Here are our top-rated picks for all types of users, including creatives and gamers, and even our favorite cheap laptops and budget-friendly options.
The Dell XPS 13 is a perennial favorite for its size, weight and performance and just overall good looks. In 2020, Dell made the laptop even smaller, while making the laptop screen larger and increasing performance for both CPU and graphics-intensive tasks. It's not a huge leap, but this Dell XPS is still the best in the category. And for those who want the latest and greatest Intel processors, the Dell XPS 13, as well as the company's XPS 13 2-in-1 (also a great pick), are available with the chip-maker's 11th-gen Core processors, with Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 options. This Dell also offers a selection of SSD storage and memory options starting with a 256 GB SSD hard drive and 8 GB of memory.
The Asus ZenBook 13 is a stylish but not showy 13.3-inch ultraportable with the perfect footprint for squeezing onto a tiny table. You'll get 12-plus hours of battery life depending on your configuration -- it's available with 10th gen Intel processor or 11th gen Intel Core i7 processor -- and plenty of performance to make quick work of daily office or school tasks. Plus, like many of Asus' laptops, the ZenBook adds a few gadgety extras to hopefully make your life easier while you're out and about.
The HP Envy x360 13 is a great pick for an older high school or college student or anyone looking for a small, stylish two-in-one with a vibrant screen to travel with. This HP laptop is light at just less than 3 pounds (1.3 kg) and battery life is long despite the size. It's also available with a choice of AMD Ryzen 5-4500U or Intel 11th-gen Core processors. Essentially, you're getting a speedy little two-in-one that's ready for working from home or remote learning but is also ready for your backpack.
The combination of the larger MacBook Pro's hardware and MacOS extracts the maximum performance from the components while delivering class-leading battery life in a way the Windows operating system never seems to do, and the high-resolution display screen remains terrific. Plus, this powerful laptop model's keyboard uses scissor-style switches under the keycaps, rather than the much-derided butterfly-style switch. You pay for it, though -- base price for the 16-inch model of this premium laptop is $2,399.
Best Surface laptop
Although it's not the Surface Laptop, the Surface Pro continues to hit all the right notes if you're looking for a do-it-all Windows tablet that doubles as a Windows laptop. This powerful Surface laptop features the 10th gen Intel processor, fast Wi-Fi 6 wireless and long-lasting battery life. This Surface laptop is also the first to feature an honest-to-goodness USB-C port.
This is our go-to recommendation for those in search of a MacOS laptop for everyday basic use. The MacBook Air was updated in the first half of 2020 with new Intel processors and, most importantly, a new keyboard. However, in November, Apple announced its new homegrown M1 processors would be replacing Intel's CPUs in the Air. Using Apple's M1, the company promises an operating system with better performance and longer battery life -- up to 18 hours. The Intel-based models will still be around, though, and regardless of which chip is running the Air, you're getting a great little Mac laptop starting at $999.
Best laptop on a budget
A remarkable deal for simple tasks like email, word processing and much more, thanks to the new AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors. This budget laptop has a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader and a USB Type-C port, too. The Acer Swift 3 is also an incredibly lightweight laptop -- less than 3 pounds -- for a machine that can be found for less than $700.
In addition to this Acer Swift, we're also fans of the Acer Aspire 5, which has a larger 15.6-inch display. The Acer Aspire 5 is available in a variety of configurations starting as low as $400, but can go up to $830 if you want entry-level discrete graphics for basic gaming and content creation.
This is essentially a Chrome version of the first Microsoft Surface Go. Like the Go, the Chromebook Duet is a 10-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard and touch screen. Unlike Microsoft, though, Lenovo includes the keyboard. This Chrome OS laptop also costs much less than the Go (including the new Go 2), with laptop deals starting at $279 for a 64GB version or $299 for one with 128GB of storage. It's essentially a smaller, albeit less powerful, Pixel Slate that makes more sense for more people with a price that's more in line with what people expect a Chromebook to cost.
The Chromebook Duet does have a small screen, however, so if you're regularly using it at a desk, we recommend attaching an external monitor to its USB-C port. You'll probably want to connect a wireless keyboard and mouse, too. Or, if you want a more traditional laptop experience rather than tablet mode, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is worth searching out.
Dell's G-series gaming laptops are cheaper than those from its Alienware division, but still capable of playing the latest AAA titles. There are three separate models -- the G3, G5 and G7 -- available in 15- and 17-inch sizes. The midrange G5 15 hits the mark with an excellent price-to-performance ratio, build quality and design. The newest versions start at $900, including a special-edition model with AMD's impressive Ryzen 5 4600H processor.
There are simply no other 17-inch laptops that are this light and also have long battery life. The Gram 17 lasted 13 hours on our streaming video test, beating last year's model by 47 minutes on the same test. Processor performance is stepped up some from the 2019 version, too, thanks to the addition of a 10th-gen Intel Core i7 processor. This is partnered with more powerful Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics as well, giving you a little extra speed for photo and video editing and casual gaming.
While Asus and Lenovo have turned out great business laptops this year, this Latitude is our top pick at the moment. Co-engineered with Intel, the 9510 puts a 15-inch display in a 14-inch body but gets more than 20 hours of battery life and has a powerful Core i7 processor with vPro for security and remote management. It's available with 4G or 5G mobile connectivity and uses AI to learn how you work to give you the best performance regardless of if you're on battery or plugged in. Plus, it's available as either a traditional clamshell laptop or a two-in-one.
Though HP and Dell have excellent premium two-in-one convertible laptops, they have smaller 13.3- and 13.4-inch displays. If you want a bit more room for your work or entertainment, the 14-inch Yoga 9i is a great choice. One of Intel's Evo platform laptops, the 9i is tuned to be more responsive and for longer battery life. Everything about it is fast. Plus, it's one of the few that come with a pen, which charges and is stored in the body.
If you've ever wished for just a little extra screen space on your thin-and-light laptop, your wish is granted. The Duo 14's 12.6-inch secondary touchscreen behaves just like any other attached display except it's built into the body above the keyboard. You can use it for extending the main 14-inch display so it works like one large screen, or use it for apps that would normally be buried behind what you're working on. If that's not enough, it's pen-enabled so you can write and draw on it with the included pen. Plus, Asus' ScreenXpert software lets you turn it into a giant touchpad, a number pad or even a tool deck for Adobe Creative Cloud software.
The Book 13 is a more office-friendly version of the company's Razer Blade Stealth gaming laptop, with a 13.4-inch display with a taller 16:10 aspect ratio, fast mobile performance, long battery life and enough connection options to make working from home easier. Its high-quality build is up there with the best MacBooks but, like an Apple, it's not necessarily the best deal, even compared to other premium laptops.
Regularly available for less than $700, this thin, 3-pound convertible is a solid choice for anyone who needs a laptop for office or schoolwork. The all-metal chassis gives it a premium look and feel, and it has a comfortable keyboard and a responsive, smooth precision touchpad. Though it's light on extra features compared to its premium linemate, the Yoga 9i, it does have one of Lenovo's sliding shutters for its webcam that gives you privacy when you want it. And it has a long battery life to boot.
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