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Laptop Reviews

- Laptop Reviews

Smartphone, shmartphone; the sign of a truly productive human being remains the laptop computer. Why else would people continue displaying them all day long at coffee shops? And buying one isn't like a phone purchase -- you only need to worry about that thing for a two-year contract. A laptop is forever. Or, at least three or four years. Our testing process is as much about a user's everyday experience with the laptop as it is about lab-based benchmarking, because ultimately a laptop is a lot like your car: You don't need to know how every piece of the engine works, but you do need to know if it's designed for what you need, if it's worth the price tag, and that it won't end up in a smoking heap on the side of your desk. From budget notebooks to Ultrabooks and everything in between, we've used it, reviewed out, and have an opinion about it.

For more tips check out our laptop buying guide, or head over to our continually updated list of the best laptops to find out which ones scored the highest marks.

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Samsung ATIV Book 8 Review
Samsung ATIV Book 8 Review
  • Attractive design and good build…
  • Good, high-contrast display
  • Keyboard is just average
Our Score: 5
User Score: 0
Acer Aspire R7 Review
Acer Aspire R7 Review
  • Innovative hinge design
  • Solid build quality
  • Bulky and heavy
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 0
Lenovo ThinkPad T431s Review
Lenovo ThinkPad T431s Review
  • Professional yet attractive design
  • Light and portable
  • Poor display quality
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0
Sony Vaio Fit E 15 Review
Sony Vaio Fit E 15 Review
  • Attractive, streamlined design
  • Glossy display not bright enough to…
  • Narrow viewing angles
Our Score: 3.5
User Score: 0
Toshiba Kirabook Review
Toshiba Kirabook Review
  • Solid chassis
  • Glass touchscreen with thin bezels
  • Display suffers from scaling issues
Our Score: 3.5
User Score: 0
HP Envy x2 Review
HP Envy x2 Review
  • Attractive design
  • Thin and light
  • Low display resolution
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0
Asus VivoBook S550CA Review
Asus VivoBook S550CA Review
  • Solid build quality
  • Edge-to-edge glass display
  • Poor display quality
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0
Toshiba Satellite U845t Review
Toshiba Satellite U845t Review
  • Elegant exterior
  • Competitive battery life
  • Terrible keyboard
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 0
Sony Vaio T14 Touch Review
Sony Vaio T14 Touch Review
  • Attractive design
  • Good build quality
  • No backlit keyboard
Our Score: 3.5
User Score: 0
Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 Review
Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 Review
  • High build quality
  • Good keyboard
  • Dreary exterior
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0
Samsung ATIV Smart PC 700T Review
Samsung ATIV Smart PC 700T Review
  • Sturdy, comfortable design and build
  • S Pen makes Desktop mode bearable…
  • Hard to balance on the lap in the…
Our Score: 3.5
User Score: 0
HP EliteBook Folio 9470m Review
HP EliteBook Folio 9470m Review
  • Slim and light for a 14-inch laptop
  • Lots of ports
  • Display resolution and quality is too…
Our Score: 3.5
User Score: 0
Google Chromebook Pixel Review
Google Chromebook Pixel Review
  • Rock-solid build quality
  • Excellent touchpad
  • Uninspired design
Our Score: 3.5
User Score: 0
Microsoft Surface Pro Review
Microsoft Surface Pro Review
  • Excellent build quality
  • Only one USB port
  • Type Cover is terrible and overpriced
Our Score: 2.5
User Score: 0
Dell XPS 13 Review
Dell XPS 13 Review
  • Rock-solid build quality
  • Pleasing keyboard
  • Poor audio quality
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0
HP Spectre XT TouchSmart Review
HP Spectre XT TouchSmart Review
  • Good build quality
  • Amazing 1080p display
  • Ho-hum design
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0
Asus Taichi 21 Review
Asus Taichi 21 Review
  • Innovative design and concept
  • Short battery life
  • Heavy for a tablet
Our Score: 3
User Score: 0
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch Review
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch Review
  • Light weight and slim
  • Semi-rugged and durable construction
  • Only two USB ports
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0
Dell Inspiron 15z Review
Dell Inspiron 15z Review
  • Good material quality
  • Excellent connectivity
  • Glossy display with dim backlight
Our Score: 4
User Score: 1
Origin EON17-SLX Review
Origin EON17-SLX Review
  • The fastest laptop money can buy
  • Mid-range variants provide good value
  • Expensive
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 5

How we test laptops

How we test laptops

You've read our laptop reviews. You've read our conclusions. And now you're wondering how we came to them.

Allow us to peel back the veil from our review process. While every laptop is different, the hurdles we ask each product to jump are similar. This allows us to provide realistic and accurate information and tell you about the positive and negative traits of the laptops we write about. Read More

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