The 10 Best Laptop Brands
Laptops continue to dominate the world of personal computing. Each year they’re lighter and more powerful, and packed with new features. The market is very competitive, with lots of brands to choose from.
Below is a list of the best laptop brands according to our industry experts. We’ll score each brand on:
- Design
- Support and warranty
- Value for money
We’ll also include the best laptops for each brand, so you can find what you need.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
#1 Best Laptop Brand: Dell
| Design | 8/10 |
| Support and Warranty | 9/10 |
| Specs | 9/10 |
| Value for Money | 9/10 |
| Total | 8.75 |
PROS:
- Ultraportable and light laptops
- Cutting-edge designs
- Good battery life
- 30-day return policy
- Screen to display ratio is excellent
CONS:
- Designs are too simple for some people
- Models are rarely discounted
Dell is the best choice for a Windows laptop. This brand makes simple laptops that last for a long time— but simple doesn’t mean compromised performance.
Dell laptops contain hardware that is more than capable of video editing, gaming, and more.
Dell produces several series of laptops that are aimed at different user segments. The Inspiron range is excellent for entry-level or business users, with decent specs at a low cost.
The XPS series is a mix of luxury design and high-end hardware for users with a bigger budget. And finally, the Alienware range is built for hardcore gaming.
The Texas-based computer giant offers a vast collection of different laptops. Most Dell notebooks have a touchscreen, quick processors, great battery life, and backlit keyboards. Many of the premium ranges have OLED screens.
Best Dell Laptop: Dell XPS 13
The Dell XPS 13 isn’t the most expensive laptop in Dell’s range. It’s not even the most powerful. But it’s one of the most beautifully designed laptops on the market.
The 2021 version of the XPS comes with a sharp OLED screen. Compared to other ultraportable machines, the XPS is solid. Also, the super-thin bezels give it a sleek, lightweight feel.
The XPS has 16GB of RAM and an Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor. These specs mean this laptop can play resource-intensive games at medium settings.
There are some slight negatives with this laptop. The battery life lags behind the MacBook Pro 13, and there is no USB or ethernet port. This type of connectivity problem is common with slim, lightweight laptops, but you can solve it by purchasing an adaptor.
The Dell XPS is an outstanding laptop for anyone who wants to use it for work and gaming.
#2 Best Laptop Brand: Apple
Apple makes the best luxury laptops around. The build quality and design of its MacBook range are unmatched. These laptops also excel at performance power and quality displays.
| Design | 9/10 |
| Support and Warranty | 10/10 |
| Specs | 8/10 |
| Value for Money | 6/10 |
| Total | 8.25 |
PROS:
- Beautiful design
- Superb processing power
- Baseline models have excellent specs
- Great speakers
- Excellent customer support
- Option to run Windows via dual-boot
CONS:
- Expensive
- Can’t upgrade RAM
- Poor for gaming
- Great speakers
- Excellent customer support
- Option to run Windows via dual-boot
Apple’s laptops have a similar look to their smartphones, tablets, and desktops. The design is robust and of high quality. They are incredibly reliable and long-lasting laptops that just keep going.
Mac OS is user-friendly and more stable than Windows. Many Windows laptops require a clean install every 12 to 18 months for peak performance, but MacBooks don’t have this problem.
One negative point is that Apple laptops are poor for gamers. Things have improved over the years, and MacBooks are capable of running some resource-intensive games, but the hardware isn’t designed for gaming. As a result, the range of gaming titles is very limited compared to PC.
MacBooks are a great option for video editing, music production, or creative design. They’re also an excellent choice for business. But they aren’t suitable as a dedicated hardcore gaming machine.
The performance, specs, and durability justify the premium price for most users — even casual gamers.
Best Apple Laptop: MacBook Pro 13” M1 (2020)
The MacBook Pro 13″ is an incredibly powerful machine. The M1 processing chip has an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU. It’s fast, reliable, and can handle anything, even intensive gaming at lower settings.
This laptop is an excellent choice for video editing. The Retina Display on the MacBook Pro M1 is gorgeous, and the picture is sharp and bright. Another big plus is the 16-hour battery life.
The MacBook Pro 13″ M1 is an excellent choice for power users. It’s a Mac, so the price is high, but a machine this powerful and well-built will last for many years, so there is good value here.
#3 Best Laptop Brand: HP
HP laptops have improved a lot over the last decade. During that time, their laptops have excelled in three categories: design, value, and innovation.
| Design | 9/10 |
| Support and Warranty | 7/10 |
| Specs | 8/10 |
| Value for Money | 9/10 |
| Total | 8.25 |
PROS:
- Even budget models are well built
- Good value for money
- Stylish, classy design
- Light, sleek, and ultraportable
CONS:
- Budget HP laptops are below par
- Customer support needs improvement
- Battery life is shorter than their peers
HP has excellent computers in the premium and mid-range categories. The Spectre X360 series is a beautifully designed ultra-light 2-in-1 with a great display, but it comes with a high-end price.
For a mid-range option, the HP Envy is one of the best laptops available for under $1000. Both these laptops are good choices for business and college and could handle light to medium gaming.
HP’s Omen range comes with 10th Generation Intel chips and NVIDIA GeForce video cards, making these laptops perfect for gaming.
It’s a little bulky, and the battery life isn’t great, but it can handle AAA titles like Witcher 3. The premium and mid-range HP laptops are typically very good, but the budget models are disappointing and underpowered.
Support and warranty are a downside. The live service tool needs work, and the HP support site is confusing and challenging to navigate.
Overall, HP laptops are great if you are going for a premium or mid-range model. However, the company’s budget range is poor and needs work.
Best HP Laptop: HP Envy 13 (2021)
The HP Envy 13 (2021) gets our pick because it’s excellent value for money. It has a wonderful display and performance for under $1000. Stylish, light, and with long battery life, it’s also sturdy thanks to the entirely aluminum casing.
This laptop won’t be the best choice for gamers, but it’s perfect for work, college, Netflix, and internet browsing. The HP Envy 13 (2021) is superb at this price point.
#4 Best Laptop Brand: Lenovo
Lenovo is among the best laptop brands today. They offer users a versatile range of choices with laptops suitable for high-end gaming or business use.
| Design | 7/10 |
| Support and Warranty | 8/10 |
| Specs | 8/10 |
| Value for Money | 9/10 |
| Total | 8.0 |
PROS:
- Great choice of different laptops
- Competitive prices at every level
- Great customer service
- Durable hardware on even entry-level laptops
CONS:
- Uninspired design
- Graphics cards are poor on entry-level and mid-range laptops
Lenovo’s biggest strength is its wide variety of laptops. It offers excellent laptops, from entry-level up to premium machines. The Chinese brand consistently finishes near the top of yearly laptop reviews.
The Flex and Yoga series are portable and flexible. The build quality is rugged and reliable, which makes them popular among business users. The Lenovo Y740 is the brand’s best option for gamers, but it’s more expensive than the equivalent HP and Dell models.
Best Lenovo Laptop: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (8th Gen)
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a beautiful machine. It’s sturdy but lightweight and slim. The screen is bright and sharp, but a poor graphics card means it’s poor for gaming. As a work or college laptop, this represents excellent value for the price. The ThinkPad has a great keyboard and a respectable battery life.
#5 Best Laptop Brand: Acer
Acer is well-known for making solid budget laptops. But in recent years, they have started to produce high-end gaming machines.
| Design | 8/10 |
| Support and Warranty | 6/10 |
| Specs | 8/10 |
| Value for Money | 9/10 |
| Total | 7.75 |
PROS:
- Premium laptops are capable of high-end gaming
- Innovative design
- Wide product range
- Consistently provide good value for money
CONS:
- Build quality isn’t as good as its rival
- Customer support is poor
Acer’s range of products is excellent. They provide something for every type of user, from budget to premium laptops. Entry-level Acer Chromebooks are available for less than $200 and are some of the best laptops in that price range. Value for money is a big part of the Acer brand.
Acer has moved into the high-end gaming market in recent years with the Acer Predator series. These laptops can run medium to high-intensity gaming due to i7 chips and NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards.
Laptop reviews have regularly ranked them alongside HP and Dell gaming machines of the same price.
Best Acer Laptop: Acer Swift 3 (2020, AMD Ryzen 7 4700U)
The Acer Swift 3 is a high-performance machine at a very reasonable price. The internal specs are incredible for the price, thanks to the AMD Ryzen.
This ultrabook has been getting excellent reviews for outpowering the Dell XPS 13 and even Macbook Pros, which are twice the price.
The Acer Swift is light, portable, and has excellent battery life. This machine is a bargain for business, college, and even light gaming.
#6 Best Laptop Brand: ASUS
ASUS is a reliable brand that is known for budget laptops. In recent years, they have also entered the gaming market with their excellent ASUS Rog series.
| Design | 7/10 |
| Support and Warranty | 7/10 |
| Specs | 7/10 |
| Value for Money | 9/10 |
| Total | 7.5 |
PROS:
- Affordable
- Excellent range of powerful gaming laptops
- Free accident protection plans with some devices
- Wide range of laptops for every budget
- Entry-level models have an excellent build quality
CONS:
- Laptops are typically heavy
- Battery life is subpar in may models
ASUS has such a wide range that there is something for all users. Even lower-tier models have sturdy build quality, and are made to last ASUS manufactures its motherboards in-house, which allows them to go to market with lower prices.
For customers with a bigger budget, ASUS laptops won’t disappoint either. Many of the mid-range models have good specs for the price.
ASUS has a reputation for producing some of the best budget laptops, but their mid and high-tier machines are powerful and competitive.
Best ASUS Laptop: ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus series includes some of the best gaming laptops available. Zippy AMD Ryzen processors and Nvidia RTX 3000 series graphics cards mean these laptops will handle even the latest AAA title games.
The Zephyrus G15 is well built and stylish. The battery life is excellent too. This laptop is expensive, but it’s good value for money when compared with machines with similar specs.
#7 Best Laptop Brand: MSI
MSI is known for its excellent gaming laptops. They are a popular and trusted brand, especially in the world of esports.
| Design | 9/10 |
| Support and Warranty | 6/10 |
| Specs | 9/10 |
| Value for Money | 6/10 |
| Total | 7.5 |
PROS:
- Superb gaming laptops
- Free accidental damage protection
- Innovative design
- Excellent build quality
CONS:
- Lacks the variety of other brands
- Customer support is weak
MSI makes excellent laptops for gamers. The brand’s high-end laptops have unbelievable processing power and build quality. However, mid-range and budget models are less impressive. For example, the MSI Alpha 15 is a solid laptop, but the battery and CPU performance lags against similarly priced competitors.
MSI has made some promising progress in lower-priced laptops in recent years, but it seems that this market is not their priority. For home and business users, MSI laptops aren’t a sensible purchase. For gamers, they are an excellent choice.
Best MSI Laptop: MSI GS66 Stealth (2021)
The MSI GS66 Stealth is a remarkable laptop. The Intel i7-10850H chip and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Max-Q GPU make this a very powerful laptop capable of high-end gaming. The NVMe SSD is fast, and the battery life is excellent. Laptops with these specs are typically either bulky or heavy, but the MSI GS66 is thin and portable.
This laptop is expensive, but it is good value for money based on the raw power alone. The GS66 is a fantastic gaming laptop.
#8 Best Laptop Brand: Microsoft
Microsoft is the household name behind Windows, but it also makes impressive laptops, like the Surface Go. The build quality across their machines is very high, with aluminum and magnesium standard across their products.
| Design | 7/10 |
| Support and Warranty | 8/10 |
| Specs | 7/10 |
| Value for Money | 7/10 |
| Total | 7.25 |
PROS:
- Excellent build quality with premium materials
- Flexible 2-in-1 laptops
- Good connectivity
- Excellent hardware
- Very reliable
- Superb battery life
- 90-day technical support
CONS:
- Limited selection
- Expensive
Microsoft doesn’t offer the most extensive range of laptops, but it has enough to cater to different budgets. The Surface Go 2 is a light and beautiful-looking budget machine, while the Surface and Surface Go 7 are nice high-end options.
The hardware inside these laptops is first-class, and the design and build quality are very impressive. Customer support is easy to access and helpful, but these laptops are so reliable there is a good chance you won’t need them.
Best Microsoft Laptop: Microsoft Surface Go 2
The Microsoft Surface Go 2 is the cheapest Surface Go. It’s also the best value for money. It has a premium design that compares to more expensive Surface Gos. It’s light, portable, and has great battery life.
The Surface Go 2 price is similar to Chromebooks or budget laptops. This laptop is ideal for productivity or business tasks, but it struggles with gaming. The Go 2 is a great-looking laptop for the price, even if the hardware isn’t going to win any competitions.
#9 Best Laptop Brand: Razer
Razer makes premium gaming laptops. There isn’t a great choice within their laptop range, but each computer is powerful and beautifully designed.
| Design | 8/10 |
| Support and Warranty | 8/10 |
| Specs | 9/10 |
| Value for Money | 5/10 |
| Total | 7.25 |
PROS:
- Fantastic gaming laptops
- Great customer support
- Consistently excellent hardware
- Premium design
CONS:
- Limited choice
- Expensive
- No budget option
Razer makes beautifully designed laptops. This manufacturer’s laptops are built with excellent materials, like premium CNC aluminum, and include features such as RGB lighting.
While Razer is primarily focused on the gaming market, they have begun to cater toward creative professionals with their Studio Edition.
Anyone in the market for a productivity or work machine might want to give this brand a miss. For gamers and creatives, Razer is unmissable.
Best Razer Laptop: Razer Blade Pro 17
The Razer Blade Pro 17 will delight creative professionals and gamers. Its premium aluminum chassis is solid but light. The 8-core Intel 10th Gen H Series CPU and Nvidia Super GPU make this laptop a powerful option for gamers and editors, and the battery life is also impressive.
Many experts call Razer the Mac of gaming laptops. The Razer Blade Pro 17 is a solid replacement for the declining MacBook Pro 17 series. This is a premium machine, with a premium price to match.
#10 Best Laptop Brand: Samsung
While most people know Samsung for smartphones and TVs, it also has a range of laptops. Samsung’s laptops aren’t the most modern or stylish-looking laptops on the market, but their excellent displays and good specs will appeal to consumers.
| Design | 7/10 |
| Support and Warranty | 7/10 |
| Specs | 7/10 |
| Value for Money | 7/10 |
| Total | 7.0 |
PROS:
- Lightweight and slim
- Impressive gaming laptops
- Good specs
- Colorful
CONS:
- Disappointing battery
- Limited range
Samsung has had a mixed record with laptops over the years. The feeling among experts was that smartphones were the company’s priority, with laptops going by the wayside.
Recent years have seen the excellent Samsung Galaxy Book Flex released to much acclaim but the Chromebook released to mixed reviews.
The good news is that Samsung’s laptop designs are much improved. Bright colors and high-end metals make for modern-looking and smart devices. However, the brand’s patchy customer service and limited range of laptops are areas that need improvement.
Best Samsung Laptop: Samsung Galaxy Book Flex
Uninspiring design and poor battery life are two frequently cited issues with Samsung’s laptop range. However, the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex does not have these problems. It is a smart-looking laptop with a beautiful 15.6-inch 1080p QLED display.
The 1080p screen is crisp and bright, making this an ideal laptop for anyone who streams a lot of TV shows. The Flex is a 2-in-1, although, at 15.6 inches, it makes for a bulky tablet.
The Samsung Galaxy Book Flex is a good machine for productivity, work, and consuming media, but gaming and video editing will be a struggle.
TLDR
Each laptop brand has its own advantages and disadvantages. Some brands are known for excellent hardware and reliable build quality, like Dell, Apple, HP, Samsung, and Microsoft.
Other brands offer good laptops at reasonable prices like Asus, Acer, and Lenovo. For gamers with large budgets, MSI and Razer make excellent specialist laptops.
About the Author Marcus
Marcus has a graduate degree in computer engineering and has many years of experience in cutting-edge technology research and development in both startups and Fortune 500 corporations. In his free time, he enjoys RTS gaming.
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