Hardware specifications may vary significantly between different types, models, and price points.ĭesign elements, form factors, and construction can also vary significantly between models depending on the intended use. Laptops can be powered by an internal battery or an external power supply by using an AC adapter. Most modern laptops include a built-in webcam and microphone, and many also have touchscreens. Laptops combine many desktop components and capabilities into a single unit, including the central processing unit (CPU), random-access memory (RAM), hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), and graphics processing unit (GPU). Although the term ' notebook' originally referred to a specific size of laptop (originally smaller and lighter than mainstream laptops of the time), the term has come to mean the same thing and no longer refers to any specific size.

As of 2022, in American English, the terms ' laptop' and ' notebook' are used interchangeably in other dialects of English, one or the other may be preferred. The names ' laptop' and ' notebook' refer to the fact that the computer can be practically placed on (or on top of) the user's lap and can be used similarly to a notebook. Today, laptops are used in a variety of settings, such as at work (especially on business trips), in education, for playing games, web browsing, for personal multimedia, and for general home computer use. Laptops run on both an AC power supply and a rechargeable battery pack and can be folded shut for convenient storage and transportation, making them suitable for mobile use.

Most of the computer's internal hardware is fitted inside the lower lid enclosure under the keyboard, although many laptops have a built-in webcam at the top of the screen and some modern ones even feature a touch-screen display. Laptops typically have a clamshell form factor with a flat panel screen (usually 11–17 in or 280–430 mm in diagonal size) on the inside of the upper lid and an alphanumeric keyboard and pointing device (such as a trackpad and/or trackpoint) on the inside of the lower lid, although 2-in-1 PCs with a detachable keyboard are often marketed as laptops or as having a 'laptop mode'.

A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook for short, is a small, portable personal computer (PC).

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