Newstricky| When the first commercially available laptop was released way back in 1981, it cost about $1,800. That would work out to be more than $5,000 in this day and age!
Fortunately, the cost of a laptop has come down a whole lot since then. You aren’t going to have to break the bank anymore to get your hands on the best low-cost laptop.
So, how much does a laptop cost? Well, it really all depends. While your laptop cost isn’t typically going to be anywhere close to $5,000 anymore, the price that you’ll pay for a laptop will vary based on several different factors.
Today, we’re going to speak with you about some of the factors that will make the price of low-cost laptops go up or down. Take a look at these factors below and make sure to keep them in mind while you’re on the hunt for your next laptop.
Table of Contents
The Type of Laptop That You Want
One of the big reasons why it’s so difficult to answer the question, “How much does a laptop cost?”, definitively is because there are so many different types of laptops out there. When you’re in the market for a laptop, you’ll be able to choose the type that you want.
Some of the types that will be available to you will be:
- General-purpose laptops
- Gaming laptops
- Business laptops
- 2-in-1 laptops0
- Workstation laptops
- And more
The answer to the question, “How much does a general-purpose laptop cost?”, will be different than the answer to the question, “How much does a gaming laptop cost?” A gaming laptop is usually going to be a lot more than a general-purpose one.
You should look around at the different types of laptops to get some sense of what they’re each going to cost you.
The Laptop Brand That You Like
There are upwards of 50 million laptops sold each year in the U.S. alone. Because of this, there are literally dozens of different brands selling laptops these days. They all want to cash in on the laptop craze.
There are some people who will buy a different brand of laptop every time they’re in the market for one. There are others who will stay loyal to one particular brand and only buy laptops from them.
Regardless of which side of the fence you fall on, you should know that different laptop brands are going to sell their laptops for different prices. It’s yet another reason why it can be challenging to answer the question, “How much does a laptop cost?”
The Laptop Size That You’re Looking For
Laptops come in so many different sizes nowadays. You can find everything from ultraportable laptops that are thin and lightweight to gaming laptops that have huge screens and heavy cases with lots of hardware in them.
The laptop size that you choose to go with could play a role in what a laptop will cost you. If you want to invest in a laptop that is either very thin and light or very large and jam-packed with hardware, it might cost you a pretty penny.
It’s why many people decide to buy a laptop that falls somewhere in between these two extremes. They tend to be the low-cost laptops that aren’t going to force you to spend a small fortune on them.
The Laptop Features That You Need
People didn’t use to have a whole bunch of choices when it came to which features came with a laptop. Most computer manufacturers only produced one or two laptop models, so they didn’t go too crazy when adding features to them.
But these days, you can buy laptops that have almost any features you want in them. As a result, you should make it a point to make a list of the features that you want to find in a laptop before shopping around for one.
Just know that the more features that you need in a laptop, the more you’re probably going to have to pay for it. You shouldn’t let this stop you from going for these features anyway. But you should be aware of the toll that they’re going to take on your laptop cost.
The Laptop Processor That You Prefer
The processor that is found in a laptop is going to have a huge impact on how it works. If you don’t have a fast processor in your laptop, you’re going to find that it will almost always lag on you and have a tough time keeping up.
For this reason, you should look for a laptop that has a high-quality processor in it. Something like the Intel Evo processor will work wonders for a laptop and make it faster than you could have ever imagined.
The type of processor that is found in a laptop will affect its total price. But it’s well worth paying a little bit extra for a laptop with a great processor in it. It’ll make a big difference in how you can actually use your laptop once you get your hands on it.
The Laptop Warranty That You Want
After you purchase a new laptop, you don’t want to have to be concerned about having to pay to get it fixed anytime in the near future. If something goes wrong with it, you want the manufacturer of your laptop to cover the costs associated with laptop repairs. Paying for, say, the laptop screen repair cost isn’t going to be something that you’ll enjoy.
The good news is that you can find laptops that come packaged with excellent warranties. They might cost you a little more than those laptops that don’t have great warranties. But you’ll be glad that you bought a laptop with an extended warranty on it the first time that you experience any trouble with your laptop.
The Laptop Seller That You Buy From
When you’re interested in buying a new laptop, there will be lots of places where you can pick one up. You can buy one directly from a laptop manufacturer if you would like. You can also purchase one from one of the many brick-and-mortar or online electronics stores.
No matter which approach you choose to take, you should be sure that you shop around for a laptop at as many places as you can before settling on one. The answer to the question, “How much does a laptop cost?”, is going to change from one seller to the next.
You should try not to be in too huge of a hurry to snatch up the first decent laptop that you can find. By shopping around for a laptop through different sellers, you might be able to get a great deal that could save you hundreds of dollars in the end.
The Laptop Coupons and/or Rebates That You Use
Another thing that you should do as you’re shopping around for a laptop is looking for any laptop coupons and/or rebates that might exist. There are always coupons and rebates floating around out there in the world.
You might be able to find information about laptop coupons and rebates in the circulars in your local newspaper. You might also be able to locate promo codes for laptops online by conducting a simple Google search.
Whatever you do, don’t buy a laptop without at least looking around a little bit for coupons and/or rebates for it. You can singlehandedly change the answer to the question, “How much does a laptop cost?”, by using one.
You might be surprised to see how much money you can save when you have the right coupon or rebate. There are some laptop manufacturers and electronics stores that will extend deals that could save you 20% or more on a laptop when you buy one through them.
It’s Not Always Easy to Answer the Question, “How Much Does a Laptop Cost?”
There are some laptops that will only cost you about $300. There are other laptops that could cost more than the first laptop that was released back in the 1980s. This makes it difficult to find a final answer for the question, “How much does a laptop cost?”
But you should be able to get a better sense of what a laptop will cost you by considering each of the factors listed here. They’re all going to help to decide what you’re going to have to pay for a laptop when you go to buy one. You might be able to tinker with your laptop cost by choosing a laptop that checks all your boxes without going too overboard.
Do you want to read more informative articles about laptops? Look for them by poking around on the rest of our blog.
