Check your expectations: The laptops on this list don’t come with the latest and greatest processors, graphics cards, or displays. You have to splash quite a lot for those features. For students or workers who just want something to get them through the day, things like ports and memory are more important.
Above all else, you want as much RAM, as much storage, and as high a processor speed as you can get. More RAM means the computer can handle more applications at once, more storage means you can fit more applications on it, and a speedier processor means it can work those applications more efficiently.
If you want to record audio with a microphone or use a wired mouse, you’ll need USB ports, and an HDMI port goes a long way if you like streaming on a TV or using a second monitor. Much to the annoyance of photographers and videographers, in-built microSD card readers are now a thing of the past, but you’ll be thankful for an ethernet port when your WiFi starts playing up.