Are you in the market for a new laptop? Then you are in the right place. With so many options out there it’s hard to know which one to choose, that’s why I did the homework for you, and below is a breakdown of my top picks by type of usage.
Table of Contents:
Best for working from home
While you may or may not already have a desktop at home, you might consider a laptop to complement or replace your aging desktop. Or perhaps you are working from home and need the ability to move around your living space to get work done. Or maybe you need a device that has more computing capabilities than a tablet yet less intense than your desktop? Below are some top picks of a balanced laptop for work and play:
Apple 2023 MacBook Air
Credit: Apple
This MacBook Air gives up to 18 hours of battery life and has a large 15.3-inch display so that you can see all your images clearly. It runs completely silent, with a powerful 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and up to 24GB of unified memory. At the time of publishing, this product had over 700 global reviews with 92% giving it 5 stars.
HP 17-inch Laptop
Credit: HP
Pros:
- Big 17.3” screen is great if this is a desktop replacement or your primary work laptop
- Latest operating system (Windows 11 Home)
- Good port options:
- USB Type-A is convenient to connect to older technology without using an adapter
- USC Type-C
- HDMI
- WiFi 6 is the fastest WiFi technology
- Fast charge: From 0% to 50% charged in 45 minute
- Very affordable for a laptop of this size (Under $700)
Cons:
- 11th Gen intel core i5 processor is not the latest or fastest available but plenty of power for general office work
- Not much RAM for a computer of this size (8 GB of RAM)
- Not much storage (512 GB SSD)
- Not the longest battery life (only 8 hours & 45 min on a full charge whereas some other laptops boast 20 hours of battery life on a single full charge)
Best for kids
While desktops usually don’t need to get replaced quite as often, laptops are generally more affordable to replace or upgrade. Plus, having a separate device you can set up with specific security settings for your kids is nice. Interested in creating a safer digital environment with the desktop or laptop you got? Then check out 7 Smarter ways to keep kids safe online. Check the list below for our top picks for kids:
Google Pixelbook Go
Credit: Google
Pros:
- Great battery life: Works unplugged for up to 12 hours so you don’t need to carry a charger and just 20 minutes of charging get you 2 hours of use
- Made of magnesium (rare for a laptop), which makes it lightweight yet durable at barely 2 pounds
- Easy to carry: 13 millimeters thin with a wavy design on the bottom that provides more grip
- ‘Hush’ keyboard for a new typist who is learning their way around a laptop
- Very rare 1080p duo webcam, which is usually only found on high-end and expensive laptops
- Affordable: Under $1K depending on specs
- The fanless design stays cool to let you comfortably use it on your lap
- 13.3″ LCD touchscreen display that offers either Full HD 1920×1080 (166ppi) or 4K Ultra HD Molecular Display™ 3840×2160 (331ppi) looks excellent and makes for an easier navigating experience for new and older users alike
- More built-in security: Titan C security chip and built-in virus protection help keep your data and passwords safe
Cons:
- No biometric login (many new laptops let users log into their device with just a fingerprint, which makes it easier to keep the device safer)
- Higher-spec models are pricey
- Really low storage and RAM offerings for their base model
- No SD card slot, so any external storage will have to be via a USB-C connection
Acer Spin 311-2H
Credit: Acer
Pros:
- Very affordable – less than $400
- 11.6″ HD (1366×768) 16:9 IPS Touchscreen LED-backlit Display
- 2-IN-1 TOUCHSCREEN for a full tactile experience
- Comes with a stylus
- Comes with a variety of ports: USB-C, DisplayPort, USB 2.0, 3.5mm combo jack (headphone/speaker), & Kensington Lock Slot
Cons:
- On the low spectrum of Storage and RAM
Best for gaming
Gaming is a popular past-time for people of all ages. However, it requires a certain amount of processing speed and storage space to handle the intensity of graphics and program complexities. Below are the top picks for gaming:
Acer Predator Helios 300
Credit: Acer
Pros:
- Great RAM base (16GB DDR4 3200MHz memory (2 DDR4 Slots Total, Maximum 32GB))
- Good refresh rate for a laptop (144Hz 3ms)
- Good screen ‘real estate’ (15.6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS LED-backlit display)
- Good performance speed (i7 core processor)
- Comes with Windows 11 (latest Windows OS)
- 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fan technology has 89 ultra-thin blades with bionic wing tip design to increase air intake (helps keep the laptop cool)
- Alexa is built in for compatibility
Cons:
- Expensive – it is comparable to some of its desktop counterpart
- Low storage offering for a gaming laptop (512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD)
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-7583
Credit: Acer
Pros:
- Good RAM (16GB DDR4 3200MHz Memory)
- Maximizing internet connection: Killer DoubleShot Pro with Ethernet E2600 and Killer Wi-Fi 6 1650 – Wi-Fi 6 enabled for fastest wi-fi connections; ability to use Ethernet and WiFi at the same time
- More screen ‘real estate’ (15.6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS LED-backlit display)
- Good performance speed (i7 core processor)
- Comes with Windows 11 (latest Windows OS)
- Excellent cooling: form of dual-fan cooling, dual-intakes (top and bottom), and a quad-exhaust port design
Cons:
- Decent refresh rate (144Hz; newer models are boasting 165Hz 3ms)
- Mediocre storage (512GB SSD)
- Maximum RAM is 32GB – other laptops can be upgraded to 64 GB
Best for heavy processing
For individuals who find themselves working on processor-intensive programs like photo editing, video editing, or design programs, laptops are not only going to need excellent screens with rich color and high resolutions – yet also enough storage, ram, and processor speed to handle the intensity of these media and workload-heavy programs. Below are the top picks for laptops that can handle the work:
2023 Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (14”)
Credit: Apple
Pros:
- M2 Pro (Has up to 12 CPU cores, up to 19 GPU, and up to 32 GB unified memory)
- Long battery life: 18 hours
- Liquid Retina XDR display features Extreme Dynamic Range (1000 nits brightness sustained full-screen compared to last year’s model with 500 nits brightness)
- Finally an upgrade to the Macbook Pro camera: 1080P (Last year’s model was still at 720P)
- Biometric access for additional security with Touch ID
- WiFi 6E enabled for the fastest WiFi technology available (802.11ax)
- Very light for the amount of power it embodies as well as being an all-aluminum unibody (3.5 pounds)
- Finally, ports have returned to the Macbook Pro with an SDXC card slot, 3 thunderbolt 4 ports, headphone jack and HDMI port so you can ditch the port docks
Cons:
- Expensive (At the time of publication, it costs $1,999 for the base model)
- Mediocre storage (512GB SSD)
- Color selection is limited: Only two colors which are shades of grey
- If you are looking for more portability (a smaller size like the 13″), the upgrades for 2023 (to date) are only for the 14″ and 16″ Macbook Pros
Dell XPS 13 9310 Touchscreen Laptop
Credit: Dell
Pros:
- 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1195G7 Processor
- Energy Star certified
- Windows 11 pro
- Advanced Thermal Engineering distributes heat better for better performance
- Biometric locking – fingerprint reader
- Carbon fiber makes it strong but light (2.8 LBS)
- Integrated eyesore display technology reduced glare from blue light
- Includes a microSD reader
100% sRGB and 90% DCI P3 color gamut,500-nit brightness 0.65% anti-reflective coating cuts the glare of a glossy screen. Full HD with a very thin bezel, which means for screen ‘real estate’ for the size – touchscreen
- DELL WARRANTY SUPPORT: Including 2 Year On-Site/In-Home and 6 months Dell Migrate. Easily move your files and settings from your old PC to your new Dell
Cons:
- 720p at 30 fps HD RGB camera, 400p at 30 fps IR camera, dual-array microphones
- Really small base storage for a power-horse, processing-heavy laptop – 512 GB SSD (1 TB should be starting)
If you’re still not sure what to look for in a new laptop, you can use our article on How to pick the right laptop as a guide. Whether you’re giving it away, donating or recycling your old laptop, don’t forget to check out our article on how to safely release your old laptop. If you’re building a setup for the new year, you might want to also check out our article on the best monitors (link to Leslie Pedder’s article).
Are you thinking about replacing an old laptop or desktop? Is there a model you love that we didn’t cover above? Comment below.
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