In the last one year, AI has emerged as the biggest selling point in tech. Now, not just phones, but TVs, refrigerators, ACs, and even water purifiers are being sold with an AI tag. In such a scenario, companies are calling AI laptops the need of the future. This is why, due to the global AI boom, key components like memory, storage, and CPU are becoming expensive, which could lead to a 35 to 40% increase in laptop prices by 2026. Are AI laptops really our need? Difference between normal laptops and AI laptops AI laptops have three chips, normal ones have two Normal laptops have two chips: CPU and GPU. In AI laptops, a third special processor called NPU is added along with these. It is designed for AI-related tasks, such as image recognition, language understanding, text processing, etc. The NPU performs AI tasks directly on the laptop. This means there is no need to rely on the internet every time. Read also: Meta is removing end-to-end encryption from Instagram DMs These four additional features in AI laptops: Live Translation-Subtitles Can convert language to text during video calls. This means if the other person speaks German, you will understand it in English. Local AI Assistant Tasks like finding files, writing text, and editing photos/videos can be done quickly even without the internet. Smart Video Calling Automatically blurs the background, focuses on the face, and noise cancellation makes meetings feel more professional. Better Battery-Smooth Performance AI processing is handled by the NPU, which reduces pressure on the CPU-GPU. Both battery and speed remain better. Read also: Using too much AI at work leads to ‘AI brain-fry’ Keep these things in mind when buying a laptop If your work is limited to browsing the internet, emails, online classes, watching videos, or photo-editing, then an AI laptop is not necessary. A normal laptop will suffice. Pay attention to these features. 8-16 GB RAM is sufficient for everyday use. Storage – Should be 512 GB. Good battery life – Should be 6-8 hours or more. If your work involves coding, AI tools, data science, video editing, 3D design, or multitasking, AI can make a difference. Prioritize these features. Should have NPU – Beneficial for local AI processing. At least 16 to 32 GB RAM. 1 TB or more storage. AI Features – Should have assistants, generative AI, editing tools. Read also: Your next smartphone could cost more but offer less RAM AI laptops are also called AI PCs or Copilot+ PCs. They are typically 15 to 25% more expensive compared to laptops with general specifications. For example, Lenovo’s AI laptop series Aura Edition starts at approximately ?94,000, while Lenovo’s i7 processor laptops start at around ?71,000.
