Buyers Guide: Help Shopping for a New Laptop or Device

There is a lot of information to navigate so here are some tips to help you find the product that is right for you.

Mac or PC? Apple or Android?

The first question when trying to narrow down the field is to decide if you're going to purchase an Apple product or not. A general rule is that if you are not tech-savvy, and have a big enough budget, Apple is the way to go. They have the best customer service in the industry, and their products are built to last. If you have a smaller budget, want specific features, or like to tinker then you have a whole world of options.If you've chosen Apple, congratulations, you're journey is almost complete! There are only a few choices to make now, like which size and color to get.If you are not getting an Apple product, here are some helpful steps to narrow down your options and pinpoint the best product for you.

Look and Feel

There are so many different companies and products to consider. One place to start would be to go into a store like Best Buy, or Fry's Electronics to try out different brands. You can easily be drawn to, or eliminate, certain brands just by their look and feel. Maybe you can't live with a shiny plastic, or need a keyboard that feels great. Don't let the salesperson intimidate you, or ask you too many questions. The goal here is just to get a good feel for all the different brands and note the ones you like the best.

Technical Jargon

Don’t let all the technical specifications overwhelm you. You can easily ignore most of it. The more money you spend, the better the technical specs the better and longer your device will operate. This is called future-proofing. Let’s look at a few specifications though.Hard Drive / Storage - Look at how much space your current device has and how much of it you are currently using. This will give you a good gauge of your needs into the future.Connectivity - Make a note of the plugs and ports that the device has and make sure they fit all your needs. Does it have a headphone jack? Will you be able to still plug in your printer? What does that port even do? In the race for slimmer devices with bigger batteries, these ports are being traded away, so make sure what your options are.

Budget

Every brand has a product for budgets up and down the price spectrum. The more money you spend, the higher the build quality and the more features you get, to an extent. Start looking at your budget and see what features you get one price point higher, or what features you lose one price point lower. Keep moving up or down until something feels right either price-wise or feature-wise.

Reviews

Once you have a brand and model in mind, let's use that information and go looking for reviews. Here are three helpful review methods.Amazon Reviews - Find the Amazon page for the specific device. Scroll to the bottom of the page and start reading the reviews. Don't just look at the ones presented, really click through and read a good number of reviews, good and bad. You should start to see things that stand out. This is how you will start to see people's frustrations with certain features. You might also see that people were considering products they deemed similar. Keep these in mind for later.Search "Brand Model vs." - Do a google search, "_product_ vs." You will immediately see that Google is helping you find comparable products in the autocomplete text. Look at the blog posts and stories that compare the product you had in mind with other similar products. You will get a great sense of the pros and cons for each and might even be pulled to another product you hadn't considered.YouTube Reviews - When you can't get your hands on the product, it can be really helpful to watch other people interact with it. Search for "_product_ review" on YouTube and watch a few. Tech reviewers give you a really comprehensive look at the device you have in mind, or might sway you to another. These videos can also provide more questions you might want to know about the device. What does the screen look like from the side? Will the keyboard flex? Can I open it with one hand? How do the speakers sound? You can take these review points and use them when you get more hands-on time in the store.

Device and Computer Buying Lists

If you need more help deciding on a device, you can check out more complete guides provided by experts and enthusiasts. Here are a few resources.Laptop Recommendation Guide from /r/laptops community on RedditProductChart.com for Smartphones and LaptopsPhoneScoop Phone FinderHopefully, this guide helps you in your quest to find the perfect device for you.