October 24, 2016

ASUS R400DR Battery

If you're looking for a laptop that can handle the latest games, see our up-to-date list of the best gaming laptops.
As much as we can, we make sure all the laptops in the chart are available to but in the UK. However, it's not something we can check every day so there's a chance you might not find the model listed. There are also often many different SKUs (versions/models) of a laptop so the specs might vary to those on the model we've reviewed (we can't always choose the exact model to review).
Most laptops will come pre-installed with Windows 10 now. Of course, our best laptops group test also includes the best MacBooks, which run OS X (now macOS) out of the box. Macs are often more expensive than Windows laptops, but Apple's laptops are better value than ever before. You might feel that the premium build quality and features warrant spending extra, although many Windows laptop manufacturers have stepped up their game recently.
Best laptops 2016: How much should I spend on a laptop?

In this chart, there's no cap on how much the device can cost – sometimes the best does come at a steep price. Equally you can get a lot of laptop for under £300 – provided you only need to do basic tasks like browse the web, email and create the odd document. If so see the best budget laptops.Spending a bit more, around £500 and above, will potentially get you a nice laptop but it's likely to have an entry-level set of specs. We're talking a relatively basic processor, minimal SSD storage and a low resolution screen. It might also be a bit heavy and bulky. Ramp up the amount you're happy to splash out - £800 and up - and you'll be looking at the best of the best with a blazing fast processor, plenty of RAM, hordes of storage and a gorgeous display. You should also expect excellent build quality and premium materials.

The size of your screen is an important decision when buying a laptop. After all they typically range from 11- all the way up to 17in.
A smaller screen might be harder to work on but it means that the laptop will be far more portable, handy if you need to take it around with you wherever you go. Bear in mind that a smaller device means less space for features like ports.
At 17in, you're buying a desktop replacement laptop which isn't deigned to be moved around often. You'll likely get a full-size keyboard, lots of connectivity and possibly even an optical drive, too.
Generally, unless you're looking at either end of the spectrum, a 13in laptop is the sweet spot for us combining portability with usability.
While many laptops have a resolution of 1366x768, you should look for something more if you want the best. Full HD (1920x1080) and higher should be a tick box and you can even get 4K laptops now, although arguably it's not necessary.
If you want a touchscreen, this normally adds to the cost. Most laptops come with a glossy screen but most people prefer a less reflective matt finish so that's something to look out for, too.
Best laptops 2016: How much storage do I need?

As usual, storage depends on what you want to use a laptop for. As a general rule of thumb get as much as possible without wasting money on the upgrade (manufactures can charge a premium on this area).
An SSD will mean your laptop runs faster but doesn't provide as much space as a traditional hard drive. Remember that there are also plenty of cloud storage options but this isn't so helpful when you don't have an internet connection.
If you're going to need to storing a large amount of data (perhaps you make home videos or you simply want all your TV box sets ready to go) then look for 1- or 2TB of space. Don't forget you can buy a portable USB drive to supplement a laptop which has only a small-capacity SSD.

Memory (RAM) is where programs and files are stored only while you're using them, and more is always better. Consider 4GB an absolute minimum, unless it's a Chromebook, with 8- to 16GB the ideal figure if you can afford the upgrade. You can't have too much. Best laptops 2016: Which laptop processor is best? Unless you're going to run complex and demanding software or gaming, you don't need the latest top-spec processor. It doesn't hurt, of course, but it's best to find a nice balance as there's nothing worse than waiting for a app to load etc.
If you're happy to splash out then you're probably looking at the latest generation (6th) Intel Core i7 chip. Entry-level spec models are likely to offer a Core i3 or even a Core M processor instead. A Core i5 sits nicely in-between so check how much extra it is to upgrade before making a final decision. If you're not sure which generation the Intel processor is, look at the model number as the first digit represents this. For example, a Core i5-6500 is a sixth-generation CPU.
While most come with Intel processors, you can still find AMD powered devices around. See AMD vs Intel for more information.

Best laptops 2016: Ultrabooks and ultraportable laptops
Buying an ultraportable laptop is really no different than any laptop, except that your priorities are likely to be different. You might want an ultraportable laptop that's light and will last a long time away from the mains.
However, other people want an ultrabook that's powerful and can handle demanding applications without breaking your back when you carry it around. Both types are available.
Some compromises are inevitable if you want a thin and light laptop, though. There's less space for a battery, so it's typical to find shorter runtimes. But some companies have overcome this with clever packaging, such as the MacBook Air.
Another factor is efficient hardware, so a newer processor is likely to sip rather than guzzle power. The same goes for other components. But you should always read our reviews to find out how long a particular laptop lasted in our tests as you can't rely on specifications and it's unwise to go only by manufacturers' claims.

Thin laptops tend to have shallow key travel, so if you need a laptop to do a lot of typing then, again, read our reviews as they're the only way (short of hunting down the machine in a shop) to find out whether a keyboard is a joy or a pain to use.
Many ultrabooks use low-power processors which are better for battery life, but may not have much power for running Windows apps. Our benchmarks sort the speed demons from the sluggards.
The best laptops of 2016: Warranty and other considerations
We recommend all the laptops here: there isn't a duff one among them. However, we urge you again to read through the full review before spending your hard-earned cash. None of them are perfect and what will suit your needs might not simply be the device ranked at number one.

Battery life and warranty are two things which vary between laptops. The latter may well differ depending on where you buy the laptop from, too. John Lewis, for example, tends to offer longer warranty than rivals.
After-sales service is something you should consider, not only laptops but pretty much everything you buy. Check whether the company has a UK-based support line, and forums (including our own) are an ideal place to get an idea of whether a manufacturer is generally good or bad at carrying out work under warranty.
You might not even have to deal with the manufacturer directly if you have a fault in the first six months as it's the retailer's responsibility to deal with issues. This is when it pays to have purchased from Amazon, John Lewis and others which will often replace or refund without quibble.

After al that, it's also worth considering whether a laptop is what you really want. You can get some great bargains on desktop PCs these days, and if you don't want a large tower system taking up space there are plenty of all-in-one PCs to choose between. These integrate the computer behind the monitor, so they're much neater. Also, some tablets offer similar functionality to basic laptops. See our piece about choosing between laptop vs iPad, for instance.
Read on for our pick of the UK's best laptops and links to our best laptop reviews. If you're looking for more laptop buying advice head here.
Best power laptops. Best gaming laptops. We review the best gaming laptops you can buy in the UK in 2016, and offer some general gaming laptops buying advice. The best laptops for games. Best laptops reviews. Also see Best laptops 2016.

Posted by: akkusmarkt at 01:34 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 1570 words, total size 12 kb.




What colour is a green orange?




23kb generated in CPU 0.0112, elapsed 0.0736 seconds.
35 queries taking 0.0647 seconds, 78 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.