Laptop buy

Smartphones and tablets are getting more and more powerful – did you know that modern smartphones have more computing power than all of NASA when it put the first men on the moon? - and capable of handling a huge range of personal and professional tasks.

However, nothing offers the flexibility and firepower of a good laptop for more heavy-duty use. Whether you’re editing videos, building spreadsheets, or battling zombies, a laptop is a much more practical gadget.

The huge variety of laptops available can cause a bit of a headache, with so many models catering to so many different needs. It’s not just about CPU and RAM [we’ll get to those]; storage, screen, operating system and many other features are all key factors in the purchase decision. We’ll get to those too!

We’ll take a closer look at some of the complicated stuff, and we’ve also picked out some of our top recommendations for laptops in 2022 for students, gamers, creatives and working professionals.

Before we get to the fancy features and different designs, first things first – what are you going to be using your laptop for?

Are you a creative type who needs an excellent display and a great processor for content editing, or a hardcore gamer looking for the latest graphics card? A professional power user who needs a lightweight laptop with excellent battery life for working on long journeys? A student on a budget who simply needs a mid-range machine for researching and writing all those essays - and that won’t crash at the crucial moment?

Decide what your priorities are, and this will determine what specs and features are the most important.

The second step is deciding your budget! Spending over SG$1000 will get you top-of-the-range features and ensure your laptop will last a few years keeping up with the latest models. If you’re looking for cheaper laptop options, you can still get great value for money around the SG$600-700 mark. We’ve picked out our favourite budget laptop below!

And remember, you can compare prices of the best laptops right here on iPrice, with great deals and offers from the leading online sellers in Singapore!

Laptop Design & Display

Laptops come in two categories: clamshells and 2-in-1s. Clamshells are the traditional designs that open and close on a hinge; 2-in-1s come with a foldable or detachable keyboard and a touchscreen that lets you use your laptop as a tablet, for added flexibility.

MacOS [on Apple computers] doesn’t have touchscreen support, so if you want a 2-in-1 model, Microsoft or Chrome machines are your only option. That said, an iPad Pro with a detachable keyboard will offer laptop-like levels of performance and processing power – but is still a tablet that runs iOS, a mobile operating system, not MacOS, Apple’s computer system.

Bear in mind that the ‘form factor’ will determine the overall performance of your laptop. The hardware has to go somewhere, after all. So, a clamshell has a bulkier build, but better specs, while with a 2-in-1, you’re sacrificing some processing power for portability.

2-in-1s are also generally more expensive, and you’ll get more value for money in terms of performance from a traditional design if you don’t want or need that added tablet functionality.

Life’s a game of inches. So is sizing up your laptop! A laptop’s size is determined by its screen, so a ‘13.3-inch laptop’ means that the display measures 13.3” diagonally from one corner to the other. Different sizes work for different situations, and here’s a quick guide to the different laptop sizes typically available:

The screen resolution – or, the quality of the picture on display – is also very important. These days, you shouldn’t be looking at anything less than 1920x1080 [Full HD] resolution.

Some laptops will offer 4K resolution for an incredible viewing experience – but if you’re on a budget, and don’t necessarily need the extra pixels, you can save yourself some money and avoid the extra expense. If you’re a content creator or a movie buff with the money to spend, then you should spend it; text is sharp, colours are brilliant, and even blacks are somehow ‘blacker’. You really will see the difference.

If you’re a gamer, make sure to check out the refresh rates to ensure a smooth and responsive gameplay experience. The higher the refresh rate, the better.

Operating System

Your operating system [OS] will make the biggest difference in your day-to-day use, with three OS to choose from: MacOS [exclusively Apple], Chrome OS [exclusively Chromebooks] and Microsoft [exclusively … pretty much everything else].

It generally comes down to a matter of personal taste, but if you’re upgrading your laptop for the first time in a while, or spending big on a new upgrade, it pays to be aware of the differences.

Windows 10

Windows is the most common operating system and supports a huge range of models, features and systems, from tablets to touchscreens to various graphics chips and games. It’s most popular with business users [although you can get the Microsoft Office suite, such as Word and PowerPoint, for MacOS] and gamers [who should only be looking at laptops that run Microsoft].

Essentially, Windows is the most flexible operating system which gives you access to the most software, the most games, and the most laptop models [and designs] on the market.

MacOS

If you have other Apple hardware at home, like an iPhone or iPad, you should strongly consider an Apple MacBook if it’s within your budget [there aren’t exactly many “cheap” Apple laptop models on the market]. MacOS offers excellent connectivity to iOS, such as using AirDrop to move files from your phone to your laptop with ease, controlling Keynote presentations from your phone, and syncing all your files through iCloud. As ever with Apple, the hardware and software are fully and completely integrated and optimised for an outstanding user experience. The new M1 chip is a game-changer in terms of performance, too. The downsides: MacOS doesn’t support touchscreen, and games are much more limited.

Chromebook

This is Google’s operating system designed specifically to run on budget-friendly Chromebooks. It’s effective and easy to use, but as you might expect from an OS supplied by an internet giant – most apps don’t work particularly well offline. In general, Chromebooks are popular with parents [security] and students [affordability]. If you just want a well-functioning machine for general internet use, such as email and social media, plus some productive output like documents and spreadsheets, you could do a lot worse than a Chromebook.

The Central Processing Unit [CPU] is the brains of your machine: the key component in accessing, handling and executing data and tasks. In the CPU arena, Intel vs AMD is as big a debate as Apple vs Android. It gets very technical, but if you really want to get into the details, check out this useful guide. Recently, Intel has taken the crown, and can be found in all laptop brands [even Apple, until they recently introduced their own M1 chip]. Most mid-range laptops will use Intel’s i5 or i7 chips, with the i9 series supplying seriously heavy-duty processing power [like large-scale video editing] to top-of-the-range machines. You might also find the AMD Ryzen 5 or 7 CPUs, though these are less common in laptops.

Graphics [GPU]

A Graphics Processing Unit, you might have guessed, generates the graphics that you see on screen. Most laptops have integrated graphics cards, which are built into the CPU and absolutely acceptable for day-to-day use. If you’re a gamer, a professional video editor, or even creating 3D models, you should definitely look for a ‘discrete’ GPU, which has its own processing power and offers a massive advantage over integrated graphics chips.

Memory

Random Access Memory [RAM] is hardware which temporarily stores information to enable current tasks, such as running several programs at once. Many tabs, windows and programs open at the same time? That’s RAM. The more RAM, the more you can multitask, basically. Look for at least 8GB RAM for a comfortable user experience, and if you’re using your laptop for more intensive applications, such as editing or gaming, you should be aiming for at least 16GB.

Other things to consider:

• System Storage: applications, system updates and photo/video content take up more and more space these days, so look for at least 256GB storage space on your machine. Some models will offer up to 1TB at the high end, but a solid state drive this big will be very expensive; it’s better to get a 256GB or 512GB and buy an external hard drive instead.
• Battery Life: look for at least 8-9 hours of battery life. Of course, this will change depending on your use, but you should set a decent benchmark to begin with.
• Ports: connection ports will vary greatly by machine, so it’s important to know what you expect to be plugging into your laptop without needing to buy extra dongles. Even in this wireless age, many gamers insist on a wired Ethernet port for the most stable internet connection; students and their USB drives will need USB ports; anyone looking for video output will need an HDMI connector. USB Type-C connections are becoming more and more common, so this might be worth considering to ‘future-proof’ your laptop [at least for a few years].

iPrice Picks: Best Laptops in Singapore in 2022

Plenty to think about, then – and to be honest, I’ve barely scratched the surface. You could spends hours and hours researching and comparing all of the technical specs and new graphics cards and fancy operating system features. On the one hand, you should, because a laptop is a big investment. On the other, if you want to save some time [and money!], I’ve picked out my five favourite laptops in a few different categories, which are available at great prices right here on iPrice! Do some research to be sure, and make sure to get the best deal here, where we compare prices from all leading online retailers.

Best Overall Laptop – DELL XPS 13

Ultra-thin, extremely portable, made with premium materials and packing a powerful processor and great battery life – the Dell XPS 13 is a superb choice. The bezel-less display, known as ‘InfinityEdge’, is outstanding, with sharp colours even under direct sunlight. The 10th Generation Intel Core i7 processor is a joy to work with, too.

Best Laptop for Students – ASUS VivoBook S15 S533

This beautiful machine, available in a range of bold colours, is a slim, stylish and smart choice for students. It’s great value for good performance, includes fast charging [so you can give the battery some juice while you’re rushing to get ready for lectures], has a great display, and useful features like dual-storage and even a fingerprint sensor.

Best Laptop for Gaming – Razer Blade 15

The Razer Blade 15 has long been one of the most popular gaming laptops on the market, and they just keep making it better and better. With an exceptional i7 processor, outstanding refresh rate of up to 144Hz, and high customisation options on the keys and graphics in ‘Gaming Mode’, the Razer Blade 15 is an essential weapon in the PC gamer’s armoury. Professional creative types will enjoy the processing power when it comes to high-resolution video editing, too.

P.S. We have a more in-depth guide to gaming laptops in Singapore available here!

Best Laptop for Creative Use – Apple MacBook Air M1

The brand-new Apple M1 chip – which blows the competition out the water – makes the 2020 MacBook Air a very sensible investment indeed. Yes, the MacBook Pro family [also featuring the new chip] has traditionally been aimed at creative power users, but with an 8-core GPU and 16GB RAM available on the MacBook Air, you’ll breeze through video editing tasks. And boy, does that video look good on the Retina display. Great battery life and an all-round stunning design [hey, it’s Apple, after all] make this an excellent choice.

Best Budget Laptop – ACER Swift 1

It looks good, it lasts long, it performs well, and it’s very affordable – what's not to like? The ACER Swift 1 is a great option for students, or even a back-up option for home or work. It’s not suitable for gaming, creative editing and so on – but you wouldn’t expect it to be.

So - what's the best laptop in Singapore this year? Well, that's up to you ...

With so many models, brands, features, and even prices to figure out, choosing a new laptop can be an overwhelming experience. Start with working out what you’ll be using your laptop for, which will influence your budget, your operating system, and so on. When it comes to price, make sure to check out the latest offers on the best laptop brands right here on the iPrice catalogue, which is constantly updated with the best deals from trusted online retailers in Singapore!