From expensive machines to portable, budget-friendly laptops for reading ebooks, an unbelievable range of different options are readily available. We’ve looked through them all and found you the best laptop in 2021.
Best Laptops In 2023
- Apple MacBook Air w/ new M1 Chip – Crazy fast and affordable (HOT!!)
- Acer Aspire 7 – Best Laptop For Money
- HP Spectre x360 – Convertible Pick
- Lenovo Ideapad 3 – Best Chromebook Choice
- Dell XPS 15 – Best Thin & Light
- Acer Aspire 5 – Best Budget Laptop 2021 (Best Selling)
- Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon – Best Business Notebook
- Asus Zenbook Flip 13 – Best Laptop For School
- MSI GE75 Raider – Best For Gaming
- Apple MacBook Pro 16 Inch – Amazing All-Around
- LG Gram – Ultraportable Option
Reviews Of The Best laptops In 2023
Acer Aspire 7 – Best Laptop For The Money
Different versions of the Aspire 7 are available in varying configurations, and they often beat the competition in terms of overall specs.
For the best overall laptop, our favorite pick is all about the processor. Capable of reaching up to 4.5GHZ, the i7-9750H is one of the best 9th gen processors on the market right now.
With a solid-state drive and a dedicated graphics card, you are covered on anything from school projects to gaming as well.
Keep in mind that other models in this price range will typically come with 12 – 16GB of RAM. Unless you are using very specific memory-intensive programs, however, that amount isn’t usually needed.
Some of the most frequently mentioned features brought up by reviewers are the IPS display and the ability to add another drive for more storage space.
One potential downside that is often referenced is the positioning of the power cable, which is in the way on the right side.
Recommended configuration for Acer Aspire 7
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 IPS HD Display| Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 8 hours | Weight: 3.31 pounds
HP Spectre x360 – Convertible Pick
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The current Cadillac of 2-in-1 laptops for work or school is easily the HP Spectre. This one isn’t just great for a hybrid machine, it has flat out great specs for any style of notebook.
As a hybrid, you can use this model as a full work laptop or fold it to use as a touch style tablet. Even with that dual functionality, you don’t lose out on the extras.
Two Thunderbolt USB ports, a fully backlit keyboard, and a discrete fingerprint scanner are all included.
Buyers don’t often have a lot of negative feedback on this model. There is one potential issue often brought up when using the keyboard instead of the stylus or touch display, however.
The Spectre’s touchpad is located directly beneath the keyboard and offsets to the right. This means you may accidentally end up clicking the top edge of the touchpad while typing.
As with the VivoBook Flip listed below, this isn’t a machine meant for running games at high graphics settings. For that functionality, take a look at our best gaming machines listed below.
Recommended Configuration for HP Spectre x360
CPU: Intel Core i7-10510U | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce MX250 | RAM: 32 GB RAM | Screen: 15.6″ diagonal 4K (3840 x 2160) IPS touchscreen | Storage: 512 GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 7 hours | Weight: 2.7 lbs
Lenovo Ideapad 3 – Best Budget Chromebook
Most users spend the majority of their time on a web browser, rather than using any particular executable program.
If you’re in that boat, a Chromebook can be a better option than a full Windows laptop. Surprisingly, the Pixelbook actually has still better specs than many other full notebook computers.
With a Chromebook, you typically get 16 – 64GB of storage space at a maximum. Here, you get a full 256 GB SSD just like with a normal laptop.
Since the bloated Windows 10 OS isn’t eating up the drive space, that’s a bigger deal than you might think. Now that you can use Android apps on Chrome OS, you don’t actually lose much functionality by ditching Windows entirely.
The best thing about Lenovo Ideapad 3 is that it’s very affordable! It’s not the most powerful laptop out there but it’s very functional and it’s perfect for students or businessmen who prefer practicality over power.
Recommended configuration for Lenovo Ideapad 3
CPU: Intel Core i3 1005G1 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics | RAM: 12 GB | Screen: 15.6 Inches (1366×768) Display| Storage: 256 GB SSD | Operating System: Chrome OS | Battery Life: 7.5 hours | Weight: 4.07 lbs
Dell XPS 15 – Best Ultrabook
Normally going the ultraportable route means giving up higher-end specs. That’s not the case here, as Dell managed to cram some top-shelf components into a tiny space.
At under three pounds, you get both a 9th gen processor and a full 16GB of RAM. Throw on the screen and you’ve got a killer laptop that’s still easy to carry around to school or work.
Of course, you’ll pay a premium for those high-end specs in such a small package. Keep in mind this model also isn’t intended to be upgraded, as the slim design prevents access to internal components.
Most users don’t ever crack open their laptop cases anyway, so that may not be a problem for you. If you are a power user who loves to upgrade components, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
Love the style and specs but want something more like a tablet instead? For an extra $100, you can get the XPS in a 2-in-1 flipbook version.
For another look at a very light machine, be sure to take a look at the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon listed below.
Recommended configuration for Dell XPS 15
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 | RAM: 16 GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 InfinityEdge IPS HD Display| Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 8 hours | Weight: 5.39 pounds
Acer Aspire 5 – Best Budget Laptop 2023
When the Acer Aspire 5’s lid is open, you’re greeted with a 15.6-inch full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) display, with an LED backlight and in-plane switching (IPS) technology.
Screen quality is excellent, with crisp text and vivid colors when the backlight is set to its maximum level.
So what’s the downside here? This is the price point where solid-state drives aren’t quite standard yet.
Powered by the latest Core i5 processor and 8 GB of RAM, this laptop is pretty fast and affordable at the same time.
So if you are on a tight budget and want something powerful but won’t break the bank this laptop is simply one of your best cheap laptops to buy in 2021.
Recommended configuration for Acer Aspire 5
CPU: Intel Core i5-10210U | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 IPS HD Display| Storage: 256GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 5 hours | Weight: 5.74 pounds
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon – Best Business Notebook
For a business operation — large or small — you want the absolute most bang for your buck when it comes to a laptop.
Your investment needs to be worthwhile, and that’s what you get with the Thinkpad X1 carbon. If you need to buy a bunch of machines for a group of employees, you can’t go wrong here.
With these high-end specs, your work laptop won’t be out of date anytime soon. Best of all, the Carbon has a full 1TB drive that also happens to be a solid-state, rather than the older HDD design.
What you get here is thin, portable, durable, fast, and has a staggering amount of storage space. When you need files to stay confidential, you also get a fingerprint reader for security.
Since this model is aimed at business rather than gaming, the lack of a dedicated graphics card means it stays cooler and runs quieter.
With the HDMI port, you can also hook up to an external display for presentations during meetings.
Recommended configuration for Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
CPU: Intel Core i5-10210U | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 IPS HD Display| Storage: 256GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 5 hours | Weight: 5.74 pounds
Asus Zenbook Flip 13 – Best Laptop For School
The ZenBook Flip delivers on nearly all fronts, offering a lot of power in a tiny package. This model is extremely thin in comparison to your average laptop, but without sacrificing much screen size.
It also stays cool and quiet and comes with a fingerprint lock for the security-minded. You won’t have to worry about noisy fans in class or lugging around a heavy machine.
There is one potential downside here — this is very much intended for the actual school projects, and not the extracurricular stuff after class. This simply isn’t meant to be a gaming machine.
With no dedicated graphics card, that’s just not the focus of this particular model. You will still be able to play games like League Of Legends or Fortnite, but AAA games with high graphics requirements aren’t going to work here.
When reviewing their Zenbook Flip, buyers often bring up excellent battery life and fast speeds. The shiny touch display attracts fingerprints easily, however, so get yourself a nice cleaning cloth or a screen protector.
Recommended configuration for Asus Zenbook Flip 13
CPU: Intel Core i5-1035G1 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics | RAM: 8 GB | Screen: 13.3 inch Full HD (1920X1080) Anti-Glare NanoEdge bezel display| Storage: 512GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 home | Battery Life: 10 hours | Weight: 2.87 lbs
MSI GE75 Raider – Best Gaming Laptop
For gamers, it doesn’t really get more high end than this. Until the new GeForce 2080 series makes it into mobile form next year, this laptop features the best graphics card you can buy.
For a gaming laptop, that should be your main deciding factor. An RTX 2070 will chew up and spit out absolutely any game you throw at it and still ask for more!
Gamers typically want extras besides just high specs, and you get that as well with the mechanical, per-key RGB. Yes, you can literally change the color of every individual key on the keyboard.
If you want a truly absurd amount of power, you can manually upgrade from 32GB to 64GB of RAM. With that amount of memory, you get a beast of a machine that will still play anything at ultra settings for years (and years) to come.
With that much power under the hood, the Raider drains battery life at an astonishing speed, which is the biggest complaint from most buyers. You should expect to be plugged in for any sort of extended gaming session.
Be aware that as a desktop replacement, this thing weighs almost 6 pounds, which is more than twice the weight of your average business laptop.
Recommended configuration for MSI GE75 Raider
CPU: Intel Core i9-10980HK | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | RAM: 32GB | Screen: 17.3″ 1920×1080 300Hz 3ms HD Display| Storage: 1TB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 3 hours | Weight: 5.25 pounds
Apple MacBook Pro 16 Inch – Amazing All-Around
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is simply spectacular. Having new and improved features from its predecessors, this version of Macbook is hitting the market and customers are very eager to buy one.
One of the most anticipated changes so far has been the removal of the butterfly keyboard and replacing it with the more popular and more practical magic keyboards. Now users will enjoy easier typing and more intuitive design for their keyboards.
What we like about the Macbook Pro 16 is that it’s highly configurable meaning that you can choose its initial specs depending on your budget. Now you can go for as little as 16 GB RAM if you want to save money but if you have the cash you can go up to 64 GB RAM if you want.
Apple just released the new MacBook Air 13 with a custom M1 chip, provide a balance between form factors and performance. You can see all the amazing reviews for the new MacBook Air 13 here.
Recommended Configuration For Apple MacBook Pro 16
CPU: Intel Core i9 | Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 5500M, Intel UHD Graphics 630 | RAM: Configurable: from 16 GB to 64 GB RAM | Screen: 3072×1920 native resolution, 16.0-inch LED-backlit display with IPS technology | Storage: Configurable: from 512 GB to 8TB | Operating System: macOS Catalina | Battery Life: 11 hours | Weight: 4.3 lbs
LG Gram – Ultraportable Option
When you need to stick to a mid-sized machine instead of going ultra-portable, LG’s Gram is the reigning king. While still having a touch display, you get the full 15” screen and some amazing specs.
With a 10th gen processor and 8GB of RAM, this LG can run pretty much anything you care to install without skipping a beat.
With a fingerprint scanner and an incredibly slim profile, there are not many downsides to this machine.
Only two concerns are often brought up by buyers when reviewing the Gram. You get the full 10 key here, but due to the layout of the keyboard, it can feel a bit cramped compared to other laptops.
Second, the memory is arranged as two 8GB sticks of RAM, and one is soldered directly to the motherboard. Essentially, that means this laptop isn’t ideal for upgrading the memory in the future.
Recommended configuration for LG Gram
CPU: Intel Core i7-1065G7 | Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1920×1080 Full HD IPS Display| Storage: 256GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 17 hours | Weight: 4.34 pounds
How To Pick A Laptop In 2023
If this is your new laptop for a while, be sure to read this in-depth laptop buying guide first.
Budget
You get what you pay for. For a laptop, try to stretch out your budget as much as you can. This is the one device that you use most of the time.
In addition to that, the more you spend, the more “future-proof” your devices will be.
Unless you’ve found a killer Black Friday style deal, anything under $300 is probably going to be a Chromebook or a refurbished Windows machine.
When going for a laptop under $500, this is still in the “budget” range, but here you start to find some better features. In most cases, 6- 8GB of RAM is the maximum you can expect here when buying a new machine instead of going refurbished.
That means your top priorities should be in getting the best CPU, most hard drive space, and finding extra bells and whistles.
Be on the lookout for trade offs here to find specifically what you need. For instance, if you prefer speed over storage space, you an often find $400 – $500 laptops with 128GB SSDs instead of the typical 1TB HDD.
For laptop over $1000, don’t accept any trade-offs in features and make sure you get everything you want.
The only exception to that rule is if you are picking an ultrabook, which offers thin, ultra-lightweight designs by culling out a few features.
You should always get something extra at this range above and beyond what the budget options offer. For instance, make sure you find a backlit keyboard, touch screen, or special hybrid design.
Screen Size & Display Quality
You can never say a laptop is best if it has a mediocre display so finding the one with the best display possible in their different price range is a bit hefty task, the cheapest we could find has an IPS display so it is really worth the spot on the list while the most expensive features a 4K resolution that most visual people prefer.
Screen sizes really depend on your use-cases, most students need a more portable laptop to go with so an 11” screen is a plausible fit for them while other professionals want to have a big screen so 15 to 17” inch is what they needed.
If you are a gamer, you most needed a display with a fast refresh rate in order to have an instant reflex while playing games without a frame drops.
Operating System
Mac OS is very restrictive so you can’t really use it for almost anything, while Windows is very diverse and you can use it any way you want though mac OS is more secure and optimized. Best laptops should be diverse enough to make you do what you gotta do without any restrictions or limitations.
Though it is really up to your use cases and preference, you can always opt for Mac laptops if you think they are the best for you, what we’ve listed are suggestions from people who know what the best laptop should be in terms of overall quality.
RAM Size
When buying for any laptop, the RAM size is a crucial criterion as it decides whether you can use it for multitasking or not, most laptops in this list have at least 8GB of RAM which is more than enough for everyday use while the high-end laptops feature 16 to 32GB of RAM for more extensive use cases.
If you are just looking for the best laptop for everyday use, an 8GB of RAM is more than enough for you, and bigger than that is unnecessary as you won’t use them anyway. While gamers needed more RAM for a better gaming experience and most professionals needed at least 12GB to ensure they can do more without compromises.
Graphics Card
Graphics cards are responsible for rendering an image to your monitor so having a quality graphics card is a must for most people who’s into visuals, especially those who are working as an artist or any other profession that requires high-quality images.
Most high-end laptops come with a dedicated graphics card and are fitted with those powerful graphics cards that could render high-quality graphics with ease. We recommend having a dedicated graphics card especially for people who are into visual work or gaming as it is more convenient.
While most people don’t need a powerful graphics card for everyday usage, you can still opt for laptops that have it for future proof purposes.
Processing Power
CPU decides how fast your laptop’s computing speed is so having the latest and powerful processor is a must for most people while processors differ in terms of versions and generations, one should keep in mind that the more powerful the processor is the higher the price would be.
In this list, we made sure we got the latest processor as possible in every category. The cheapest is equipped with an AMD Ryzen processor which is more than enough to take on everyday computing and light gaming needs.
The high-end laptop has very powerful processors that can take on heavy tasks with ease, while mid-range laptops have a decent processor that could suffice almost every task. The processing power is also dependent on GPU in terms of CADs and games so make sure both will complement each other to make sure you have a powerful laptop.
Storage
The amount of storage in a laptop is important so as what type of storage it is. In most cases, SSD is more convenient and has faster booting and transfer rate, though HDD is the traditional storage that is still widely used.
In this list, we made sure that every laptop is fitted with an SSD to ensure it is far more superior to others. The lowest SSD on this list is 128GB that is fitted on our budget best laptop but don’t worry because you can always use cloud-based storage to maximize the internal storage capacity.
The other high-end laptops have both SSD and HDD. This is for people who need enormous storage though the price is higher than others. It is fitted with SSD as the main storage and for faster booting while the HDD is the secondary storage where you can store a large amount of data as it typically comes with 1TB capacity.
Getting A laptop In 2023
What did you think of our picks for the best laptop in 2023? Let us know what styles and features you prefer and be sure to leave a comment if you plan on buying any of these computers!
Hi Ishan! Glad to hear it! Thank you so much for noticing us.
Hello Ty Arthur,
First of all, I just want to say that you have found such a great laptop in different budgets so anyone can buy it as per their budget. And anyone who is looking for a budget laptop then Acer Aspire E is one of the best options.
Thank you so much for sharing this great laptop buying guide with us.
Great list of laptop, Now it is easy to select which laptop is best.
Wow, such a nice article.