Best laptop 2018: Check out our in-depth buying guide and list of recommendations to find which laptop to pick up this year.
2018 may still be in its infancy, but we’ve already seen a wealth of great laptops and components get announced. Highlights include a swanky set of new laptops that’ll be powered by Intel 8th Gen CPUs with AMD Vega graphics.
The CPUs will be used on swish new machines, like the newly announced HP Spectre x360, and, according to Intel and AMD, will be able to handle everything from light gaming, to 4K video editing.
If battery life is a bigger concern, Qualcomm’s also set to join the laptop market this year, with updates to Microsoft’s Windows OS meaning that a wave of new devices running its latest Snapdragon 845 CPU are in the pipeline. According to Qualcomm the new laptops will offer users a marathon 20-hour-plus battery life.
If you can’t wait for a new laptop, you can check out our top picks of 2017 below. But before you make a final decision, read our in-depth buying guide to make sure you pick up a machine that meets your individual needs.
How much should I spend on a laptop?
What you decide to spend on a laptop will be determined by what you’re likely to want to use the laptop for. If you simply want to do a bit of web browsing and send and receive a few emails then a cheap 11-inch netbook or Chromebook for under £200 will do the job.
It’s best not to buy an ultra-cheap laptop and push it to its limits, though. Saving up for a more expensive laptop that can undertake a greater number of tasks at once will be worth it if you don’t need the ultimate in thin and light budget machinery.
Want something a little bigger? You can pay between £300 and £400 for a 15.6-inch laptop powered by an Intel Core i3 processor that’s powerful enough to carry out the basics without slowing to a crawl. It will even handle a little Minecraft and photo editing.
If you want something thin and light, expect to spend upwards of £500 for a sub-1.5kg laptop. Powered by efficient dual-core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, these machines are suitable for light photo and video work and should last all day on a single charge if they’re not pushed too hard. If you want premium build and a great screen, expect to pay at least £1,000.
You’ll need to spend at least £700 on a gaming laptop, and considerably more if you want to future-proof it. Look for “discrete” or “dedicated” graphics from AMD or Nvidia, and check online benchmarking figures to see how well your favourite games will play.
There are alternative form factors, too. Two-in-ones have reversible screens that can be versatile in small spaces, while tablet hybrids are great for drawing and taking notes. The latter often come with attachable keyboards for when you want to get typing work done.
What’s the best operating system?
Windows 10 remains the most versatile operating system around, and you’ll find it on the vast majority of laptops sold in the UK. However, if you’re buying a cheap laptop, Google’s ChromeOS is likely to be a better bet. It’s lightweight – it’s essentially a glorified web browser – but with so many excellent web-based applications now available, most people on a budget will be able to get by with just that.
MacOS is tied into MacBook laptops, so you’ll always pay a premium to get Apple’s operating system. It’s undeniably slick, smooth and reliable, so if you have the money then it offers a better experience than Windows for many people.
Don’t want to pay the Windows tax? Some laptops now sell with Ubuntu Linux installed. This free OS is powerful if you know what you’re doing, and it has the advantage of costing next to nothing.
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