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Every year, we see a host of new laptops hit the market—faster, powerful, and smaller-scaled than the previous models offered last holiday season. Granted the majority of modern techies are relying more and more on tablets to manage their daily productivity tasks, the truth is nothing beats the sheer performance value of a portable PC. There is no better time to request or invest in one than right now, as the collection of convertibles and ultrabooks continue to grow across Apple, Google, and Microsoft’s computing platforms. From premium machines to budget-friendly convertibles, log in as we navigate you through The Best Laptops to Buy This Season.
MacBook Pro with Retina Display
Price: $1,200 - $2,600
A slimmer design, faster SSD speeds, incredible graphics performance, longer battery life, and the most stunning screen found on any ultraportable are several of the premiums offered on the latest MacBook Pro. The 2,560 x 1,600 IPS Retina Display generates astonishing visuals that shine best when playing games and watching HD videos. Free iLife and iWork suites complete the package. The $200 price cut is incentive enough to cop one, primarily the 13-inch model.
Acer Aspire S7
Price: $1,500
Our favorite Windows 8 ultrabook carries the performance facets desired in most portable PCs—advanced processing, beautiful ergonomics, stellar visuals, and of course, extended battery life. The S7’s extremely sturdy and thin form factor makes it an ideal travel companion. Its alluring 1080 touch panel acts responsively to touch commands and promotes crisp output as well.
Razer Blade Pro (2013)
Price: $2,500
Razer’s carved a niche with its high-performance portable PCs. The Pro mates an Intel Core i7 CPU with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M GPU, DDRL3 16MHZ RAM, and SSD to deliver performance-crushing benchmarks. It also sports a small LCD screen with trackpad and 10 adaptive tactile keys that serve as shortcuts to specific programs like Gmail, Facebook, and other platforms. Get over five hours of battery life during heavy gaming sessions and expect a full charge in less than two hours to extend play.
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro
Price: $929
Form meets function with Lenovo’s flexible laptop combining the company’s patented versatile design with an effective spec sheet spearheaded by a gorgeous high-res,13-inch screen. Solid input comes courtesy of an enhanced keyboard that now supports backlit and sturdier keys. The bendable hinge allows the machine to fold all the way backward, transforming it into a tablet, while delivering wider viewing angles.
Microsoft Surface Pro 2
Price: $900
Microsoft improves everything that marred the original Surface, creating the essential Windows 8 tablet and convertible laptop. Haswell processors keep the Pro 2 moving at a speedy pace when engaged in media and productivity tasks. The fourth-gen Intel CPUs also accommodate improved gaming performance and energy consumption. Typers will find solace in the new Touch Cover models, now supporting backlit keys, improved tactile feedback, and longer vitality via integrated battery. Lastly, the built-in kickstand adjusts to two different angles for better hands-free viewing.
Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus
Price: $1,800
Keeping intact the attractive and slim chassis of its predecessor, Samsung updates its premium ultrabook with a jaw-dropping 3,200 x 1,800 display and Haswell processors, which elevate battery and system performance. The Ativ Book 9 Plus is a multimedia haven that adorns incredible picture and sound quality, courtesy of a stunning 13.3-inch panel and effectively loud speakers. Simply put, it’s the closest Windows-operating machine to a MacBook Air, only more powerful.
MacBook Air (13-inch)
Price: $1,100 - $1,300
The lightest and sexiest laptop out welcomes new Intel Core i5 CPUs that dominate benchmarks and help the Air achieve over 15 hours of battery life. Apple welcomes back its industry-favorite keyboard and trackpad, while integrating dual-stereo microphones to enhance FaceTime sessions. OS X Mavericks also runs super smooth and lag-free thanks to the ultra-speedy flash storage setup.
HP Envy 15 Touchsmart
Price: $700
Optimized to enhance the Windows 8.1 experience, the Envy 15 Touchsmart squeezes a variety of computing and entertainment features into its sleekly thin design. AMD’s Quad-Core A Series processor renders graphics beautifully and runs PC games smoothly, where as HP's CoolSense technology keeps the machine cool during long media sessions by adjusting temperatures based on usage and conditions. Beats Audio ensures bass-blasting sound, which is backed by four speakers and a dual-drive subwoofer strong enough to rattle any desktop or lap.
Asus Transformer Book T100TA
Price: $300
Asus hybrid tablet supersedes all the expectations one might have for a convertible slate in its price class. Functioning with a full version of Windows 8.1, the subnotebook carries a full suite of programs like the Home and Student version of Office, Skype, Amazon’s Kindle app, and much more. Battery life serves as its biggest selling point with the 31Whr cell pushing over 10+ hours of power even in tablet mode. In addition, Asus bundles some sweet extras including 1TB of cloud storage, micro-USB charging, and keyboard with multi-touch trackpad.
Vizio CT15T-B1 Touch Thin+Light
Price: $1,360
Gorgeously slim and thin, Vizio’s ultrabook boasts a vibrant 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution IPS touch panel that presents great picture quality and even better viewing angles. One area the machine excels in is battery life, clocking a good 8 hours on heavy use. It also comes with 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Microsoft Signature-ready to reduce bloatware. Speedy hardware and a 256GB of SSD storage space round out the CT15T-B1’s luxuries.
