Just like smartphones, laptops have become an essential accessory we can’t be without.
Whether working from home, travelling abroad or streaming the must-watch show of the moment, trusty laptops make all of this - and more - possible.
They also serve as essential backup devices for other pieces of tech, from smartphones to digital cameras and recording equipment. This means that when laptops flash that ghastly blue screen of death, we’re not just losing our daily work companion – but we’re potentially losing a whole host of precious data and memories which we didn’t get around to storing in the Cloud.
This is why it’s essential to cross-check the current charge cycle of your computer with what the model you own is supposed to run. That way, you can start shopping for sparkly new tech before your laptop decides to give up the ghost.
Not sure where to start when it comes to searching for a new laptop? We’ve got a few pointers to help.
How to shop for a new laptop online
Best places to shop online for laptops
Shop the best deals on laptops by brand below
Apple
Apple MacBook Air 13in (M3)
Best for: battery life
The king of battery life right now, though upcoming Windows laptops using Snapdragon processors could topple it, the basic M3 model of the 13in MacBook Air is all the laptop you might need if your tastes don’t run to heavy 3D work or extremely high-resolution images. It brings many of the benefits of the MacBook Pro in a slimmer shell, shaves just an inch off the screen and looks great when you’re using it even though the Apple logo on the lid no longer lights up.
Was: £1,199
Buy now £949.00, Amazon
Apple 13" MacBook Air, M2, 8GB RAM, 10 Core GPU, 512 GB, 2022 – Silver
The slimline design of Apple’s MacBook Air is deceiving when you consider the impressive tech within. The 15-inch display is vibrant and expansive, while the battery life provides 18 hours of use.
Was: £1,549
Buy now £949.00, AO
Apple 13" MacBook Air, M2, 8GB RAM, 8-Core GPU, 256 GB, 2022 - Space Grey
Was: £1,249
Buy now £749.00, AO
HP
HP Pavilion x360 14-ek1501sa 14" 2 in 1 Laptop - Intel® Core™ i5, 512 GB SSD, Silver
Was: £649
Buy now £579.99, Amazon
HP Pavilion 15.6" Laptop
If you detest having to lug your weighty charger around with you and are longing for a laptop that can see you through a workday without a problem, HP has answered your prayers. With the HP Pavillion, you can achieve more with less. Contrary to its petite design, this unassuming device packs in an impressive battery life, with a FastCharge feature to match.
Was £679.99
Buy now £612.91, Amazon
HP Victus 15” Gaming Laptop
Bound to excite any gaming aficionados, the HP Victus offers power comparable to any desktop computer, taking gaming out of the confines of your bedroom and to new, portable heights. 12th Gen Intel Core processors allow for a seamless, smooth performance while an all-in-one gaming keyboard, HD camera and updated thermals ensure maximum gaming potential.
Was: £1199.99
Buy now £799.00, AO
Razer
Razer Blade 15 Core i7-12800H 32GB 1TB SSD RTX 3080 Ti 360Hz 15.6 Inch Windows 11 Gaming Laptop
Was: £1,599.97
Buy now £1529.97, Laptops Direct
Razer Blade 18-18 Inch Gaming-Laptop - NVIDIA RTX 4090 - Intel Core i9-13950HX - 18" QHD+ 240Hz Display
Was: £3,999.98
Buy now £3299.00, Amazon
Microsoft
Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition – 13” OLED, 1TB SSD
Best for: price-no-object portability
The Microsoft Surface Pro 11th Edition is another AI-assisted behemoth, one degree of separation closer to Microsoft’s own Copilot AI ‘companion’. While AI has its allure for some, the Surface Pro 11th Edition has some more physical attributes which are absolute winners for the working illustrator.
For one, it is about as abstracted from a laptop as a laptop can get; here, the keyboard section is completely removable, and can be used independently of the screen/main unit as well – a first for 2-in-1 keyboards. The screen is an OLED powerhouse, and touch-sensitive; its touch-sensitivity comes in especially handy when used in tandem with the Surface Slim Pen 2 (unfortunately, sold separately).
16GB OF RAM and a terabyte of SSD storage seal the deal for the Surface Pro 11th Edition’s credentials as a powerful laptop for illustrators, but the cost – and cost of additional peripherals – could be a bit above most workhorse budgets.
Was: £1,749
Buy now £1299.00, Amazon
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 - 13 Inch 2-in-1 Tablet PC - Black - Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
Was: £1,099
Buy now £799.99, Amazon
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3
Available in sage, sandstone, platinum and ice blue, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 offers style and substance in equal measure. Equipped with Microsoft’s innovative security programming, hardware, software and AI-powered tools, this laptop offers a super-charged digital experience.
Was: £799
Buy now £688.99, Amazon
LG
LG gram SuperSlim OLED 15Z90RT-K.AA77A1 15.6" Laptop - Intel® Core™ i7, 1 TB SSD, Dark Blue
Buy now £979.97, Currys
Lenovo
Lenovo IdeaPad 1, AMD Ryzen 3, 8GB RAM 128GB SSD, 15in Full HD Laptop - Grey
Buy now £269.00, Very
Acer
Acer Chromebook Spin 311 CP311-3H
Somewhere in between the flip phones of adolescence, and the gravity-defying tech of the future, you’ll find the Acer Chromebook Spin. Fitted with a 360-degree hinge, this clever design can adapt to whatever task you put it to. Need to entertain the kids? Load up Paw Patrol and flip it into tent mode. Browsing on the go? Ditch the keyboard and embrace the handy touchscreen feature. Endlessly convenient and light as a feather at only 1kg, you won’t regret switching to the Chromebook spin.
Was: £299.99
Buy now £198.00, Amazon
Acer Aspire 3 15.6in Ryzen 5 16GB 512GB Laptop - Silver
Was: £549
Buy now £399.00, Argos
Acer Swift Edge
Best for: Big screen business
My second pick from the House of Acer, if the Swift Go is too small for you in terms of both physical size and storage, then up the ante and give yourself the enterprise edge with, well, just that, the Swift Edge. Featuring a zippy 8-core, 16-thread AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor, clocking 3.3GHz (5.1GHz boost) to give your work ample oomph, here you get some 16GB of memory and a more than ample 1TB of storage.
On the screen side, you get a nicely sizable 16-inch OLED display with a 3.2K resolution, making it better than Full HD while not quite up there with 4K, but ultra-sharp all the same, there’s also a refresh rate of 120Hz which is perfect if your business involves fast moving graphics… or gaming.
Keeping you wirelessly connected is AX WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1, while physical ports include 2x SB Type-C with DisplayPort and Power Delivery, 2x USB 3.2, 1x HDMI 2.1, microSD slot, and, of course, a 3.5mm jack, so capable of playing nice with all your essential office accessories.
A built-in mic, Quad HD 1440p webcam and dual stereo speakers take care of video calls and conferencing, and a fingerprint scanner and Kensington security lock slot guard all your small business secrets like a tenacious bulldog.
All of which is pretty damn impressive in a laptop costing 100 new pence under £1300, but what’s really amazing is that, thanks to a magnesium-aluminium chassis and some cunning component jiggery pokey, the Acer Swift Edge with its 16-inch display weighs just 1.23kg, which is less than the 14-inch Swift Go. Go figure.
Buy now £899.00, Currys
Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Book4 15.6" Laptop - Intel® Core™ 5, 512 GB SSD, Grey
The Galaxy Book4 is the perfect choice for those looking for a laptop that can carry them through work and play. Gamers will delight in the NVIDIA GeForce MX570A graphics, offering an enhanced, immersive gaming experience. The latest Intel Core processor allows for speedy and seamless performance that is ideal for multitaskers.
Was: £849
Buy now £625.00, Amazon
Samsung Galaxy Book2 Go Wi-Fi Laptop, 14 Inch
Thanks to Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 Compute Platforms, the days of lagging Wi-Fi and patchy connection will be a thing of the past. The Samsung Galaxy Book2 delivers lightning-speed 5G connectivity for a seamless performance previously limited to your phone.
Enjoy 20 hours of video playback on one single charge with the impressive 423 Wh battery, and when you are running low you can get back to 8 hours of charge in only 30 minutes.
Was: £499
Buy now £229.99, Amazon
ASUS
ASUS Zenbook 14 OLED UX3402VA 14" 2.8K OLED Touchscreen Laptop
A laptop is rarely the first choice for your perfect movie-night setup, but the Asus Zenbook might just be changing that. The stunning HDR NanoEdge touchscreen display is colour-accurate up to 550 nit, PANTONE validated and has a cinema-grade DCI-P3 gamut that makes this a worthy competitor to the silver screen.
Was: £1,099.99
Buy now £709.99, Amazon
