Having the right laptop for blogging is very important as the work requires long screen time and excellent Internet connectivity. Though almost any laptop can be used for blogging, but the right one will give you an edge in your productivity. Think of it as the right business investment for your profession. Like all other professionals, bloggers also have specific needs from their laptops. If you have a team of bloggers or content writers, then it’s important to choose the right laptop configuration for them.

You are wrong if you think blogging is nothing but editing or working on a bunch of .doc files that can be done using any cheap entry-level or refurbished ten-year-old CPU. To become a successful blogger, one must continuously research keywords and subject info. No matter how unique your idea is, there will always be others who have already posted on the same topic. So, to create plagiarism-free, informative, and engaging content, you have to research a lot. Unlike academic or scientific lab research, content research takes place entirely online. So, using multiple browsers, opening dozens of tabs simultaneously, and testing apps, websites, and even the latest games are a regular part of the job. To work smoothly, you need decent processing power, which can deal with multitasking, editing, and video streaming all at the same time.

Minimum Specs for Successful Blogging

Some bloggers also develop their own blogging sites that call for using platforms like WordPress, Joomla, etc., which need standard processing power to run correctly. Using multiple social media sites, streaming platforms and search engines is natural for bloggers. You might add playing Spotify in the background to keep yourself calm and motivated, which also requires CPU power.

CPU: For a blogging laptop in 2022, you should go with the latest-gen Intel Core i3 or i5 CPU. For AMD fanboys, the latest-gen Ryzen 3 CPUs are just enough for the job. Do not opt for refurbished or second-hand laptops, and never opt for an old OS like Windows 7 or XP. Bloggers need to be creative to stay productive. Latest OS will ease their computation and help them stay focused on creative thinking.

RAM: To operate multiple applications, navigating through dozens of opened tabs simultaneously calls for severe memory allocations. Without 8 GB RAM, a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC will not work smoothly for blogging needs. Cloud-based platforms are commonly used by bloggers like Google Drive, WordPress, AWS, etc., which occupy a decent amount of RAM to work flawlessly. For research and testing purposes, bloggers often use Emulator apps, like Bluestacks, and Virtual machine apps like VMware Workstation. Such apps need decent processing power and a lot of memory to allocate their large paging files.

So, while browsing laptops for blogging, saving a few bucks by choosing Core i3 over i5 might not hurt, but opting for RAM less than 8 GB will undoubtedly disrupt the work. You can initially go with the 8 GB laptops, and after 1-2 years, you should upgrade to 16 GB if you want to use the laptop over the long term.

Battery: A laptop with a dead battery is just a piece of the box with no use. As most bloggers work remotely and often work from anywhere, they need powerful and long-lasting batteries, unlike other professions. The blogging and content writing profession emerged with the emergence of the internet. Quickly, many people recognized the industry opportunities and other parts, including remote working as a freelance blogger working with overseas clients without any hassle, is the nature of the work. While working from home, you might struggle to settle down in a room for long due to various reasons. So, your system needs to be independent of access to direct power all the time. Long battery life is the only solution there.

Bloggers often keep working while attending a picnic in the park or a party at a friend’s place, or even when they’re out for a family vacation. Being ‘on the go enabled’ is a requirement for any successful blogger. So, no matter what, opt for a laptop that provides at least 9+ hours of battery backup, irrespective of your budget. Most HP laptops feature 9+ hours of battery backup life.

Connectivity Features: To stay productive and collaborative all the time, a seamless network connection is another paramount need. Bloggers need access to a decent network connection to ensure that the latest connectivity features are a must. Wifi 6 is the most preferred for bloggers. While working as a team, network connection becomes more important than ever. Other connectivity features like Bluetooth 5.2 are also needed to connect their devices (i.e., keyboard, mouse, earbuds) and stay connected all the time smoothly.

Go For SSD over HDD

Bloggers deal with lots and lots of files. Managing, moving, and navigating all those files will be a better experience if your storage drive performs blazing fast. As any M.2 SSD is 20x or faster than any HDD, SSD is strictly recommended. M.2 SSDs draw 1/10th of power as compared to a typical HDD, so SSD-powered laptops provide longer battery life. SSDs do not have any moving mechanical components, so they do not make noise and help make your laptop silent.

Dedicated GPU is Not a Major Need

You can go for a powerful dedicated graphics card if you want better rendering performance, but if you are not a video game blogger who needs to test video games regularly, you do not need a GPU extensively. Losing the dedicated GPU will save you some budget and improve battery backup a lot.

A Decent Display is Required

Whenever we work with multiple apps and windows, we always wish for a bigger display. So, a 13.3-inch form factor laptop may not be a good fit for some bloggers. Sharing my personal experience, a bigger display is always helpful while multitasking. A 15.6″ display with FHD (1920×1080) resolution will undoubtedly impact the user experience over a smaller 13.3″ display. Moreover, a bright IPS display with 250 nits will benefit working outdoors.

Why Bloggers Need Hardware Level Security Features

Bloggers deal with intellectual properties all the time. So their laptops should feature decent security, which can protect their laptop from any third-party intrusion. Fingerprint sensor, secure Wifi 6 connectivity, and BIOS-level protection are some of the base hardware-level protection features a blogger relies on. Do not overlook the need for security features while buying a blogging laptop for your employees. Data theft from their laptop might harm the company’s interests in multiple ways. HP Privacy Camera is another great feature from HP, protecting the users’ privacy from hackers.

Verdict

Let us summarize the whole discussion regarding budget, brand, and product. Firstly, understand that you do not need to spend a fortune on blogging laptops. So, a budget of ₹30,000 to ₹50,000 is just enough. For brand and product, go for a reliable one that features good built quality, interior, and exterior. Most importantly, choose a brand for which you can get OEM component replacements later and offer extensive customer support throughout the country. For example, I suggest HP Laptop 14s-ef1000TU. It’s powered by Intel Core i3 (11th gen), 8 GB RAM, and 512 GB SSD, with Intel UHD GPU. It also features 8+ hours of battery, modern connectivity, and HP proprietary security features.

Click here to visit the HP Online store for some really great deals on the products discussed above.