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Best Chromebook: HP Chromebook X360 14

Best Cheap Laptop: Asus VivoBook 15 X510 UA

Best Ultrabook: New Dell XPS 13

Best Cheap Ultrabook: Asus ZenBook UX 331 UAL

Best Gaming Laptop on a budget: Asus ROG Strix Scar ll Hero ll GL504GV

Affordable Gaming Laptop: Dell G7 15 (7588)

Best Mac Laptop: Apple MacBook Air

Top pick: HP Chromebook x360 14

HP Chromebook X360 14 (model: 4XU18UA) is the most popular model. Packed with good features, fast performance, a robust metal body, and enhanced technology at an affordable price, this HP laptop has everything that most people look for.

It has a flush glass micro-edge bezel that fits 14.0-inch FHD with TrueLife LED Backlight Touch IPS Display into a 14-inch chassis display.

This HP Chromebook touchscreen laptop has a modern 360-degree design and 14-hour battery life for work on the go. It is Convertible 2-in-1 and has Bang and Olufsen (B&O Play) quality dual audio speakers that delivered louder and more dynamic sound in our testing.

Performance

This HP laptop is equipped with an 8th generation Intel Core i3-8130U processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.2 GHz Intel Core i3 and 8 GB RAM. With 64GB eMMC flash memory, its hardware is as strong as ever and its Intel UHD Graphics 620 makes it a more wonderful display to watch for.

It comes with a pre-installed Chrome Operating System; Keyboard is a backlit one that also is less stressful at night as it is not tiring to look at it for long night hours. It has a better-than-average battery that supports fast charging and has 14 hours of backup.

Best cheap laptop: Asus VivoBook

This ASUS VivoBook (model: F556UA-AB32) is the best cheap laptop with features as good as any other more expensive model in a similar category. ASUS happens to be relatively inexpensive compared to other brand models because it manufactures motherboards in-house.

ASUS motherboards are being used by almost all major laptop brands in the world. ASUS and Apple are the only two brands that provide international warranties in more than 85 countries.

Lightweight at just 5.1 pounds and ultra-thin, ASUS VivoBook looks great, is portable, and has the beauty and the compactness of an Ultrabook at such an inexpensive price range.

Performance

It is powered by a Powerful Intel i3-6100U 2.3 GHz Processor with 4 GB RAM and a 1TB hard drive. It is a 15.6-Inch Full-HD Display with an ultra-narrow bezel so you’re getting more screen for great viewing. This model is available in different colors and comes with Windows 10 pre-installed.

The feature that makes it different is, that it is the only laptop at this price that comes with USB Type-C connectivity for faster data transfer, a 2 GB file size transferring in less than 2 seconds.

Battery

Also, it is packed with a long-lasting battery, charging more than 60% in just about 50 minutes, and lasts for around 5 hours on a full charge. This ASUS laptop is a better-than-average performing laptop at a reasonable price.

Best Ultrabook: Dell XPS 13 9370

The Dell XPS 13 (model: 9370) is the best Windows Ultrabook that comes under the premium category. It’s thinner, lighter, smaller, and better looking with an amazingly long impressive battery life of more than 15 hours.

With a robust trackpad, keypad, and display screen, this ultra-book happens to be the best for most people since it is thin, lightweight, and portable with the only exception in its price as this model is a little expensive. But at the same time, it is durable and lasts longer. However, if you are a hardcore gamer who likes to play high-end video games, this model is not for you.

Performance

This is Dell’s smallest laptop (33.02cm), featuring an eighth Gen Intel Core i7-8550U processor with 4.0 GHz. Comes in 8 GB/16 GB RAM and 256 GB/512 GB SSD (solid-state drive) versions. We’re talking about 8 GB RAM and 256 SSD models in this post.

Display

Packed with a 13.3-inch FHD Infinity Edge display with 4K UHD (Ultra HD) 1920 x 1080 resolution covered with silver machined aluminum, this new Dell XPS 13 9370 has cut down the overall design to give it a more portable, new look, new CPU options and it is covered with an authentic alpine white woven glass fiber palm rest.

It also has an enhanced cinema sound for clear highs and good bass quality. It is also packed with Windows 10 Home plus and MS Office.

Most of the changes look great but one of the major drawbacks is in the form of its up-the-nose unique webcam that most XPS users don’t love. They have made the screen bezel so thin there is no room for the webcam up top so they have placed it downside. So when you type, you happen to see your giant fingers popping on the screen when the webcam is on.

The Dell XPS 13 9370 is a premium product. The Thunderbolt 3 multi-use Type-C ports also allow you to charge your laptop faster than ever along with connecting to multiple devices and enjoy data transfers up to 40Gbps, that’s 8 times that of a USB 3.0.

Also features single-cable connections for power, Ethernet, audio, and video. It is a combination of style, features, and performance and we’re as confident as ever that this is the best ultra-book ever.

Best cheap ultrabook: Asus ZenBook UX 331 UA

The ASUS ZenBook laptop is ultra-thin at 13.9mm and lightweight at just 985 grams. Its portable and compact design is powered by an 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB SSD that allows you to blast through all your tasks with so much ease.

Display

Equipped with Harman Kardon speakers for a solid sound experience, this model is also capable of delivering great audio quality. At the same time, it has an FHD NanoEdge bezel display that does not compromise screen quality. It lacks a battery side with around 7-hour backup and it also lacks Thunderbolt 3 ports as well.

Features

This ultra-portable model comes along with Windows 10 Home and MS Office packs. Its USB Type-C port allows you to transfer data up to 10x faster than the normal USB connection. Equipped with a backlit keyboard, it also has a one-touch fingerprint sensor located near the touchpad for easy and secure access.

Summary

The Asus ZenBook UX 331 is fit for people looking for a sleek modern design that has good specifications for faster performance and is durable at the same time so it will last longer. So if you need a thin, lightweight at this reasonable price, you should get the Asus Zenbook.

Best gaming laptop on a budget: Asus ROG Strix Scar ll Hero ll GL504GW

A little background on ASUS, the Taiwanese company. It is the number 1 motherboard-selling brand in the world. Even the biggest laptop brands, have ASUS motherboard fit inside, it’s true. Also, named one of the top technology brands and the world’s most admired companies by fortune magazine last year.

More importantly, the laptops that ASUS makes are relatively cheaper compared to similar configuration models from other brands, the only reason being, that the heart of the laptop, and its motherboard, are manufactured in-house. We prefer ASUS over any other brand. Other companies charge extra just for their brand value.

Coming back to this ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers) series, even though a little expensive, but is the best gaming laptop. With good heat management, a top-notch screen, and incredible performance delivering at high frames per second rates, the ASUS ROG Scar II has probably got everything you can look for in a gaming laptop. Let’s talk about the specs.

Specifications

It has powerful NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 graphics with 6 GB of Video RAM. An eighth-generation Intel Core i7-8750H six-core processor and 16 GB of memory is packed with 512 GB of solid-state storage (SSD) and a 512GB Hybrid drive, it has a 15.6 FHD 1920×1080 resolution. Strix SCAR II also features the world’s first 144Hz super-narrow-bezel display with a 3ms GTG response time, a useful feature for hardcore gamers.

It is also equipped with HyperCool Pro thermal system to help Strix Scar II get the most out of its GPU and CPU. There is also an extended cooling plate to spread the heat evenly, with dual 12V fans that deliver good airflow and air pressure to ensure a stable system under heavy loads. It is also powered with Intel GIGABIT Wi-Fi (RangeBoost Multi-Antenna) for better connectivity.

It comes with a 2 years international warranty, it is quite a hit on the pocket but you’d be good for years as it is durable too. The sound of this model is also good, not excellent but still respectable as it delivers clearer and louder audio via its powerful side-firing speakers. ASUS ROG Strix SCAR II is also certified by Microsoft for enabled Windows Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality applications.

Connectivity

We also have various quick-access connectivity ports with one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A, and up to three USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports. Along with HDMI, 2.0b supports 4K UHD high dynamic range (HDR) output at up to 60Hz for the super-smooth gaming experience.

Bottom line

To sum it up, even though it lacks Thunderbolt 3 and G-sync, and the camouflage pattern on the keyboard panel also looks a little bad, despite all this, it is still, the best gaming laptop on a budget and a high-end gaming laptop, capable of running modern games at ultra settings for a great experience and all the hardcore gamers will love this ASUS ROG Strix II series laptop.

Cheap gaming laptop: Dell G7 15 (7588)

This Dell G7 15 is a kind of upgraded model from 7577 last year and we think this one is probably going to be the best too. It was built well last year, it’s even better this year. The Dell G7 is been rebranded, it’s now on the Inspiron platform.

Aesthetically speaking, at 2.63kg weight and a Non-Touch LCD Licorice Blackwhite back cover, even though made of predominantly plastic material, still does not push down the chassis upon pressing the buttons (keypad).

Display

The hinge is also; despite being close to the center, not going to be problematic in any way. It has been improved and looks more robust than the previous version. The screen has got thinner bezels, a 15.6-inch FHD Anti-Glare LED-backlit display with 1920×1080 resolution has a respectable brightness and the panel also looks much nicer.

The backlit keyboard has a blueprint which, at times, especially during the night could be a little stressful to the eyes. White light would have made more sense and looked appropriate.

Performance

But the features that make it different are, that it runs on a 60+ FPS (Frames per second which is ideal for most hi-end games), stellar 6-Core, 4.1GHz Turbo Boost NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Graphics with 6 GB video memory, and 8th Gen i7-8750H Intel core processor with 16 GB RAM.

It is also powered with up to 128 to 256 GB SSD (solid-state drive) plus 1TB 5400 RPM normal hard drive storage. It is packed with original Windows 10 Home and Student which are pre-installed on this machine.

The Dell G7 15 gaming laptop model has quite a mediocre middle average kind of battery life of 4.5 hours (56 WHr 4 cell), still respectable though. The sound quality of the speakers is good; their location is in the front which is also nice.

Touchpad

The touchpad is powered with windows precision drivers that have nice buttons mechanics, and clean simple buttons not complicated at all.

The track-pad experience is way better than even some of the double expensive models this one. The fan noise is also very low that too when it loads up, not in general while you’re working on it. It also has a standard gaming laptop webcam, not too bad not excellent, but quite reasonable.

Drawback

Things we did not like much, are the thickness of the panel and the laptop itself being very thick when most companies are now focusing on thinner and lighter laptops. But at the same time, it is more durable too if it’s thick. If you use your laptop a little rough, you can consider this one since it will last a little longer.

Bottom line

It’s a second-generation laptop, definitely better than the previous one. If you are a Dell brand lover and are looking for high-end gaming with pretty decent specifications and with a not much expensive price tag, Dell G7 15 is for you.

Best Mac Laptop: Apple MacBook Air

The Apple MacBook Air is good enough to deliver high performance and full-day battery life. It is ultra-thin at 15.6mm and lightweight at 1.25 kg with an amazing display, probably the best we’ve seen so far along with 3 thunderbolt ports for easy and fast connectivity.

Offering the best size, weight, and high-performance combination, it is good to last for at least 4 to 5 years it’s a luxury category model.

Equipped with a high-resolution 2560×1600 through its 13.3-inch retina display, it is capable of delivering an outstanding display viewing experience. Here, your fingerprint is also your password for more easy and more secure access.

Powered with an 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB RAM, and 128GB SSD storage that allows you to blast off with speed. With up to solid 12 hours of battery life, Apple MacBook Air lasts longer compared to other models in a similar category.

Features

The Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) integrates high-speed transfer, fast charging, and video output in a single connector, capable of delivering up to 40 Gbps throughput. The high-definition FaceTime camera allows you, family, and friends, to converse in amazingly sharp details.

Plus it is made of 100% recycled aluminum alloy material that is environmentally friendly delivering durability and a great modern finish look.

Bottom line

The MacBook is a little more expensive and costlier than Windows Ultrabook. So if you need macOS, you should go for this model, otherwise, you can check the other much cheaper models we listed above. Watch the below video. Source: Marques Brownlee.