Tech Advisor – October 2019

52 TECH ADVISOR • OCTOBER 2019

BUYING GUIDE

without breaking your back when you carry it around.

Both types are available.

Some compromises are inevitable if you want a

thinandlightlaptop,though.There’slessspacefor

abattery, so it’s typical to find shorter runtimes.

Thin laptops tend to have shallow key travel, so

if youneedtodoa lotoftypingreadourreviewsto

findout whether a keyboard is a joy or a pain to use.

Warranty and other considerations

We recommend all the laptops here: there isn’t a duff

oneamongthem.Noneis perfectthough,andwhat

willbest suit your needs might not be the device

ranked at number one.

Battery life and warranty vary between laptops.

The latter may differ depending on where you buy

the laptop from, too. John Lewis, for example, tends

to offer a longer warranty than its rivals. After-sales

service is something you should consider for everything

you buy. Check whether the company has a UK-based

support line, and forums (including our own) are an

idealplacetoascertainwhethera manufactureris

goodor bad at carrying out work under warranty.

Whenyou’veboughta newlaptop,besuretotake

afew minutes to configure it, so you can track your

laptop should it ever be stolen or lost.

1. HP Envy 13 (2019)
   Price: £899 from fave.co/2y4V6JD

The HP Envy 13 has been one of the best lower-cost

alternatives to a MacBook for several years. You get a