Best Laptops in 2022

The Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED is one of the best laptops we’ve ever tested. It’s flaunting AMD’s latest processor, which our benchmark tests show to offer some of the fastest speeds around for a productivity laptop, besting even the M1 chip inside the MacBook Air.

According to our tests, the chip even offers a decent gaming performance and a impressive battery life that surpasses the 13-hour mark. This makes it a more appealing laptop option compared to our previous favourite Windows laptop, the Dell XPS 13 OLED.

During testing, we were also very impressed by the vibrant OLED screen, comfortable keyboard and ultra-portable design that makes it ideal for working on the go. There a couple of negative points, such as the stingy port offering, but the Zenbook S 13 OLED nevertheless remains the best all-round Windows laptop that we’ve reviewed.

However, with the laptop only recently launching, it may be difficult to find the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U SKU that we have reviewed. But if you’re keen to purchase this outstanding laptop, then it’s worth waiting a couple more weeks. And if you need a new laptop right now, the Dell XPS 13 OLED is a fantastic alternative.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED review

In our experience, there are plenty of reasons why you should opt for macOS over Windows. It works well with other Apple gadgets such as iPhones and iPads, and it’s arguably a more streamlined operating system if you’re not fussed about the greater versatility of Windows. 

The MacBook Pro is not only our favourite Apple PC right now, but it’s also our number one recommended portable for content creators, topping the charts in the performance benchmark tests that we run on every laptop. When we tested it, we found it could speed through heavy-duty tasks such as video editing and 3D animation, and our battery tests prove it can keep on working throughout the day. 

If you don’t need to edit video or engage with any other professional-grade workloads, then we think the MacBook Air or 13-inch MacBook Pro are better options. They use the same macOS operating system and similar classy design, but are even more portable thanks to the less powerful Apple Silicon processors. Those laptops are certainly no slouches though, with the M1 chip flaunting faster productivity speeds than their Windows rivals in our benchmark tests. 

Apple also offers the desktop-bound Mac Studio if you’re craving the most powerful performance available, but for us, the MacBook Pro remains the best option if you need to edit the likes of photos and videos on the go. And with another 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro not expected until 2023 at the absolute earliest, you don’t need to worry about your laptop becoming outdated in a few months.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: MacBook Pro 16-inch review

Chromebooks are a great option for those who want a cheap laptop with a simple operating system. We’d recommend a Chromebook to anyone who is happy to stick to popular apps such as Google Docs, Spotify and Netflix. But if you need to download more obscure software, then it’s safer to opt for a Window laptop instead.

The Acer Chromebook Spin 513 is our current favourite Chromebook. We found that the Snapdragon chip’s benchmark results weren’t as impressive as processors made by AMD or Intel, but was still capable of dealing with basic tasks such as web browsing, video streaming and essay write-ups without noticeable slowdown. 

Unlike many other Chromebooks we’ve tested, this laptop is also very light at just 1.2kg. This means you don’t need to worry about getting back pains when porting this laptop around, which can’t be said about other Chromebooks.  

There are plenty of other Chromebooks worth considering too, such as the Lenovo Chromebook Duet that can double up as a tablet, and the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 which packs an Intel Core chip for an even faster performance. But we still think the Acer Chromebook Spin 513 represents the best all-round value.

Reviewer: Reece Bithrey
Full review: Acer Chromebook Spin 513 review

If you want a cheap laptop, but also want to benefit from the freedom that Windows provides, then the Surface Laptop Go is our top recommendation. It’s available for under £450, despite boasting an excellent build quality and featuring Intel Core processor options that impressed during our benchmark tests. 

There is one noticeable downside to the Surface Laptop Go though, as it has a small 12.4-inch screen and a low pixel count, which we found to be less than ideal for watching video or having multiple apps and browser windows open simultaneously. 

If that’s a problem, we believe there are plenty of alternative budget laptop options, including the Acer Swift 3 – it’s a little bit more expensive, but is well worth the price hike if you care about a laptop’s screen quality. We found it also saw better performance benchmark results thanks to its AMD Ryzen CPU options, and so will be less likely to encounter slowdown with multiple browser tabs open. 

Nevertheless, the Surface Laptop Go remains the best budget laptop that we’ve tested, especially since its dinky dimensions make it very easy to carry around or balance on the arm rest of your chair. That said, the new Surface Laptop Go 2 is now available, and we’ll be publishing a review in the coming weeks.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Surface Laptop Go review

In our opinion, laptops with large screens can be incredibly useful for having multiple web browser windows simultaneously – that way you can watch YouTube while filling spreadsheets at work. The 16-inch LG Gram is our top-rated laptop with a large screen.

LG has used a magnesium-alloy construction in order to create a laptop this light, and while we did find this to be less durable than more traditional laptop designs, we still think the compromise is worth it. And with the Intel Core processor still providing a fast productivity performance, according to our benchmark tests, this laptop is still plenty powerful enough to deal with any productivity tasks.

But there are other large-screen laptops that offer faster speeds, as long as you’re happy to opt for heavier machines. We’re a big fan of the Dell XPS 15, especially since our tests showed it to have a superior GPU performance for gaming and video editing. 

It’s worth bearing in mind that our testing showed larger screens will drain the battery at a faster pace, and also obviously makes it more difficult to fit the laptop inside a bag. But that’s a small price to pay for being able to multitask with your screen turning into a cluttered mess. We’re currently reviewing the new LG Gram 16 2022, so it may be worth waiting for our final verdict before purchasing last year’s mode.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: LG Gram 16 (2021) review

If you want a laptop that can double up as a makeshift tablet, then you’ll want to look at 2-in-1 devices. We think the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio is one of the best options with such a form factor, although it has a very specific use case given its hefty weight. 

The Surface Laptop Studio’s screen can be folded flat on top of the keyboard, allowing you to use the device as some sort of graphics tablet if you buy the Surface Pen stylus. During testing, we were really impressed by the seamless ability to sketch and doodle directly onto the screen, making it a great option for digital artists. 

But if you want to use your 2-in-1 laptop just like an iPad, so you can carry it around and hold it in one hand, then you’ll need something else. We really like the Surface Pro 8, although you’ll need to buy the magnetic clip-on keyboard separately in order to use it like a laptop. The HP Spectre x360 13 (2021) offers a great middle-ground, with the hinge allowing the keyboard to be flipped so it’s resting on the screen’s rear. 

Which 2-in-1 design you should go for depends largely on what you need the device for. In our opinion, the Surface Laptop Studio is superb for content creation, while the Surface Pro 8 and HP Spectre x360 are optimised for productivity workloads.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio review

Gaming laptops differ greatly to the other categories on this list, as they need discrete GPUs in order to play demanding games at a stable performance. There are a lot of different options here, so it’s worth checking out our best gaming laptop list, but our current favourite is the Razer Blade 14 since it excelled in all of our tests.

Our benchmark tests showed it to be incredibly powerful, while also featuring a 1440p screen resolution so games look sharp and vibrant. And like with most gaming laptops we’ve tested, it features an RGB keyboard backlight that we were able to personalise with a range of colourful lighting in just a couple of clicks. 

There are plenty of alternative gaming laptops to choose from, including the Gigabyte Aorus 17G with its huge 17-inch display and the more portable Asus ROG Flow X13 that can be bundled with an external GPU. 

But you’ll need to be sure you really want a gaming laptop before hitting checkout, as our years of testing has shown that they’re often heavier and more expensive than your standard portable. They also struggle in our battery benchmark tests, rarely surpassing the 5-hour mark for basic productivity workloads.

If you plan on only playing Fortnite and Minecraft, stick to a more conventional laptop – a gaming laptop is only really worthwhile for more demanding titles.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full review: Razer Blade 14 review