5 Laptops That’ll Put Your Current Computer to Shame
When shopping for your next laptop, consider carefully how you plan to use it the most. Larger laptops typically pack a more powerful processor and often a sharper display. However, they aren't as comfortable to carry around as their more compact siblings.
Design, specs, performance, and battery life are the most important things to consider when shopping for a new laptop. The design is important, because your new notebook will likely be among the most commonly used objects in your daily life — it simply has to look good.
Specs and performance are closely related, so depending on your needs, keep a close eye on the processor, the graphics card, the available memory options, and the display resolution. Regarding the latter, it's important to keep in mind that on many occasions, a high-resolution display will typically affect the battery life of your notebook.
Here are the best laptops to consider buying in 2019!
Best Windows 10 Laptop
Key Specs:
• Eighth-generation quad-core Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU
• Optional NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics
• Up to 16 GB of RAM
• 13-inch or 15-inch display with up to 4K resolution
• Up to 1 TB of SSD storage
• Windows Hello sign-in with a fingerprint sensor or facial recognition
• Thunderbolt 3-capable USB-C port, full USB-A port
• Bang & Olufsen-tuned stereo speakers
• Up to 12 hours of battery life, fast charging capabilities
By offering a combination of attractive design, great craftsmanship, and excellent performance, the latest-generation HP Envy with a 13-inch screen is the best Windows 10 laptop for most buyers out there. Lightweight and elegant, it has powerful eighth-generation Intel processors, a high-quality touchscreen with thin bezels, and superb battery life (up to 13 hours).
The metal case of the HP Envy has eye-catching design and excellent tactility. The notebook's connectivity options include both a standard USB 3.1 port and a USB-C option with Thunderbolt 3 support, making it great for using both legacy and new peripherals.
The design and performance of the 13-inch HP Envy have earned it an Editor's Choice rating by Laptop Magazine. The reviewer praised the laptop for its lightweight body, robust performance, excellent keyboard, and top-notch battery life.
Other key features of the notebook include a built-in fingerprint sensor and speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen. HP also offers the Envy with a 15-inch, 360-degree touch-screen in case you need more screen space.
Best MacBook
Key Specs:
• Eighth-generation Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU
• ATI Radeon Pro graphics
• Up to 32 GB of RAM (15-inch variant)
• 13-inch or 15-inch Retina display
• Up to 4 TB of SSD storage
• Touch ID fingerprint Sensor
• Four Thunderbolt 3-capable USB-C ports
• Up to 10 hours of battery life
Fresh off a significant hardware update, the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID is sleek, light, and powerful. Its innovative Touch Bar delivers relevant shortcuts and tools for the apps that are in use, making your workflow even easier. In addition, Touch ID not only makes the notebook secure, but it also enables Apple Pay.
As expected, both MacBook Pro models feature an excellent keyboard, the best trackpad on any laptop, and a display with exceptional quality. The 15-inch variant is the one to go for if you're a power user — it's available with an optional Intel Core i9 processor and up to 32 GB of RAM, so it can crush any task you throw at it.
CNET, Engadget, PC Magazine, and The Verge all gave the latest 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro high marks for its hardware performance. However, reviewers noted that the newcomer needs dongles to connect to most peripherals and accessories just like its predecessor.
More: Our In-Depth Review of the 15-inch MacBook Pro
Best Chromebook
Key Specs:
• Eighth-generation Intel Core m3 or Core m5 CPU (dual-core)
• Intel graphics
• 4/8 GB of RAM
• 14-inch 360-degree touch screen with 1,920 by 1,080 pixels
• 64 GB of built-in storage
• Two USB-C ports, one full USB port, microSD card reader
• Up to 10 hours of battery life
The ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 is the best Chrome OS laptop worth your attention today. It has elegant and versatile design, excellent build quality, top-notch performance, and an excellent keyboard.
The notebook looks incredible in the metal. Thanks to its ultra thin display bezels, it has the footprint of a 13-inch laptop despite packing a larger 14-inch touch screen. The latter has a 360-degree hinge, which makes the sleek notebook incredibly versatile.
The notebook is available with an Intel Core m3 or Core m5 processor. I highly recommend that you spend a bit extra for a Chromebook Flip C434 variant with the latter — it comes with more RAM, so it's better at multitasking.
Thanks to its sleek design and excellent performance, the Chromebook Flip C434 has earned high review scores from Engadget and Laptop Mag.
Best Budget Buy
Key Specs:
• Eighth-generation Intel Core i5 CPU (quad-core)
• NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics
• 8 GB of RAM (upgradeable to 16 GB)
• 15.6-inch IPS display with 1,920 by 1,080 pixels
• 256 GB of SSD storage
• Built-in DVD burner
• A dedicated button for the Google Assistant
• Two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, one USB-C 3.1 port
• SD card slot
• Up to 15 hours of battery life
The Acer Aspire E15 Windows 10 laptop offers great value, top-notch performance and battery life, and excellent hardware for its sub-$600 price tag. With Intel's latest quad-core processor, a NVIDIA graphics card, and a speedy solid-state drive on board, the notebook can keep pace with much pricier offerings. Unlike most of them, the Aspire E15 also gives you the option to upgrade some of its key components.
The notebook is far from perfect though. In order to make the Aspire E15 attractively priced, Acer has settled for an all-plastic body with decidedly boring design. To sum things up, you'll be paying for internal components, not looks and craftsmanship. A touchscreen panel would have been welcome, too, though, in this price point, it's not exactly mandatory.
CNET and PC Magazine testers liked the great specs and performance the Aspire E15 offers for its price tag. However, CNET also noted that the notebook is a tad too heavy for frequent use on the go.
If you're looking for an even more affordable option, consider this Acer Aspire E15 configuration instead. It has a less powerful processor, less RAM, and a slower, conventional hard drive for only $350.
Best Gaming Laptop
Key Specs:
• Ninth-generation Intel Core i7-9750H CPU (six-core)
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX1660Ti GPU with 6 GB GDDR5 memory
• 16 GB of upgradeable RAM
• 17-inch Full HD (1,920 by 1,080 pixels) IPS display with 144Hz refresh rate
• 512 GB SSD
• Three full USB 3.1 ports, one USB-C 3.1 port with Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.0 port, mini DisplayPort
• SteelSeries keyboard, upgradeable hardware
• Weight: 5.9 pounds
The latest MSI GL73 is the best gaming laptop, offering a cool design, good hardware specs, and excellent performance at a really attractive, sub-$1,500 price point. With upgradeable hardware, the full-sized gaming notebook is also a nicely future-proof pick.
The gaming performance of the MSI GL73 is excellent, especially for its price range. The device’s latest-generation NVIDIA GPU can easily power through today’s AAA gaming titles in full HD resolution at high settings. The notebook’s display panel has a speedy refresh rate, which ensures that the gaming graphics are also incredibly smooth.
We also like the keyboard of the MSI GL73 a lot! Tuned by SteelSeries, it allows you to customize every key to your exact liking. The speakers of the notebook are also good.
As expected from a gaming laptop, the MSI GL73 has an excellent set of connectivity features (both wired and wireless). The notebook weighs 5.9 pounds — a reasonable amount for a device this feature-packed.
More: The Best Gaming Laptops Worth Your Attention
More Great Options Worth Your Attention
Looking for more laptop picks? Here are some addition ones worth checking into as well.
Best for Powerful Hardware and Versatile Design
Key Specs:
• Eighth-generation quad-core Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics (13.5-inch model)
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics (15-inch model)
• Up to 16 GB of RAM
• 13.5-inch or 15-inch high-resolution PixelSense touchscreen
• Up to 1 TB of SSD storage
• Windows Hello sign-in with facial recognition
• Thunderbolt 3-capable USB-C port, two full USB 3.0 ports, SD card slot
• Up to 17 hours of battery life
The splurge-worthy Microsoft Surface Book 2 has incredibly powerful hardware tucked into a gorgeous, exceptionally crafted metal body. Thanks to Intel's latest generation processors and gaming-grade graphics cards, the notebook is so powerful, it'll completely change your performance expectations about 2-in-1 laptops going forward.
The 15-inch model in particular is capable of legitimately replacing a gaming laptop — its NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU allows it to run graphic-intensive games at Full HD resolution without a hint of hesitation. With a GeForce GTX 1050 graphics chip on board, the 13.5-inch model is no slouch either.
Having so much performance in such a versatile form factor comes at a price though — you'll need to spend close to $2,000 to grab a Surface Book 2 with the latest hardware. Still, as far as 2-in-1 notebooks go, the Surface Book 2 truly is a new benchmark. Just grab one if it fits in your budget!
More: Our In-Depth Microsoft Surface Book 2 Review
Best for Gaming on a Budget
Key Specs:
• Seventh-generation quad-core Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card with 6 GB of RAM
• 16 GB of RAM
• 15-inch Full HD display with IPS panel
• 256 GB of SSD storage
• Dual-fan cooling
• Two full USB 2.0 ports, USB 3.0 port, USB-C 3.1 port, HDMI port
• Up to 7 hours of battery life
The Acer Predator Helios 300 laptop delivers an excellent gaming experience (including virtual reality) and upgradeable hardware at an attractive price point. The notebook is also well-built and full of handy wired connectivity options.
We wish that the display bezels were a bit more reasonably sized, but, to be fair though, they're no different than those of most other gaming laptops out there.
Best Affordable Chromebook
Key Specs:
• Seventh-generation Intel Core m3 or Core m5 processor
• Intel graphics
• 4 GB of RAM
• 12.5-inch Full HD display with 360-degree hinge
• 64 GB of built-in storage
• Two USB-C 3.1 ports, microSD card slot
• Up to 10 hours of battery life
The ASUS Chromebook Flip C302 is a good alternative to the pricey Google Pixelbook, (this option will cost you well below $500). The Flip C302 can't match the sheer hardware capabilities or display resolution of its range-topping sibling, but it'll still deliver a fast and fluid touchscreen performance, as well as access to Android apps via the Google Play store.
Best for Style-Conscious Buyers
Key Specs:
• Seventh-generation Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU (dual-core)
• Intel graphics
• Up to 16 GB of RAM
• 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen with 2,256 by 1,504 pixels
• Up to 1 TB of SSD storage
• Windows Hello sign-in with facial recognition
• One full USB 3.0 port and one Mini DisplayPort
• Up to 14.5 hours of battery life
With a sleek body crafted from metal and Alcantara, the Microsoft Surface Laptop is handily one of the best-looking notebooks money can buy. Its design and tactility are a true celebration of the traditional laptop form factor.
The hardware options for the notebook are also excellent, ranging from well-priced configurations for casual users all the way to seriously specced variants suitable for more demanding users.
Compared to the Microsoft Surface Book 2, the Surface Laptop has considerably less power and versatility. With only one USB 3.0 port and one Mini DisplayPort on board, it won't wow you with wired connectivity options either. However, if you're not planning on using peripheral accessories often, this notebook is totally worth it.
More: Here's Our Review of the Microsoft Surface Laptop
Read More:
Our Favorite Touchscreen Laptops to Buy in 2018
The Best Laptop Bag for Carrying Your Tech in Style
The Best Portable Speakers for Every Activity
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