Best laptop: The top 10 laptops we’ve tested

Introduction

Looking for best possible laptop to see you through 2022? Then you’re in the right place, as we’ve reviewed and scored a great number of portables from budget buys ideal for children, to monster machines that can blast through heavy duty media tasks. And to make it even easier for you, we’ve rounded up the very best laptops in this list.

This list covers the best laptops in general, but if you’re after something a little more specific, you can check out our Best Gaming Laptop, Best Student Laptop and Best Budget Laptop lists as well.

And if nothing here really catches your eye, make sure you keep this page bookmarked, since we’ll be updating it every time a new laptop is good enough. There are plenty of laptops to look forward to this year, including the rumoured MacBook Air 2022, and recently revealed Dell XPS 13 Plus.

But if you can’t wait that long for a new laptop, then check out our current favourite models in 2022 below.

How we test Learn more about how we test laptops Every laptop we review goes through a series of uniform checks designed to gauge key things including build quality, performance, screen quality and battery life.

These include formal synthetic benchmarks and scripted tests, plus a series of real world checks, such as how well it runs the most frequently used apps.

We also make sure to use every laptop we review as our primary device for at least a week to ensure our review is as accurate as possible.

Shop the range of AMD Ryzen™ Laptops at Currys On the hunt for a top-notch laptop to help with your school or university work that’s also great for the odd spot of Netflix binging and gaming, but not sure which to get? We’d recommend looking at one with an AMD Ryzen™ 5000 Series Mobile Processor Shop the range

Dell XPS 13 OLED The best overall Windows laptop Trusted Score Pros The absolute best laptop screen for the price

Speedy productivity performance

Class-leading laptop design

Lots of configuration options Cons Short battery life

Stingy port offering The Dell XPS 13 is the holy grail of laptops right now, especially if you prefer Windows devices to MacBooks. The 13-inch display lends itself to portability, with the OLED screen giving you clear and crisp visuals, making it a great choice if you’re looking to watch media on your laptop. Though it’s worth noting that the 3.5K display will wear down your battery quicker than a few other laptops out there. The XPS 13 also features the latest 11th-Generation Intel chipset, offering high-speed productivity. Unless you’re planning on doing intense video editing or 3D renders, this laptop will have you covered in all areas. Plus, you can check out the Dell XPS 13 (Late 2020) if you’re not too bothered about the OLED display. Reviewer: Ryan Jones

Full review: Dell XPS 13 OLED review

MacBook Air (M1) The most powerful ultra-portable laptop Trusted Score Pros It’s so fast thanks to M1

Exceptional battery life

Strong app support

Great keyboard Cons Poor webcam

Same design as before

Poorly positioned (and only two) USB ports The MacBook Air M1 offers better CPU speeds than the majority of laptops on this list, and by quite a distance. Its integrated GPU is even powerful enough for 4K video editing and animation, despite the laptop’s lightweight design. We’re still disappointed that Apple hasn’t introduced a more cutting-edge design to compete with the Dell XPS, but this is still a decent-looking laptop. If you do care about the looks, you may want to wait it out for the rumoured MacBook Air 2022 that could arrive midway through this year. It’s also worth checking out the new 14-inch MacBook Pro if you’re craving an even faster performance.

Reviewer: Max Parker

Full review: MacBook Air M1 Review

Surface Laptop Go Best value laptop Trusted Score Pros Incredible value

Small and classy design

Excellent performance

Comfortable keyboard Cons Low-resolution display

No keyboard backlight

No fingerprint scanner on base configuration The Surface Laptop Go is on the smaller side with a 12.4-inch display, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile if you’re looking for portability. The Laptop Go is also one of the most affordable laptops on this list. With a starting price of just £549 it’s half the price of the Apple and Dell laptops. It won’t be able to handle as much as other models, but it will breeze through day-to-day productivity tasks, making it a great laptop for anyone who needs to head into the office. There are some downsides; the screen resolution fails to hit the standard 1920 x 1080 mark, and small omissions like a lack of fingerprint scanner on the entry model are noteworthy. But these are very small issues when you consider how inexpensive this laptop is.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones

Full review: Surface Laptop Go Review

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Best mid-range laptop Trusted Score Pros Great value price

Fantastic battery life

Speedy performance

Nice Full HD screen Cons Basic design

No Thunderbolt

No fingerprint scanner on select models This is one of the best mid-range laptops you can buy. Packing in a Ryzen 4000 chip this laptop boasts excellent performance, alongside a stellar battery life that can last over 14 hours on a single charge during our benchmark tests. The 14-inch display is also Full HD, making this a good laptop for video streaming. It also has a comfortable keyboard and will easily manage most office-based tasks, like web browsing or creating documents, meaning it has everything you need if you’re a student or a professional. The design here is a little uninspired and could be better, with no Thunderbolt support or fingerprint scanners on some of the models, it can be a little annoying if you’re wanting a more premium experience. But for anyone with a tight budget, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 is a great laptop to consider.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones

Full review: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Review

LG Gram 16 (2021) Best lightweight 16-inch laptop Trusted Score Pros Incredibly light design

Big and detailed display

Speedy productivity performance

Generous port selection Cons Questionable build quality

Glossy screen

Not as powerful as rivals The LG Gram 16 (2021) is a noteworthy laptop, mainly on the basis that it clocks in at just 1199g, which is lighter than a fair few of the 13-inch laptops listed here. The lighter design does mean there are a couple of compromises here, as this won’t rival some of the more powerful laptops in terms of processing speeds. However, these flaws aren’t the end of the world, and anyone wanting a larger screen that’s also portable will struggle to find another laptop that does it better than the LG Gram 16.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones

Full review: LG Gram 16 (2021) Review

Acer Chromebook Spin 513 Best budget Chromebook Trusted Score Pros Super-light and portable design

Sharp display with decent colours

Outstanding battery life

Whisper-quiet performance Cons Flat speakers

Mediocre performance

No keyboard backlight The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 is a great example of a good-quality Chromebook and shows how far the range has come in recent years. And while it won’t rival Apple in terms of power, it’s a perfectly good computer for speeding through office tasks or browsing the web. The mid-range performance is also cancelled out by the bargain price, which is even cheaper than the Surface Laptop Go. ChromeOS will limit you in terms of downloads and what you can do on the laptop, but unless you need to access video editing software most regular consumers should be covered. It’s worth mentioning that the keyboard isn’t backlit and the speakers are not the best quality, but in terms of a cheap laptop for day-to-day tasks, the Chromebook Spin 513 knocks it out of the park.

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch Best high-end laptop for creative tasks Trusted Score Pros Incredibly powerful

Bigger display still looks stunning

Scissor keyboard a huge improvement

More stylish with smaller bezel Cons Super expensive

Stingy port offering

Lack of Wi-Fi 6 The MacBook Pro offers processing and GPU speeds that dominate all the other laptops on this list, but this laptop isn’t just for anyone. You’ll have to pay a little more to blast through creative tasks. The MacBook Pro 2021 also came out very recently; the newest addition to the Pro family features the immensely powerful M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets, which will allow for a speedy performance during high-intensity tasks like 3D rendering. Any creatives would do great with the latest Pro, with the ability to edit videos in 4K, you just need to be willing to pay up for all that processing power. We’ll be reviewing the latest edition of the MacBook Pro very soon, so expect this list to change in the near future.

Reviewer: Max Parker

Full review: 16-inch MacBook Pro Review

HP Spectre x360 13 (2021) Best 2-in-1 laptop Trusted Score Pros Great keyboard

Excellent build quality

Bright, high-contrast screen

Sturdy 360-degree hinge Cons Max speaker volume is just OK

Not as powerful as a MacBook Air The HP Spectre x360 13 (2021) is the best convertible laptop that Trusted Reviews has tested. It hit 12 hours in our battery benchmark test and offers an incredibly comfortable keyboard, alongside the option of a 4K OLED touchscreen that is ideal for artwork. There are a few missing features: 5G is absent and there is no slot-in stylus, which you will find on the Galaxy Book Flex2 5G, but it’s very forgivable when the laptop nails the fundamentals so well. One of the main issues is the performance, you won’t get as much power as the standard clamshell laptop, but if you’re looking for a convertible laptop that also functions as a tablet, this is our top pick.

Reviewer: Andrew Williams

Full review: HP Spectre x360 13 (2021) Review

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Best hybrid laptop Trusted Score Pros Solid performance

Great screen for work and play

Reliable battery life, especially in 60Hz

Well-built kick stand Cons Signature Cover and Slim Pen 2 not included

Limited port selection The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 looks a little out of place in this list, since it’s actually a tablet rather than a laptop. But if you buy the keyboard Type Cover along with it, then you’ll be able to use this just like a conventional laptop. Microsoft has been using this hybrid design for a long time now, but the latest iteration has been treated to numerous upgrades including a 120Hz screen for smoother scrolling, a speedy Intel 11th Gen CPU processor and Thunderbolt connectivity. But the most obvious benefit of this device is the ability to use it as a tablet. So if you want a device than can handle both office work, and ultra-portable TV streaming in your downtime, then it’s well worth checking out Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8.

Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel Pro Best laptop for artists Trusted Score Pros Deep-action keyboard

Quality glass touchpad

Well-designed two-way hinge

Slot-in stylus Cons Cheaper gaming PCs offer better rendering performance

Last-generation CPU

1080p resolution is arguably low for this type of laptop The Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel is a great laptop if you’re looking for both a normal computer but also a drawing and design tool; the hinged screen design makes it easy to doodle and draw, and the added stylus (with 4096 pressure levels) is an extra bonus. The keyboard has a deep action as well, so it should feel pretty satisfying if you need to type up a quick report, with a performance that won’t rival other high-end laptops but will get the job done with Intel’s 10th-Generation chip and an Nvidia Quadro T1000 GPU. If you’re after more rendering power, there are other options for a similar price, but you are getting a unique screen hinge as a compromise that’s ideal for doodlers and sketchers. Reviewer: Andrew Williams

Full Review: Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel Pro Review

FAQs What is an SSD? The SSD (solid state drive) is essentially the component that determines how much storage your laptop has. A 512GB SSD is the norm these days, with anything less making storage space feel cramped if you download a lot of music, photos and videos. What is a 2 in 1 laptop? A 2 in 1 laptop is a device that has a flexible hinge, allowing it to be folded up into a tablet form. These laptops often have stylus support too, making them good options for doodlers and creatives. What is RAM? RAM (Random Access Memory) is computer memory that helps the processor offer a smooth performance. 8GB seems to be the default for laptops these days, with anything less potentially seeing noticeable slowdowns for your computer. What is Thunderbolt? Thunderbolt is a port technology that is typically found through USB-C connections. Thunderbolt is signalled with a small lightning bolt icon, and can allow for multi-purpose functions such as power delivery, display output and data transfer for an all-in-one solution.

Specs compared ‹ UK RRP USA RRP EU RRP CA RRP AUD RRP CPU Manufacturer Screen Size Storage Capacity Front Camera IP rating Battery Battery Hours Size (Dimensions) Weight ASIN Operating System Model Number Resolution HDR Refresh Rate Ports Audio (Power output) GPU RAM Connectivity Colours Display Technology Screen Technology Touch Screen Convertible? Bin capacity Acer Chromebook Spin 513 £399 $399 €429 CA$599.99 AU$560 Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Acer 337.82 mm 64GB – – 4670 mAh 13.583 815 310 x 209.4 x 15.55 MM 1200 G – ChromeOS – 1920 x 1080 – – 1 x USB-A 3.2, 2 x USB-C 3.2, 3.5mm headphone jack – Qualcomm Adreno 618 4GB – – LED IPS Yes Yes – Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch £2399.00 $2399.00 €2699.00 CA$2999.00 AU$3799.00 9th Generation Intel Core CPU Apple 16 mm 1TB 720p FaceTime HD camera – 100 Whr – 246 x 358 x 16.2 MM 2 KG B081FXHJDK macOS – 3072 x 3072 – 60 Hz 4x Thunderbolt 3, headphone jack – Up to AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 16GB Wi-Fi, Bluetooth [‘Silver’, ‘Space Grey’] LED IPS No No litres HP Spectre x360 13 (2021) £1399.99 $1049.99 – – – Intel Core i7-1165G7 HP 13.3 inches 512GB 720p – 60 Whr – 306 x 194 x 17 MM 1.22 KG – Windows 10 13-aw2024na 1920 x 1080 – 60 Hz 2x Thunderbolt, 1X USB-A, headphone jack and microSD – Intel Iris Xe 8GB Intel Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 Nightfall Black and Silver LCD IPS Yes Yes – Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 £849.99 – €999 – – Ryzen 7 4800U Lenovo 14 inches 512GB IR Camera – 60.7 Whr 14 321 x 208 x 14.9 MM 1.4 KG B08BJ9RZKC Windows 10 – 1920 x 1080 – 60 Hz 2x USB 3.1, 1x USB-C, SD Card Reader, HDMI and headphone jack – Integrated Radeon 16GB Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth Slate Grey and Orchid LCD IPS No No – LG Gram 16 (2021) £1249 – – – – Intel Core i7-1165G7 LG 16 Inches 1TB 720p – 80 Whr – 356 x 243 x 16.8 MM 1.2 G B08S3J32BP Windows 10 – 2560 x 1600 – 60 Hz 2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A, HDMI, microSD and headphone jack – Intel Iris Xe 16GB Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth Obsidian Black LCD IPS No No – MacBook Air (M1) £999 $999 €1129 CA$1299 AU$1499 M1 8-core Apple 13.3 inches 2TB 720p – 49.9 Whr 18 304 x 212 x 161 MM 1.29 G B08N5NMHM3 macOS – 2560 x 1600 – 60 Hz 2x Thunderbolt 4 and headphone jack – Apple M1 7-core 16GB Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 Gold, Silver and Space Grey LED IPS No No – Surface Laptop Go £549 $549.99 €629 CA$759.99 AU$999 Intel Core i5-1035G1 Microsoft 12.4 mm 64GB 720p HD – – 13 0 278 x 206 x 15.69 MM 1.11 KG B08HJ2W4HX Windows 10 Home in S mode – 1536 x 1024 – 60 Hz USB-C, USB-A, 3.5mm headphone jack and Surface Connect – Intel UHD Graphics 4GB Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6 Platinum, Sandstone and Ice Blue LCD IPS Yes No – Dell XPS 13 OLED £1348.99 $1549.99 – – – Intel Core i5-1135G7 Dell 13.4 inches 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB 720p – 52 Whr – 295.7 x 198.7 x 14.8 MM 1.27 KG B0999HQCSB Windows Home – 3456 x 2160 Yes 60 Hz 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x headphone jack and microSD card slot 4 W Intel Iris Xe 16GB, 8GB, 32GB Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 Platinum silver OLED IPS Yes No – Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel Pro £1999 – – – – Intel i7-10750H Acer 14 inches 1TB 720p – – 10 30 326.7 x 229 x 23.9 MM 1.9 KG – Windows 10 Pro CC314-72P 1920 x 1080 – 60 Hz USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, USB-A, mini-DisplayPort, HDMI, SD – Nvidia Quadro T1000 16GB WiFi White LCD IPS Yes Yes – Microsoft Surface Pro 8 £1499 $1099 – – – 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 or 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 Microsoft 13 inches 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 5.0MP IP68 – 16 00 287 x 208 x 9.3 MM 891 G B09CP34GZV Windows 11 – 2880 x 1920 Yes 120 Hz 2 x USB-C with USB 4.0/Thunderbolt 4, 3.5mm headphone jack, 1 × Surface Connect port, Surface Type Cover port – – 16GB, 8GB WiFi, Bluetooth – LCD IPS Yes Yes – ›