My advice is to look at the parts of a laptop you can't change. These are the things that you will regret the most when you use it. For me, a crisp keyboard is

My advice is to look at the parts of a laptop you can't change. These are the things that you will regret the most when you use it. For me, a crisp keyboard is essential, and it's also one of the pieces where you don't have much choice once you've bought it. Same with the pointing device if you're using it in strictly laptop mode. My job laptop and my personal laptop are two different brands, and it's such a relief to go back to my personal laptop at the end of the day, mainly due to the keyboard and mouse. Screen resolution is also very important. Yeah, you can replace your screens with something better down the line, but it can be costly and it's probably better to get what you need up front. You can generally get a larger battery (or a second battery); unless you do a lot of walking, portability may conflict with usability of the computer (tiny screen, cramped keyboard).