The best laptops from the biggest brands

You had to know we'd throw a MacBook Pro(opens in a new tab) in here, and not just because MacBooks give you great street cred, but because this MacBook is a badass powerhouse. 

With the fast Apple M2 Pro chip – and with a 10‑Core CPU, 19‑Core GPU, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD — the price makes sense. (You can get a more powerful version for even more money(opens in a new tab), should you need it). There's no question that the MacBook Pro is the best laptop money can buy for photo and video editing, featuring unbeatable import and export speeds (even with those tough 4K videos), insanely fast handling of hardcore apps like Adobe and Final Cut Pro (which is only available on Macs), and a crisp 14-inch retina display to see your work just as clear as in real life.

While Apple hasn't gone totally touchscreen yet, this comes with fast-and-easy touch ID, which you can also use to make payments via Apple Pay. Other bonuses include a large trackpad, around 20 hours of battery, and a nice selection of ports — 3 Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, a memory card slot, and 3.5mm headphone jack. Not to mention the trusty MagSafe charger.

All in all, the ever-evolving MacBook Pro packs a punch with the strongest, fastest specs ever, making it a great choice for both editing obsessives and regular folks.

If you’re looking for a convertible laptop, the HP Spectre x360 14(opens in a new tab) is one of the slickest machines around right now. As soon as it hit shelves it was being talked about by tech experts as a contender for the best 2-in-1 laptop ever produced.

When it comes to touchscreen technology, a dazzling display is a must-see. It has an eye-catching 13.5-inch OLED screen with 1920 x 1280-pixel IPS, plus 3K resolution and Iris Xe integrated graphics. The 3:2 aspect ratio isn’t unheard of in laptops but it’s not exactly standard either. The colours are rich and vivid and the visuals are impressively sharp. In fact, the entire laptop has an elegant design — more stylish than the sometimes-generic design that you get with non-Apple devices.  

It’s not all about looks, of course. The HP Spectre x360 14 is loaded with powerful, innovative features. It has an 11th generation processor, a 256GB solid-state drive, fingerprint sensor and facial recognition, and plenty of ports, including Thunderbolt 4 ports and a USB Type-A port — a feature that’s all-too-often missing on other laptops.

It comes with a rechargeable stylus (with a bonus carrying sleeve for safekeeping) that clings magnetically to the side of the laptop. Not only that, the action and response is zippy —just check out its instant wake-up feature — but long-lasting too, thanks to a decent battery life of 12 hours-plus. 

A 15.6-inch version is also available but for pure portability — which is surely the key benefit of owning a 2-in-1 laptop — this is the one.

When it comes to ultrabooks, the Samsung Galaxy Book3(opens in a new tab) is hard to beat. “But what is an ultrabook?” we hear to ask. It’s essentially a high-end, Intel-powered laptop. In other words, a top-of-the-range laptop not made by Apple. Which means if you want processing power for hefty workloads and media editing — not to mention a stunning display — this is an excellent MacBook alternative.

It looks excellent — both the design and 3K AMOLED screen. That makes this another great option for editors, designers, and other visual creatives. The keyboard is also a dream to use, with nice fat keys and even a number pad nestled to the side.

Of course, all the good looks in the world would mean nothing without processing power, but fear not: the Samsung Galaxy Book3 has plenty of heft under the hood, combining a 13th Gen Intel Core processor with a Nvidia RTX 4000 graphic card. In fact, it’s capable of handling gaming too with all that muscle.

There is a drawback: the battery. At this price — which let’s be honest, is far from cheap — you’d expect something with more juice. But with creative tasks and streaming on the go, the battery will give you just a few hours. That’s one sacrifice to make for all the other benefits. Just decide whether it’s a deal breaker for you.

Tech users are often divided by their allegiance to a specific system, but there’s always a Windows machine out there to turn the heads of the most ardent Apple users. 

That could be Microsoft Surface Laptop 4(opens in a new tab), a 15-inch model (13.5 inch is also available) with the brand’s PixelSense touchscreen display and plenty more top-of-the-line tech to entice you. Even at 15 inches it’s a sleek design — though other, lighter options are available if easy-to-carry portability is a deal-breaking feature for you.

The Surface 4 continues a trend we've seen in previous models, with a spacious, comfortable keyboard. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 is an absolute breeze to type on, whether you’re banging out a quick email or composing a 15,000-word thesis. This is further helped by a broad 4.5-inch wide touchpad and 1.3mm of key travel.

The HD display with PixelSense touchscreen tech is excellent. It has a resolution of 2496 x 1664 pixels and crisp, jerk-free visuals courtesy of FreeSync technology. Yes, this is a powerful piece of kit — especially for its price. An AMD Ryzen 7 chip puts this on the level of MacBook Pro performance — fast, smooth, and responsive.

It comes equipped with a headphone jack and USB Type-A and Type-C ports. There’s also a Surface Connect port which can be used for charging up other Microsoft devices. An Intel Core i7 Processor(opens in a new tab) version is also available.

Gaming geeks have good reason to be particular over the specs of their purpose-bought laptop. They might call it gaming, but plugging in for a 4K session is a serious business. And there’s nothing more frustrating than having the experience hampered by a pixelated display or irritating lag as you’re getting deep into the game.

Asus is a brand that knows what it’s doing when it comes to gaming laptops. This model’s predecessor — the G14 E was hailed as one of the best ever. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G15(opens in a new tab) somehow managed to give us an upgrade.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 looks the part but handles considerably lighter than your average gaming laptop. It’s just 1kg — not bad for a 15-inch model. It's equipped with up-to-date and powerful components — the latest AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3080 series graphics card. That makes this a robust game-player that’s capable of handling the complex and demanding games with relative ease.

If you’re all about appearances, then check out its IPS LCD screen with 165 Hz display and a quad HD resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. It also comes with two USB Type-C ports, plus HDMI and audio connections.

It’s not cheap, of course — especially if you’re new to gaming — but seasoned gamers know that you’ll pay a high price for any halfway decent gaming tech.   

Graphic design? Product development? Photography? Meet your new righthand man. 

Dell's traditional powerhouse laptop, the Dell XPS 15(opens in a new tab), continues to see improvements year over year, keeping it as a top choice for masses of advanced users and artists alike. Beginners or casual laptop users may be happy with a 13-inch screen (for which a Dell XPS 13(opens in a new tab) will do the trick) but hardcore laptop users who have their entire lives or careers on their device need something bigger. 

The exterior is decked out with Dell's InfinityEdge technology, which is a fancy term for extra-thin bezels and a wide-as-possible, gorgeous screen. The 15.6-inch 4K touchscreen has double the resolution of a regular HD display, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti offers graphics clear enough for even the pickiest gamers or designers. It's also equipped with Dell Cinema, featuring the best colour, sound, and up-to-the-second streaming that a video enthusiast could ask for. 

Inside sits an Intel Core i9 processor, memory options up to 32GB, and storage options up to 1TB SSD. That amazing CPU helps keep battery life strong, but like any other high-end laptop, constant 4K use drains the battery. You'll get six, maybe seven hours at best — which isn't great, but isn't terrible either. Keep the charger handy.

Dell has finally changed its webcam placement, so it's now above the screen (where it should be) rather than catching you from below with an unflattering up-the-nose shot. 

Don’t believe the marketing hype: Not every laptop has to cost a small fortune. In fact, you can find some very respectable options for a comparative steal.

Take the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet(opens in a new tab), which puts the already competitive IdeaPad into a very versatile 2-in-1 design with a magnetic keyboard. Indeed, this device easily converts between a laptop and tablet. It’s not only affordable, it’s highly portable too — the kind of laptop you can take everywhere with you.

The screen is small, surrounded by overly chunky bezels, but the display — a 10-inch, 10-point touchscreen — is impressive. It’s bright and punchy and a pleasure to watch your favourite streaming platforms on. If you are streaming, it’s worth mentioning that this laptop doesn’t have a headphone jack — an increasingly common omission — but you can easily connect Bluetooth headphones, so it’s not a complete loss.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet is actually a Chromebook, in case that’s a deciding factor for you. It’s actually a bonus if you like to keep things simple. Just use your Google login and you’re immediately synced and set up — you also have access to all the apps on the Google Play Store.

If you want something even more versatile, we also like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga(opens in a new tab). It costs a little extra, but it also has a nimble hinge that allows it to be watched from a range of positions.