Hey all, I’ve been looking to buy a new laptop, my budget is £300-£400, I’m based in the UK – so UK based outlets / amazon etc.
So my requirements - Windows based – 10 preinstalled – not free upgrade (not sure if there is any difference). I want to use it for Word /Email / Web browsing (4-5 open tabs) / photo management / YouTube / Netflicks etc.
No plan to play games. No plan to use inbuilt speakers Would like 15 inch screen Laptop will always be powered from mains, so battery life isn’t important.
The Big one – I want a MATTE screen.
I’m having real difficulty identifying Matte screen laptops and I’m totally out of touch with budget laptop processors, i.e. what is good and what to avoid.
Help, links to good articles product suggestions all appreciated. Many thanks!!
Thank you, the problem I'm having is I'm seeing lots that I like, but the screens are gloss and shiny like you say. I think i'm going to write to ASUS and ask!
There's pretty much no difference whether the Win10 is preinstalled or not. If it's got 7 or 8 (/8.1) pre-installed, and you really really want Win 10 then you can just upgrade to it. No big deal. You can either upgrade it through Windows update OR you can grab the ISO, burn it to disc and do a fresh install to get rid of all the bloatware crap that laptops usually have some amount of. Google will help you. I'd also look for a laptop with Pro version of Windows, not Home, especially if you're going to be upgrading it to Windows 10.
But, anyway. Here you go. Skinflint product/price comparison website. Amazing filters. Helps with the black hole that is looking for laptops.. The maze of specifications is annoying. Also if you find an interesting model and want to read reviews, notebookcheck.net is a good place to start (usually at the top in Google search)
The filters I selected are: non-glare LCD 15", Intel CPU + Intel iGPU and SSD (>120GB). Didn't select Windows though, it's unfortunate it's not possible to select multiple OS in there. So individually select the OS and see what's available.
And if you wonder about the SSD, even for office use, SSD is a nice to have feature and would be my choice. Programs open up quickly and so on.. Productivity instead of waiting for programs to open up :D And for office use, 128GB SSD is more than enough. And sometimes the SSD is a m.2 drive, so there's a spare 2.5" slot for HDD inside if you wish to add more storage down the line, like see below.
Like here's a really nice looking laptop in my opinion. The HP Probook 450 G3 that's under 400£ incl. VAT with MATTE screen.