How To Pick The BEST Laptop Specs For Work From Home + Laptops Under 30K

Jobstreet content team – updated on 29 July, 2022

What’s better than working from home? Getting to do it while still enjoying the privileges of working at an office, of course! For most, these include unlimited air-conditioning, the chance to interact with colleagues, and free equipment. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case for new and experienced home-based workers alike. Particularly, when it comes to equipment.

If you are starting a home-based career or finding ways to improve your current experience, having a laptop that works is a make or breaker. This is why you can never escape the subject of choosing the best laptop specs for work from home.

Also read: These 10 Work-From-Home Essentials Will Help You Boost Productivity

Why Should You Use Laptop Over Desktop?

Working from home should be about freedom. Freedom to get things done in your own space. Freedom to move around when circumstances call for it. And for those who equate remote work to a life of freelancing, even the freedom to choose the way you earn your money. The first step to achieving that freedom is investing in a device that stands exactly for all these—a laptop that you can bring anywhere.

Imagine the following scenarios:

Your electricity or Internet connection at home gets disrupted by a blackout and other technical issues. How can you continue your work?
You are required to attend an event or visit a location where you can still continue your tasks. How will you juggle them?
You have a meeting that requires you to be in a quieter room with minimal distractions. Where are you likely to go?

In all of these cases, it would be unlikely and inconvenient at best to only rely on a desktop. Sure, it comes in a variety of sizes and innovations. But a well-rounded gadget that’s not only equipped with the specs of a laptop that you need. But also, physically handy to carry around will almost always do the job. If you can save enough money, of course, you can even use both for more flexibility!

Laptop Specs For Work From Home

Even for someone who’s used to working remotely, discussing laptop requirements for work from home isn’t as easy as it sounds. Mainly because work requirements can change just as often as tech companies upgrade their laptops to adjust to consumers’ needs. But even through all of that, there are a few specs that you must always watch out for when choosing a laptop for you, namely:

1. CPU

You can’t talk about laptops without starting with the “brains” of the device itself. When it comes to processors, Intel Cores are superior. Go for something in the range of Core i5 or higher. The better the processor, the more and faster you can get things done! Even if you will only be performing basic tasks such as typing, it’s always a good idea to give an allowance. Don’t limit yourself to the kinds of work you can do.

2. RAM

Same with CPU, the higher your laptop’s memory is, the more efficient it tends to be. The RAM is responsible for storing and accessing information on your laptop, so you will want something that offers at least 8GB of RAM. You can go as far as 32GB, which is ideal when using high-performance applications like photo and video editing. Or, when you need to manage large amounts of data all at once.

3. Storage

A sufficient laptop may provide you with most of the opportunities you need to be productive at work. But like any device, if you don’t take care of it in terms of the data you are storing in your device, it can just as easily break down as its lower-end counterparts. Depending on your need, decide if you’d like either a more affordable hard disk drive (HDD) or a speedier yet more expensive solid state drive (SSD).

4. Battery

Longer battery life equals added portability and flexibility. Even if you do manage to use a laptop to work remotely, it’s all for nothing without a reliable battery. What if you run out of battery in the middle of a meeting and there’s no available plug, whether at home or a cafe for instance? In battery matters, higher Watt-hours (Wh) or milliamp-hours (mAh) will mean that you can use your laptop unplugged for longer periods!

5. Ports

New generations of laptops come with minimal to zero ports. While definitely sleeker in appearance, they are also extremely limiting for people who don’t have the luxury of being able to use a functioning Bluetooth (for transferring data) or touchscreen (for navigating). As much as possible, choose a laptop that has a USB 3.0 or USB-C port, which is one of the most versatile ports to have around.

6. Size

Laptop sizes aren’t the first thing in mind when considering the best laptop to use. But you might want to rethink that. Size determines the display and overall user experience you will get. The safest you’ll want to go for is between 12 and 13 inches, and a weight of 1.5 to 2kg. That makes your laptop easier to carry around, especially when traveling for work. As for quality, opt for those with full HD or 1080p resolution.

7. Connectivity

Having a laptop to perform your tasks is one thing, being able to use one to communicate and transfer information is another! Whether it’s at your house or a public space, connecting to the most accessible Wi-Fi isn’t always the safest. If your budget allows, invest in a laptop with Wi-Fi 6 support, a more stable alternative to the simpler 802.11ac. Alternatively, choose one that offers 4G LTE or 5G support.

Also read: Get Your Tech Skills Ready For The Job Market

Laptop Under Php 30,000 in the Philippines

So you finally have an idea of the top laptop requirements for work from home in terms of specifications. What’s next? It’s time to upgrade your laptop, if your current one appears to be lacking in most of the above specs, that is. While it’s good to invest in more expensive models which are traditionally the better-performing ones, you can still get one that’s within your means.

The following laptops, for example, tick many of the criteria above but guess what, you can get them for only under Php 30,000, a safe budget for buying laptops in the Philippines.

ASUS X409: One of the rare budget laptops to sport an Intel Core i7 processor, the ASUS X409 also features a high-definition display known as the NanoEdge. It has up to 16GB 2400MHz RAM and a dual-storage design with both 512GB PCIe SSD and 1TB HDD.
Infinix INbook X1: An Intel Core i5-1035G1, a 14-inch full HD display, and an 8GB RAM are just a few of the things to be excited about the Infinix INbook X1. Not just that, it comes with Wi-Fi 6 support for hassle-free connectivity and a multi-touch touchpad with a fingerprint sensor for added security.
Acer Aspire 5 A514-54: Although using an Intel Core i3, the Acer Aspire 5 doesn’t fall short on its display in other specs. With its 14-inch full HD display, you can get sharp visuals that are smooth on the eyes, up to 256GB SSD, and as a bonus, striking exterior colors!
Lenovo Ideapad 3 15”: You can never go wrong with any of Lenovo’s Ideapad laptops, including the Ideapad 3. At 15 inches, it’s a great everyday-use laptop that’s great for multi-tasking. You can get it with either an Intel or AMD processor, plus 8 GB worth of memory.
HP 14s: One of the most affordable laptops you can buy, the HP 14s features an AMD Ryzen 3 5300U processor. It’s also among the lightest at just 1.47kg and already comes with Windows 11 Home. Most impressively, it has a battery life of up to 10 hours and 30 minutes!