If, like many of us, you are homework or doing remote learning, this list can help you find the perfect new laptop to meet your needs. Whether you’re looking for a laptop for work, school, games or entertainment, you’ll find our top choices in the best laptop brands on the market: Apple, Dell, HP, Microsoft, Lenovo, Acer, Asus and more.
We revised very of laptops, so obviously, not everyone is on this list. You can also read our recommendations for the best gaming notebooks, 15 inch laptops, Two in one and Chromebooks, as well as the best laptop for college students, the best laptop for creatives and the best Alternatives to MacBook Pro for the Windows suite. In addition, if you only want pure power or a long battery life, our performance and battery life are for you. Need to keep the price of a new laptop as low as possible? Check out our choices for cheap laptops and cheap gaming laptops or see all CNET laptop reviews. This list was originally published last year and updated periodically.
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The Dell XPS 13 is a perennial favorite for its size, weight and performance and just for its overall good looks. In 2020, Dell made the laptop even smaller, while enlarging the laptop’s screen and increasing performance for graphics and CPU-intensive tasks. It’s not a big leap, but this Dell XPS is still the best in its class. And for those who want the latest and greatest Intel processors, the Dell XPS 13, as well as the company’s XPS 13 2 in 1 (also a great choice), are available with the chip maker’s 11th generation Core processors, 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 an elegant, but not flashy, 13.3-inch ultraportable, perfect for squeezing into a tiny table. You’ll have more than 12 hours of battery life, depending on your configuration – it’s available with either a 10th generation Intel processor or an 11th generation Intel Core i7 processor – and a lot of performance to do a quick job in the daily office or schoolwork. In addition, like many of Asus’ laptops, ZenBook adds some gadget extras to make your life easier while you’re away from home. Read our review of the Asus ZenBook 13.
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The HP Envy x360 13 is a great choice for an older high school or college student or anyone looking for a small, stylish two-in-one with a vibrant screen for traveling. This HP laptop is light, weighing just under 3 pounds (1.3 kg) and the battery life is long, despite its size. It is also available with the choice of AMD Ryzen 5-4500U or 11th generation Intel Core processors. Basically, you are getting a small two in one quick that you are ready to work at home or learn remotely, but also to carry in your backpack. Read our HP Envy x360 13 (2020) review.
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The combination of the larger MacBook Pro hardware and MacOS extracts maximum component performance, while offering class-leading battery life in a way that the Windows operating system never seems to do, and the high-resolution screen remains great. In addition, the keyboard of this powerful laptop model uses scissor-style switches under the keys, instead of the much-ridiculed butterfly-style switch. You pay for it, though – the base price for the 16-inch model of this premium laptop is $ 2,399. Read our review of the Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019).
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Although it is not The Surface Laptop, Surface Pro continues to hit all the notes if you’re looking for a Windows tablet that does it all and also works 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 feature an honest USB-C port. Read our review of Microsoft Surface Pro 7.
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This is our recommendation for anyone looking for a MacOS laptop for basic day-to-day 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 homemade M1 processors would replace Intel CPUs in the air. 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, though, and regardless of which chip is running the Air, you’re getting a great Mac laptop starting at $ 999. Read more about the new M1-based MacBook Air.
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A remarkable deal for simple tasks like email, word processing and more, thanks to the new AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors. This affordable laptop has a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader and a USB Type-C port as well. . The Acer Swift 3 is also an incredibly light laptop – less than 3 pounds – for a machine that can be found for less than $ 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 up to $ 830 if you want low-level entry-level graphics for basic games and content creation. Read our review of the Acer Swift 3 (14 inch, 2020).
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This is essentially a Chrome version of the first Microsoft Surface Go. Like 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 also costs a lot less than the Go (including the new Go 2), with laptop offers starting at $ 279 for a 64 GB version or $ 299 for one with 128 GB of storage. It’s essentially a smaller, though less powerful, Pixel Slate that makes more sense to more people at a price that is more in line with what people expect a Chromebook to cost.
The Chromebook Duet has a small screen, however, if you use it regularly on a table, we recommend connecting an external monitor to the USB-C port. You will probably also want to connect a wireless keyboard and mouse. Or, if you want a more traditional laptop experience instead of tablet mode, the Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is worth researching.
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Dell’s G-series gaming laptops are cheaper than those in the Alienware division, but are 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 midrange G5 15 hits the mark with excellent price-performance, build quality and design. Newer versions start at $ 900, including a special edition model with AMD’s impressive Ryzen 5 4600H processor.
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There are simply no other 17 inch laptops that are so light and have a long battery life. The Gram 17 lasted 13 hours in our streaming video test, beating last year’s model for 47 minutes in the same test. The processor’s performance has also increased slightly compared to the 2019 version, thanks to the addition of a 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor. This also has a partnership with more powerful Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics, offering a little more speed for photo and video editing and casual games. Read our review of the LG Gram 17 (2020).
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Although Asus and Lenovo launched great business laptops this year, this Latitude is our number one choice at the moment. Co-designed with Intel, the 9510 places a 15-inch screen in a 14-inch body, but has more than 20 hours of battery life and has a powerful Core i7 processor with vPro for security and remote management. It is available with 4G or 5G mobile connectivity and uses AI to learn how you work to deliver the best performance, regardless of whether you are using the battery or connected. Plus, it’s available as a traditional clamshell laptop or two in 1. Read our review of the Dell Latitude 9510.
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Although HP and Dell have excellent two-in-one convertible laptops at a premium, they have small 13.3 and 13.4 inch screens. If you want a little more space for your work or entertainment, the 14-inch C940 is a great choice. One of Intel’s Project Athena laptops, the C940 is tuned for more agility and longer battery life. Everything is fast. In addition, it is one of the few that comes with a pen, which is stored and carried on the body. The replacement for the C940, Yoga 9i, is now available and has not changed much beyond its 11th generation Intel processor. Read our review of the Lenovo Yoga C940 (14 inches).
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Regularly available for less than $ 700, this slim 3-pound convertible is a solid choice for anyone who needs a laptop for office or school work. The all-metal chassis offers a premium look and feel, and has a comfortable keyboard and a responsive, smooth precision touchpad. While it is light on extra features compared to its premium linemate, the Yoga 9i, it does have one of Lenovo’s sliding blinds for your webcam that offers privacy when you want it. And it has a long battery life.
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Yes, the best gaming laptop of the moment is the one we chose as an alternative to the MacBook Pro. However, there is one small exception: although we recommend getting this Blade Pro laptop with its 4K resolution screen option for creators, gamers will want get the screen with a 300 MHz refresh rate that Razer offers for this model. Read our review of the Razer Blade Pro 17 (early 2020).