Which guides laptop

A standard laptop with a clamshell design and a keyboard-mouse interface is easy to find, such as the lightweight Surface Laptop line. On the software side, Windows is far more open-ended than MacOS. Apple has always been protective of its brand, releasing products in very deliberate iterations. As a result, Macs are very user-friendly and stable. Quality design is one of the hallmarks of a Mac. They are built to look great, feel elegant, and have incredible displays, which translates to a much higher price tag than their Windows and Chrome OS counterparts, especially when configured with lots of storage.

Macs use fast hardware, but rarely sport the most powerful graphics chips as seen in Windows-based PCs — and unlike many PCs, it is nigh impossible to upgrade components, so you are stuck with the specs that you purchase on day one. Still, those who want a solid computer but do not know a lot about hardware can rest easy knowing their Mac will perform well during everyday use. Unlike Windows, the platform includes a suite of proprietary office and media-editing software, and each application is well-suited for its targeted task.

Based on the Chrome browser, this platform initially focused on web-based apps and affordability. While the latter still holds true, Chrome OS has evolved over the years to support more traditional desktop software and mobile apps, similar to its rivals. Chrome OS powers Chromebooks. These devices are typically more affordable than Windows-based PCs and MacBooks due to their lower hardware requirements.

There are even 2-in-1 options like the HP Elite Chromebook. Its foundation is still web-centric, but the platform now supports Google Play and Android apps, making it the ideal notebook companion if you have an Android phone. Still, the maturity of Chrome OS has proven to be a strong contender in a market mostly dominated by Windows. Overall, if Chrome OS fits the bill for what you need in a laptop, you can save a lot of money by going with a Chromebook. There are several laptop categories, manufactured with a certain use or audience in mind.

When shopping for a laptop, decide what you primarily intend to use the laptop for and seek out a category that aligns with those interests. Here are some broad categories and a couple of our favorites for each.

In general, budget laptops are ideal for people who may not know a lot about computers and simply want a device that can carry out standard tasks. This is a category where Chromebooks excel, as they ditch some of the fancier features of Windows and MacOS laptops, but there are options from those two camps as well. If portability is more important, the Microsoft Surface Go 2 is a solid option, but we suggest taking a look at our full list of 2-in-1s.

This price range is arguably the best in terms of bang for your buck. These laptops are truly excellent. You get much better internal hardware than the entry-level offerings, but at the cost of premium features, high-powered graphics chips, and fancy materials. The fact that this section is such a sweet spot for the industry means that you have plenty to choose from.

There are laptops with great displays, laptops with powerful processors, beautiful laptops, and ones that are light and portable with great battery life. This bracket contains some of the best laptops you can buy today. For a little extra money, you gain longer battery life, improved performance from more powerful internal hardware, larger and higher-resolution displays, and overall better build quality. Despite the inflated cost of the premium laptop category, there are still plenty of choices.

You can pick up stellar laptops in the inch form with plenty of general computing power and connectivity options. This category even contains our favorite laptop of the past few years, the Dell XPS If you want something a little heftier and more capable of content creation, the Dell XPS 15 is worth considering too. The 2-in-1 laptop combines the convenience and ease of a tablet with the utility of a keyboard. This category includes two specific designs: Convertible and detachable.

The convertible can serve as a tablet by flipping the keyboard under the screen. The detachable is essentially a tablet with a removable keyboard but looks and feels like an ultra-thin laptop when combined. Two-in-ones can provide a lot of versatility but are not necessarily the best devices available. The uniqueness of their design can come with some notable drawbacks, such as weight especially from the metal hinges on the keyboard and price.

These 2-in-1 laptops are often more expensive than clamshell laptops with comparable hardware. When it comes to buying a 2-in-1, some are better laptops than they are tablets, and some are better tablets than they are laptops. You can find some good examples in our list of the best inch laptops. Business laptops offer some intriguing features for the average buyer despite targeting professionals.

Be careful in comparing the Intel family of CPUs with those from AMD — their main competitor — as quoted speed figures aren't directly comparable. The same goes for the sub-families of each brand — for example, Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and i9 are increasingly high performance, even at the same quoted frequency figure in GHz; likewise with the M series processors designed for highly mobile computers.

The same goes for AMD's Ryzen series of processors. Each new generation of processors is usually faster than the previous generation, even at the same chip frequency. Thus, you can expect a 2. A lack of RAM will slow your computer when running multiple programs, using a lot of web browser tabs or performing labour-intensive tasks, such as image processing.

Expect a minimum of 4GB gigabytes even in a budget Windows system, but ideally aim for at least 8GB for most general-use laptops and 16GB or more for high-end models. A small screen means a smaller laptop that's generally going to be lighter, but larger and particularly higher resolution screens are better for graphics, gaming or watching movies.

Regardless of physical size, many lower-cost laptops only have relatively low-resolution screens of x pixels. Check before buying. More laptops aimed at the mid-range market have a screen with at least full-HD p, or x pixels , but higher resolution screens are available in high-end laptops. Don't underestimate how much space you'll need. Unless you intend to make extensive use of Cloud-only storage, make sure you have enough room for all your current programs and files, as well as the fast-growing collection of videos and music that most people now tend to accumulate.

Laptop memory and storage can be difficult or impossible to upgrade after purchase, so choose a model with enough RAM and SSD storage capacity to last you a long time. These days the solid-state drive SSD has replaced hard drives as the preferred storage medium in most laptops, due to falling SSD prices which have made this super-fast storage medium more affordable.

Laptops with a traditional hard disk drive HDD are still available in cheaper models, usually a 1TB terabyte drive. However, an SSD is much faster than a hard drive and having one can lift the overall performance of a laptop considerably, and thus extend its useful working life.

Also, check if the laptop or tablet can be expanded via a microSD card, which can add up to an additional 1TB of solid-state storage. CHOICE tip: If you need extra storage, you can always plug in an external portable drive or a high-capacity external hard drive. Many laptops, especially slimline ultraportable models, come with either a GB or GB SSD, though we consider GB the better starting point for a laptop these days.

Many laptops, especially slim-and-light ultraportables, may not allow you to upgrade internal components later, which means it's best not to skimp on RAM memory or storage capacity upfront. Look for upgrade options at the time of ordering and spend a bit extra upfront on RAM to give the laptop a longer useful lifetime.

Check for hot spots under the laptop after it's been on for a while, as these can get annoying if you're using your laptop where the name would suggest. Also check for vents under the laptop and make sure you don't block them if using it on your lap, as this could cause it to overheat. Many laptops will have the graphics processor built into the motherboard called "on-board graphics" , rather than on a separate "dedicated" graphics card.

Often called "the brick", this is the block and cord that you use to plug your laptop into a standard wall socket. If your laptop battery won't last long enough for you to leave the brick at home, you'll have to take it with you for recharging, and this can add considerably to the overall weight you have to carry around. Having a long working time between charges is particularly important for an ultraportable. After all, they lose portability points if you have to also carry the power supply unit and cable with you to charge them.

Ideally you want to have a full day of working on-the-go without having to plug it in, but this will depend on what else you have plugged into the laptop drawing power from it. If you intend to be on the move much of the time, don't get weighed down by having to lug your laptop's power supply unit and cable with you. Look for a model with a long battery life and quick recharge time. You really don't want to have to to carry the external power supply unit and cable with you.

Our battery life tests look at a heavy-usage scenario, to give you an idea of the worst results you're likely to get, though for most people the average daily use will give better life. If you intend to be mobile much of the time, then a long battery life and quick recharge time is important.

Wi-Fi speed is important because fewer laptops come with a built-in ethernet port for plugging into your local wired network. If this is the case, you may be able to purchase a USB-to-ethernet adapter of the same brand or a third-party alternative. In either case, look for a laptop that supports the current Wi-Fi standard, This is backwards-compatible with previous standards including the previously most popular The emerging standard for newer laptops is Wi-Fi 6 Connectivity on laptops these days is all about USB-C, the new low-profile standard that's becoming common on more models.

A USB-C plug is slimline and easy to use there's no "right way up" , but its appearance can be deceptive, as the same-shaped plug is used for several different standards — USB 3.

The faster 10Gbps version of this is USB 3. There's also USB 3. Plug in a Thunderbolt device, such as an external SSD, and you have the fastest connection in town. One of the keys to USB-C's swift adoption is its versatility — the same port can transfer both power and data at the same time and it can also mimic a whole range of other ports — including USB 2.

However, stick with the manufacturer's cables and avoid cheap third-party cables and chargers or you may risk damaging your computer and peripherals or worse. Laptops can loosely be classified into several unofficial categories of laptop to suit a variety of needs, though these categories aren't clearly defined.

Many laptops can match the power of mid-range desktop computers, even in the ultraportable category. Laptops come with a screen, keyboard and trackpad built in, though you can usually plug in external devices to use the laptop as a desktop computer.

If you want to regularly use your laptop as a desktop PC then plugging in an external display monitor, keyboard and mouse may improve usability. Most laptops can run the full version of Microsoft's Windows and some may have the option of using Linux or you might download and install it yourself.

The best gaming laptops are versatile enough to keep you entertained and handle all your day to day tasks. Our computing experts offer easy tips to fix a broken laptop and solve common PC problems.

Laptops advice guides From desktop replacement powerhouses to compact bargains to the latest Chromebooks, Which? Best laptops for and buying guide Five crucial questions you need to ask to find the best laptop for your needs and budget. Best laptop deals for Best laptop deals chosen by Which?

How to buy a second-hand or refurbished laptop Do you want to cut the cost of your next laptop? Best laptops for students We round up the best laptops for students from our expert lab tests to help you find the very best student laptop for school, college or university life. How to speed up a laptop or computer Viruses, bloatware and your settings can all cause your computer to run slowly. Intel processors explained: What is Core i3, i5, i7 and Pentium?

Which laptop brand to buy in Unique Which? Windows 11 requirements: check if your computer is compatible Use our free Windows 11 tool to see if your PC meets Windows 11 requirements. How to free up disk space Hard drive full?