The development of the personal computer is one of the most significant technological achievements in the past century. Considering that early computers required entire rooms to fit the equipment needed. The growth and commercialization of standard computers is simply astonishing.
In this latest entry of Fing Insights, we take a closer peek into the computer’s smaller form-factor friend, the laptop.
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Laptops: A Fing Overview
By looking at the Fing data, we instantly see quite a diverse landscape for laptops. The graph shows that the category is so competitive that industry powerhouses like Apple didn’t make the top 10 in our 30-day review.
Dell’s Latitude Series Sweeps the Rest
An immediately recognizable pattern when analyzing our laptop data was the repeated appearance of the Dell Latitude. Within the top 10 of our 30-day review, a record six Dell-manufactured laptops appeared, all of which were branded Latitude. These also accumulated almost 125,000 recognitions collectively, the most by any brand. The obvious is clear, Fing users trust the brand over other household names. However, the notion goes further and suggests that the Latitude series is more appealing than even other Dell brands, such as the Inspiron and Precision series.
While Latitude is a staple of the Dell brand, our research found that the oldest of these six devices were two released just in January 2021. Therefore, we suspect the popularity of Dell laptops isn’t due to longevity but more likely due to their suite of features, affordability, and overall reliability. Another possibility is that due to the Covid restrictions in 2021 and the advent of work-from-home, some brands and models made more financial sense than others.
Overall, the most recognized laptop in our review was the Latitude 5420, with over 38,000 recognitions. The second most recognized was its ‘big brother’, the Latitude 5430, registering over 26,000. These two are also the oldest in our review, as mentioned above, released in January 2021.
Whatever the actual reason behind Latitude’s popularity, the fact that it consistently remains in the top 10 suggests it’s not by chance.
Want to know more about the Dell Latitude 5420? Learn how to upgrade it like a pro!
HP’s EliteBook Stakes its Own Claim
Our top 10 contains household names within the world of computers, and Hewlett-Packard is no exception. Two of its EliteBook series, the 845 G8 Notebook and the 845 G7 Notebook, respectively. Collectively, both generated nearly 35,000 recognitions in our 30-day review. That is noteworthy as these were the only two HP laptops within the top 10.
The presence of the G7 and G8 also continues the trend of Fing users preferring relatively recent laptops over older models from the previous decade. The G7 came out in late 2020, while the G8 launched around a year later. This should come as no surprise due to the tendency of consumers to keep devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops up to date.
Curious about the HP EliteBook 840 G8? Discover useful tips showing how to change system settings or boot from a device.
Surface Keeps Pace, ThinkPad Impresses
It’s important to remind ourselves that although Microsoft’s overall presence in the top 10 is humble, considering its reputation, each laptop within the list still operates on Windows. That feels like an even more significant win for Microsoft as Apple’s devices are further away from the leading group.
The Surface Laptop 4, released in April 2021, registered nearly 12,000 recognitions in our review. Though this was the lowest within the top 10, it beat the likes of the M1 MacBook Air, Latitude 7430, and EliteBook 840 G8 Notebook to make the list.
The only pre-2020 laptop to make our top 10 was Lenovo’s ThinkPad T490, released in 2019. The T490 accumulated over 15,000 recognitions, helping it land in 7th.
Do you want to upgrade your Surface Laptop 4 experience? Check out the best accessories to pair it with.
Apple’s Absence Points to Healthy Competition
A critical talking point we’ve established is the lack of presence from Apple’s MacBook series. The M1 MacBook Air, with over 10,000 recognitions, was closest to threatening the Surface 4’s spot at 10th, falling short by under 2,000. Surprisingly, no other MacBook had a significant footing by comparison.
There are several possibilities for this outcome. The most obvious is that Fing users prefer Windows laptops to their Mac counterparts. By comparison, the relative affordability of Windows laptops is equally worth considering. Though not explicitly clear during our review of available data, the user-friendly experience for gaming on Windows could also be a key factor.
The truth may lie between these possibilities and more. The reality is that due to the undeniable popularity of MacBooks in the mainstream consumer market, seeing them face impactful competition in the Fing landscape is reassuring.
If you’re on Team macOS, check out all the features and changes on the upcoming macOS Sonoma.
Key Takeaways
Our 30-day review registered over 185,000 recognitions for the top 10 most popular laptops. As already confirmed, each of these devices was a Windows-based machine. Furthermore, the oldest of these was released just four years ago. These facts show that Fing users prioritize relatively affordable and recent laptops on the Windows ecosystem over alternatives.
It’s important to note that while gaming is considered a prevalent use case for laptops, no dedicated gaming laptops came close to our top 10. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean those on that list aren’t used for such activities. The most obvious possibility for the lack of dedicated gaming laptops found on our list falls under the premise of affordability. Due to the more powerful and advanced components of gaming laptops, it’s unsurprising that they’re also more of a niche compared to their mainstream counterparts.
In the ever-evolving world of technology, we continue to see wonderful and sometimes strange innovations. However, some technologies are staples of that world. The laptop firmly falls in that category. From its days of weighing as much as sturdy gym equipment to newer iterations weighing less than one kilogram, this is a technology we expect to remain relevant.
