What do you want from a laptop?
Power?
Portability?
Games?
These are the best laptops that could meet your needs.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1: Best laptop for business
Price: $1299
ThinkPads have long ruled the business roost and the X1 is no exception. The thinking man's MacBook Air, this 13.3in laptop weighs just 1.7kg yet is shockproof, dustproof and spill-proof. It's also a technical tour-de-force, with Intel's latest Sandy Bridge chipset delivering bags of power and graphical prowess capable of playing back Full HD (1080p) high definition movies.
On top of this, the X1 has lots of connectivity, including DisplayPort and HDMI, perfect for presentations. Battery life is also superb, lasting up to 10 hours with the optional extended battery. Fast charging goes from zero to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes so you'll never be caught short.
On the downside, like all ThinkPads the X1 won't win any style awards, the trackpad is outdated and Lenovo has unwisely chosen a glossy, reflective screen. It's also expensive, starting from £1200 and rising up to £1700 for the highest-specced configuration.
MacBook: Best laptop for school
Price: $1199
When studying hard it's important to have a laptop which 'just works' and the MacBook is a tried and trusted option. It can handle Full HD (1080p) video, a slot loading DVD player is built in, and up to 500GB of hard drive storage is available. The keyboard and clickable, multi-touch trackpad make usage a dream and you'll get up to seven hours battery life from a single charge.
Unique OS X software also makes it ideal for aspiring design and music students and the proliferation of Apple Stores nationwide mean fast technical support is available in an emergency. But the MacBook is also durable - among other things the MagSafe connector disconnects the power cable should it be pulled.
But it has to be said that at £867, Apple's entry-level laptop is expensive and it is just £133 less than the entry level MacBook Pro. Supplying just 2GB of RAM as standard is poor for a laptop of this price.
Alienware M18x: Best laptop for gaming
Price: $1999
The M18x is marketed as the most powerful laptop in the world and the huge 18.4in model packs Intel's top of the range Sandy Bridge Core processors, takes up to 16GB of dual channel RAM and uses Nvidia's flagship GeForce GTX460M graphics card with a mammoth 3GB of memory. 512GB SSD and 1.5GB HDD storage options are available and there's inbuilt 5.1 stereo speakers, a Blu-ray drive and a beautiful 1920 x 1080 Full HD native screen resolution. With this weaponry, the M18x will play any game you can throw at it.
It looks like it walked off the Transformers movie set with its brash, vulgar, styling and it weighs a massive 5.41 kg. Pricing starts from £1500. The M18x does have innate power, but like all gaming laptops it is difficult to upgrade, meaning it will age rapidly.
Samsung 9 Series 900X3A: Best laptop for portability
Price: $1499
The 900X3A is faster, thinner and lighter than Apple's MacBook Air. This remarkable achievement is built upon by better connectivity, including mini Ethernet and HDMI, plus the new USB 3.0. The display is the brightest laptop screen on the market and the keyboard automatically lights up in dim room conditions.
The clickable trackpad mimics the MacBook's and is the best we've seen on a Windows laptop. In addition, battery life is excellent, lasting over seven hours with light usage or over four hours when used intensively. The charger is simply a plug and cable (there's no power brick near the plug), making it easy to carry. A super-tough aluminium alloy finish means the 900X3A is durable too. But there is something you'll need to weigh up, so to speak. In beating the MacBook Air, Samsung has made a laptop which costs even more.
Prices start from £1299 and stocks are extremely limited. The 900X3A's screen resolution is also just 1366 x 768, low for a machine in this price range.
Dell Inspiron M101z: Best laptop for a budget
Price: $449
If money is tight, it is hard to see past Dell's M101z. This 11.6in laptop is light enough (1.56Kg) to use on the move and powerful enough for day-to-day usage. The AMD RS880M chipset can play back Full HD video which can be displayed on a TV via the HDMI slot.
The superior 802.11 n wireless is included as standard for faster networking and specifications include a 320GB hard drive and up to 4GB of RAM. Battery life can last over six hours with light usage and there's a built-in 1.3MP webcam and SD card reader. Clever design choices can be seen at every turn such as the smudge-free keyboard palm rest. As for the negatives, budget constraints result in the M101 z feeling cheap in hand and its small size means there is no optical drive.
The 320GB HDD restriction is limiting for storage-hungry users and the price can quickly creep up with optional extras.
Power?
Portability?
Games?
These are the best laptops that could meet your needs.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1: Best laptop for business
ThinkPads have long ruled the business roost and the X1 is no exception. The thinking man's MacBook Air, this 13.3in laptop weighs just 1.7kg yet is shockproof, dustproof and spill-proof. It's also a technical tour-de-force, with Intel's latest Sandy Bridge chipset delivering bags of power and graphical prowess capable of playing back Full HD (1080p) high definition movies.
On top of this, the X1 has lots of connectivity, including DisplayPort and HDMI, perfect for presentations. Battery life is also superb, lasting up to 10 hours with the optional extended battery. Fast charging goes from zero to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes so you'll never be caught short.
On the downside, like all ThinkPads the X1 won't win any style awards, the trackpad is outdated and Lenovo has unwisely chosen a glossy, reflective screen. It's also expensive, starting from £1200 and rising up to £1700 for the highest-specced configuration.
MacBook: Best laptop for school
When studying hard it's important to have a laptop which 'just works' and the MacBook is a tried and trusted option. It can handle Full HD (1080p) video, a slot loading DVD player is built in, and up to 500GB of hard drive storage is available. The keyboard and clickable, multi-touch trackpad make usage a dream and you'll get up to seven hours battery life from a single charge.
Unique OS X software also makes it ideal for aspiring design and music students and the proliferation of Apple Stores nationwide mean fast technical support is available in an emergency. But the MacBook is also durable - among other things the MagSafe connector disconnects the power cable should it be pulled.
But it has to be said that at £867, Apple's entry-level laptop is expensive and it is just £133 less than the entry level MacBook Pro. Supplying just 2GB of RAM as standard is poor for a laptop of this price.
Alienware M18x: Best laptop for gaming
The M18x is marketed as the most powerful laptop in the world and the huge 18.4in model packs Intel's top of the range Sandy Bridge Core processors, takes up to 16GB of dual channel RAM and uses Nvidia's flagship GeForce GTX460M graphics card with a mammoth 3GB of memory. 512GB SSD and 1.5GB HDD storage options are available and there's inbuilt 5.1 stereo speakers, a Blu-ray drive and a beautiful 1920 x 1080 Full HD native screen resolution. With this weaponry, the M18x will play any game you can throw at it.
It looks like it walked off the Transformers movie set with its brash, vulgar, styling and it weighs a massive 5.41 kg. Pricing starts from £1500. The M18x does have innate power, but like all gaming laptops it is difficult to upgrade, meaning it will age rapidly.
Samsung 9 Series 900X3A: Best laptop for portability
The 900X3A is faster, thinner and lighter than Apple's MacBook Air. This remarkable achievement is built upon by better connectivity, including mini Ethernet and HDMI, plus the new USB 3.0. The display is the brightest laptop screen on the market and the keyboard automatically lights up in dim room conditions.
The clickable trackpad mimics the MacBook's and is the best we've seen on a Windows laptop. In addition, battery life is excellent, lasting over seven hours with light usage or over four hours when used intensively. The charger is simply a plug and cable (there's no power brick near the plug), making it easy to carry. A super-tough aluminium alloy finish means the 900X3A is durable too. But there is something you'll need to weigh up, so to speak. In beating the MacBook Air, Samsung has made a laptop which costs even more.
Prices start from £1299 and stocks are extremely limited. The 900X3A's screen resolution is also just 1366 x 768, low for a machine in this price range.
Dell Inspiron M101z: Best laptop for a budget
If money is tight, it is hard to see past Dell's M101z. This 11.6in laptop is light enough (1.56Kg) to use on the move and powerful enough for day-to-day usage. The AMD RS880M chipset can play back Full HD video which can be displayed on a TV via the HDMI slot.
The superior 802.11 n wireless is included as standard for faster networking and specifications include a 320GB hard drive and up to 4GB of RAM. Battery life can last over six hours with light usage and there's a built-in 1.3MP webcam and SD card reader. Clever design choices can be seen at every turn such as the smudge-free keyboard palm rest. As for the negatives, budget constraints result in the M101 z feeling cheap in hand and its small size means there is no optical drive.
The 320GB HDD restriction is limiting for storage-hungry users and the price can quickly creep up with optional extras.
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