyboard and track pad just to give yourself a sense of the ergonomics.

2. Overpaying For a Laptop.

This happens with every product.

It is always advisable buy it nice or buy it twice.

This doesn’t mean you end up with the most expensive laptop that you are considering.

If a laptop is expensive because of a feature that you are going to use and its going to provide you with value, then invest in it.

It is not advisable to buy a laptop that costs more because it is better as that could be a waste of money.

3. Buying The Cheapest Laptop:

If it is a budget laptop and it serves your needs now and, in the future, go for it.

If you are saving $100 or $150 now only to have to replace it in two years by spending $1,200, you actually end up spending more money.

4. Overlooking Portability.

Think about where you will be using your laptop and then consider whether small and light is or isn’t more important than a bigger machine.

5. Not Considering the Ports:

You need to look at what of ports a laptop offers, how many of them they are and where they are located.

Does the laptop charge via USB-C or do you need a dedicated power adapter?

Is there a Thunderbolt port for faster connectivity or does it have an SD card slot or you need a dedicated card reader?

Accessories are great but you do lose some of that portability and convenience of using a laptop.

6. Storage:

Think about how much internal storage you need and how much internal storage you are using in your current laptop.

Consider whether the laptop you buying is upgradeable or not.

What you buy when buying an un-upgradeable laptop is what you stay with forever.

When you buy a laptop that allows you to upgrade the SSD and RAM you are able to make a smaller investment upfront and then later on when you have more money, you can upgrade.

You have an external SSD, but it is ideal to ensure that you have enough internal storage for all your apps for as long as you are using that laptop.

7. Obsessed With One Spec.

The thinking that you can’t live without a particular feature gets you to spend more money that you actually need to.

A Thunderbolt port offers higher maximum transfer speeds and allows you to use more powerful accessories like absurdly fast external SSDs than a USB 4 port but you should only spend more money on this feature if you actually plan on using it.

Otherwise, you will just be wasting money.

8. Not Buying Enough Power.

If the laptop you are buying does not serve your needs now or in the near future, then you are just throwing away money.

If it takes you twice as long to edit a video because you have to trans code all the footage or because you can’t smoothly scrub the timeline or it takes forever for effects to apply, how many hours are you wasting by saving a few bucks Upfront?

9. Size Doesn’t Matter.

Make sure you get a display that works for what you need.

Try to minimize the weight by looking at thin and ultra-thin options if portability is a priority.

10.  Forgetting the Future.

Not considering the future and buying for now is a double-edged sword.

When you put together you needs think about what you need for now and what you will need for the lifetime of the device.

Make sure you get a machine that serves you well over the years you will have it around.

11.  2-IN-1 Is Not A Laptop.

In some cases, it is actually true like with the Samsung Book Pro 360.

In others cases you are essentially buying a tablet with a keyboard attachment.

2-in-1 laptops are not as good as laptops in that same price range.

Is it worth losing on processing power or the quality of the display or something else for a hybrid touch screen functionality?

12. Not Watching Reviews.

Find someone you trust on you tube and see what they have to say about the laptop you are thinking of buying. It is advisable to watch several reviews.

They don’t have to come to the same conclusion but you can get a balanced perspective and it may cover some aspects you did not think to consider.

13. Brand Loyalty.

The trust you build with a brand should not come at the cost of doing your research.

Maybe they made great laptops at a great value five years ago but not now it is overpriced.

Maybe there is another brand putting out some amazing products and you are missing out because you have limited yourself to one brand.

Take your time, look at the pros and cons of a different brands, then get the one that works best for you.

14. Glossy Display.

Glossy displays initially look really nice at the store.

When it comes to actually using them in real life situation they frustrate.

15. High Resolution.

A nice 4K display looks amazing, but if you don’t need it in your laptop your battery life will surfer.

16.  Other People’s Needs.

If you are accepting a recommendation from someone, make sure they are speaking about your specific needs.

Just because a laptop has better features doesn’t mean it is better value for your need.

What is right for a gamer might not be right for productivity.