What laptop should i get

Read the full review: Asus ZenBook 13 The Asus TUF Dash F15 is ideal if you're looking for a machine that can play the latest games, but doesn't blow a hole in your bank balance. With excellent build quality, a brilliant battery for a gaming laptop, and an impressively thin and light design, this is a brilliant value gaming laptop.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 is the latest refresh for Lenovo's flagship 2-in-1 business laptop and the addition of Intel's 11th-gen Tiger Lake processors with Iris Xe graphics, along with Intel Evo certification, make it one of the best 2-in-1 laptops we've tested. Add in the outstanding touchscreen display, garaged stylus, and excellent battery life, and there's very little that we can find fault with here.

It's got a great selection of ports that puts the MacBook Air to shame, but it does miss an SD card slot, which some creatives may be disappointed to learn. But apart from that, and a bit of a straight-laced design as a ThinkPad device, this is a laptop aimed primarily at business users , the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 is easily one of the best laptops to come out in , especially if you're looking for something that can be used as both a traditional laptop and as a tablet-like device as well.

The excellent HP Envy x 13 proves that you can have a premium-feeling and looking 2-in-1 laptop without having to pay an outrageous amount for it. As with all of HP's modern laptops, the HP Envy x 13 is beautifully designed, and comes with a stunning screen and some of the best speakers we've heard in a laptop.

If you're after a laptop that can also double as a tablet-like device, then the HP Envy x 13 is a great choice, packing modern components from AMD, and an excellent battery. Read the full review: HP Envy x Google's Pixelbook Go is the best Chromebook money can buy right now, with the company showing everyone else how it's done.

Its previous Chromebook, the Pixelbook , was a brilliant Chromebook in its own way, but it cost a small fortune. The Pixelbook Go, on the other hand, is a more affordable Chromebook that retains a lot of its predecessor's premium features, while bringing some brilliant upgrades as well, including an astounding battery life and fantastic keyboard.

It features some impressive specs for a Chromebook, which ensures that Chrome OS positively flies on this device, and puts its performance on par with many of the more expensive Windows laptops and MacBooks that grace the rest of this page.

If you're looking for the ultimate Chromebook, then the Pixelbook Go is the one to get. Read the full review: Google Pixelbook Go.

It can be used as a laptop or a tablet, and it's backed up by some very impressive specs. Is it a Chromebook or is it a tablet? True to its name, this Chromebook delivers two form factors in one, while utilizing the versatility of the Chrome OS and setting you back much less than many of the top Windows tablets out there.

However, if budget is your top priority, those are definitely not deal-breakers. The Asus VivoBook S15 combines a thin and light design with great performance and an excellent price.

If you're looking for a mid-range laptop that doesn't cost too much, but still performs brilliantly, then this is a great choice. Thanks to its powerful Intel processor, 8GB of RAM and fast SSD storage, this is a laptop that can handle almost any task with ease — though gaming is out of the question.

Its However, it doesn't have the longest battery life for a laptop, and the ScreenPad, which replaces the traditional touchpad below the keyboard with a touchscreen, takes a bit of getting used to. Read the full review: Asus VivoBook S There are certain things you can look out for when buying a new laptop in that can ensure you get the best laptop for your money.

Make sure you take a look at the specifications of a laptop before buying. First of all is the processor. This is essentially the brain of the laptop, and a laptop will usually have a processor also known as a CPU made by either Intel or AMD. As a general rule of thumb, Intel processors offer better performance, but AMD processors are better value. To make things more simple, both Intel and AMD have numbered their processors to give you a rough idea of what sort of tasks a laptop with that processor can perform.

The best laptops for media creation, and more complex tasks, come with an Intel Core i7 or Core i9 processor, or an AMD Ryzen 7 processor. Laptops with these processors in them are top-of-the-range laptops that will provide brilliant performance no matter what you want to do — but be warned that they are often found in the most expensive laptops.

Finally, keep an eye on how new the processor is. Intel handily gives its processors generations, so the higher the generation, the newer it is. The latest generation is the 10th generation, though 9th generation Intel Core processors are also pretty recent. A newer processor performs better and is more power efficient — so battery life will last longer. They are more expensive, though. For example, Apple make brilliantly-designed slim and light laptops, while Dell does a great range of high-end ultrabooks, as well as affordable devices and Chromebooks as well.

That will ensure that the laptop runs well for years to come. This is likely to be one of the most important considerations you have when choosing what laptop to buy. The best laptops need to be able to let you work - and play - for hours on end without you having to scramble for a power adapter. Modern laptops are getting ever more power-efficient, which has led to longer battery lives.

For a laptop to be included in our best laptops list, it needs to offer a battery life of five hours or more.

Bear in mind that the battery life that the laptop makers claim their device has could be quite different to what you actually experience. This is because many laptop makers test their batteries in very controlled environments, with the laptop used in ways that you might not necessarily use.

Find out more. In this article. Looking for the best laptop for your budget? We'll help you easily find a laptop that ticks the boxes and will last the test of time. One of the biggest decisions will be how much you want to spend. The good news is that we know, thanks to our independent lab tests, that if you're after a good all-rounder for day-to-day tasks, it doesn't have to be a lot.

See our expert pick of models below and keep scrolling to read our expert advice on how you can find the perfect laptop, whatever your budget. We only recommend the laptops that excel in our tough lab tests. Here are the models that impressed us enough to make our expert pick, selected for a range of budgets. Only logged-in Which? Sign up to reveal. If you can face the price, this is a brilliant laptop for intensive tasks such as photo- and video-editing.

You don't have to compromise on portability or battery life either; this laptop is light and the battery lasts for over 16 hours when watching videos. This is one of the very best large laptops we've tested. It isn't cheap, but it justifies its price with excellent build quality, fast performance, a great screen and excellent speakers.

Even the battery life is good, which is rare on a large laptop. This absolute cracker of a Windows laptop sets the standard for devices running on Microsoft's software. Its excellent screen, lovely speakers and fast performance mean it ticks practically every box you can imagine, and starts from under a grand.

For the money, there are very few laptops as good as this one. This mid-range laptop delivers fast performance in a very compact and lightweight shell. That should make it ideal for anyone who needs a laptop for taking out and about. It includes a fingerprint reader, a Full HD screen and a half decent processor, along with excellent battery life. Ready to shop right now? Browse and compare laptop reviews from our tests. Table updated November Cheap but not cheerful, and packed with slow processors, limited Ram, unpleasant keyboards and screens that are hard to make out.

These are laptops to avoid. Steer clear. This brand is apparently popular on Amazon, but our tests reveal this budget laptop is a complete false economy. This sub-standard laptop isn't terribly slow, but it lacks skills in any other area, with poor battery life, fiddly keyboard and touchpad, dull screen and terrible speakers.

This giant laptop is also a giant pain in the neck, thanks to poor battery life, slow performance and a dire screen. Short on time? Filed under: Reviews. Linkedin Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. The MacBook Air is a competent, reliable device with a stellar processor.

The HP Spectre x 14 is one of the best convertible laptops you can buy. The HP Spectre x 14 is the best 2-in-1 laptop of The LG Gram 17 is the lightweight inch laptop to buy. The LG Gram 17 is our choice for the best lightweight inch laptop to buy in The HP Envy x is the best budget laptop you can buy. Photo by Alexander Kramer for The Verge. The Macbook Pro 13 is more powerful than the Air but more affordable than the inch Pro. The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is the best convertible you can buy.

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is a convertible laptop with great integrated graphics. The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best laptops of The ThinkPad X1 Nano is a lightweight laptop for business travelers.

The ThinkPad X1 Nano is a sturdy, premium laptop for mobile professionals. The MacBook Pro is an excellent laptop for video editing. The Macbook Pro 16 is the best Macbook for power users. The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is a great option for budget shoppers. The Razer Book 13 proves that Razer is cut out for more than just gaming rigs. The Razer Book 13 delivers outstanding performance in an oustanding chassis. The Lenovo Yoga 9i is a portable entertainment machine.

The Lenovo Yoga 9i is a portable, convertible laptop with standout audio and a garaged stylus. The Blade Pro 17 is a powerful gaming laptop with a compact and attractive design. There are simply too many variables that affect battery life.

There is the screen brightness, the screen resolution, the number of applications you have running in the background plus whether or not you actively remain connected to Wi Fi networks or Bluetooth devices. The operating system a laptop runs on can also play a major role in determining battery life. If you run programs that need lots of processing, stream lots of online video, play graphics-intensive games or if you transfer lots of files over a wireless network, then your battery will drain a lot sooner than what the vendor has quoted.

A good practice here is to look at the rating of the battery in Watt-hours Wh or milliamp-hours mAh. The larger these figures are, the longer the battery can last. For a Another key thing to look for here is fast-charging. Much like modern smartphones, many new laptops also support fast-charging, which is always good in a pinch. These days, if a laptop has only one USB Type-C port on it, you probably ought to look at buying another laptop. Ideally, you should look for a laptop that has at least a couple of these ports.

They're the most common connector port in the industry and, while you can find a dongle for anything on Amazon, it's usually a better bet to just make sure your next laptop has them.

Many modern peripherals also tend to deliver the best performance on or require USB Type-C to function at all. Among the Type-C ports Thunderbolt 4 ports are the best option. Thunderbolt 4 ports have a peak data transfer speed of 40 gigabits per-second. They also offer faster charging and allow you to connect multiple 4K displays or one 8K display to your laptop, which is compelling functionality.

Fingerprint readers are great for logging into mobile devices and the latest Windows 10 Operating System makes further use of them with its Windows Hello system. People can guess your password, but few can fake a fingerprint. In order to keep the contents of your laptop secure, a portable PC with a fingerprint reader is usually the best way forward. Some have even integrated the fingerprint sensor into the keyboard, making it feel like a more cohesive part of the package rather than a bolt-on.

What's more, some brands have even gone one step further and introduced FaceID-style facial recognition tech allowing you to unlock your laptop with a glance. As with Android phones, there's a distinction to be noted here between devices that rely on a 2D-model of face unlock versus those that offer full 3D biometrics. It's cool to see the modern laptops continue raise the bar on this particular front even if the degree to which it matters is largely personal preference.

For most people, a standard fingerprint sensor is going to provide more than enough of peace of mind. No matter how careful we are, most laptops are inevitably going to find themselves, dropped, thrown and knocked around by the rigors of everyday use.

For that reason, it's worth checking out how much testing a laptop has undergone the manufacturer usually crows about it or whether there's any sort certification that you can put your confidence behind. Modern laptops are often ruggedized to withstand rain and dust. Some are built especially for the brutal educational environments - and come with military-grade protection certifications. Compliant products have made it through a gauntlet of 29 separate tests that measure resistance to shock, heat, cold, humidity and more.

Though originally developed as a way to win government contract, MIL-STDG has become increasingly common in consumer tech in recent years.

On one hand, it's good for consumers that most major manufacturers have adopted the same language and standards for measuring durability at all. However, on the other, the reality is that having a product be MIL-STDG compliant doesn't always translate into the kind of ruggedness you'd hope it would. Although the MIL-STDG standard was developed externally, there's no single independent party that's responsible for handing out certification to the standard nor any regulator that's able to call out bad actors for misusing or misrepresenting MIL-STDG.

Manufacturers can absolutely take their testing in-house, "ace" it and put the sticker on the box. There's no limit on how many attempts a product has to pass a certain test, nor even a limit on whether the same product sample needs to survive all 29 tests or whether they can replace it with a fresh model every step of the way.

They don't even need to provide proof that the testing ever happened. From the perspective of any everyday consumer, there's zero difference in how a product that was properly and independently tested to meet MIL-STDG looks and how a product that "fudged" their way into compliance with the standard looks. This is obviously problematic. For those reasons, MIL-STDG is best used as starting place when it comes to thinking about durability and build quality in your next laptop.

It shouldn't be your one and only consideration. A better way to approach the problem is to look at the laptops design and what specific claims are being made around durability. That's probably a good sign.

For as ubiquitous as MIL-STDG is as a standard, it's often unclear how rigorously manufacturers are applying sticking to the spirit of the thing and, if you're keen to make sure your next laptop can take a hit or two, it's worth looking at brands that go one-step further.