With years of experience trialling and testing kit, he’s a human encyclopedia of benchmarks when it comes to recommending the best buys. You can find impressive models from top brands like Apple and Lenovo in this roundup. All you need to do is consider your preferences and priorities, and then pick a favourite from the bunch.
These ultra-low-wattage processors are often marketed alongside higher-performance chips; look for the “”Y”” in the chip name (if it’s a Core chip) to tell the difference. Really, though, Core Y, Celeron, and Pentium CPUs may prove a bit underpowered for everyday productivity work if you tend to multitask, with lots of programs open at once. After all, you need something that’s durable, secure, powerful, light, and capable of lasting through a long workday—and you have countless options. We’ve winnowed down the 10 best laptop UK that can get the work done, but browsing even this smaller subset of machines with care is key. Not every laptop matches how you or your employees work, or what you do.
Four years ago when I bought my current laptop, I would not consider buying one with a CPU from AMD because Intel had so much better performance per watt. The Surface Pro 8 also has improved cameras and great audio, improving on many aspects of previous Surfaces. Battery life could be a bit longer, but it will still last most of the day. Solid State Drives write and read on flash memory, much like USB flash drives. Data is stored in grids and blocks, and though the process is more complicated than in HDD, the available space is used more efficiently thanks to a series of process that go on behind the scenes.
Even more impressively, the battery lasted for the best part of 16 hours in our tests, which is not to be sniffed at. Unusually, it’s powered by AMD components on the CPU and GPU side (both 6000-series parts) but performance doesn’t suffer at all. And in combination with a superb 120Hz QHD+ display, it’s as good a laptop for creative professional work as it is AAA gaming. Dell updates its XPS laptops twice a year these days in lockstep with Intel’s CPU upgrades, and the latest model has Intel’s 11th-gen CPUs as an option.
The keyboard is nice to use, but the touchpad could be a tad smoother. This isn’t a laptop for watching HD+ videos or video editing – though the screen is perfect for office admin. Dell’s updated XPS 17 boasts a huge 17-inch screen, 11th-gen Intel CPU, and GeForce RTX 3060 GPU.
Mobile data plansto use with the laptop, on the other hand, don’t come cheap. Depending on whether or not you have an existing plan, rates can run as high as $60 to $80 per month. The attractive 14in Full HD touchscreen is another highlight, although it is very reflective in bright environments. You also get the extra functionality from a 360-degree hinge, perfect for when you’re limited on space. HP’s Chromebook x360 14c is a convertible which packs a punch, benefitting from great performance despite its i3 processor. That’s helped by 8GB of RAM and the simplicity of Chrome OS, which makes for an extremely fast and responsive experience.
Asus has been knocking out high-power gaming laptops like there’s no tomorrow recently and every one of them has been impressive. The Zephyrus G15, however, is the most impressive of the lot, especially if you don’t get on with the unapologetic gamer aesthetic of the Asus Strix Scar 15. You still have to pay extra (£160) for the keyboard and even more for the Surface Slip Pen 2 but that seems to be the way of things amongst premium 2-in-1 devices these days.
Smaller or more consumer-focused manufacturers may also offer more limited warranties than others, which can result in more costly replacements and repairs. Offering big-screen thrills for a sub-£1,000 price, this convertible laptop from Dell is an excellent mid-range machine. It sits neatly between Dell’s workaday Inspiron 5000 series and its more expensive XPS range, managing a compelling combination of value for money, power, convenience and style. If you’re after a large-screen laptop, you simply can’t beat the LG Gram 17.