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REVIEWS

BEST LAPTOP YOU CAN BUY IN 2021

The best laptop for you, from ultraportables to high-
powered editing machines
By Monica Chin @mcsquared96 Updated Jan 5, 2021, 3:07pm EST

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Part of The Verge’s Guide to Cyber Monday 2020

T
he best laptops to buy in 2021 come with a variety of brands,
prices, and features. Our current pick for the best laptop of 2021
is the MacBook Air. Here, we’ve got the rest of the top laptops,
business notebooks, gaming rigs, Chromebooks, and 2-in-1 convertibles.

We live in a world where smartphones are ubiquitous, tablets are commonplace, and even
smartwatches are a thing that people talk about on the regular. But throughout all of these
advances, the humble laptop has persevered — and for good reason. When it comes time
to work, whether that's editing photos, writing a lot of emails, composing documents, or
staying in touch with colleagues and family, we’re here with our top picks to help you find
the best laptop for the job.

It's getting harder to buy a bad laptop, but what separates the best laptops of 2021 from
good laptops is how they balance power, efficiency, portability, and comfort. The top
laptop 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.

That’s why the MacBook Air is the best laptop in 2021. It’s a device that does just about
everything right. While it’s certainly not a perfect device, there are no major flaws. It’s a
great pick for productivity, browsing, and even light gaming.

In our view, the best laptop for budget shoppers is the HP Envy x360 13. For a sub-$1,000
price, it delivers performance on par with much more expensive laptops.

Our other picks for the best laptops, Chromebooks, and 2-in-1s of 2021 include the Asus
ROG Zephyrus G14, the MacBook Pro 16, and the HP Elite Dragonfly. Check out the full
list of best laptop picks below.

BEST LAPTOPS 2021

The Apple MacBook Air is the best laptop of 2020. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

1. MACBOOK AIR (LATE 2020)

THE BEST LAPTOP OF 2021
The late-2020 MacBook Air, powered by Apple’s M1 processor, is the best laptop you can
buy. The base model, which includes 8GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, starts at $999.

Appearance-wise, this laptop has a lot in common with the Intel-powered MacBook Air that
Apple released earlier this year, including the same 2560 x 1600 screen, Touch ID, 720p
webcam, fingerprint sensor, and scissor-switch keyboard.

But the new processor is the star of the show here; it’s fast. In our testing, it handled
intense photo- and video-editing workloads better than almost any Intel-powered laptop
we’ve tried this year. It was also able to run Shadow of the Tomb Raider at close-to-
playable frame rates, which is quite a feat for integrated graphics. At launch, these apps
hadn’t yet been optimized for the M1 processor and were running through Apple’s Rosetta
2 translation layer — but they still worked fine.

And the processing power didn’t even weigh down the battery life: we got between eight
and 10 hours of sustained work.

MACBOOK AIR (LATE 2020)

$999
Prices taken at time of publishing.

The MacBook Air is a competent, reliable device

with a stellar processor.

$999 AT APPLE $999 AT BEST BUY

Another benefit of the M1 processor is that it enables the MacBook Air to run iPhone and
iPad apps natively on macOS. As of this writing, there still isn’t a huge selection of mobile
apps available, and some that have been released aren’t quite optimized for the laptop
screen. Still, it’s a benefit we can look forward to as time goes on.

Overall, there’s no reason that a general-use customer shouldn’t consider the MacBook Air.
It’s a reliable device with excellent performance, as well as the excellence in build quality
for which Apple is known. Power users who need a MacBook Pro probably know who they
are; the Air should be fine for everyone else.

The HP Envy x360 is the best laptop you can buy for under $1,000. | Photography by Monica Chin / The Verge

2. HP ENVY X360 (2020)

THE BEST BUDGET LAPTOP YOU CAN BUY
You don’t need to spend $1,000 to get a laptop that looks and feels premium. The HP Envy
x360 2020 is the best budget laptop you can buy, thanks to its sturdy and compact build,
chic convertible design, and excellent performance.

Part of what makes the Envy so great is that HP has ported over a number of elements
from its excellent 2019 flagship, the Spectre x360, including the thin-and-light chassis and
nearly bezel-free display with an 88 percent screen-to-body ratio. The touchscreen (which
supports HP’s MPP2.0 pen) is bright and looks great. (You can choose a 300-nit, 400-nit,
or 1,000-nit panel). And HP has added a row of convenient hotkeys to the keyboard,
including kill switches for the microphone and webcam.

But the most exciting feature is inside: the new Envy x360 is powered by AMD’s Ryzen
4000 series. The Ryzen 5-4500U in my model did an outstanding job with a fairly heavy
load of multitasking. And AMD’s integrated Radeon graphics delivered good gaming
performance comparable to what you’d expect from a lower-powered discrete GPU.

HP ENVY X360 (2020)

$650 $700 8% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.

The HP Envy x360 is the best budget laptop you

can buy.

$650 AT HP

The 13-inch MacBook Pro is a refreshed MacBook Pro for modern customers. | Photo by Alexander Kramer for The Verge

3. MACBOOK PRO 13 (LATE 2020)

THE BEST MACBOOK PRO FOR EVERYDAY USERS
If you’re looking to buy an M1 MacBook for heavier workloads, you’ll want to look at the
late-2020 MacBook Pro. It starts at $1,299, which is $300 more than the late-2020
MacBook Air.

The MacBook Pro has a slightly different design and look than the Air, as well as a few
additional features like the Touch Bar. But the two have the same processor. The main
difference is that the Pro includes a fan (the Air is fanless), which means it can sustain
heavy workloads for a longer period of time without needing to throttle its performance. But
you won’t notice much of a performance difference between the two MacBooks unless
you’re routinely pushing heavy tasks for long periods of time.

If that’s you, though, go for the Pro. We were able to run a number of hefty Premiere Pro
exports and didn’t see a dip in times. The Pro also achieved a significantly higher score
than the Air in a 30-minute loop of Cinebench R23; the scores were closer together after a
single run.

MACBOOK PRO 13 (LATE 2020)

$1,499
Prices taken at time of publishing.

The Macbook Pro 13 is more powerful than the

Air but more affordable than the 16-inch Pro.

$1,499 AT APPLE $1,239 AT AMAZON $1,300 AT BEST BUY

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is the best convertible you can buy. | Photo by Monica Chin / The Verge

4. DELL XPS 13 2-IN-1

THE 2-IN-1 LAPTOP TO BUY
If you’re looking for a convertible laptop that does just about everything right, we
recommend Dell’s latest XPS 13 2-in-1. It features a sturdy and well-made chassis, a nearly
bezel-free 16:10 touch display, and Intel’s newest 11th Gen processors.

The base model, for $1,099, includes a Core i3-1154G4, 8GB of RAM, a 1920 x 1200
display, and a 256GB SSD. You can spec that up to a 3840 x 2400 display, a Core i7-
1165G7, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. There are various add-ons as well: you can pay
$50 extra for a white model and $60 to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro. Basically, there’s
something for everyone.

Dell has made a few minor tweaks to the 2-in-1 since last year’s model. The webcam now
supports Windows Hello, and the RAM and microSD reader have been upgraded. But the
exciting news is the new chip and, in particular, Intel’s new integrated graphics. The XPS
13 2-in-1 did a better job than any 10th Gen laptop with an iGPU on our Adobe Premiere
Pro export test. And you can even play some games on this thing: it broke 60fps on Rocket
League, League of Legends, and Overwatch, and even managed 36fps on Shadow of the
Tomb Raider at its lowest settings. That’s an improvement over the results we saw from
10th Gen systems, and it also beats some 11th Gen systems (including the clamshell Dell
XPS 13).

Of course, it’s not perfect. The port selection is limited (as is customary for modern XPS
models) and the keyboard is a bit flat for my taste. But overall, the 2-in-1 excels on the
fundamentals: build quality, display, performance, and battery life. What more could you
want?

DELL XPS 13 2-IN-1 (2020)

$1,078
Prices taken at time of publishing.

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is a convertible laptop with

great integrated graphics.

$1,078 AT DELL

The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best laptops of 2020. | Photo by Monica Chin / The Verge

5. DELL XPS 13 (LATE 2020)

THE BEST WINDOWS CLAMSHELL YOU CAN BUY
The Dell XPS 13 is a compact and reliable laptop. Its beautiful chassis, excellent 16:10
display, and great performance make it an excellent choice for general-purpose users.

This late-2020 model comes with Intel’s new Tiger Lake processors, from a Core i3-
1154G4 up to a Core i7-1165G7. It starts at $999, so it’s a bit cheaper than the 2-in-1.

My review unit (an i7 model) blew through the work tasks I needed it to do without any
slowdown or heat. It did quite well, and handily beat its 10th Gen predecessor in both
gaming and media work. It didn’t do as well as the XPS 13 2-in-1, which is why that model
is ranked higher on this list. But if you like the look and feel of the XPS 13 and would prefer
a clamshell model (or need a bouncier keyboard), this XPS is still a great option.

DELL XPS 13 (LATE 2020)

$980
Prices taken at time of publishing.

Dell’s XPS 13 is the ultimate execution on the

traditional thin-and-light clamshell laptop design.
It’s sleek and compact, has a great keyboard and
trackpad, and has excellent performance.

$980 AT DELL

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a brilliant gaming laptop. | Photo by Avery White for The Verge

6. ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS G14

AN EXCELLENT GAMING LAPTOP
The Zephyrus G14 is an astonishingly powerful gaming laptop for a low price (relative to
other notebooks with comparable hardware). It pairs AMD’s new Ryzen 9 4900HS with an
Nvidia RTX 2060 Max-Q GPU and a 120HZ display, and it can run demanding games at
their highest settings without a problem. It’s also quite light for such a powerful laptop,
weighing just over 3.5 pounds. Its battery life is also impressive for a gaming rig; we got
almost nine hours of multitasking.

But you don’t need to be a gamer to appreciate the Zephyrus G14. It’s also a great
notebook for business and everyday multitasking with a unique retro design. Plus, the
keyboard and touchpad are exceptional and quiet enough not to bother officemates. On
the flip side, if you need to use your laptop for videoconferences, the G14 would not be a
great choice, as it lacks a webcam.

ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS G14

$1,450
Prices taken at time of publishing.

The ROG Zephyrus G14 is an astonishingly

powerful gaming laptop. Its AMD Ryzen 9
processor and RTX 2060 Max-Q can push
powerful, smooth graphics performance in
games with its 120Hz refresh rate display, while
also being surprisingly efficient for other tasks.

$1,450 AT BEST BUY

The MacBook Pro is an excellent laptop for video editing. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

7. MACBOOK PRO (16-INCH, 2019)

A GREAT CHOICE FOR MAC POWER USERS
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the best Apple laptop for power users. Apple dealt with the
biggest complaints that people have historically had about MacBook Pros, and if you can
stomach the price, there’s not a lot else to complain about.

Most importantly, the keyboard is good again. The keys have a full millimeter of travel, and
while the typing experience isn’t exceptional, it’s a world away from the maligned butterfly
keyboard of MacBooks past. It’s fairly quiet, too.