Classes are nearing, are you ready for another round of online learning?
A laptop has become a staple to almost all of us, especially now that almost everything is becoming virtual. Some would say that they can make do with a phone or a tablet. Granted, these devices are mobile so you can literally set it up anywhere but you may have difficulties. For example, you may be unable to see small fonts in the presentation during your online meeting. And when you’re working on your homework or project, researching at the same time may be hard if you have to switch between apps.
Now with a good laptop, you’ll be able to accomplish your tasks faster. You have a bigger display so you can read and see what’s going on in a presentation. This also makes way for multi-tasking. You can open two documents side by side or one document on the right side and your web browser on another. Obviously, you can use it both for educational and entertainment purposes. A laptop making your everyday life easier is an understatement.
But there’s a lot of models from different brands with all kinds of specifications. How do you know which one fits your needs? Look no further - we’ll help you in your search. We’ll give you a few recommendations based on your grade level (if you’re a student) or category depending on the set of software you use daily. So for the working people reading this, you won’t feel left out.
But before that, let’s start with a quick explanation of some terms typically included in the technical specification sheet so you’ll understand how and why we chose certain models for different users. But you can go ahead and skip this part if you're already familiar with these.
With the basic information on specification, let's move on to our recommendations. And don’t worry, we won’t leave you with just a random list of best-selling laptops that will leave you scratching your head and saying “so any of these will do?”. As mentioned earlier, we’ll base it on your daily and potential use.
If you only use applications like web browsers (Google Chrome, Opera, Fox, Etc), teleconferencing programs (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams), Microsoft Office, and the likes, you belong in this category and these laptops are your best bet:
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| Model | Asus X415JA-BV181T | Acer Aspire 5 A514-54-36ZW | Lenovo iDeaPad [S145-14IIL] 81W600DLPH | Lenovo iDeaPad Slim 3i 81WD005TPH | Asus X415JA-BV184T |
| Display | 14" HD (1366×768) | 14" HD (1366×768) | 14" HD (1366×768) | 14" FHD (1920x1080) | 14" HD (1366×768) |
| Processor | Intel Core i3-1005G1 | Intel Core i3-1115G4 | Intel Core i3-1005G1 | Intel Core i3-1005G1 | Intel Core i3-1005G1 |
| Graphics | Intel® UHD Graphics (integrated) | Intel® UHD Graphics (integrated) | Intel® UHD Graphics (integrated) | Intel® UHD Graphics (integrated) | Intel® UHD Graphics (integrated) |
| RAM | 8GB(4GB OB+4GB removable); max 8GB | 4GB; 2 slots; max 20GB | 4GB; 1 slot extra; max 12GB | 4GB; 1 slot extra; max 12GB | 8GB(4GB OB+4GB removable); max 8GB |
| Storage | 1TB HDD | 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD | 256GB SSD | 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD | 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD |
| Camera | VGA(640x480) | HD (1280 x 720) | VGA(640x480) | VGA(640x480) | VGA(640x480) |
| Price | P 24,995 | P 28,995 | P 25,995 | P 25,995 | P 28,995 |
These are budget-friendly laptops but as you can see, they already have an Intel Core i3 processor and up to 8GB RAM. You’ll be able to multitask without a problem! Most of them also have both SSD and HDD which means you will experience fast boot up with the SSD and expansive space with the HDD. We also made sure that the ones we listed have a webcam for when you need to attend your online classes/meetings.
When you’re deep into the realm of never-ending outputs, you’re definitely more than just a Basic user. So you need a little more power with your computing device. See the table below for our recommended models:
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| Model | Asus X415JP-EK057T | Acer Aspire 5 A514-54G-51PU | Lenovo Ideapad 5 14ITL05 82FE00NVPH | Lenovo IdeaPad L3 15ITL6 82HL0018PH | Asus X415EP-EB085T | Lenovo Ideapad 514ALC05 82LM002UPH |
| Display | 14" FHD (1920x1080) | 14" FHD (1920x1080) | 15.6" HD (1366×768) | 14" FHD (1920x1080) | 14" FHD (1920x1080) | 14" FHD (1920x1080) |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-1035G1 | Intel Core i5-1135G7 | Intel Core i5-1135G7 | Intel Core i5-1135G7 | Intel Core i5-1135G7 | AMD Ryzen 7 5700U |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce MX330 (discrete) | Nvidia GeForce MX350 (discrete) | Intel® Iris Xe Graphics (integrated) | Intel® Iris Xe Graphics (integrated) | Intel® UHD Graphics (integrated) | AMD Radeon Graphics (integrated) |
| RAM | 8GB(4GB OB+4GB removable); max 8GB | 4GB; 2 slots; max 16GB | 8GB OB | 4GB; 2 slots; max 12GB | 8GB(4GB OB+4GB removable); max 8GB | 16GB OB |
| Storage | 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD | 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD | 512GB SSD | 256GB SSD | 512GB SSD | 512GB SSD |
| Camera | HD (1280 x 720) | HD (1280 x 720) | HD (1280 x 720) w/ privacy shutter | HD (1280 x 720) w/ privacy shutter | VGA(640x480) | HD (1280 x 720) w/ privacy shutter |
| Price | P 37,895 | P 36,695 | P 41,995 | P 32,995 | P 36,995 | P 42,995 |
We can feel your stress from a mile away. Thus, we highly suggest that you get a laptop with Intel Core i5 and a decent graphics card plus up to 16GB of RAM - all so things will be easier for you and you won’t slow down.
As you may have noticed, these are a mix of units with discrete and integrated graphics cards. But all are powerful enough to be able to run basic photo and video editing software if you ever need it.
Will you be able to play on these laptops? Well, yes and no. You should be able to run those on the low-spec PC games spectrum but not the AAA ones, unfortunately.
If you edit day and night plus you use heavy editing software like Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Sony Vegas, and the likes, the previous set of laptops may not cut it. So here are what we think are the best models for individuals that study or practice multimedia art and design.
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| Model | Asus Vivobook X571LI-AL210TS | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 81WB00P9PH | Acer Nitro 5 AN515-44-R7ZU | Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6 82K100H9PH | Asus TUF FX506HE-HN054T |
| Display | 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) | 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) | 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) | 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) | 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-10300H | Intel Core i7-10510U | Ryzen 5 4600 | Intel Core i5-11300H | Intel Core i5-11400H |
| Graphics | Nvidia GTX 1650Ti 4GB (discrete) | Nvidia GeForce MX330 2GB (discrete) | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 4GB (discrete) | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB (discrete) | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB (discrete) |
| RAM | 8GB (4GBx2 ; max 20GB) | 8GB (4GB OB+4GB ; max 12GB) | 8GB (2 slots; max 32GB) | 8GB (2 slots ; max 16GB) | 8GB (2 slots; max 32GB) |
| Storage | 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD | 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD | 256GB SSD | 512GB SSD | 1TB SSD |
| Camera | HD (1280 x 720) | VGA (640 x 420) | HD (1280 x 720) | HD (1280 x 720) w/ privacy shutter | HD (1280 x 720) |
| Freebies | Pre-installed Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 | Lenovo B210 bag, Pre-installed Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 | Acer VX15 Backpack | Lenovo Backpack, Lenovo mouse | TUF Gaming backpack |
| Price | P 49,995 | P 49,995 | P 39,995 | P 59,995 | P 64,995 |
With these, you’ll be able to create and render fast for a continuous workflow. These are also great for gamers looking for a laptop where they can play popular titles decently.
Are you a soon-to-be or already an engineer or an architect? These are what we recommend:
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| Model | Asus ROG Strix G513QR-HN176T | Asus ROG Strix G15 G513QM-HN271T | Asus ROG Strix Scar G733QR-HG021TS | Asus ROG Strix G17 G713QR-HX094T | Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503QS-HQ018TS | Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401QE-HZ125T | Gigabyte A7 X1 CS11130SH | Lenovo Legion 5 82JU0034PH |
| Display | 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) 144Hz | 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) 144Hz | 17.3" FHD (1920x1080) 300Hz | 17.3" FHD (1920x1080) 144Hz | 15.6" QHD(2560 x 1440) 165Hz | 14" FHD (1920x1080) 144Hz | 17.3" FHD (1920x1080) 144Hz | 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) 165Hz |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS | AMD Ryzen 7 5800HS | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX | AMD Ryzen 5 5600H |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8GB (discrete) | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB (discrete) | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8GB (discrete) | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8GB (discrete) | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 8GB (discrete) | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB (discrete) | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8GB (discrete) | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 6GB (discrete) |
| RAM | 16GB(8GBx2); 2 slots; max 32GB | 16GB(8GBx2); 2 slots; max 32GB | 16GB(8GBx2); 2 slots; max 64GB | 16GB(8GBx2); 2 slots; max 32GB | 32GB(16GBx2); 2 slots; max 32GB | 16GB(8GBx2); 2 slots; max 24GB | 16GB(8GBx2); 2 slots; max 64GB | 8GB (8GBx1); s slots; max 32GB |
| Storage | 1TB SSD | 1TB SSD | 1TB SSD | 1TB SSD | 1TB HDD | 256GB SSD | 512GB SSD | 512GB SSD |
| Camera | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | HD (1280 x 720) | HD (1280 x 720) w/ privacy shutter |
| Freebies | ROG Impact Mouse, ROG backpack | ROG Impact Mouse, ROG backpack | ROG Chakram Core Mouse, ROG Delta Headset, ROG Backpack, FHD 1080P@60FPS External Camera, Keystone + 2 Customizable armor caps | ROG Impact Mouse, ROG backpack | ROG Chakram Core Mouse, ROG Delta Headset, ROG Backpack, FHD 1080P@60FPS External Camera | ROG Impact Mouse, ROG Sleeve, FHD 1080P@60FPS External Camera | Gigabyte Aorus Backpack, Gigabyte Aorus jacket | Lenovo Legion M300 RGB Mouse, Lenovo Backpack |
| Price | P 109,995 | P 99,995 | P 149,995 | P 114,995 | P 179,995 | P 79,995 | P 109,995 | P 72,995 |
If you run demanding applications such as Lumion, SketchUp, MatLab, STAAD Pro, COMSOL Multiphysics and the likes, the laptops we mentioned in the previous categories may not be worth your time and money. Most likely those laptop will give up before you can even render any of your work. You’ll want to upgrade sooner than later. And yes we know that a desktop computer really is better to run the apps we mentioned but if you’re always on the go - doing site visits, meeting, and presenting to clients - it’s better to have a laptop that you can take with you.
And for gamers, these are your go-to laptop. It has all the components you'll need to run even the heaviest AAA titles.
With this guide, We hope we’re able to help you or even just give you an idea of what laptop you should be getting to make your virtual learning (or work from home) a breeze. And remember students (and workers alike): Struggle is temporary. This too shall pass. And we can always take the steps to alleviate the problems brought about by our current situation.
If you still need assistance and want to talk to a technical expert, go ahead click the message icon on the bottom-right of our website.
Disclaimer: our suggestions above are based on the latest available laptops and software in 2021. So if you're reading this from the future, um these might not apply in your timeline.
