Best and worst laptops in SA

South Africans are less satisfied with their laptops than last year, according to the latest data from the South African Consumer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi).

While overall satisfaction for laptop brands remains quite high – with a satisfaction score of 75.1 out of 100 – this is four points lower than in 2013.

Relative to the international Acsi scores, South Africa’s laptop industry score is slightly lower than that that of the USA (79) which serves as the international benchmark.

Over 1,300 South African scored top laptop brands in the latest SAcsi survey, with each one of the brands recording a lower satisfaction score than last year.

Dell was the only brand to significantly pass the industry average, while Acer and Hewlett-Packard dropped below, with the former declining the most.

Company	n	SAcsi score	Change from 2013
Dell	278	77.5	-4.8
Lenovo	345	75.8	-2.0
Samsung	282	75.4	-4.5
Hewlett-Packard	212	74.5	-4.4
Acer	241	73.7	-4.8
Industry Average	1361	75.1	-3.8

“There is little differentiation amongst the various laptop brands from a customer satisfaction point of view and only one brand scored higher than the industry average,” said Professor Adré Schreuder, founder and chair of the SAcsi.

When compared against other industries, laptops had a relatively low rate of complaints.

Specific grievances raised by South African customers included a short battery life, hard drive and hardware problems, screen issues and freezing or slow machines.