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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Type

Screen Size

Form Factor

Operating System

Manufacturers

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
HP Envy 15 (2012) Review
HP Envy 15 (2012) Review
  • Excellent all-round performance
  • Above average battery life
  • Derivative design
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 2.5
HP EliteBook 2560p Review
HP EliteBook 2560p Review
  • Attractive, yet durable
  • Good touchpad
  • Thick for an ultraportable
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0
Sony Vaio SE (15.5 inch) Review
Sony Vaio SE (15.5 inch) Review
  • Elegant design
  • Thin and light
  • Flimsy display lid
Our Score: 4
User Score: 1.5
Lenovo IdeaPad U400 Review
Lenovo IdeaPad U400 Review
  • Sturdy, attractive design
  • Large touchpad
  • Glossy, mediocre display
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0.5
HP Pavilion dm1z Review
HP Pavilion dm1z Review
  • Attractive design
  • Large keyboard and touchpad
  • Annoying Norton antivirus
Our Score: 5
User Score: 4.5
Acer Aspire S3 Review
Acer Aspire S3 Review
  • Exceptional Design
  • Incredibly thin and light
  • Poor audio quality
Our Score: 4
User Score: 0
Dell Vostro V131 Review
Dell Vostro V131 Review
  • Great connectivity
  • Excellent performance
  • Runs warm
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 0
HP Envy 14 Review
HP Envy 14 Review
  • Robust chassis
  • Excellent performance
  • Fan can be a bit loud
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 0
HP ProBook 5330m Review
HP ProBook 5330m Review
  • Versatile matte display
  • Durable chassis
  • Heavy
Our Score: 3.5
User Score: 0
Sony Vaio C Series (15.5-inch) Review
Sony Vaio C Series (15.5-inch) Review
  • Full 1080p available for just $50
  • Stylish lid and interior
  • Small touchpad
Our Score: 3.5
User Score: 0
Asus U36Jc Review
Asus U36Jc Review
  • Sturdy, pleasurable keyboard
  • Poor touchpad
  • Outdated hardware
Our Score: 3.5
User Score: 0
Apple MacBook Air 13.3-inch (Mid-2011) Review
Apple MacBook Air 13.3-inch (Mid-2011)…
  • Excellent backlit keyboard
  • Glass touchpad is still great
  • Average battery life
Our Score: 4.5
User Score: 4.5
HP Pavilion g6 Review
HP Pavilion g6 Review
  • Excellent build quality
  • Solid, comfortable keyboard
  • Average display
Our Score: 4
User Score: 2.5
Sony Vaio S Series Review
Sony Vaio S Series Review
  • Attractive
  • Excellent keyboard and touchpad
  • Flimsy display lid
Our Score: 4
User Score: 4
Samsung Series 5 Chromebook Review
Samsung Series 5 Chromebook Review
  • Quick boot speeds
  • Extraordinarily limited functionality
  • Nearly useless offline
Our Score: 3
User Score: 0
HP EliteBook 8560p Review
HP EliteBook 8560p Review
  • Industrial-strength chassis and…
  • Large, high-res display with…
  • Not as light or thing as competitors
Our Score: 4
User Score: 4.5

- 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.

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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