There’s a rule of thumb whenever you are shopping for laptops or notebooks. Always remember that it isn’t just poring over specs lists. Moreover, there has been major changes in the laptops and notebooks industry in the past few years. This is why there is likely to be more confusion when shopping for a laptop than any other time. We have carefully comprised our list, so that even if you just want a laptop for word processing, a productivity workstation or a design machine, we got you covered. Let’s dive into our top picks straight away.
1. Huawei MateBook 13[i]
This might come as a surprise for many people, especially those who haven’t heard much about Huawei. However, this 8th generation core i5-i7 with intel UDH graphics 620 along with Nvidia GeForce MX150 2 GB is a real giant. There are two storage options available: 256 GB and 512 GB, whichever suits your needs more. The laptop features a sleek and gorgeous design, weighs very little and hence it is easy to carry around with you. The interesting thing about the MateBook 13 is that it offers pretty much the same features as its competitors. However, it costs notably low and hence there are a few niceties missing here.
However, as a whole, it is the most value-packed flagship laptop that the world has seen lately. If you think that this is the one for you but lacks a few important features, you should check out Dell XPS 13 or MacBook Pro, costing a lot more but offering amazing features as well. At the time of writing this article, the MateBook 13 is only available in the US but Huawei may start its retail in other parts of the world as well.
2. Asus ZenBook Flip S UX370[ii]
Asus has taken the tech world by storm with its release of ZenBook Flip S 2-in-1 laptop that looks more or less like a refresh of Flip S Zenbook. The laptop features the latest Kaby Lake 8th generation powerful processor to grant you all the speed. It offers 16 GB or ram by default but can be increased if you need even more speed. Moreover, the Zenbook is a 2 in 1 design, so you can use it as a laptop or as a tablet, whenever you want. Besides that, there are various stages of usefulness in between, use it however you want.
Sure, it is not cost-friendly as the other laptops in the market but if you got a budget this size and are looking for amazing speed with portability feature, this won’t disappoint you. It is available in Royal Blue rendition but can be availed in Smoky Gray as well. On a downside, it picks up the dust and fingerprints so easily that it needs some brushing off to make it look shop-fresh.
3. Apple MacBook Pro with touch bar [iii]
Any list for best laptops is incomplete without Apple MacBook pro, right? So, here it is: the best and most advanced MacBook ever made. The all-new MacBook pro is partnered with 8 GB of ram at 2,133 MHz speed along with a 256 GB SSD. The full-retina LED IPS display is the highlight of the MacBook, as well as with the previous releases. This is a no match feature that you only get in the Apple products. For the same reason, it is probably the best machine for graphic designers, artists and architects. Gives true colors, amazing speed and the OLED touch bar is genuinely helpful as well. The functions keys are replaced by the OLED touch bar and the overall effect is even more gorgeous. The bottom line is that if the MacBook Pros aren’t constrained by a large budget, they are one of the best options for everyone, no matter what requirements they have.
4. MSI GS65 Stealth[iv]
Like to do some serious gaming on the laptop? Great! We got just the right option for you. It’s the MSI GS65 Stealth, probably the contender for the best laptop of 2020. It features a beautiful and subtle design and with a combination of great features it has knocked the previously famous Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501. This is some serious achievement but this giant has an 8th gen i7 processor along with Nvidia GTX 1070 graphics card. Interestingly, this machine is even cheaper than the previous Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501. Due to its subtle design, this makes for both an excellent gaming machine and a good study laptop.
Unfortunately, the laptop does not feature the famous Hello face recognition technology but the fingerprint scanner makes for it. As far as the benchmark results are concerned, the scores tore through every intense test thrown at it. Means that this laptop is good enough to play any modern game at maximum graphics. You can easily nail the latest games like Warhammer: Vermintide 2 and more.
The only thing left to talk about this giant is its battery life. Of course, it matters more than anything else. You need a lot of back up to play on battery when it’s not possible to connect to AC power. If you aren’t a regular follower of gaming laptop reviews, then you’d be surprised to know that none of the devices bring enough battery power with them. For example, MSI promises a battery life of around 8 hours with this laptop but the tests do not come close to that. That being said, it still offers a better battery timing than 90% of the laptops. At the same time, you can afford to spend a good amount of time away from an outlet and still enjoy some serious gaming.
[i] https://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/laptops/best-laptops-1304361
[ii] https://www.asus.com/2-in-1-PCs/ASUS-ZenBook-Flip-S-UX370UA/
