4 Laptop Essentials You Need to Own

So you finally got the laptop of your dreams. You already discarded Safari or Edge in favor of Chrome and installed all of the software you could want. Now what? Sure, you can continue to fawn over the laptop itself for sometime, but there are some must-have items you’ll eventually want to have, whether you know it or not. Below are four essential items you need to own for your shiny new laptop.

Extra Storage

While this is more or less dependent on the laptop type that you’ve purchased, many of the SSDs in lightweight laptops top out at a mere 512GB of storage. While that may seem like a lot at the time, consider the amount of space the operating system itself takes up and all of the programs you install. Laptops aren’t smartphones and aren’t (usually) something you upgrade every year or two, so storage may become an issue down the line.

Luckily, it’s never been easier to add storage to your laptop. Whether it comes with a microSD, full SD, or just a USB port, you have several options. You can purchase a large external hard drive that connects via USB to expand storage for under $100, but if you’re looking to have a more semi-permanent solution, the microSD card or full SD Card slot may be your best bet.

Samsung offers up a 512GB microSD card for under $150 on sale, which essentially doubles the storage for many laptops.

Wireless Mouse

Laptop trackpads are really better than ever these days but no matter how adjusted you’ve become, having a mouse can really improve the overall experience when you’re trying to get work done.

One of the best options available, whether you’re using a PC or a Mac is the Logitech MX Master 2S. Not only can you use the mouse via Bluetooth or USB, but you can connect up to three different computers to it for a seamless transition. Sure, that may sound like a handful of overkill, but it does expand some possibilities. With an ergonomic design and a battery that can last up to 70 days on a single charge, this is the mouse of your dreams you never knew you wanted.

Laptop Case or Bag

Even if you didn’t spend a fortune on your new laptop, you should still treat it like you did, which is why a proper case or bag is essential. How you choose such a bag is up to you, but you may as well get a solid all-around bag that happens to have a protective laptop compartment, right?

While it will probably be the most expensive backpack you’ve ever purchased, the Mission Workshop Fraction is one of the cheapest it offers. It’s no slouch, though. With several compartments for everyday items you’d take on the go and a zippered pocket that will fit most 13-inch laptops, the Fraction will also likely be the best backpack you’ve ever purchased. Have a larger laptop? The Sanction bag will fit most 15-inch laptops.

USB C HUB

The one size fits all USB C is still a bit of a sham and will continue to be for a while. It’s not necessarily anyone’s fault, but the idea of purchasing new cords and other peripherals for your laptop is a hard pill to swallow. We’re seeing more and more laptops ship with USB C and few to zero USB A (the type you’re used to) ports, and HDMI ports are also seemingly starting to become a more sparse addition.

While laptop manufacturers are ready to embrace this USB C future, the adoptions for consumers is a slow drip at best. Luckily, the USB C Hub was created to provide virtually all of the older legacy ports you could ever want. There are a lot to choose from and you could run into compatibility issues along the way, but hands down one of the best options out there is the Satechi Aluminum Multi-Port Adapter V2. Ports include 4K HDMI, Ethernet, USB-C Pass-Through Charging, SD/Micro Card Reader and 3 USB 3.0 ports.