If you are looking for a computer on which you can seriously work on the road, you will still not be able to get around the laptop despite better tablets. Laptops nowadays come in all shapes and sizes, so you need to know what you need to make the right choice. In this article you can read about the best laptops of the moment with an up-to-date top 10 and tips on buying laptops.
1. Dell XPS 15 7590
2. Asus ZenBook 14 UX434
3. Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch
4. Asus ROG Zephyrus S
5. Lenovo IdeaPad S540
6. Xiaomi Mi Air
7. Acer Swift 5
8. HP Envy X360 15
9. HP 14 cf
10. Asus ZenBook Pro Duo
- Image quality
- The processor
- Video card
- Storage area
- Do you need an SSD on a laptop?
- Can you play games on a laptop?
- How much storage do I need?
- Can you upgrade a laptop?
- Can you change the battery in a laptop?
- Can you edit photos on a laptop?
- What is a usb-c connection?
- Is a matte or glossy screen better?
- What should you pay attention to with the keyboard of a laptop?
- How do I recognize a good WiFi adapter?
- What should I pay attention to with the battery of a laptop?
Top 10 laptops in 2020
1. Dell XPS 15 7590
The most versatile laptop
Techzle review score: 90/100
+ Versatility
+ Battery life
+ Build quality
+ Keyboard and touchpad
Dell XPS 15 has received a number of important updates this year, making this stylish laptop even more versatile. The laptop has, depending on the chosen model, an extremely large 97 Wh battery and therefore hassle-free a day without a charger. The fast Intel processor is combined with an Nvidia GTX 1650, which means that you can also game a little. The laptop has the necessary ports including HDMI and USB-C with Thunderbolt 3.
2. Asus ZenBook 14 UX434
A surprising laptop
Score 90
+ Screen in touchpad
+ Stylish design
+ Keyboard
– No Thunderbolt 3
Asus ZenBook 14 is a special phenomenon. This very compact 14-inch laptop has a display hidden in the touchpad. This can be used as a second screen in Windows, but can also serve as a numpad or as a special menu for supporting applications such as Microsoft Office. The keyboard is excellent and there is sufficient connectivity, but unfortunately Thunderbolt 3 is not supported.
3. Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch
The best Apple laptop
Score 70
+ Design
+ OSX
– Connectivity
– Keyboard
Although Apple has not made major updates for the 2019 model, the MacBook Pro 13 remains the best choice for anyone who is a fan of the OSX operating system. The connectivity is very limited with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, but this can easily be solved with a dongle. The screen is excellent and True Tone is pleasant for everyday use, although it is important for photo editors to switch it off. The price seems fairly high, but is not too bad compared to the 15-inch model.
4. Asus ROG Zephyrus S
The best gaming laptop
Review score: 80/100
+ Powerful video card
+ Relative light
+ Smart cooling system
– Placement of the keyboard
Asus ROG Zephyrus S is a very powerful gaming laptop that can be equipped with an Nvidia RTX 2080. Despite the powerful video card and processor, the laptop only weighs 2 kg. The low weight is made possible in part by an ingenious cooling system that ensures that the laptop can easily lose its heat. The keyboard on the front of the laptop takes some getting used to and also the price is not tender.
5. Lenovo IdeaPad S540
The cheapest laptop with GTX 1650
Score 80
+ Specifications
+ Battery life
+ Build quality
– Brightness screen
Lenovo IdeaPad S540 is one of the cheapest laptops with a Nvidia GTX 1650, but also works very well in other areas. The reasonably portable laptop has a nice metal housing and the weight of 1.9 kg is not too bad. The battery life is very good due to the 70 Wh battery and also the SSD is nice and fast.
6. Xiaomi Mi Air
Cheap and light
Score 70
+ Price
+ Lightweight
– Battery life
– Screen
Xiaomi is slowly taking over the European market and we can see that with the laptops. The affordable Xiaomi Mi Air looks a lot like a Macbook Pro, but is a lot cheaper. The lightweight device has a good build quality and neat specifications for its price. Unfortunately, the battery life and the screen cannot keep up with the more expensive competition.
7. Acer Swift 5
Lightweight 15-inch
Score 70
+ Weight
+ Screen
+ Battery life
– Build quality
Acer Swift 5 is a remarkably light laptop with a weight of less than a kilogram. To get the weight so low, Acer had to use thin materials and that is reflected in the build quality. Still there is reasonable hardware in the laptop and especially a nice big battery. The screen is also excellent with good calibration and pleasant brightness.
8. HP Envy X360 15
The best 15-inch convertible
Score 80
+ Battery life
+ Silent cooling
+ Quality housing
– Performance
HP Envy x360 15 is a convertible laptop with a very high quality housing. The beautiful screen can be folded completely and has a good touchscreen. The laptop is equipped with a powerful AMD processor and AMD video card, but unfortunately the silent cooling is unable to keep it at the right temperature.
9. HP 14 cf
The best budget laptop
Score 60
+ Price
+ Specifications
– A lot of plastic
– Touchpad
HP 14-cf is a budget laptop that is more expensive than it actually is. For just 500 euros you get 8GB RAM and an SSD with 256GB storage space. The Intel Core i3 processor does not have a turbo, but that means the laptop will last a nice long time on the battery. Although the laptop has an aluminum look, it is actually made of plastic. Unfortunately, this also applies to the moderate touchpad.
10. Asus ZenBook Pro Duo
Two screens in a laptop
Score 90
+ Two screens
+ Keyboard and touchpad
+ Powerful hardware
– Price
ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 is an impressive laptop. It is equipped with very powerful hardware and has no less than two screens: a 15.6-inch 4K UHD OLED panel and a 14-inch IPS panel, both equipped with a touchscreen. The keyboard and touchpad are excellent so that you can work productively on this. The price is not tender, but you will get a unique product in return.
Tips for buying a good notebook computer
There are many types and sizes of laptops for sale in all price ranges. Before you buy a laptop, you must know where and for what you want to use a laptop. A laptop on the road must be as compact and light as possible, while the weight of a laptop that you only use at home makes less of a difference. In addition, you must also properly determine what your budget is.
The screen is one of the most important features of a laptop because the screen size largely determines the size of the laptop. The screen size is expressed in inches measured diagonally. Common dimensions are 13.3, 14 and 15.6 inches. If you want to use a laptop mainly on the road, then 13.3 or 14 inches offer a good balance between portability and workspace. The popular 15.6 inch laptop is more pleasant to work on daily, but it naturally takes up more space. Are you looking for a laptop for the home, then you could consider a 17-inch model. Such a “desktop replacement” has the advantage of a large screen, but is really designed to remain in one place.
Image quality
Although the screen format is an important feature, the format says nothing about the image quality. The image quality of a screen is determined by the resolution and the screen technology used. The resolution of a screen is expressed in pixels, for example 1920 x 1080 pixels (full hd). Make sure the laptop you buy has a minimum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Only on really small screen sizes (11 inches or smaller) can you consider a lower resolution as 1366 x 768 pixels if the laptop is really cheap. The resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels fits perfectly with screens with a size of 13.3, 14 or 15 inches and then ensures a sharp image. A higher resolution such as a 4k uhd screen (3840 x 2160 pixels) gives a slightly sharper image, but in practice the difference can only be seen from very close.
The screen technology used is also important when selecting a laptop. With laptops we usually see the choice between tn screens (twisted nematic) or ips screens (in-plane switching). If you have the choice, choose an ips screen. Such a screen offers better colors and a larger viewing angle, which ensures a pleasant working experience for all the work you do on your laptop. Nowadays we also see OLED options for the most expensive laptops. Such screens have a perfect contrast and are therefore ideal for watching films and series.
The processor
Choosing the ideal processor is very difficult due to the large selection. At Intel there is a choice of Core i3, i5, i7 and i9 processors, the i3 processors of which are the most economical and the i9 processors the most powerful. The number following the “ix” indicates the generation and processor power. The i7-9750H, for example, is the successor to the i7-8750H. The i7-9850H is no newer than the i7-9750H, but a bit faster. Then the letter at the end; it makes a bigger difference than you might think. The ‘standard’ processor ends with a “H”, while the very efficient processors end with a “U”. Extra powerful variants end with “HK” or “K”.
Recently, AMD has again become very active in the market for mobile processors. Their offer is fortunately a bit easier. At the moment there are only AMD Ryzen 3000 processors in new laptops. The name is similar to that of Intel, with Ryzen 3 3200U as the most economical and cheapest processor and Ryzen 7 3750H as the most powerful.
Video card
Are you a fanatic gamer, or do you regularly use GPU acceleration, then it is important to choose a laptop with a powerful video card. Nvidia is currently a sole ruler in this segment and that makes choosing a lot easier.
Nvidia’s offer starts with the GTX 1650, a capable video card that will be able to run most games, although the settings must be lowered regularly. The next option is the GTX 1660 Ti, which immediately takes a big step forward in graphic power. If you want a higher frame rate or medium settings are not enough for you, then it will be an RTX 2060, 2070 or 2080. These are more powerful than the GTX cards and also support ray tracing. Do you see “Max-Q” behind it? This means that it is a slightly less fast variant that also uses less power.
Storage area
In the past, the story about storage capacity was very simple: more is better. With the arrival of SSDs, that is no longer always the case. SSDs are much faster than traditional hard drives and are indispensable in a laptop these days. They are still more expensive than a hard disk, which means that lower capacities are common. We do not recommend buying a laptop with an SSD of 128GB or less, mainly because the step to 256GB is technically very small. Then the rule applies again: more is usually better. A hard disk as extra storage in a laptop provides a shorter battery life and a higher weight, but can still be a cheap solution for bulk data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need an SSD on a laptop?
The answer to this question is a convincing yes. This form of storage is much faster than a traditional hard drive.
Can you play games on a laptop?
Serious gaming is only possible if the laptop, in addition to a powerful processor, also contains a powerful video card.
How much storage do I need?
We recommend a storage capacity of at least 256 GB for a Windows laptop; a smaller SSD of, for example, 128 GB can lead to problems in practice. If you want to use the laptop to store an extensive photo or film collection, you need more storage capacity. This extra storage can possibly be in the form of an HDD.
Can you upgrade a laptop?
That varies enormously per laptop. Not a processor or graphic card, but the memory and storage often. Yet nowadays there are laptops where nothing can be adjusted, especially with the extra thin and light laptops.
Can you change the battery in a laptop?
Nowadays, a battery is fully integrated into the laptop. Changing the battery for a full copy on the way is therefore not possible. It is sometimes possible to replace the battery if it is worn out, but it can be difficult to find a replacement battery.
Can you edit photos on a laptop?
For photo or video editing you need a relatively powerful laptop with a Core i5 processor, 8 GB ram and an SSD as a guideline. If you regularly edit videos, even 16 GB of RAM can be useful. In addition to power, image quality is also important for image editing. Have a laptop with an ips panel for good viewing angles and color reproduction. You can of course also connect a separate monitor.
What is a usb-c connection?
Usb-c is the newest standard in the field of usb. The connection is handy because it does not matter how you plug the plug into the port. More and more laptops are equipped with a USB-C connection. Conveniently, this connection is often used to charge the laptop, just like on smartphones. Unfortunately, USB-C is just a connection and various protocols such as USB 2.0, USB 3.1 Gen 1, USB 3.1 Gen 2, DisplayPort and Thunderbolt can be supported. The most complete form of usb-c is a Thunderbolt 3 connection. In addition to usb 3.1 Gen 2 and DisplayPort, this also offers lightning-fast Thunderbolt.
Is a matte or glossy screen better?
Both finishes have their own advantages and disadvantages. Colors look better on a glossy screen, while colors on a matte screen look a bit duller. On the other hand, with a glossy screen you logically suffer more from reflections in the image.
What should you pay attention to with the keyboard of a laptop?
What it is all about with a keyboard is of course type comfort. In general, the comfort with cheaper laptops is generally less good than with more expensive ones. Unfortunately, it is often the case that you also see a keyboard on the more expensive and thinner laptops that many people don’t like. Apple’s MacBook Pro, for example, is a laptop whose keyboard clearly has less travel than the previous generation. You should actually try the keyboard of a laptop in real life before you purchase the laptop. A feature that is really useful in practice, even if you can type blind, is an illuminated keyboard.
How do I recognize a good WiFi adapter?
Generally it is not immediately clear from the specifications what the specifications of the used WiFi adapter are. Often a manufacturer only indicates which WiFi standards are supported, usually in the form of 802.11a / b / g / n / ac. In any case, make sure that ac is specified in the specifications, then you know for sure that both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands are supported.
What should I pay attention to with the battery of a laptop?
Manufacturers specify the capacity of the battery in their specifications. You recognize the capacity of the battery by the amount of watt-hour, usually expressed as Wh. That in itself does not say that much, but with comparable specifications a higher battery capacity is of course better. Manufacturers often also specify a usage time in hours, but often this is a bit on the optimistic side. You can therefore best search for reviews in which the battery life has been tested. Note that it often happens that within the same series, different versions can also have different battery capacities. In addition, more powerful hardware is generally also less economical, which means you can get through a full battery faster. The same applies to displays with higher resolutions.