The 5 laptop features worth paying extra for, plus 3 you can ignore

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Buying a laptop is hard. There are hundreds of options available, and even after you narrow things down to a certain brand or model, you're faced with a dizzying number of configurations.

Take, for example, the HP OmniBook 3 , a laptop I recently reviewed. My review unit came equipped with a Snapdragon X chipset. HP also sells versions with an Intel N10 processor and 4GB of RAM, the same processor with 8GB of RAM, another with an Intel N250 chip, and another with the Intel Core 3 N355. And that's just one laptop.

Also: The best Windows laptops: Expert tested and reviewed

Most people don't need the most powerful model available, but certain upgrades are absolutely worth paying extra for. The right features will provide a superior user experience for years. After reviewing countless laptops, these are the features worth spending extra on, along with those you should skip.

RAM is the easier laptop upgrade to justify since it affects nearly every aspect of a computer. Modern software is more resource-hungry than ever, especially if you're running multiple browser tabs alongside apps like Spotify, Slack, Zoom, and Photoshop. As your workload becomes more demanding, the benefits of having that extra memory become apparent.

Also: How much RAM does your PC need? My advice after using Windows and Mac for years

I've argued that 16GB of RAM should be considered the practical baseline for laptops. It gives systems enough headroom for everyday tasks and prevents sluggishness. If you're a content creator, gamer, programmer, or just someone who regularly has heavy workloads, upgrading to 32GB is the better investment. It provides extra breathing room for demanding tasks and may extend your computer's lifespan.

If you're going to spend all day staring at a laptop screen, you might as well make it a good one. More of your experience is tied to the display quality than most users realize.

A bright, color-accurate panel will significantly improve your experience. Text looks sharper, streaming content appears more vibrant, plus they make certain creative tasks, like photo and video editing, more reliable. High accuracy means you can trust that what you see on screen will match the finished product. An inaccurate display panel makes precise edits more challenging. You can't trust what you see.

For most users, I recommend spending a little extra on a better panel. For example, a 1440p or 2K resolution will look great. Visual output is more vibrant, detailed, and brighter than your bog-standard 1080p screen, which is typically the baseline. If you want to go even further, a 3K or higher display will feel like a premium user experience.