Laptops

Find out what to look for in a laptop – from the pros and cons of hybrids to the most important technical specs – so you can buy with confidence.

Laptops come in so many sizes, configurations and levels of performance. Here’s how we help you find the right computer for your needs.

We’ll only recommend appliances you’ll love to own, that work well and keep working well for a long time.

Our lifetime score combines test performance (how well the laptop works) with predicted reliability (how likely models from the brand are to remain fault-free) and owner satisfaction (how likely owners of the brand are to be very satisfied).

Test performance

Our independent lab testing measures a laptop’s quality when it’s new. It still forms a core part of our lifetime scoring because a slow or poorly-designed computer isn’t going to live a fruitful life.

Design and ease of use is our most important subscore, covering:

build quality, balance and comfort in your lap
heat generated and noise from the fan
quality of the keyboard and touchpad (and touchscreen, if applicable)
physical connectivity, including USB and HDMI ports
audio quality.

Processing speed measures performance during both CPU and graphical processing tasks using the benchmarking tool Geekbench 5. We also test storage speeds (both reading and writing) and WiFi speed.

Display includes colour accuracy, brightness and contrast, angles of view and surface reflections.

As part of our test, we also check how much of the claimed storage space is actually available to the user, as well as measuring weights and dimensions.

Battery life

This score reflects how long the battery lasts while playing an HD-quality video on loop, with high screen brightness and WiFi connected. It also covers the time required to charge the battery back up.

Laptop battery life is even more important than it seems. Batteries have a finite number of recharges before they degrade, so a shorter cycle means less total usage before the battery needs replacing. Because many manufacturers make that hard to do, some owners choose to throw out the whole computer. Either way, a long battery cycle means you don’t have to make that decision as quickly.

Predicted reliability

It’s reasonable to expect a new laptop to remain fault-free for five years. Our predicted reliability won’t tell you whether a device will stop working tomorrow, but it does show which brands make models that are less likely to fail.

Owner satisfaction

A big purchase should never be a source of buyer regret. Laptops with satisfied owners are more likely to remain in service for a long time, rather than being swapped out for a shiny new model after a couple of years.

Why we test tablets

The line between laptop and tablet is blurrier than ever, now that many laptops have fold-back or detachable screens. To capture the crossover, we include some high end tablets in the laptops test. We always test a tablet with its official keyboard case, and include the cost of the case in the price we give.

We've tested 30 laptops.
Find the right one for you.

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