Hi Team, looking for the best low cost laptop with a good battery life for travel.
HDMI port essential. Chromebook I am considering as they are very low cost and no frills, but just want to know that I could use a VPN, watch movies through the HDMI port, happy to Google Docs/Sheets online etc.
Are their any cons to Chromebooks? Will they last for a shorter period in terms of operating system vs Windows?
Thanks in advance!
Ubuntu
Its been roughly 15+ years since I even messed around with ubuntu, and back then it was …KIND of user friendly…but kind of not - even for someone who was very tech literate but familiar with windows.
I assume things have changed a lot?
6 months ago I installed ubuntu-mate on a 2011 macbook air, and it worked, mostly lol. MacOS was way too laggy on it.
That was my first real experience with Linux and Umate was quite easy to use, coming from someone who 99% of the time uses windows.
Ubuntu is very user friendly but surely Windows OS on a second hand laptop would be fine as well?
ubuntu is certainly very user friendly compare among those linux distros, but for the fact half of the linux software you need you will have to install via apt and configure it via terminal/nano.
this is coming from a graduated master of computer science student who have used ubuntu daily for machine learning course/researching.
It's not that I can't operate the OS, it's just troublesome.
wouldn't recommend using linux as daily driver unless you have issue with both Windows/Mac.
I use a refurb XPS for travel. 2016ish model. Only cost me a few hundred bucks and I've been carting it around for 3ish years.
I wouldn't bother buying a new laptop for the use you've described.
Agree. There are regular deals for refurb laptops on here that would easily meet your needs.
You will also get the benefit of enterprise grade hardware, rather than consumer.
If you include an extra $60 or so to buy a new non-OEM battery, you end up with a top of the line machine from a few years ago.
Get full disk encryption in some way. And I've just looked it up - that's already done for you with a Chromebook. Easy enough to do too with a Windows laptop but needs extra steps - Windows Pro with Bitlocker or Veracrypt..
https://www.howtogeek.com/659499/traveling-bring-a-chromeboo…
Get either a 13.5 3x2 or a 14 16x10 laptop.
That will give you enough room to run 2 screens side by side.
There isn't much point getting any bigger - and small will mean a drop in productivity (no 2 apps on the same screen).
Try and mininise the bezel and for that size you can get a touch screen / 360 so can use as a tablet.
Hi,
Just a thought.
Consider buying a cheap second hand laptop off gumtree or similar, and then install your favourite favour of Linux onto it. Don't know Linux start with Ubuntu. Then when your laptop gets broken by airport security or stolen it's not as big a hit to the pocket.