Best laptops of 2021 – CNET

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The Dell XPS 13 is a perennial favorite for its size, weight, and performance and overall beauty. In 2020, Dell made the laptop even smaller, while also making the laptop screen larger and increasing performance for CPU and graphics-intensive tasks. It’s not a huge leap forward, but this Dell XPS is still the best in the class. And for those looking for the latest and greatest Intel processors, the Dell XPS 13, as well as the company’s 2-in-1 XPS 13 (also a great choice), are available with the manufacturer’s 11th Gen Core processors. chips, with Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 options. This Dell also offers a selection of storage and SSD memory options starting with a 256 GB SSD hard drive and 8 GB of memory.

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The Asus ZenBook 13 is a sleek but not gaudy 13.3-inch ultraportable with the perfect footprint to fit on a small table. You’ll get over 12 hours of battery life depending on your setup – it’s available with a 10th Gen Intel processor or an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor – and plenty of performance to quickly complete everyday tasks in the office or at the office. school. Plus, like many Asus laptops, the ZenBook adds a few extra gadgets to hopefully make your life on the go. Read our Asus ZenBook 13 review.

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The HP Envy x360 13 is a great choice for a high school or older college student, or anyone looking for a sleek little two-in-one with a vibrant screen for traveling. This HP laptop is light at just under 1.3 kg (3 pounds) and the battery life is long despite its size. It is also available with a choice of AMD Ryzen 5-4500U or 11th Generation Intel Core processors. Essentially, you get a quick little two-in-one that’s ready for work from home or distance learning, but also ready for your backpack. Read our HP Envy x360 13 (2020) review.

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The combination of the larger hardware of the MacBook Pro and MacOS extracts maximum performance from the components while providing top-notch battery life in a way the Windows operating system never seems to do, and the screen of high resolution display remains formidable. Additionally, the keyboard on this powerful laptop model uses scissor-style switches below the keys, rather than the much-ridiculed butterfly-style switch. You pay for it, however – the base price for the 16-inch model of this high-end laptop is $ 2,399. Read our Apple MacBook Pro (16 inch, 2019) review.

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Although it is not the Surface Laptop, the Surface Pro continues to hit all the right notes if you’re looking for a multi-purpose Windows tablet that doubles as a Windows laptop. This powerful Surface laptop features the 10th Generation Intel processor, fast wireless Wi-Fi 6 and long battery life. This Surface laptop is also the first to have a decent USB-C port. Read our Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review.

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This is our recommendation for those looking for a macOS laptop for basic everyday 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 that its new local M1 processors would replace Intel processors in the air. By using Apple’s M1, the company promises an operating system with better performance and longer battery life – up to 18 hours. Intel-based models will still be around, however, and regardless of which chip runs the Air, you get a great little Mac laptop starting at $ 999. Learn more about the new M1-based MacBook Air.

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A great offering for simple tasks like emailing, word processing and more, thanks to the new AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors. This budget laptop also features a backlit keyboard, reader for fingerprint and a USB Type-C port. The Acer Swift 3 is also an incredibly light laptop – under 3 pounds – for a machine that can be found for under $ 700.

In addition to this Acer Swift, we are also fans of the Acer Aspire 5, which has a larger 15.6-inch screen. The Acer Aspire 5 is available in a variety of configurations starting at $ 400, but can go all the way up to $ 830 if you want entry-level discrete graphics for basic gaming and content creation. Read our review on the Acer Swift 3 (14-inch, 2020).

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It’s basically a Chrome version of the first Microsoft Surface Go. Like the Go, the Chromebook Duet is a 10-inch tablet with a removable keyboard and touchscreen. Unlike Microsoft, however, Lenovo includes the keyboard. This Chrome OS laptop is also much cheaper than the GB (including the new GB 2), with laptop deals starting at $ 279 for a 64GB version or $ 299 for a version with 128GB of storage. . It’s essentially a smaller, albeit less powerful, Pixel Slate that makes more sense to more people with a price that’s more in line with what people expect a Chromebook to cost.

The Chromebook Duet has a small screen, however, if you regularly use it at a desk, we recommend connecting an external monitor to its USB-C port. You will probably also want to connect a wireless keyboard and mouse. Or, if you want a more traditional laptop experience rather than tablet mode, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is worth checking out.

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Dell’s G-series gaming laptops are cheaper than 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 mid-range G5 15 hits the mark with great value, build quality and design. The latest versions start at $ 900, including a special edition model with AMD’s impressive Ryzen 5 4600H processor.

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There is simply no other 17 inch laptop that’s this light and has a 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 also improved from version 2019, with the addition of a 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor. This is also paired with more powerful integrated Intel Iris Plus graphics, giving you a bit more speed for photo and video editing and casual gaming. Read our review of the LG Gram 17 (2020).

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While Asus and Lenovo produced some great business laptops this year, this Latitude is our top pick at the moment. Co-designed with Intel, the 9510 places a 15-inch screen in a 14-inch body, but gets over 20 hours of battery life and features 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 whether you’re on battery or plugged in. What’s more, it is available as a traditional clamshell laptop or a. Read our Dell Latitude 9510 review.

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Although HP and Dell have excellent high-end convertible two-into-one laptops, they have small 13.3- and 13.4-inch screens. If you want a little more room for your work or play, the 14-inch C940 is a great choice. One of the Intel Project Athena laptops, the C940 is tuned to be more responsive and for longer battery life. Everything is fast. In addition, it is one of the few that comes with a pen, which is stored and recharged in the body. The C940’s replacement, the Yoga 9i, is now available and hasn’t changed much outside of its 11th gen Intel processor. Read our Lenovo Yoga C940 (14 inch) review.

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Regularly available for under $ 700, this slim 3-pound convertible is a solid choice for anyone who needs a laptop for the office or school work. The all-metal chassis gives it a premium look and feel, and it features a comfortable keyboard and a responsive and smooth precision touchpad. While its additional features are light compared to its high-end line companion, the Yoga 9i, it does have one of Lenovo’s sliding shutters for its webcam that gives you privacy whenever you want. And it has a long battery life to boot.

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Yes, the best gaming laptop around right now is the same as our top pick for a MacBook Pro alternative. There is one small exception, though: While we recommend getting this Blade Pro laptop with its 4K resolution display option for creators, gamers will want to get the screen with a 300MHz refresh rate that Razer offers for this model. Read our Razer Blade Pro 17 (Early 2020) review.