9 laptops for people who want the absolute best
Antonio Villas-Boas
Jul. 21, 2018, 8:30 AM
Sometimes you just want the best.
No matter the price, and no questions asked.
If you want the best possible laptop experience, you need to think about four main things:
A slim premium design and materials
A sharp display
An Intel Core i7 processor
And at least 16GB of RAM
It's tough to say which of these 4 checklist items matter the most — each person might value one particular element more than another. One of the factors that makes the biggest difference, in my opinion, is the screen resolution. After using laptops and computer monitors with high-end 1400p and 4K resolutions, laptops with standard less-sharp 1080p resolutions feel decidedly less premium.
Keen spec-watchers out there might argue that you don't need a powerful Intel Core i7 processor, as it can be overkill for everyday computer tasks. For the average user, many would say an Intel Core i5 gives the best bang for the buck.
Normally, I'd agree. But these laptops aren't for people who care whether they're getting the best value. We're talking about machines that will give you the confidence that you're getting the smoothest and best performance for anything you might want to do on a computer, and a Core i7 will deliver just that.
That's also why you can't settle for 8GB of RAM. You'll need 16GB to ensure smooth and snappy performance, especially if you like to run lots of memory-hungry apps at the same time, or keep dozens of browser tabs open.
With that in mind, we set out to find the "best-of-breed" laptops on the market, the ones that best combine our four criteria to provide the ultimate laptop experience.
Note that I upgraded the storage on some of these machines to 500GB if their standard configurations come with 250GB. If you don't think you'll need 500GB of storage, you can always downgrade to a smaller storage option.
Check out the nine laptops, ranked in order of my preference, that will give you a premium, top-of-the-line experience:
9. Refurbished 13-inch 2017 MacBook Pro (with reservations, not the 2018 model)
Screen size: 13.3-inch
Screen resolution: 2560 x 1600 (similar sharpness as 1400p)
Touchscreen: No
CPU: Intel Core i7-7567U (2 cores up to 4.0 GHz)
Dedicated graphics chip: None
Storage: 1TB SSD
Ports: 4 Thunderbolt 3 USB-C
Worth noting:
Good: I can fully recommend refurbished Macs for their quality and like-new presentation. Runs clean and simple macOS. Repairs at Apple store are usually easier than getting Windows 10 laptop repaired.
Bad: Much more expensive than others on this list. Runs on last year's 7th-generation Intel CPU. Known issue with Apple's butterfly keyboard, Apple offers free repairs for four years as of the date of purchase. 2018 model also has butterfly keyboard, but it's unclear if it's more reliable, and it's not included in Apple's keyboard repair program, so I can't recommend it. No standard USB ports.
Screen resolution: 2880 x 1800 (sharper than 1440p 2K, less sharp than 4K)
CPU: Intel Core i7-7920HQ (4 cores up to 4.1 GHz)
Dedicated graphics chip: AMD Radeon Pro 560 (4GB, similar performance to NVidia GTX 1050Ti)
Bad: Much more expensive than others on this list. Runs on last year's 7th-generation Intel CPU. Known issue with Apple's butterfly keyboard, Apple offers free repairs for four years as of the date of purchase. 2018 model with newer specs also has butterfly keyboard, and it's unclear if it's more reliable, and it's not included in Apple's keyboard repair program, so I can't recommend it. No standard USB ports.
7. Dell XPS 13
Screen resolution: 4K
CPU: Intel Core i7-8550U (4 cores up to 4.0GHz)
Ports: microSD slot, 1x USB-C 3.1, 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 3
Good: Slim bezels deliver premium experience.
Bad: Expensive compared to others in this list. No standard USB ports.
CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H (6 cores, up to 4.1 GHz)
Dedicated graphics chip: Nvidia GTX 1050Ti (4GB, suitable for casual gaming and other visual-based work)
Ports: 1x SD card, 2x USB 3.1, HDMI 2.0, 1x USB-C Thunderbolt 3
Good: Slim bezels deliver premium experience. Comes with standard USB ports.
Bad: Expensive compared to others in this list.
5. Microsoft Surface Pro
Price: $1,900 + $130-plus for detachable keyboard
Screen resolution: 2736 x 1824 (similar to the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro's resolution, sharper than 1440p, less sharp than 4K)
Ports: 1x USB 3.0, 1x microSD, 1x mini DisplayPort
Good: Can be used like a tablet. Incredibly portable. 3:2 display aspect ratio looks more square than typical 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, but is great for apps where you scroll down often, like a web browser. Comes with a standard USB port.
Bad: Runs on last year's 7th-generation Intel CPU. Expensive, but you're partially paying for incredible portability option in this list. Does not include keyboard, have to buy detachable keyboard separately.
4. Razer Blade Stealth
Ports: 1x USB-C Thunderbolt 3, 2x USB 3.0
Good: Sleek, minimalist design. Multicolor keyboard lighting for extra pop, can be set to single color. Comes with two standard USB ports.
Bad: Bezels are comparatively large.
3. HP Spectre x360 15
Price: $1,600 ($1,455 on Amazon at the time of writing)
Dedicated graphics chip: Nvidia MX150 (less powerful than the Nvidia GTX 1050Ti that's included with some laptops in this list, but should help with visual tasks)
Ports: 1x Thunderbolt 3 USB-C, 1x USB-C 3.1, 1x USB 3.1, 1x HDMI
Good: Best value in this list considering 15-inch screen size and resolution. Can flip screen for tablet-like experience. Comes with a standard USB port.
Bad: Comparatively large bezels compared to others in this list.
2. Lenovo Yoga 920 14" Platinum Silver (80Y70062US)
Screen size: 14-inch
Ports: 2x USB Type-C, 1x USB 3.0
Good: Excellent Lenovo keyboard. Can flip screen for tablet-like experience. Comes with a standard USB port.
1. Huawei Matebook X Pro
Screen resolution: 3K (3000 x 2000)
Good: Extremely thin bezels around display gives most premium experience out of all laptops on this list. 3:2 display aspect ratio looks more square than typical 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, but is great for apps where you scroll down often, like a web browser. Comes with a standard USB port.
Bad: Not much, really.
Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. 10/ Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.
Look out for the Asus ZenBook Pro 15 UX580GE when it's released.
Price: TBA
Screen size: 14-15.6-inch
CPU: Intel Core i7-8750H (6 cores up to 4.1 GHz) - Intel Core i9-8950HK (6 cores up to 4.8GHz)
Dedicated graphics chip: Nvidia GTX 1050Ti (4GB)
Storage: 1 TB SSD
Ports: 2 USB-C Thunderbolt 3, 2 regular USB 3.1, HDMI, microSD
Worth noting: Ultra-high end specs. Could be expensive. Touchpad is also a 5.5-inch touchscreen for secondary functions in apps.
Get the latest Microsoft stock price here.
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