Do you want to buy a Laptop in Nigeria for 2021? The top Laptop features to see before buying a Laptop in Nigeria are Battery life, Storage Space, RAM Size, Processor Type, Number of Cores, Graphics Card, Processor Speed, Brand, Display, Storage, Operating System and Physical Features like colour, keyboard light, design, 360 convertible, weight and so on.
It has been established that many factors determine your choice of Laptop. These factors range from your personal taste, the task to be performed by the Laptop, trending features and your budget. Let’s take a look at the top 10 factors to consider before ordering a new laptop for the year 2021…
What's in this guide?
1. General Performance
Before you scroll down to see the Top 50 best and cheap laptops to buy in Nigeria for the year 2021, it is very important to conclude the task you need your laptop to perform. What you need a laptop for goes a long way to determine your type of Laptop. Your Laptop Performance should be able to meet your general laptop requirement.
For example, an 2GB RAM laptop is okay if you are buying Laptop just for movies, reading and surfing the Net. But it is not okay is you are buying a laptop for video editing or Graphics Design. Some software have Minimum System Requirements.
For example, when it comes to screen resolution, Adobe Dreamweaver requires 1080 pixels and above. Gaming Software run more smoothly when your laptop has a dedicated video graphics. You therefore need to go for a laptop with a dedicated graphics card.
Finally, check if there is a possibility of using the laptop for other programs as time goes on. For example, the reason I got my first laptop was for Reading School PDF Materials, HTML and CSS Programming. With time, I jumped into programming, Deep Learning, ETAP, Video editing and graphics design. The Laptop could not handle the tasks at all. I had to to get a new Laptop. While getting the new Laptop, I ensured that it can handle all my possible tasks for the next three years.
You may want to ask, what Laptop are you currently using? I am using an Intel Core i7, High-Performance Quad-Core (HQ), 16GB RAM and 15.6 inches Apple MacBook Pro.
As a general rule of thumb, the following Specifications are okay for Standard Laptop:
- 6th Generation Intel Core i5,i7 (or equivalent AMD Processor)
- 4GB RAM
- 256GB SSD Storage or 500GB HDD
- 1080p Screen resolution
- Above 5 Hours Battery life
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2. Laptop Size
The second thing you must consider before buying a laptop in 2021 is the size and design. You need to decide whether you want to a big-screen laptop, portable laptop or mini laptop. The common laptop sizes are 13 inches, 13.3 Inches, 14 inches, 15.0 inches, 15.6 inches, 16 inches, Mini Laptops and 17 inches.
15.6 INCHES LAPTOPS: This is the common laptop size. Most students, cyber cafes and business centres use 15.6 inches Laptop.
13.3 INCHES LAPTOP: Some persons are not a fan of big-screen Laptops. They want a very portable laptop. Inasmuch as they want portable Laptop, they don’t want a very small laptop (Mini Laptop) either, so they settle for 13.3 inches Laptop.
MINI LAPTOPS: As the name implies, they come in mini sizes: small, compact and super-portable. What is the screen size of a mini laptop? Mini laptops are 10.1 inches display. You will also find mini-laptops with a screen size of 11.6 inches.
17.0 INCHES LAPTOP: These are very big Laptops. 17.0 inches personal computers (PC) or laptops are for Gamers who need a very big and bold display. A good example is the HP OMEN 17.
While focusing on Display Size, focus on the display resolution also. The higher the resolution or pixel, the more details you see in the screen. High-resolution laptops have a very beautiful display. For example, if you view this page on different laptops, it will be clearer and more beautiful on some laptops. This is a function of display time and Resolution. Personally, I like laptops with 1080p resolution or above. The DELL XPS has the best Display (4k Screen Resolution) on any Laptop.
3. RAM Size
The full meaning of RAM is Random Access memory. RAM is a type of storage, however, it is different from ROM or Hard Disk in the sense that it is not for permanent storage (to be explained later).
How RAM is Used in A Laptop
When you open software in your Laptop, e.g MS Word, Corel Draw, iMovie, they are all using RAM so long the programs are still running. The more you open apps, the more RAM Space is being used up. This is why your Laptop runs slower or hangs when you are doing many stuffs with it.
The Solution is to get a laptop with a bigger RAM. You can also close the programs you are not using at the moment to free up RAM space. As for RAM Size, I won’t recommend any Laptop below 4GB RAM in 2021 irrespective of what you need it for.
Dedicated Graphics Card
A dedicated graphics card (also called video card) is a piece of hardware used to manage the graphics performance of a Laptop. The most common graphics card is Nvidia Geforce. If by any means Nividia is mentioned in a laptop feature, it is a confirmation that the laptop uses a dedicated graphics card.
Many laptops don’t have dedicated graphics. Laptops with dedicated graphics are usually expensive but the good news is that you may not need it. The main reason people get a dedicated GPU is for gaming, serious photo editing, heavy video editing or Serious programming and Artificial intelligence that require Graphic Processing Unit (GPU). You don’t need a dedicated GPU for watching video, managing email, word processing, or any MS Office app.
A dedicated, or discrete, GPU has its own independent source of video memory, leaving the RAM your system uses untouched. Example, If you have an 8GB RAM PC with a GeForce GTX 680M video card with 2GB of video memory, that memory is completely separate from your computer’s 8GB of system memory.
Integrated Graphics Card
Integrated graphics refers to a graphics system that is on the motherboard itself. It may have its own CPU but not its own RAM; it shares its RAM with the system RAM.
So, if you have a computer with 4GB of RAM, the video card can use anywhere between one (1%) and five percent (5%) of the available memory for graphics processing. Of course, this percentage varies depending on the size of the task being performed. The benefit of an integrated graphics is that it is cheaper, which in turn means a less expensive computer.
Can A Laptop Have Both Integrate And Dedicated Graphics Card?
Every laptop has a Graphics Card. Some Laptops Come with Integrated Graphics Card while others come with Dedicated Graphics. However, it is possible for a Laptop to have both integrated and Dedicated Graphics Together.
4. Storage Type And Storage Sizes (HDD Vs SSD)
Many persons recognize Storage as a just hard disk. Hence the question, what is the hard disk size of your Laptop? Now, Storage in laptops are either HDD or SSD. The full meaning of HDD is Hard Disk Drive while SSD Stands for Solid State Drive.
HDD and SSD are both for permanent storage, just that SSDs are faster and more reliable than HDD. Speed and Reliability make Laptops with SSD more expensive to buy than those with HDD (Other specifications being equal).
Permanent Vs Temporary Storage
Permanent storage means storing of files permanently. When you download or someone sends you pictures, music, videos, pdf files and Applications, they are stored in your HDD or SSD permanently.
Your movies do not delete when you restart your laptop (Permanent Storage), however, the programs you are running before the laptop shuts down would close when you restart (Temporal Storage).
Recommended Storage Size For A Laptop
If you collect large movies or play games, storage space should be your number feature in a Laptop. The lowest Hard Disk size you should go for is 500 GB HDD. Since SSD Laptops are more expensive, you can start from 256GB SSD.
5. Processor Types And Clock Speed
Processor for Laptop could be Intel or AMD. They are both okay, however, I recommended intel processors. Intel Processors are generally better than AMD. Now, Intel processors for laptops range from:
- Intel Pentium
- Intel Celerium
- Intel Core 2 Duos
- Intel Core i3
- Intel Core i5
- Intel Core i7
- Intel Core i9
Intel Core i9 is the highest and the most recent intel Processor, followed by core i7, core i5 and so on. Similarly, Core i9 laptops are generally more expensive than core i7 laptops and so on. I don’t recommend that you buy any laptop less than intel core i3 unless you are on a very tight budget.
Generation of Processors
Each of the Processors has Generation. When going through a laptop processor feature, you will see something like 6th generation intel core i7, 8th generation intel core i5 and so on. The higher the generation, the newer the processor. For example, 8th generation intel core i3 is more recent than 7th generation intel core i3.
There is always improvement made to each generation. We are currently in the 10th generation of Laptop Processors. Hence, something like 10th generation intel core i9.
Processor Speed
Processor Speed is how fast a processor is. The speed of the processor is measured in Gigahertz (GHz). E.g 1.6Ghz, 1.8Ghz, 2.5Ghz etc. New generation laptops have variable speed. This feature is called Turbo Boost. The speed of an 8th generation core i7 range from 1.8Ghz to 4Ghz if the task you are performing requires more speed. Also, note that processor speed is also referred to as clock speed.
CORE
Core is the “Brain” of the Processor. Processors can have one core (single-core) or more than one core (dual-core, quad-core, etc). The more the cores, the better the multitasking ability of the Computer.
6. Battery Life
Battery life is very important. We all know the electricity situation in this part of the world. It thus becomes a surprise if battery life is not your priority. A normal laptop should last up to 4 hours even under heavy use.
While looking for a laptop that lasts very long, check if performance was sacrificed for speed. A low-performance laptop will naturally have long battery life. The most common type of battery is lithium iron.
7. Laptop Brand
For many persons, the brand is not a problem. They can buy a Laptop made by any company. For some, it must be HP Laptop or DELL, others want Apple laptops, ASUS, Lenovo, etc.
You don’t need to bother which brand of laptop to buy in Nigeria. I have used a good HP Laptop. I have used a nice Dell Laptop. I have used a good Apple Laptop and I have used a nice ASUS Laptop. It is not really the brand that matters but the laptop specification. However, I will recommend HP, DELL or an Apple Laptop.
An Apple Laptop could be Macbook, Macbook Pro or Macbook Air. The difference between MacBook Pro and Apple Macbook Air is that MacBook Pro are for heavy use and are usually expensive while the MacBook air are ligher, slimmer, cheaper and not meant for very demanding tasks.
8. Operating System (OS)
Operating System is whether the Laptop is running on Windows, Linux or Mac. Apple Laptops run on Mac Operating system (macOS) while HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Asus and other laptops run on Windows. The latest Windows is Windows 10.
The good news is that you can easily update your Laptop from windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10. You can also freely update your mac OS from El Capitan, Yosemite, Mojave, etc to the most recent Mas OS Catalina. Another good news is that you can run Windows on any Apple MacBook Laptop.
9. CD ROM
Laptops these days do not come with CD ROM or DVD Drive. This is to make the laptops lighter and slimmer. This implies that you can not insert a DVD Plate into your Laptop directly. However, you can use flash drives to copy files and install any software of your choice. You can as well buy external CD Rom.
On the other hand, if you totally hate the idea of a laptop not having its own CD Drive, then look out for this feature before buying a laptop this year.
10. Other Features You Like
Apart from the Laptop features listed above, there are certain laptop specifications that may appeal to you as an individual. They may be minor or major, but make sure you go for them. Nothing boosts confidence like having a laptop that can meet all your need.
Other Features you Like Could Be:
- Keyboard list
- Toucscreen
- Powerful Speakers
- Keyboard Layout
- Laptop Color
- Brand Logo
- Add your own…
How Much Do You Have For A Laptop?
This is the amount you are willing to spend on a Laptop. Before you fall in love with any Laptop, ask yourself, is my money enough to buy this Laptop?
Don’t worry if you don’t have much money. Whether it is Seventy Thousand Naira (#70,000) you have, Hundred Thousand Naira (#100,000), Two hundred Thousand Naira (N200,000) or Two Million Naira (N2,000,000), there is a good Laptop for you on this list. Remember, what is not in your pocket should not be in your budget.
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