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Best Laptops in 2021
Friday May 14, 2021. 02:43 PM , from The Inquirer
Introduction
If you’re looking for a new laptop, be it for reading emails, editing video or just to snoop on social media, then you’re in the right place. We’ve assembled a top ten list of the very best laptop options currently available. We’re including as much variety as possible, with Windows 10 laptops, Chromebooks and MacBooks all making an appearance. And if you can’t find a laptop to your liking right now, keep this page bookmarked and check back soon for future updates. And if you’re looking for a laptop for a specific use case, you can also check out our Best Gaming Laptop, Best Student Laptop and Best Budget Laptop lists instead. So without further ado, here are the best laptops you can buy in 2021. How we test Learn more about how we test laptops Every laptop we review goes through a series of uniform checks designed to gauge key things including build quality, performance, screen quality and battery life. These include formal synthetic benchmarks and scripted tests, plus a series of real world checks, such as how well it runs the most frequently used apps. We also make sure to use every laptop we review as our primary device for at least a week to ensure our review is as accurate as possible. Acer Chromebook Spin 513 View deals Pros Super-light and portable design Sharp display with decent colours Outstanding battery life Whisper-quiet performance Cons Flat speakers Mediocre performance No keyboard backlight £399$399 Acer Swift 5 (Late 2020) View deals Pros Lightweight design Superb battery life Competitive performance Plenty of ports onboard Cons Concerning build quality Reflective screen could be an issue outdoors Lack of Caps Lock indicator £999.99$949.99 Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch View deals Pros Incredibly powerful Bigger display still looks stunning Scissor keyboard a huge improvement More stylish with smaller bezel Cons Very expensive Stingy port offering Lack of Wi-Fi 6 £2399.00$2399.00 Honor MagicBook 14 (2020) View deals Pros Student-friendly premium style Superb value Pleasant typing experience More than capable productivity performance Cons Webcam positioned on keyboard Below average display £549.99 HP Spectre x360 13 (2021) View deals Pros Great keyboard Excellent build quality Bright, high-contrast screen Sturdy 360-degree hinge Cons Max speaker volume is just OK Not as powerful as a MacBook Air £1399.99$1049.99 Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 View deals Pros Great value price Fantastic battery life Speedy performance Nice Full HD screen Cons Basic design No Thunderbolt No fingerprint scanner on select models £849.99 LG Gram 16 (2021) View deals Pros Incredibly light design Big and detailed display Speedy productivity performance Generous port selection Cons Questionable build quality Glossy screen Not as powerful as rivals £1249 MacBook Air (M1) View deals Pros It’s so fast thanks to M1 Exceptional battery life Strong app support Great keyboard Cons Poor webcam Same design as before Poorly positioned (and only two) USB ports £999$999 Surface Laptop Go View deals Pros Incredible value Small and classy design Excellent performance Comfortable keyboard Cons Low-resolution display No keyboard backlight No fingerprint scanner on base configuration £549$549.99 Dell XPS 13 OLED View deals Pros The absolute best laptop screen for the price Speedy productivity performance Class-leading laptop design Lots of configuration options Cons Short battery life Stingy port offering £1348.99$1549.99 Dell XPS 13 OLED The best overall Windows laptop Trusted Score Pros The absolute best laptop screen for the priceSpeedy productivity performance Class-leading laptop designLots of configuration options Cons Short battery life Stingy port offering The Dell XPS 13 OLED is the absolute best Windows laptop you can buy right now, especially if you want a portable 13-inch design. The XPS 13 has been the king of laptops for a while now, and the introduction of the OLED screen has made it even better for 2021, making it an excellent choice if you want to watch the likes of Netflix on the go. Although that gorgeous 3.5K display does push down the battery life. By sporting Intel’s latest chips, it also offers a high-speed productivity performance. Only those craving a discrete GPU will need more power. Although the MacBook Air M1 is very good alternative if performance is your priority. The older Dell XPS 13 (Late 2020) is also still available if you’re not fussed about OLED technology. Reviewer: Ryan JonesFull review: Dell XPS 13 OLED review MacBook Air (M1) The most powerful ultra-portable laptop Trusted Score Pros It’s so fast thanks to M1Exceptional battery lifeStrong app supportGreat keyboard Cons Poor webcamSame design as beforePoorly positioned (and only two) USB ports The MacBook Air has arguably been lagging behind the rest of the laptop pack over the past few years, but that changes with the introduction of Apple Silicon and the revolutionary Apple M1 chip.The MacBook Air M1 offers better CPU speeds than the majority of laptops on this list, and by quite a distance. Its integrated GPU is even powerful enough for 4K video editing and animation, despite the laptop’s lightweight design.We’re still disappointed that Apple hasn’t introduced a more cutting-edge design to compete with the Dell XPS, but this is still a decent-looking laptop. If you do care about the looks, you may want to wait it out for the rumoured MacBook Air 2021 that could arrive before the end of the year.Reviewer: Max ParkerFull review: MacBook Air M1 Review Surface Laptop Go Best value laptop Trusted Score Pros Incredible valueSmall and classy designExcellent performanceComfortable keyboard Cons Low-resolution displayNo keyboard backlightNo fingerprint scanner on base configuration The Surface Laptop Go is one of the smallest laptops on this list with a 12.4in display, and lags behind the rest when performance is concerned, but it’s also far more affordable than its rivals.With a starting price of just £549, the Surface Laptop Go is almost half the price of competitors from the likes of Apple and Dell. And while it’s not the most powerful machine here, it can still breeze through day-to-day productivity tasks without a hitch. The keyboard is also very comfortable to type on, making it a good option for student and office workers.There are of course compromises here. The screen resolution falls below the standard 1920 x 1080 mark, and you don’t get a fingerprint scanner with the entry model, but these are small issues considering the incredible value on offer. Reviewer: Ryan JonesFull review: Surface Laptop Go Review Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Best mid-range laptop Trusted Score Pros Great value priceFantastic battery lifeSpeedy performanceNice Full HD screen Cons Basic designNo ThunderboltNo fingerprint scanner on select models The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 isn’t quite as flashy as Dell XPS 13 and is a few hundred quid more expensive than the Surface Laptop Go, but we think it’s a fantastic middle-ground option that perfectly balances performance with price.Packing a Ryzen 4000 chip, the Yoga Slim 7 doesn’t just have a solid productivity performance but also has a stellar battery life, lasting over 14 hours on a single charge during our benchmark tests. A lovely Full HD display also makes it a good laptop for video streaming.However, its bland design may convince some to pay extra for an Apple or Dell machine, while the omission of Thunderbolt and a fingerprint scanner on select models can be irksome too. But if you’re not looking for a high-end laptop with all of the trimmings, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 has every right to be on your shortlist.Reviewer: Ryan JonesFull review: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Review LG Gram 16 (2021) Best lightweight 16-inch laptop Trusted Score Pros Incredibly light designBig and detailed displaySpeedy productivity performanceGenerous port selection Cons Questionable build qualityGlossy screenNot as powerful as rivals The LG Gram 16 (2021) standouts on this list as a large 16-inch laptop that only weighs a dainty 1199g, which is even lighter than most of the 13-inch laptops here.This makes the Gram the best option for those who crave a giant display for either Netflix or productivity purposes, but also want a laptop that’s light enough to sling in a bag and work on the go. There are a couple of compromises for having such a lightweight design, as there’s a bit of flex to the chassis when you press down hard. But such flaws are easy to forgive when you’re getting a 16-inch laptop that hardly weighs a thing. Reviewer: Ryan JonesFull review: LG Gram 16 (2021) Review Acer Chromebook Spin 513 Best budget Chromebook Trusted Score Pros Super-light and portable designSharp display with decent coloursOutstanding battery lifeWhisper-quiet performance Cons Flat speakersMediocre performanceNo keyboard backlight The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 is arguably the finest example to show how far Chromebooks have come in recent years. It’s not the most powerful laptop on this list, but it’s perfectly good enough to coast through casual computing tasks. The mediocre performance is forgiven considering the bargain price, undercutting even the Surface Laptop Go. With ChromeOS, you are of course limited to the app store for downloads, but this shouldn’t be an issue for the majority. It’s worth knowing that the speakers are poor and there’s no keyboard backlight, but if you want the cheapest laptop possible for day-to-day tasks, then this is a fantastic option. Reviewer: Reece BithreyFull review: Acer Chromebook Spin 513 Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch Best high-end laptop for creative tasks Trusted Score Pros Incredibly powerfulBigger display still looks stunningScissor keyboard a huge improvementMore stylish with smaller bezel Cons Very expensiveStingy port offeringLack of Wi-Fi 6 The performance of the 16-inch MacBook Pro is as you’d expect, offering processing speeds and GPU grunt that far exceeds the other laptops on this list. To be fair, Apple’s laptop is far more expensive than the other portable PCs here – but that’s the price you have to pay to blast through media tasks.The 13-inch MacBook Pro M1 is available now, too, but since that lacks a dedicated GPU, the smaller Pro can’t realistically be seen as a genuine alternative to this powerhouse portable. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the best choice for animation and editing 4K video.However, there’s a big issue with recommending Intel-powered Apple laptops right now, especially with the MacBook Pro 2021 launching this year. Apple has confirmed Intel MacBooks will still be supported via software updates for the foreseeable future, but the upcoming Apple-powered MacBook laptops are clearly the better option going forward.Reviewer: Max ParkerFull review: 16-inch MacBook Pro Review HP Spectre x360 13 (2021) Best 2-in-1 laptop Trusted Score Pros Great keyboardExcellent build qualityBright, high-contrast screenSturdy 360-degree hinge Cons Max speaker volume is just OKNot as powerful as a MacBook Air The HP Spectre x360 13 (2021) is the best convertible laptop we’ve reviewed, as it excels at the basics like no other. It hit 12 hours in our battery benchmark test, flaunts an incredibly comfortable keyboard and offers the option of jaw-dropping 4K OLED touchscreen which is perfect for artwork.It admittedly lacks Galaxy Book Flex2 5G features such as 5G and a slot-in stylus, but that’s forgivable when HP nails the fundamentals so well. Build quality is top-notch, despite the 2-in-1 laptop weighing a dainty 1.22kg.The biggest issue with the Spectre x360 13 is arguably its performance, as it’s not quite as powerful as more conventional clamshell laptops. But if you’ve craving a convertible a laptop that can double up as a tablet, then this is our top recommendation.Reviewer: Andrew WilliamsFull review: HP Spectre x360 13 (2021) Review Honor MagicBook 14 (2020) Best budget 14-inch laptop Trusted Score Pros Student-friendly premium styleSuperb valuePleasant typing experience More than capable productivity performance Cons Webcam positioned on keyboardBelow average display Most decent Windows laptops cost upwards of a grand these days, which is a serious lump of cash if you only want a system for web browsing and streaming video. The Honor MagicBook 14 is a fantastic exception to the rule, since its all-round performance is astonishingly good considering its bargain price. Being half the price of some of other laptops inevitably means there are compromises; the MagicBook 14’s matte display is below average and the webcam is bizarrely located underneath the screen. However, we think the MagicBook more than makes up for its adequate screen with decent productivity performance, ultraportable design and fantastic battery life.If you’re a student, or someone on a tight budget, then we reckon the Honor MagicBook 14 is one of the best laptops for you. Better quality can be had by spending more, but few other laptops offer better value.Reviewer: Adam SpeightFull review: Honor MagicBook 14 Review
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