The 10 best laptops of 2014 (so far)
We’ve seen some impressive gaming rigs, super-thin Ultrabooks, tons of clamshells with touchscreens, high-resolution everything, the rise of Haswell-class Core chips, and a surprising uptick in Chromebooks—although no Google-powered machines made it into this top list.
Expect a few more surprises from laptop makers as we approach the end of the year, but here’s a look at what’s impressed us the most so far. While all the laptops mentioned below are based on the review configurations we received from the manufacturers, most are available in more budget-friendly (and over-the-top expensive) versions.
Dell Latitude E7440 Ultrabook
Price as reviewed: $1,340
The inclusion of the more potent Pro version of Windows 8.1 is a nice touch, but for anyone who spends a lot of time on their laptop, the real star is the Latitude E7440's comfortable keyboard and responsive touchpad. Ergonomics are everything in a business machine.
Alienware 17 (2014 edition)
Price as reviewed: $2,968
No, gaming won't be a problem on this fire-breathing beast, though its battery life stinks and its keyboard and trackpad are mediocre at best. Nevertheless, the 2014 Alienware 17 is one of the best gaming laptops PCWorld has ever tested.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook
Price as reviewed: $1,609
The X1 Carbon also has some neat extra features, like a touch-based adaptive function row on its keyboard that changes based on the application you’re using. PC traditionalists may find that Lenovo went too far with its keyboard experimentation, however, by dumping the caps lock key and requiring key combinations for scroll lock, break, pause, and insert. But hey: The basic feel of the X1 Carbon's keyboard, touchpad, and pointing stick are just as blissful as ever, despite its new take on ThinkPad ergonomics. (Ignore the gimmicky voice and gesture controls, though.)
Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook
Price as reviewed: $1,299
For starters it’s got 8GB RAM, where most laptops in its class have 4. You also get a vibrant 1080p touch display and a solid, but thin-and-light chassis sporting a blend of aluminum, magnesium, and carbon fiber. It doesn’t have amazing battery life or a wide selection of I/O ports. but for a solid travel laptop that looks good and performs well, the XPS 13 gets high marks indeed.
HP ZBook 15 Mobile Workstation
Price as reviewed: $3,158
Digital Storm Krypton (Model S-8298)
Price as reviewed: $2,251
It’s got the same Nvdia GTX 880M card with 8GB dedicated memory as the Alienware 17, paired with a Core i7-4810MQ processor that's somewhat wimpier (but still potent) than its rival's chip. But with a 750GB hard drive, a 256GB SSD boot drive, a generous 16GB of RAM, and 17.3-inch IPS 1080p display, this well-priced gaming rig will keep budget conscious gamers very happy indeed. The rig is easily upgradeable and packs astounding audio, to boot—and it absolutely chews through games. But be warned: As with other gaming laptops, you won’t be taking this puppy very far thanks to its 11-pound heft and short battery life.
Toshiba Portege Z10t
Price as reviewed: $1,799
The Toshiba Portege Z10t is the best execution of the detachable 2-in-1 concept yet, sporting an 11.6-inch IPS 1080p display, Core i7-4610Y processor, 8GB of DDR3/1600 RAM, Windows 8.1 Pro, and a 256GB SSD. With a weight around three pounds—most of which is in the display—this is not a tablet you’ll want to hold upright for long periods of time. Nevertheless, it performs like a champ. While we prefer 2013's screen-flipping Yoga 2 Pro overall when it comes to hybrids, the Portege Z10t can't be beat if you're looking for a laptop-first convertible with a pull-off keyboard.
Samsung Ativ Book 9 (2014 Edition)
Price as reviewed: $1,500
The Samsung Ativ Book 9 also has a special treat for audio fans, thanks to the inclusion of the high-end Wolfson WM5102 audio CODEC. How good is it? Simple: Reviewer (and audio enthusiast) Michael Brown says the laptop "is by far the best-sounding laptop I’ve ever listened to."
It's not all roses though. At $1,500, Samsung's laptop sells at a high premium, especially considering the somewhat skimpy intel hardware you get for the price.
Lenovo ThinkPad X240
Price as reviewed: $1,555
ROBERT CARDIN The ThinkPad X240 is bulkier than most Ultrabooks, but still qualifies for Intel’s ultraportable designation. The notebook's most interesting feature, however, is a dual battery set-up that uses a battery bridge to swap power packs without shutting down. Hello, future! The ThinkPad X240 also keeps the same island-style keyboard found on the X230 had instead of the legacy "dream board"—well, that’s what I call it—on the X220, which is a little disappointing.
Toshiba Kirabook
Price as reviewed: $1,700
The laptop also boasts a respectable six hour battery life, a nice set of ports—including three USB 3.0 ports—and gorgeous chassis that weighs just under 3 lbs. But at $1,700, you're paying a lot for the Kirabook's stunning looks when compared to other Ultrabooks with Core i7 processors, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSDs.
Bonus: Surface Pro 3
Price as reviewed: $1,299
Michael Homnick With a base price starting at $800 (though you'll likely want the $1,000 Core i5 model), anyone who wants to unlock the full potential of the Surface Pro 3 will also need to pick up that $130 Type Cover to complete the laptop look-alike package. Looking for even more flexibility? Spring for the $200 docking station to transform the Surface into a desktop PC replacement when you’re sitting around the house.
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