Best laptops 2016.
What's the best laptop? The best laptop is the Dell XPS 13, but the Asus ZenBook UX303U and Alienware 13 are great alternatives as top laptops. Learn more about the best laptops in our best laptops chart below.
10. Microsoft Surface Pro 4
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 14 December 15
- RRP: From £749 inc VAT (model tested £1079)
There is a great deal to like and rave about the Surface Pro 4. The design is thinner and lighter for starters. The screen is awesome, there's plenty of power available, the new Surface Pen is better and the Type Cover is a vast improvement on the last one. However, the design is inherently awkward at times, it's more expensive that a lot of laptops and the Type Cover, which you'll pretty much need, isn't included lowering the value.
Read our Microsoft Surface Pro 4 review.
9. 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (early 2015)
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 30 March 15
- RRP: From £999
While it looks just like every Retina-screened 13-inch MacBook before it, the Early 2015 revision is streets ahead of earlier models. Its storage speed is up to double the already ground-breaking speed of the 2013 model. The new Force Trackpad brings tangible benefits in touch control, with an intelligent coprocessor that helps interpret our digital movements. And the Broadwell processor, with other running changes too, has spearheaded just about the greatest upgrade any mobile computing user could ask for, namely insanely long battery life. Improvements in graphics performance were less emphatic in our tests, but at least always positive changes. The world’s finest 13-inch notebook is now unassailable, especially given it’s kept the same sub-£1000 price point as its predecessor.
8. HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G1
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 13 January 15
- RRP: £2116 inc. VAT
Most ultraportables we test are dumbed-down MacBook Air clones with cheap construction and low-grade components. That's why it makes a particularly refreshing change to find a Windows laptop that not just matches but surpasses Apple's popular ultraportable in a key area like screen quality. The price is much higher than even the Retina-display 13-inch MacBook but if you must have a laptop built for Windows that can make a statement in build quality and top-class components, check out EliteBook Folio 1040 G1.
Read our HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G1 review.
7. Lenovo Yoga 900
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 26 February 16
- RRP: From £1199 inc VAT (model reviewed £1499)
The Lenovo Yoga 900 is a laptop that really asks you to believe in its design style. After all, it doesn’t come cheap and for the price you can get a laptop with much more power if you’re not out for something immensely portable. That’s where this laptop excels: portability. As well as being slim, light and all-round lovely, the smart hinge lets it sit where most other laptops just can’t. The battery should last through a full day’s work as well. The trackpad can feel fiddly and the display isn’t perfect, but if you’re feeling flush this is one of the top ultraportables around.
Read our Lenovo Yoga 900 review.
6. Dell Inspiron 15 7559
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 30 November 15
- RRP: £999 inc VAT
Lumpy but suggesting longevity, the Inspiron 15 7000 Series ought to survive as desktop replacement at home or the office. Powerful discrete graphics will please gamers and professionals, although the reflective screen and a trying trackpad knock points off usability. If you can live with these foibles, it's good value.
Read our Dell Inspiron 15 7559 review.
5. Retina MacBook Pro review (15in, 2015)
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 8 June 15
- RRP: From £1,599
We must admit to feeling a tinsy bit short-changed by the no-show of quad-core Intel Broadwell processor in this year’s 15-inch MacBook Pro model. However this refresh sees two aspects expanded that are always in demand – faster graphics and longer battery life – while also introducing to the machine the highly versatile Force Touch trackpad interface. Meanwhile the uplift in flash storage speed may look like a nerdy numberfest but will reward any user with some real-life leaps in daily productivity. The 15-inch maintains its place as the premium mobile workstation laptop, and puts that much more clear distance between it and the Windows tributes.
4. HP Envy 13
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 25 February 16
- RRP: From £649 inc VAT (model reviewed £799)
The HP Envy 13 gets a lot of things right. The design, the trackpad, the performance and the screen are all very good. Using this laptop is a real delight in most respects, its physical portability is fantastic and it has clearly been designed with a sensible budget in mind. It’s a good buy. There are a few issues, though. Unless use is very light, battery life is disappointing and the build quality is slightly less impressive than it at first appears – there’s some flex to the body, making it a bit less luxurious than you might expect looking at photos. Given the excellent combination of features, performance and value though, it’s only the battery life you need to really stop and think about before buying. The Asus UX305 lasts longer, and while that laptop lacks a backlit keyboard and some of the HP’s raw power, that might be enough to justify switching teams.
Read our HP Envy 13 review.
3. Microsoft Surface Book
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 16 February 16
- RRP: From £1,299 inc VAT
It's expensive but the Surface Book is an amazing piece of technology combining excellent (and unique) design, top-notch build quality and high-end specifications. Battery life is amazing and there's a lot you can do with the Surface Book model with the Nvidia GPU. The big question is can you afford one?
Read our Microsoft Surface Book review.
2. Asus ZenBook UX303U
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 16 December 15
- RRP: £899.99 inc VAT
At around £900 the ZenBook UX303U approaches the build finesse but lacks the unbeaten battery of the similarly priced MacBook Air, although it can claim faster processor performance and a superior full-HD matt display. This latest ZenBook is a well-balanced, smart and powerful Windows notebook.
Read our Asus ZenBook UX303U review.
1. Dell XPS 13 9350
- Rating:
- Reviewed on: 15 December 15
- RRP: From £849 inc VAT
The Dell XPS 13 9343 stands as a shining beacon of hope in the world of Windows laptops, a compact laptop that outdoes the obvious competition in some key respects like screen quality and near-borderless display. Here is a 13.3-inch laptop that takes up little more space than an 11.6-inch model. Poor thermal management needs to be improved, while a non-touchscreen version could answer other outstanding issues.
Read our Dell XPS 13 9350 review.
View other posts at Casper Kain. And also comment and tell me what to post next.
Post a Comment: