Of course, all the standard considerations for laptop shopping still apply. You want top performance balanced either towards productivity, gaming, or creative tools, a sharp, color-accurate display, and great sound and thermals, ideally at a price that doesn’t necessitate a second mortgage. Sound like a lot of research? Don’t worry, we’ve done all the boring homework for you and found the best mid-sized laptops for a big range of potential use cases, to save you some of the more tedious legwork. Also, be sure to check out our constantly updated guide to the best laptop deals happening right now, for great machines at steep discounts. The carbon fiber reinforced plastic lid and super magnesium body feel sturdy and solid in the hand and offer plenty of peace of mind that the X1 will stand up to some wear and tear. For the business user, the durable frame is complemented by added security options like a single-touch fingerprint reader that’s best utilized with Microsoft’s built-in Windows Hello login. To the left of the fingerprint reader is the ultra-responsive touchpad that pairs fantastically with Lenovo’s spill-resistant world-class keyboard. Add in nine hours of battery life and the X1 is the total package for laptop buyers looking for the best experience on the market today. The 15.6-inch screen features a full HD, widescreen display, and a stylish red backlit keyboard that also provides comfortable typing feedback and a decent amount of travel. With seven hours of battery life and a custom-engineered cooling system underneath, the Predator Helios has enough power to last through even the most intense gaming sessions. As an added bonus, the Helios is also VR-ready, so all you need is a headset and any additional accessories, and you’re ready to take your gaming to a whole new level. Powered by a 2.6GHz Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space, the X1 Yoga offers four different usage modes for work, presenting, creating and connecting. The 14-inch 2K (2560 x 1440) touchscreen display pairs with OLED technology for accurate colors and sharper contrast. A dockable stylus pen can recharge in just 15 seconds and offers 100 minutes of use for drawing and annotating notes or documents. Lightweight, powerful and with more than eight hours of battery life, the X1 Yoga is a business-focused dream machine. Graphic artists especially love the Surface Book 2 — the 15-inch screen features a PixelSense Display with 3,260 x 2,160 resolution and brilliant colors. Microsoft offers a range of accessories to complement the device like the Surface Pen, Surface Dial, and the Precision Mouse. This 2-in-1 is lightweight at only 4.2 pounds. It’s also highly adaptable, able to switch between four versatile modes: laptop, tablet, studio, and view. For a product that doesn’t compromise on high-speed performance for portability, the Surface Book 2 is a no-brainer. The device also carries an HD web-camera, one HDMI input, two USB 3.0 ports, Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, and a Kensington lock slot. Weighing just under four pounds and very affordably priced, the Chromebook is both cheap and portable, making it the perfect choice for students especially. The all-aluminum body is cool to the touch and just 0.57 inches thin, making it one of the thinnest notebooks in its class. Fortunately, the Swift 5 weighs just 2.87 pounds which make, the incredible 13 hours of battery life worth the price tag. An embedded fingerprint reader adds an extra layer of security that works with Windows Hello, so you can verify and log into your Windows 10 account within a few seconds.
About Our Trusted Experts
David Beren has been covering the tech industry for more than a decade and has accumulated extensive experience in PC, laptop, and mobile tech. He’s written for a number of top tech sites and also managed content for lead mobile companies like Sprint and T-Mobile. Jeremy Laukkonen is a tech journalist with a knack for making complex subjects easily digestible. He specializes in laptop and PC technology, and also runs his own automotive blog.
What to Look for in a Mid-sized Laptop
Price
A new laptop can be a big investment, but it doesn’t have to be. Budget options abound, with models as inexpensive as $300. A cheaper laptop will likely have a sub-par display or slightly slower processing speeds, but in most cases you’ll hardly notice unless you plan to do massive multi-tasking.
Operating System
Does every device you own start with an “i”? Or are you a dedicated PC user? These days it’s simple enough to switch between operating systems, but people still tend to like to stick to what they know. Both MacOS and Windows have their advantages — with Mac being more intuitive and design-friendly and Windows being more secure and business savvy — but the choice is yours and yours alone.
Processor
When it comes to doing heavy duty work, take note of the processor, or CPU. If money is no obstacle, look at the number of cores it has. More cores mean a faster and more efficient processor. The high-end options out there pack up to eight cores.
