Whether you prefer Windows or macOS, here's my favourite laptops for you to choose from...
Buying a laptop isn't anywhere near as expensive as it used to be, but if anything it's a lot more confusing. But let's confuse you no longer -the best laptop of the moment is the HP Spectre 13
So thin, so light. The epic HP Spectre 13 is just an awesome experience that boasts both muscle and feather-like lightness. Its powerful specs are mighily impressive, too (there's a rapid Core i7 under the hood) and 256GB SSD, too. As we've said below, it really does feel like a laptop fom the future. We love it and so will you.
Want something a little less thin or bigger? Check out the also excellent
Dell XPS 13 and 15
Of course these are all Windows 10 laptops, but we've got macOS models below, too as well as plenty more of the best laptops around.
How to choose the best laptop for you
In the dim and distant past you could probably get a laptop for a minimum of £500 and spend up to £2000 or even more on a top-end one. Some can certainly come in on the high end of that range, even now.
But what has happened recently is that Chromebooks have appeared, offering dirt-cheap portable computing with sufficient features for a lot of users like students and people who just need to type while out and about. And, not only that, but what you can do with a £500 laptop has now changed drastically.
The appearance of £200 – and sometimes lower – Chromebooks though, has forced other laptops down in price too. So now you can get laptops for some absurd prices, especially if you pick up a sale bargain.
At the other end of the scale are new thin and light laptops that aren't so interested in offering value. But they often sport all-metal construction, wafer-thin designs and internal guts that can chew through demanding tasks. So what's best?
Well as well as the HP Spectre 13 and also excellent Dell XPS 13 and 15, there's a bunch of other great laptops below. We're not going to look at Chromebooks or 2-in-1 convertibles – those have their own buying guides – but let's have a look at everything else out there on the market.
The 10 best laptops you can buy today
These are the best laptops to buy, in order of preference.
1. HP Spectre 13
A Windows laptop with the sleekness of a MacBook
CPU: 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-6500U (dual-core, 4MB cache, up to 3.1GHz with Turbo Boost | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520 | RAM: 8GB LPDDR3 SDRAM (1,866MHz) | Screen: 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 FHD IPS UWVA BrightView Corning Gorilla Glass WLED-backlit display | Storage: 256GB SSD (PCIe; NVMe; M.2)
features....
Sleek and lightweight
Tactile keyboard
Standard 1080p display
Mushy trackpad
HP's most luxurious laptop borrows the Lenovo Yoga 900S's style and the MacBook's bag-friendly dimensions. The Spectre 13 is so thin that tapping away on its tactile keyboard almost feels like your fingers are tap-dancing on the table. Its biggest advantage over the MacBook is its Intel Core-series processor inside, which lends it the winning combination of dazzling looks and computing muscle. Packing three USB-C ports for hooking up peripherals (note that you'll need a converter to use your old USB-A ones), the Spectre 13 doesn't just look like a laptop from the future - it has one eye trained on it too.
2. Dell XPS 15
A portable 15-inch powerhouse
CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 6700HQ (quad-core, 6MB cache, up to 3.5GHz with Turbo Boost) | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M (with 2GB GDDR5) | RAM: 16GB Dual Channel DDR4 (2,133MHz; 8GB x 2) | Screen: 15.6-inch, 4K Ultra HD (3,840 x 2,160) InfinityEdge touch | Storage: 512GB PCIe SSD
Features...
Dazzling 4K display
Portable for a 15-incher
Average battery life
A bit heavy
Like its smaller sibling, the XPS 13, Dell's XPS 15 sports an almost bezel-less InfinityEdge display. It brings the dual benefit of making whatever you're doing on its gorgeous 15-inch '4K' screen come to life while also lending it the dimensions of a 14-inch laptop. It's bag-friendly to boot and comes packing the goods, including an Nvidia GTX 960M mobile graphics card that's beefy enough to handle just about any game so long as you stick to 1080p. The XPS 15's battery life is its main weakness, so don't expect its runtimes to stretch into the double figures without taking a booster pack along for the ride.
3. Dell XPS 13
The most compact Windows laptop
CPU: 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-6200U | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 520 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 13.3-inch QHD+ (3,200 x 1,800) | Storage: 256GB SSD
Gorgeous bezel-less display
Lightweight, compact frame
Off-centre webcam
Small frame limits battery life
If you're looking for a Windows laptop, it's hard to go wrong with the Dell XPS 13. While it's more expensive than the Asus UX303 — particularly if you go for the QHD+ version — the XPS 13's InfinityEdge display makes it worth the money. It's surrounded by a bezel that's just millimetres thick, lending the 13.3-inch laptop a body that's closer to 11-inch laptops in size. It gives the XPS 13 excellent portability, and unlike the 12-inch MacBook Dell has done it without sacrificing ports or power. The XPS 13 packs Intel's latest Skylake processors under the hood, and features both Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.0 ports.
4. Apple 12-inch MacBook
The most fashionable laptop around
CPU: 1.1GHz or 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5300 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 12-inch 2,304 x 1,440 pixel-resolution Retina display | Storage: 256GB or 512GB PCIe-based flash storage | Connectivity: USB-C (USB 3.1) | Camera: 480p FaceTime camera | Weight: 0.92 kg | Dimensions: 28.05cm x 19.65cm x 1.31cm (W x D x H)
Features...
Thin and light
Retina display
One USB-C port
Shallow keyboard
Apple's 12-inch MacBook isn't just the most portable MacBook of them all, you won't find a more compact laptop with a high-resolution display full stop. Every inch of Apple's impossibly-thin machine is gorgeous, but it comes at the expense of usability. With just one USB Type-C port, the MacBook requires an adapter if you want to use multiple USB devices - or a combination of peripherals and a display - at the same time. If you don't mind carrying one around in a case, the MacBook's surprisingly punchy speakers, good battery life and catwalk looks make it a unique (and fun to use) laptop.
5. Lenovo Yoga 900S
Lightweight and beautiful, with a twist
CPU: 1.1GHz Intel Core m5-6Y54 (dual core, 4MB cache, up to 2.7GHz with Turbo Boost) | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 515 | RAM: 4GB LPDDR3 (1600 MHz) | Screen: 12.5-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 FHD IPS LED glossy multi-touch display | Storage: 128GB PCIe SSD
Elegant design
Twists and bends
Shallow keyboard
Small trackpad
Convertible laptops undoubtedly make better tablets when they're lightweight. The Yoga 900S is one such machine, weighing in at a svelte 2.2 pounds. What you get then, is a 12.5-inch laptop with a bright and colourful screen that can rotate into several different positions, making it easier to interact with touchscreen apps, do a bit of lightweight gaming or even a spot of reading laid back on the couch. In terms of design, the Yoga 900S borrows the Yoga 3 Pro's stylish watchband hinge design without charging the jewellery shop price tag. It's thinner too, while bringing the same pixel-packed 2,560 x 1,440 pixel-resolution display along for the ride.
I also happen to love the surface book because of the design... Its not on my list but you can check it out ....
Microsoft Surface Book
The ultimate Windows 10 hybrid laptop
CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-6300U | Graphics: Intel HD graphics 520; Nvidia GeForce graphics | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 13.5-inch, 3,000 x 2,000 PixelSense Display | Storage: 256GB PCIe3.0 SSD
Features....
Futuristic design
Seamless tablet separation
Battery life falls well below promises
Major updates are still in tow
Microsoft's Surface Book is a 2-in-1 with a detachable display that can be used as a tablet, and it's an excellent laptop in its own right for several reasons. First, it's the only one out there with a high-resolution 3:2 aspect ratio display which is great for reading long web pages, typing up documents and doing anything that requires a bit more vertical space on the display. Second, its keyboard is simply superb offering a deep amount of travel that reduces fatigue during long typing sessions. Third, Intel's latest Skylake processors and Nvidia's GTX 940M GPU give the Surface Book enough grunt for light gaming and multimedia editing. If money isn't an issue for you, then Microsoft's laptop should be considered even if you're not planning on detaching its display. Which you will, of course — even if it's just for showing off.
feel free to share your thoughts down below..
cheers....
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