Best laptop 2021: Top laptops to buy for every budget

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

• CPU: 11th gen Intel Core i7-11800H
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 4GB
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Screen: 15.6in OLED 3.5K (3456×2160) touchscreen
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Pros: Incredibly fast, stylish design
• Cons: Expensive, not so portable

This is Dell’s flagship laptop, a showcase of everything the manufacturer can reasonably pack into a single machine without the entire thing melting into a hot puddle of silicon and plastic. The Dell XPS 15 is one of the best Windows laptops you can buy, and pairs a minimalist, no-fuss design with top-level functionality and performance.

In our review of this model, we were left thoroughly impressed. “If you’re in the market for a high-performance and productivity focused Windows laptop with a spectacular next-generation display, the new Dell XPS 15 is the best you’ll find. This is as about close to perfect as laptops get.” Our reviewer wrote.

The bright, crisp 3.5K OLED touchscreen is simply the best display you can find on any laptop, while under the hood the 11th generation Intel processor packs more performance than the average desktop computer. Those looking for a more portable laptop might want to look elsewhere – at 15 inches the Dell XPS 15 is a hefty lad, and battery life is middling, lasting about a full working day if you don’t tax it too much.

Read the full Dell XPS 15 2021 review

Best: Windows laptop

Rating: 9/10

• CPU: Intel Core i5 1035G7 through to Intel Core i7 1065G7
• Graphics: Intel iris plus
• RAM: 8GB through to 32GB DDR4
• Screen: 13.5in, 3000p x 2000p
• Storage: 128GB through to 1TB SSD
• Pros: Detachable touchscreen, great performance
• Cons: Thick bezels

The Surface book 3 is an imposing looking machine. The flagship laptop in the Surface range is designed to showcase everything a portable Windows device is capable of, and appears to have been hewn from a single block of brushed metal. The neat unibody chassis is unblemished by anything so tacky as a holographic Intel sticker, brandishing only the minimalist Microsoft logo on the back of the display. This is Microsoft at its most Apple.

The performance totally backs up its looks, as it’s powered by the newest Intel Core i7 processor and a modest 32GB of memory. The keyboard is comfortable to work on and the 3:2 ratio screen is a natural fit for web browsing and document editing. At the touch of a button, the screen comes away and can be used as a fully mobile Windows tablet.

Best: Apple laptop

Rating: 9/10

• CPU: Apple M1 chip
• Graphics: Integrated M1 GPU
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Screen: 13.3in, 2560p x 1600p
• Storage: 512GB through to 1TB SSD
• Pros: Thin, light, very fast performance
• Cons: Only two ports, new model launching soon

Apple’s thinnest, lightest MacBook transcended the tech world to become an instantly recognisable design icon, the profile of which many rival laptops have since followed. If you’ve ever held one you’ll understand why it’s such an alluring device: the MacBook air is an elegant piece of engineering, weighing just 1.29kg and measuring 4.1mm at its thinnest point.

The newest 2020 model is powered by Apple’s new M1 processor, an ARM-based chip that unlocks notable performance boosts and better battery efficiency over the older Intel CPU seen in previous generations. There is a 2021 model soon to be announced, so bear that in mind when you shop.

Best: Budget laptop

Rating: 8/10

• CPU: Intel Core i5 1135G7 through to Intel Core i7 1165G7
• Graphics: Intel iris xe
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Screen: 14in, 1920p x 1080p
• Storage: 256GB through to 512GB SSD
• Pros: Powerful laptop for this price
• Cons: 1080p display is a little dated

A premium ultrabook without the premium price tag, right now the Lenovo yoga slim 7 is the best laptop you can buy for under £700. For the last few years Lenovo has been quietly turning out laptops and tablets that offer smart design and decent specs without costing the earth, and this model is the culmination of the Chinese manufacturer’s best work.

This super-thin laptop is powered by a Core i5 processor tuned for laptops, giving you enough grunt to handle CPU-intensive tasks like photo and video editing, and even some lower-end games. To bring costs down Lenovo has plumped for a standard HD, 1080p display, but it’s a good quality panel with excellent colour reproduction and contrast.

Best: Two-in-one laptop

Rating: 8/10

• CPU: Intel Core i5 10135G7 through to Intel Core i7 1165G7
• Graphics: Intel iris xe
• RAM: 8GB through to 32GB DDR4
• Screen: 13.4in, 1920px x 1200px/3840px x 2400px
• Storage: 256GB through to 1TB SSD
• Pros: Long battery life, can handle gaming
• Cons: Shallow keyboard

When it comes to Windows machines, the boundary between laptops, tablets and hybrid two-in-one devices is looking increasingly blurred. There are tablets you can attach a keyboard to, touchscreen laptops with detachable displays, and then there are devices like the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, a seemingly ordinary laptop that can be folded back on itself to become a portable tablet.

But where many other hybrids offer tablet-grade performance in a laptop chassis, this Dell model is a powerful device by any measure. The 11th generation Core i7 processor, supported by up to 32GB of memory, has enough power and graphics performance to handle video rendering and gaming. We tested the 2019 version, which was updated in late 2020 with a more powerful processor but has an almost identical exterior design.

Best: For students and writers

Rating: 8/10

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4680U through to Intel Core i7 1185G7
• Graphics: Radeon/ Intel iris xe
• RAM: 8GB through to 32GB DDR4
• Screen: 13.5in, 2256p x 1504p
• Storage: 256GB through to 1TB SSD
• Pros: Streamlined Windows experience, thin design
• Cons: Thick bezels

The Surface range showcases Windows 10 at its absolute best, allowing Microsoft to take control of both the hardware and the software to create tablets and laptops that feel unified, streamlined and uncompromised. Whereas most other Windows laptops come preloaded with sketchy third-party apps and anti-virus bloatware, Microsoft’s Surface laptops are much closer to the Apple-style user experience. Clean, tidy, and simple to use.

In this analogy the surface laptop 4 is the MacBook air of Windows machines. This is a fast and thin touchscreen laptop, with even the slowest and cheapest configuration running on a decently powerful AMD Ryzen 5 processor. The laptop is unlocked with facial recognition, the keyboard is a delight to type on for hours on end, and in finished in a lovely faux-suede alcantara material.

Read the full Microsoft Surface laptop 4 review

Best: For working from home

Rating: 9/10

• CPU: Intel Core i7 1165G7
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Screen: 13.9in, 3000p x 2000p
• Storage: 1TB SSD
• Pros: Impressive screen, stylish design, powerful
• Cons: Strangely positioned placed webcam

Huawei’s latest flagship lifts the best design elements from both the surface book (£1,599, Johnlewis.com) and the MacBook pro ( £1,149, Currys.co.uk) resulting in a device that looks so smart that it’s hard to begrudge Huawei copying its rivals’ homework. The matebook X pro has a bright and colourful 3:2 ratio display bordered by a vanishingly small bezel. The display is also a multi-point touchscreen, so don’t forget to pack some wet wipes in your laptop bag.

This configuration of the Huawei device is powered by an Intel Core i7 processor with 16GB of memory and a generous 1TB hard drive. A fingerprint scanner rounds off a quality piece of hardware, though one notable downside is the awkward position of the webcam, which is hidden beneath one of the function keys. The angle is less-than-flattering in video calls.

Read the full Huawei MateBook X pro review

Best: For photo and video editing

Rating: 9/10

• CPU: Apple M1 Chip
• Graphics: Integrated M1 GPU
• RAM: 8GB
• Screen: 13in, 2560p x 1600p
• Storage: 256GB through to 512GB SSD
• Pros: Touch bar and Touch ID, top performance
• Cons: Only two Thunderbolt ports

The performance gap between the MacBook air (£898.98, Amazon.co.uk) and the smaller MacBook pro has been shrinking lately. But Apple’s premium laptop is still the go-to machine for specialist users and editors who need every last bit of processing power. Though both are powered by Apple’s new proprietary M1 chip, the MacBook pro can handle tasks that would have its slimmer cousin wheezing into a brown paper bag.

The MacBook pro is also Apple’s playground for weird and fun new ideas, such as the narrow touchscreen along the top row of keys that changes to suit whichever application you’re currently using. Like the MacBook air, the power button has a fingerprint sensor built into it, the keyboard is comfortable and the trackpad is big and responsive.

Best: For work

• CPU: Intel Core i7 1165G7
• Graphics: Intel Iris Xe graphics
• RAM: 16GB DDR4
• Screen: 13.5in, 3,000 x 2,000px
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Pros: Vivid OLED display, great battery life
• Cons: Expensive
• Rating: 8/10

Full credit to HP for designing a laptop that doesn’t look like yet another MacBook air (£889, Amazon.co.uk). The HP spectre x360 is a high-performance machine with a display that can be folded back in on itself to transform into a tablet, albeit a slightly chunky one when compared to two-in-ones that can be fully snapped in half.

Every inch of this device feels premium. The 14in high-definition display is responsive and vivid. The fingerprint sensor is fast, and the physical cut-off switch for the webcam is a nice addition for the security-conscious.

Under the bonnet you’ve got top-end components. We tested the 2021 model with its do-everything Core i7 processor and generous 16GB of memory. This year’s version doesn’t tinker too much with the exterior, but improves on the specs with an even faster Intel CPU, Intel Evo certification and a wider range of configuration options.

Read the full HP spectre x360 14 review

Best: For connectivity

Rating: 8/10

• CPU: Intel Core i5 1135G7 through to Intel Core i7 1165G7
• Graphics: Intel iris xe
• RAM: 8GB DDR4
• Screen: 13.3in, 1920p x 1080p
• Storage: 512GB through to 1TB SSD
• Pros: Smart ergonomic design, sharp OLED screen
• Cons: 1080p display is a little dated

The zenbook 13 is littered with interesting little design touches that make this coffee shop ultrabook stand out from the crowd. For a start, where other laptops have whittled their ports down to just one or two USB-C connections, this one proudly keeps its USB-A port alongside an HDMI out and a MicroSD card slot, and all without sacrificing thinness.

When opened the hinge is designed to lift the keyboard slightly for more ergonomic typing and better airflow. The touchpad can display a number pad or calculator app, while the infrared camera can be used to unlock Windows. An all day battery life, vibrant edge-to-edge screen and stylish finish rounds off one of the best 13in laptops you can buy.