Backlit with option to get US keyboard layout outside the US
Operating System
Option to omit the OS
Other
Wifi, Bluetooth, RJ45, 2x USB-C 3.1/4, 1x USB-A 3.0, Thunderbolt or USB4, Display Port with Daisy Chain, HDMI, charging over USB-C would be great, Audio Jack
Why/User Benefit/User Problem
Display Size
Using 14" in favor of 15" makes it easier to use the laptop during travels (plane, train, bus, etc.).
Display Resolution
Using a resolution >FHD (1920x1080) makes it possible to display most web pages on one half of the screen without vertical scrolling. This makes it possible to work with e.g. reference documents on one half of the screen and writing/coding on the other half of the screen. By using a resolution <4K, the text on the screen is not too small to use without scaling. As smooth scaling of the GUI is still a problem in many operating systems, a WQHD Display is the best choice.
Processor
The processor should be fast enough to handle business and development applications without distractions. So I'm looking for >=Ryzen 5 or >=Core i5.
Description of the feature
RAM
Please don't solder RAM onto the board, as RAM tends to have defects and soldered RAM makes it impossible to replace, driving the laptop useless.
Hard Drive
NVMe drives have great speed, but it would be great to extend the storage of your Laptop with a 2.5" drive (SSD or HDD). These are cheap and do the job of just storing massive amounts of data.
Graphics Card
PLEASE do NOT include an nVidia graphics card! It is a pain to use under Linux. I would be happy with an integrated GPU, but some may prefer to have a dedicated GPU for compute tasks.
Keyboard
Backlit keyboards are a must! I don't like colored keyboards and such and would prefer to just have a normal white backlit keyboard.
Also it would be great to have the US keyboard layout available outside the US. European keyboard layouts suck for coding.
Operating System
Please don't let me pay for Windows. I don't need it, I don't want it.
Other
An RJ45 jack is a must for a business laptop.
Having 1 USB-A jack is good to handle "legacy" hardware :D
The display port jack should support daisy chaining as it makes it super easy to connect to a workspace
HDMI for presentation etc.
Thunderbolt or USB4 are good for people looking for an eGPU setup
Charging over a Type-C jack is good for compatibility
6-8hrs of battery life are good when traveling where no charging is available
Why/User Benefit/User Problem
Display Size
Using 14" in favor of 15" makes it easier to use the laptop during travels (plane, train, bus, etc.).
Display Resolution
Using a resolution >FHD (1920x1080) makes it possible to display most web pages on one half of the screen without vertical scrolling. This makes it possible to work with e.g. reference documents on one half of the screen and writing/coding on the other half of the screen. By using a resolution <4K, the text on the screen is not too small to use without scaling. As smooth scaling of the GUI is still a problem in many operating systems, a WQHD Display is the best choice.
Processor
The processor should be fast enough to handle business and development applications without distractions. So I'm looking for >=Ryzen 5 or >=Core i5.
Description of the feature
RAM
Please don't solder RAM onto the board, as RAM tends to have defects and soldered RAM makes it impossible to replace, driving the laptop useless.
Hard Drive
NVMe drives have great speed, but it would be great to extend the storage of your Laptop with a 2.5" drive (SSD or HDD). These are cheap and do the job of just storing massive amounts of data.
Graphics Card
PLEASE do NOT include an nVidia graphics card! It is a pain to use under Linux. I would be happy with an integrated GPU, but some may prefer to have a dedicated GPU for compute tasks.
Keyboard
Backlit keyboards are a must! I don't like colored keyboards and such and would prefer to just have a normal white backlit keyboard. Also it would be great to have the US keyboard layout available outside the US. European keyboard layouts suck for coding.
Operating System
Please don't let me pay for Windows. I don't need it, I don't want it.
Other