The Best Laptop We Can Buy
It's getting harder to buy a bad laptop, but what separates a good laptop from a great one is how it balances power, efficiency, portability, and comfort. It should have a fantastic keyboard and trackpad
after all, those are the two biggest reasons you'd choose a laptop over a smartphone or tablet. Its display should be easy on the eyes, bright, and sharp enough that you aren't distracted by jagged edges and visible pixels. It should be powerful enough for most anything short of intensive video editing and advanced gaming. It should be easy to carry around from place to place, and it should be able to last all day without needing to be plugged in.
There are a lot of laptops that have some of those qualities, but if you're looking for a laptop that hits enough of those marks, the obvious choice turns out to be the right one.
Apple MacBook Air
The 13-inch MacBook Air is the laptop that hits the right balance between power, portability, battery life, and comfort. It's super sleek, so it can fit in nearly any bag, is light enough that it won't cause back issues from carrying it around all the time, and even the base model is powerful enough for the everyday tasks you might demand from a laptop (though many people would benefit from upgrading to 8GB of RAM).
None of this should really be a surprise — the MacBook Air has been the high-water mark for laptops for years and has been the choice of many professional and casual laptop users. Its screen isn't the highest resolution you can buy, but it's still bright and hits a good balance between size and usable screen real estate. Apple sells computers with better displays — the displays on the new MacBook and the MacBook Pro with Retina Display easily outclass the MacBook Air's screen — but they are either heavier, less powerful, or not as battery efficient as the Air.
None of this should really be a surprise — the MacBook Air has been the high-water mark for laptops for years and has been the choice of many professional and casual laptop users. Its screen isn't the highest resolution you can buy, but it's still bright and hits a good balance between size and usable screen real estate. Apple sells computers with better displays — the displays on the new MacBook and the MacBook Pro with Retina Display easily outclass the MacBook Air's screen — but they are either heavier, less powerful, or not as battery efficient as the Air.
Deciding between the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro is not easy. A solid case could be made either way: the Retina Display on the Pro is a compelling option, plus the Pro is slightly more powerful. But it's heavier and more expensive than the Air. A comparably equipped MacBook Pro in terms of RAM and SSD storage (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) will cost $200 more than the equivalent MacBook Air. If you're investing in a computer for the long haul, for example, something you're going to use for more than four years, the Pro could be worth that extra cost, as its higher-end display makes it slightly more future-proof. But for most people, the Air just barely edges it out thanks to its lower cost, lighter weight, and better battery life.
The Air's keyboard and trackpad are great, balancing comfort and accuracy better than any other. It can last over 10 hours away from an outlet, making it possible to leave your power plug at home and still get through a full day of work. And its all-aluminum chassis can take knocks and still keep going — if you've ever seen someone using a MacBook Air that's a few years old, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.
As with any Apple computer, the MacBook Air runs OS X. But if you need a Windows computer, or you're just not a huge fan of the Macintosh operating system, you'll want to check out our next pick.
The Air's keyboard and trackpad are great, balancing comfort and accuracy better than any other. It can last over 10 hours away from an outlet, making it possible to leave your power plug at home and still get through a full day of work. And its all-aluminum chassis can take knocks and still keep going — if you've ever seen someone using a MacBook Air that's a few years old, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.
As with any Apple computer, the MacBook Air runs OS X. But if you need a Windows computer, or you're just not a huge fan of the Macintosh operating system, you'll want to check out our next pick.
The Windows Pick
Dell XPS 13
Dell's XPS 13 is the closest you can get to a MacBook Air experience in the Windows world. It has a similar metal chassis, is thin and sleek, doesn't weigh a ton, and has a great keyboard to type on. The Dell's display is actually better than the Air's, whether you choose the standard non-touch version or spring for the higher-resolution touchscreen model.
The XPS 13 puts a 13-inch screen in a computer that has a smaller footprint than the MacBook Air, making it even more portable. It's no gaming machine, but even the lowest configurations have enough power for multitasking, browsing the web, working in Office, or watching high-definition video.
Right now, the XPS 13 runs Windows 8.1, but it will be upgradable to Windows 10 for free later this year. Windows 10 will bring a number of improvements over Windows 8.1, and it should make for an excellent operating system.
Where the XPS 13 falls short of the Air is with its trackpad and battery life. The trackpad is large but can be unpredictable, and scrolling is not nearly as smooth. While the Air can last 10 hours or more on battery, the XPS 13 will struggle to hit the eight-hour mark.
But neither of those are deal breakers the trackpad is about as good as you can get from a Windows computer and the battery life is fine, just not great. Most people will be very happy with the XPS 13's combination of portability, performance, keyboard, and display.
The XPS 13 puts a 13-inch screen in a computer that has a smaller footprint than the MacBook Air, making it even more portable. It's no gaming machine, but even the lowest configurations have enough power for multitasking, browsing the web, working in Office, or watching high-definition video.
Right now, the XPS 13 runs Windows 8.1, but it will be upgradable to Windows 10 for free later this year. Windows 10 will bring a number of improvements over Windows 8.1, and it should make for an excellent operating system.
Where the XPS 13 falls short of the Air is with its trackpad and battery life. The trackpad is large but can be unpredictable, and scrolling is not nearly as smooth. While the Air can last 10 hours or more on battery, the XPS 13 will struggle to hit the eight-hour mark.
But neither of those are deal breakers the trackpad is about as good as you can get from a Windows computer and the battery life is fine, just not great. Most people will be very happy with the XPS 13's combination of portability, performance, keyboard, and display.
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