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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Form Factor

Operating System

Manufacturers

Toshiba Satellite U845 Review
Toshiba Satellite U845 Review
  • Elegant exterior
  • Terrible keyboard
  • No stand-out feature
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0
HP Envy 4 Review
HP Envy 4 Review
  • Attractive black-and-red exterior
  • Good touchpad
  • Not competitively priced
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0
Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M5 Review
Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M5 Review
  • Attractive
  • Solid build quality
  • Runs hot when GPU is engaged
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 5
Acer Aspire S5 Review
Acer Aspire S5 Review
  • Fast processor
  • Bland design
  • Annoying connectivity
Our Score: 3
User Score: 1
Sony Vaio S Premium 13.3-inch Review
Sony Vaio S Premium 13.3-inch Review
  • Pleasing keyboard and touchpad
  • High display resolution
  • Flimsy display lid
Our Score: 4
User Score: 5
Apple MacBook Air 11.6-inch (2012) Review
Apple MacBook Air 11.6-inch (2012)…
  • Excellent user interface
  • Light and portable
  • Limited port selection
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 5
Lenovo IdeaPad U310 Review
Lenovo IdeaPad U310 Review
  • Attractive exterior
  • Enjoyable keyboard
  • Doesn’t excel in any metric besides…
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 5
Alienware M17x R4 Review
Alienware M17x R4 Review
  • Attractive exterior
  • Brilliant 1080p display
  • Keyboard and touchpad could be better
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 0
Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook Review
Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook Review
  • Great user interface
  • Bright, pleasing matte display
  • Chrome OS still lacks functionality
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 0.5
Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 Review
Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 Review
  • Well-rounded and powerful
  • Excellent keyboard
  • Sub-par display 
Our Score: 4
User Score: 4.5
Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Review
Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Review
  • Sturdy chassis
  • Excellent keyboard
  • Touchpad could be better
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 0
Origin Eon 17-S Review
Origin Eon 17-S Review
  • Overclocked top-of-the-line…
  • Pedestrian looks
  • Poor trackpad
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 3
HP Envy 14 Spectre Review
HP Envy 14 Spectre Review
  • Beautiful design
  • Great display
  • Expensive
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 0
Toshiba Satellite P755 Review
Toshiba Satellite P755 Review
  • Good build quality
  • Full-size numpad
  • So-so battery life
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 1
Toshiba Portege Z835 Review
Toshiba Portege Z835 Review
  • Incredibly thin and light
  • Drab design
  • Flimsy chassis
Our Score: 3.5
User Score: 0.5
Dell Inspiron 14z Review
Dell Inspiron 14z Review
  • Solid build quality
  • Attractive
  • Small touchpad
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 0
HP Folio 13 Review
HP Folio 13 Review
  • Solid build quality
  • Attractive
  • Resolution could be higher
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 0
Lenovo ThinkPad T420s Review
Lenovo ThinkPad T420s Review
  • Durable construction
  • High-resolution display
  • Not particularly thin or light
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 5
Asus Zenbook UX31 Review
Asus Zenbook UX31 Review
  • High-resolution display
  • Good sound quality
  • Disappointing design and build…
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0
Sony Vaio Z Review
Sony Vaio Z Review
  • Incredibly thin and light
  • Powerful
  • Chassis feels flimsy in spots
Our Score: 4
User Score: 3.5

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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