Laptops are powerful Personal Computers that makes our lives easier by solving a lot of tasks for us. Below, we are going to look at best laptops in Kenya, features to check for and in this section, we will give recommended features for various users including; students, home use, professionals especially in design, businesses and more.

Laptops are highly preferred for their portability and compact design. Another advantage is that they have power batteries hence they do not have to work only when plugged into power unlike in desktops. If however you are looking for extra powerful machines, you can check best desktops in Kenya and a detailed buying guide over here.

Features to check for in laptops

For you to get the best laptop, you will have to put in some considerations, the considerations should be inline with the intended use of the laptop, below are some features you should not miss to check for.

Processors

In the motherboard of the laptop is the Central Processing Unit(CPU), the main part in the CPU is the processor. This is what mainly determines the performance level of the laptop, this include; speed, multitasking and display.

The most popular Laptops processors are made by Intel. we are hence going to look at processors from this manufacturer. Intel offers the processors in various versions, each version has it’s own capability as we will see below. The major recommended versions include; Intel core i3, Intel core i5, Intel core i7 and Intel core i9.

The following are main features of this generations of processors:

Intel core i3

• Number of physical cores- 2 (dual-core)
• Cache size- 3MB
• Turbo boost- NO
• Graphics- low
• Hyper threading (allowing cores to do different things simultaneously) – Yes
• Speed- 1.30GHz to 3.5GHz

Intel core i5

• Number of physical cores- 2-4 (quad-core)
• Cache size- 3MB-6MB
• Turbo boost- Yes
• Graphics- High
• Hyper threading (allowing cores to do different things simultaneously) – No
• Speed- 1.90GHz to 3.80GHz

Intel core i7

• Number of physical cores- 2-4 (quad-core)
• Cache size- 4MB-8MB
• Turbo boost- Yes
• Graphics- Very High
• Hyper threading (allowing cores to do different things simultaneously) – Yes
• Speed- 2.90GHz to 4.20GHz

Intel core i9

• Number of physical cores- 8 to 18 (tri-core)
• Cache size- 8MB-16MB
• Turbo boost- Yes
• Graphics- Very High
• Hyper threading (allowing cores to do different things simultaneously) – Yes

• Speed- 3.60GHz to 5,30GHz

RAM

Apart from the processor, the laptop performance and speed will also depend on the Random Access Memory. This memory is used to store information needed by the running application/software. The larger the RAM size the more needed data is stored increasing the laptop speed and its task handling capabilities.

A laptop with at least 4GB RAM is recommended, one with 8GB RAM is even better.

Internal storage

The internal storage also referred to as ROM, is also an important feature. The higher the storage the more the data and files you can store. A laptop with at least 500GB is recommended.

Graphics card

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is what converts information from the processor to images on the laptops screen. As we have seen above, Intel processors comes with graphics, some manufacturers will even add more graphic cards improving the image processing. In other models from some brands you can add graphics card of your own.

The high the performance of the graphics card, the better or the smoother the image produced. Nvidia graphic cards are considered to be among the most high performing.

Display

The screen of your computer should be capable of displaying high quality images/videos. A good laptop should have at least 1080p display also known as  Full HD, the best choice is one with 4K/ultra HD display (2160p).

Battery life

The battery should serve for long without needing a recharge. You should check on the batteries MAh rating to know its capability.  The rating can go up to 6000MAh, a good battery can last up to 6 hours when on use.

Ports

Ports ion your laptop will help you connect with other external devices. Below are some of the ports you should check on a laptop:

• USB port- this is mainly used to connect to storage devices such as Flashdisks. also through this port, you can use a USB cable for smartphone tethering and connect to the internet.
• Ethernet port- this mainly is used to connect to WiFi ports through the Ethernet cable to help you access the internet, it can also be used to share between computers through the Ethernet cable and a software such as dukto.
• HDMI port- this port is used to transfer audio and video content maybe from the laptop to TV screen through a HDMI cable.
• Audio ports- a laptop should have both an input and output audio port.

Advance features

Some laptops will come with advance features such as touch screen, rotatable screen or flipping type.

Wireless connection

The hardware of the laptop should allow for use of wireless connection such as WiFi and Bluetooth.

Software you should install when buying your laptop

After buying you laptop, you will realize you need to also buy an operating system and install other applications, some are also bought. Below are some that you should not miss.

Operating System

The operating system is what runs your laptop, unlike in other devices such as smartphones where the OS is installed by the manufacturer, in laptops you will have to buy and install the OS. The most popular in Kenya is Microsoft Windows.

Microsoft Windows

This is very popular OS offered by Microsoft, it is highly preferred since there are a lot of laptop apps available for this Operating system. Windows comes with various versions, each version comes with its own user interface and performance improvements.

The most recommended versions of Windows are; Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. Windows 10 being the latest.

Other laptop OS

Apart from Windows, other Operating System that are used for comptures include MacOS and Linux. The availability of this OS in the Kenyan market might be limited, also the number of laptop apps made for this OS systems are less compared to Windows.

Other software

Apart from the Operating system software, below are some more application which can be considered as desktop apps that you should not miss installing after buying your laptop.

Microsoft office

This is a software that you will have to buy but is very important in a computer. The Software comes with different packages, the most used package is the Microsoft word that is used for typing word documents. The Microsoft office comes with the following packages and uses:

• Microsoft word- word processing.
• Microsoft excel-creating and editing spreadsheet
• Microsoft access- maintaining databases
• Microsoft PowerPoint- creating and showing presentations
• Microsoft OneNote- taking notes
• Microsoft Outlook- managing email and calendars
• The Microsoft office package comes in various versions, each version comes with an improvement in performance and capabilities. Some of the versions include; Microsoft office 2007, Microsoft office 2010, Microsoft office 2016 and Microsoft office 2019.

Video and audio software

Though the Windows OS comes with its own media player, the most preferred player is VLC which is free laptop app that you can download over the internet. Other similar players include portplayer, Kmplayer etc

Depending on your intended use of the computer you will of course need more softwares than the above mentioned which might be free or bought.

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Suggested features for various users

Depending with your intended use of the computer, below are some of the suggested features you should pick.

Disclaimer: These features are just suggestions and are not  recommendation from any manufacturer or professional. You can hence alter your pick depending on your Judgement.

Home use

• Processor- Intel core i5 is suggested, Intel core i3 is still sufficient
  • RAM- at least 4GB RAM, 8GB RAM is recommended
• ROM- 500GB and above
• Display- at least 1080p with 4K recommended.

Students

If your career does not involve use of design softwares, you can pick one with features on the home use. If however you course involves use of design softwares e.g Architecture, Engineering, Fashion design, Graphic design etc you can use the following;

• Processor- Intel core i7 is suggested if your budget allows, Intel core i5 is still sufficient
  • RAM- 8GB RAM is recommended
• ROM- 500GB and above
• Display- at least 1080p with 4K recommended.

Office and small businesses

In most cases, this class is recommended to use desktops, if however you have decided to use a laptop, the following pick is good;

• Processor- Intel core i7 is suggested
  • RAM- 8GB RAM is recommended
• ROM- 500GB and above
• Display- 4K/ Ultra HD recommended.

Professionals and large businesses

Professionals in this class include Architects, Graphic designers and others who use design softwares. In big businesses, you can choose to use desktops because of their robust performance in heavy tasks, however the following laptops can get the job done.

• Processor- Intel core i9 is suggested if your budget allows, Intel core i7 is still sufficient
  • RAM- 8GB RAM is recommended
• ROM- 500GB and above
• Display- 4K/Ultra HD recommended.

Best laptops

After seeing the factors to consider, you can apply the mentioned considerations on this top brands to pick a model that best suits your need.

HP Laptops

This are perhaps the most used laptops in Kenya, they are usually high performing with a pool of models available for you to pick. This includes high display of up to 4k in some models, all Intel cores being available, different large RAMs and large internal storage.

Acer Laptops

Although not as popular as the Hp brand, acer laptops are still something to go by, with high features in each new model manufactured and long service life, you can definitely pick an acer model.

Toshiba Laptops

Just like the above, Toshiba is a global laptops producer that you can consider when doing your picking. With a range of models available, it is highly likely you will find one suiting your need.

Lenovo Laptops

Yet another global producer of laptops with its laptops available in Kenya. Their laptops are usually made to perform any personal requirement and to handle any software.

Dell Laptops

This is a very popular global brand with their laptops and desktops being among the most recommended by most online buying guides hence you can consider doing a pick from this manufacturer.

Above are just but some of the top laptops brands in the market, you will however find even more brands, if you find a model with good user reviews and features that meet your need, you can then pick it. Cheers!!