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Best Laptops for Architects, Planners and Designers
Technology and Laptops
Technology is changing, transforming, and adapting at a really fast pace in the present times. At the time of this article itself, there would be taking place x number of technological leaps, x number of innovations and x number of new product launches in the market. It is clubbed with the tedious R & D that takes place behind the scenes, where some products do not see the light of the day. The latest piece of tech that one will get their hands on, will get old fairly quickly. But the software updates that are provided by the companies combined with the hardware, the machines are built to last for years down the line, which would depend on the type of usage.
At present, the software used by Architects/Urban Planners/Designers/Video Editors can be clubbed to an equivalent requirement to the functioning of a gaming laptop or desktop. The tools are getting advanced and more demanding in terms of requirements; 3D modelling, coding, renderings, heavy video editing, leaving the 2D software. There will be multiple software installed and running on the machines. For the users on the lookout for the best bang for their bucks and with the consumer market growing tremendously with the fierce competition among the tech giants, it gets easier. Several offers clubbed with discounts are available through various offline and online retailers these days with the discounted sales taking place more frequently as compared to before.
Coming to the after-sales support, most companies offer warranties for up to 2 years along with the choice of extended warranties. An upside includes the presence of special electronic repair places or IT hubs in the country providing the users a less expensive alternative for their devices. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has started working on The Right to Repair which will be a bonus for the consumers in terms of their devices.
Best Laptops available
The laptops will be the high-powered mobile working machines combined with the latest motherboards with new generation faster data slots, processors, and graphic processors, backed up with a cooling system to keep thermals in check. There comes a good display, multi displays with higher refresh rates, even touch screens, and a good setup for inbuilt speakers. A good battery backup with fast charging would complement the assembly. Various designs have progressed, from students centric to professionals with sleek designs, gaming laptops with rugged designs with lights along with openings for fans. The hinges have improved in terms of efficiency with the 360⁰-rotation gaining more popularity.
In terms of ports, we have the USB-A ports with faster transfer speeds, HDMI and a VGA port for connecting with external displays, along with an ethernet port and USB-C fast transfer ports, now even those are being used for charging, so all the devices are coming down to a common port.
The choices of laptops available to suit the different types of users include-
The Heavy lifter-MacBook Pro-2021
It is available in two different screen sizes; 14- and 16-inch models. Talking about the 16-inch model, it can be powered by the Apple M1 pro or the M1 Max core processor with integrated GPU. The maximum Ram and Rom capacity go up to 64 GB and 8TB respectively. The battery is long-lasting and promises up to 21 hours of Video playback or 14 hours of wireless web browsing. The screen delivers 1600 nits of peak brightness and is powered by the Liquid Retina XDR MiniLED technology with the pro-motion display. The audio is handled by a 6-speaker system with the embedded technology of Spatial audio. The ports are taken care of in this one, with three Thunderbolt-4 (USB-C) ports, an HDMI port, and an SDXC card reader port along with the headphone jack and the charging MagSafe 3 port. In terms of security, it is handled by the fingerprint reader built into the power button. The 14-inch model follows suit with all the same features, promising a battery backup of up to 17 hours of Video Playback and 11 hours of wireless web browsing. It runs on macOS 12.
The consistent performance of the hardware and software makes it one of the best laptops to work with. The only choice it does come down to is the display size.
Innovative Design- Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 2022
One of the most innovative laptop designs in recent years includes the Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED. The laptop has a secondary inbuilt screen that tilts at an angle for comfortable working and viewing. Both the displays work on the OLED-HDR technology with the main screen offering a 15.6-inch 4k display. It is by the latest 12th Gen Intel Core i9 or i7 processor, coupled with GeForce RTX 3060 NVIDIA graphics with 6 GB of VRAM (Video-RAM). The memory segment comprises 32 Gb Ram and 1TB of SSD storage space and the ports include two Thunderbolt-4 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen-A, one HDMI, and one Audio jack with the charging port. The secondary display has stylus support and has been customized to work as a control panel for After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Lightroom Classic.
The audio department is taken care of by the speaker powered by Harman/Kardon. The security is taken care of by the IR camera. It is powered by windows 11. The only issue will come in terms of the keys and off-centre trackpad placement. Asus ZenBook Pro 14 Duo OLED and Asus Zephyrus Duo 16 are also available with little different specs including higher refresh rates but the same workflow concept.
The biggest screen size- ROG Strix SCAR 17 G733
The biggest display size of 17.3-inch supported with a QHD display resolution and 240 Hz refresh rate and Dolby Vision HDR. It is powered by the 12th Gen Intel Core-i9 processor with 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU, maximum ram capacity of 64 GB, and inbuilt ROM of 2 TB SSD with 2 expandable slots. The ports include HDMI, USB-A, Type-C, LAN, and Audio Jack and rapid charging takes place through the Type-C port.
The audio is handled by a 4-speaker system and it runs on Windows 11. A model with AMD Ryzen 9 is also available.
The compact powerhouse- MacBook Pro 2022
The MacBook Air Pro was launched in June with the new M2 chipset and architecture, with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU. It has a LED- backlight display with IPS technology and 500 nits of brightness and a notch for the camera. The RAM and ROM stand configurable up to 24 GB and 2 TB SSD maximum. In terms of ports, external displays have to be attached via the two available thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, which also have to be used for charging, along with a headphone jack, which can be an issue for some users. The Battery life is promised with up to 20 hours of video playback and 17 hours of wireless web browsing which can be topped quickly via the 67W USB-C power adapter. The touch bar has been introduced for the controls with the touch ID embedded in the power button. The sound is handled by the stereo speakers backed by Spatial Technology.
It is powered by the MacOS and MacBook Air 2022 with an M2 chipset and can also be considered as an alternative with the missing touch bar, and a MagSafe 3 charging port with 35W or 67W charging speed.
The Touch screens with support for a stylus for sketching or working on the go are forming a good chunk of share in the market. The pressure levels have increased along with the latency providing the user with a smooth and lag-free experience. More and more people are getting comfortable with the concept of working on tablets as they are easier to carry around and versatile in terms of workflows, attach a keyboard and it works as a full-fledged laptop, sketching and rendering work can be handled by the stylus. Tablets are also packing a punch in terms of processing power now.
2 in 1, Touchscreen and Keyboard- Surface Laptop Studio
The Surface Laptop has been a great offering from Microsoft. The Display is the PixelSense Flow with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 1500:1 contrast ratio, and support for Dolby Vision. The Surface Slim Pen 2 is compatible with it and the laptop has integrated storage and charging for the same. The top chipset is 11th Gen Intel Core-i7 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti with 4 Gb memory for GPU. The Max RAM and ROM are 32 GB and 2 TB. The hinge can bend 180 degrees making the workflow easier. The ports include two-USB-C Thunderbolt 4, a headphone jack, and one Surface Connect Port. The Audio is handled by four Omnisonic Speakers powered by Dolby Atmos and Dual Mics with Voice Clarity for better conversations. The battery life is promised for up to 18 hours with typical device usage with either a 65W or a 102W charger to top it up. For security, it has the Windows Hello face authentication camera.
New Tablet and Laptop- ROG Flow Z13 (2022)
A uniquely designed windows gaming tablet, which is more than sufficiently powered to meet the needs of the designers. A hinge has been made along with the body of the tablet so it is easier to adjust it at an angle without the requirement of any external cover. It comes with a detachable keyboard and has stylus support. The top configuration includes a 12th Gen Core i9 chipset paired with NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti (4 GB VRAM) GPU. The RAM and ROM stand up at 16 GB and 1 TB SSD. The heat sink and fans are integrated well into the design. There are 3-MICS with dual speakers for the audio department. The display supports Dolby Vision HDR with DCI-P3 and the ports include; USB 2.0 Type-A, one Thunderbolt 4, one ROG XG Mobile interface, one microSD card reader, and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C which also doubles up as the charging outlet. The fingerprint is integrated into the power button. The ROG XG Mobile certainly comes useful in terms of external GPU and more external ports. Charging takes place through the fast charger supplied with it. This is the go device for the designers/video editors and the tablet with the stylus usage makes it worth the buck.
Special Mentions- iPad and Samsung Tablets
iPad Pro 2021
Can be thought about to be the game-changers at multitasking and now companies are advertising the products as more versatile in comparison to laptops. The last year’s Apple iPads are powered by the M1 chipset, which is a game changer as it is the same used in the MacBooks. The iPads provide the user with excellent battery life and high refresh rate and LEDs- Liquid Retina XDR display technology peaking at 1600 nits of brightness and contrast ratio as 1000000:1. The largest screen size available right now is the 12.9 inches one. The 11-inches one uses a slightly different display technology. The tablets are endowed with great-performing cameras and front cameras as compared to laptops, and the LiDAR technology bumps up the tablet to be a future-proof product where AR and 3D visuals come into play. The cameras are assisted with a 5 studio-quality mic system for calls, video, and audio recordings. The port includes a single USB-C. Pairing the tablet with Apple Pencil for sketching and Apple Keyboard for workflows is a breeze in itself. Many video editing apps, graphics apps, and 3D visualizing apps have been customized to function best on tablets available on the App store. RAM and Storage go up to 16 GB and 2TB respectively. A four-speaker system with support for Dolby Atmos is flanked on the tablet. The security is taken care of by the Face-ID technology and the charger maxes at 20W. The Pencil and Keyboard are sold separately. In terms of connectivity, cellular models are also available along with Wi-Fi ones. This year, rumoured iPad touches at a screen size of 14-inches as competitors have already done that. It all transforms into a mini, portable, and multifunctional workspace. The iPad Air, iPad Mini, and the normal iPad also do pack a punch.
Samsung-S8 Ultra 5G
This massive piece of the latest offering by Samsung packs a screen size of 14.6 inches which is equal to the 14-inch laptop. The screen is a Super AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and support for HDR 10+. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip and backed by Android 12. The Samsung DeX which transforms the device into a powerful workstation and has improved and it provides smooth functioning and multitasking. One gets dual front and back cameras with a quad-speaker setup tuned by AKG and a fast-charging speed of 45W. The SPen is included within the package and the Keyboard cover has to be brought separately. Samsung is also in the race of optimizing the app flows for better performance of the tablet with the addition of more graphic and designer-centric apps. The Tab S8 series begins with the 11-inch tablet.
Saksham is a writer, researcher, architect and an editor. He is enthusiastic about the natural environment and concerned about preserving the natural essence of space. He believes that words emanating from the soul level have the potency to touch millions of others without any efforts.
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