Whether you're buying your first laptop or replacing your old one, there are lots of factors to consider in order to pick the right model for you. The intimidating number of products available on the market, each with hundreds of features and specs, often makes it difficult to find the best laptop for your needs.

This guide will help you choose and buy the best laptop in 2021 by showing you the most important features to look into and the questions you should ask yourself before making a purchase.

Start with the basics

If you want to find the best laptop in what looks like a haystack of microchips, the first question you need to answer is what your actual needs are. Most people only use their laptops for tasks such as browsing the Internet, sending emails, and watching TV shows and movies.

If that's the case, the good news is that almost all new laptops on the market will do what you need them to. At the same time, it's difficult to discern between models and features. Should you get expensive and desirable, or cheap and cheerful?

A good all-around laptop that you can use for work applications such as presentations and spreadsheets while also having no problems watching on-demand services such as Netflix typically starts at about $500. 

If you're looking for a laptop that allows you to play video games or edit photos and videos without a hitch, you should expect to pay over $1,000. As with most things in life, the more you spend, the better quality and experience you will get, so it's up to you to determine whether that experience matters.

Consider what specs you need

Once you have decided what you're going to use the laptop for, it's time to look at the specs. The most important specifications to look for include:

• CPU — a fast CPU allows your computer to process different tasks and programs without slowdowns or any lag. It's a good idea to invest in a computer that comes with at least an i5 processor or equivalent.
• RAM — this is another component that helps users enjoy a lag-free experience. Unlike in the case of other components, you can add extra sticks of RAM to many laptops.
• GPU — the graphics processing unit is an important spec to consider if you're interested in gaming. Most laptops have integrated graphics chips attached to the CPU. That's more than enough if you only need the laptop for general purposes. If you're interested in gaming, you need a model with a separate GPU.

Find the best laptop deals for 2021

Once you have decided what type of laptop would be a good choice for you, it's time to look at the best cheap laptop deals currently available online. 

You can use websites such as TechRadar.com or TomsGuide.com to browse the latest deals from online stores such as Best Buy, Walmart, and many others. 

Deals websites make it easy to filter through hundreds and thousands of laptops to find one that ticks all your boxes, ranging from budget to specifications.

Most websites that bring you the best deals on laptops from major sellers also have comprehensive buying guides available, making it easy for you to find the best model from brands such as Lenovo, Asus, Apple, Samsung, Acer, Dell, and many more.

Here are some of the best deals to look out for:

1. Samsung Chromebook 4 11.6-inch Laptop:

$199.99 reduced from $229.99 at Walmart

With a small screen size and 4GB of RAM, this Samsung Chromebook is ideal if you're looking for a highly portable machine for light browsing.

2. Lenovo S345 14-inch Touch Screen Chromebook:

$269 reduced from $329 at Best Buy

You can save $60 on this laptop that comes with a 14" touch screen and an AMD Radeon R5 processor. This is an excellent choice if you're looking for a larger screen for everyday browsing.

3. Lenovo - Yoga 7i 14" Touch Screen 2-in-1 Laptop:

$779.99 reduced from 1.029.99 at Best Buy

If you're looking for a bit more power, this Lenovo laptop definitely fits the bill. It has an Intel Evo Platform Core i7 and 12 GB of RAM, so you can use it comfortably for much more than simple browsing. 

4. Dell G3 15 Laptop:

$649.99 reduced from $859.99 at Dell

Gamers looking for a smashing deal will find this Dell laptop a great proposition. This laptop has a pretty good price for having a Core i5-10300 processor and a GTX 1650 Ti graphics card.

5. HP - Spectre x360 15.6" 4K UHD Touch-Screen 2-in-1 Laptop:

$1,399.99 reduced from $1,599.99 at Best Buy

This laptop from HP has a 4K screen that comes in handy for those doing photo or video editing. It also boasts 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD for all the power and storage space you need for your projects.

Save money by buying your laptop from the US

If you don't live in the US but you're tempted by the excellent prices available for laptops in US stores, the good news is that it's easy to buy a new laptop from the US and have it shipped internationally. 

With Forwardme, you can easily purchase anything you want from the US and get your items shipped to over 220 countries across the world. Forwardme gives you your own U.S. address, free package processing, flexible shipping options, and real-time shipment tracking. With this service, you also benefit from US sales tax-free shopping, which means you pay no US tax. Also, you can enjoy the shipping discounts that Forwardme provides.

Bottom line

Laptop prices in the U.S. are typically lower than in many other countries in the world, which is why many people prefer to buy their new laptops from the U.S. with Forwardme. You can enjoy the same prices for laptops as U.S. residents and have your new computer shipped virtually anywhere in the world without any hassle.