A 1920x1080-pixel resolution (Full HD) should be considered if you want plenty of space to line up windows and keep things in view.

12.5 to 14-inch screens will offer the best balance between usability and portability. Alongside with that, 1920x1080-pixel resolution (Full HD) should be considered if you want plenty of space to line up windows and keep things in view.

The CPU is the brain of the laptop. For simple tasks like surfing the web or writing an e-mail, we'd recommend a dual-core processor. Basically, the more cores you have, the more expensiveas well as the better the performance it will be.

Don’t skimp on battery life! 8+ hours of battery life is ideal if you plan to take your laptop anywhere at all.

Laptop keyboards can vary wildly in quality, too. If you can't try out the keyboard in a shop, you should at least read some reviews to see if there are any major problems.

These days, you’ll probably want to think about 8GB as a minimum. If you’re a power-user, 16GB is the right way to go.