If you like to write, browse, game, or work in different parts of your home or office, a good laptop in 2022 is a necessity. There are many to choose from, but you can narrow down your options by looking at laptops from the most established and respected brands first.
Here’s a list of the best laptop brands in 2022 to get you started.
Dell
Dell’s work, particularly in the ultrabook field, has yielded an incredible new crop of ultraportable laptops that are powerful and have excellent battery life. If you need a PC for work or school and want it to last for as long as possible, Dell’s machines are a great choice. And Dell has arguably one of the best business laptops in its Latitude 7400 2-in-1, which offers a solid design and multi-day battery life.
This is especially true with its XPS models, which do everything to a high standard. They have the latest high-resolution screens, connections, software, and innovative materials. The latest 2021 XPS 13 is no exception, staying on top as the compact laptop with which to compare everything else. The newer versions even have the webcam back on the top bezel, like a more traditional laptop, and can be configured with up to a quad-core Intel 11th-generation Tiger Lake processor. For those who like larger screens, the 17-inch XPS 17 was one of our favorite reviewed models last year.
And Dell isn’t resting on its laurels. It’s already released new versions of the XPS 15 and XPS 17 with Intel’s 12th-gen Alder Lake CPUs, leveraging the new hybrid design for increased performance and efficiency. Existing XPS models are some of our favorite laptops ever, ticking just about every box you can think of. Additionally, Dell models like the Inspiron 14 5000 are some of the most affordable options.
Dell’s laptops look great, offer decent internal hardware, and have heaps of style (and they have some of the best-ruggedized options on the market). They’re made with premium materials, sport a solid battery life, and are light and portable. Some of Dell’s budget or business-oriented laptops can be a little lackluster, but in the XPS line, it’s hit after hit. And Dell’s getting experimental as well — the recently introduced XPS 13 Plus adds some innovative features to the line such as a row of touch function keys and a haptic touchpad.
Apple
If there’s one thing that nearly everyone agrees on, it’s that Apple laptops are reliable and predictably high-quality, and they last a long time with updates that support older laptops long past when other brands have bit the dust. When you buy a MacBook, you know what to expect. You’ll get a fantastic screen, solid battery life, and a beautiful chassis with thin bezels. They do tend to be more expensive than their Windows counterparts, but when it comes to style, ease of use, and reliability, Apple laptops are top-notch.
Apple previously updated the MacBook line with its faster CPUs and added connectivity while removing the controversial Touch Bar — all without raising prices. From fixing long-acknowledged problems with its keyboard design to shifting its laptops over to its own internal ARM M1 chip for the MacBook Air and more recently the incredibly fast M1 Pro and M1 Max variants in the MacBook 14 and 16, it’s a great time to be an Apple fan.
HP
HP may not have always had the best laptop reputation, but the latest laptops from HP have taken some design cues from its contemporaries and have raised the bar. Its current notebooks are fast, powerful, and easier for consumers to adopt for their projects. They’re also quite lovely, with the new gem-cut design adorning the Spectre line and a sleek, modern look to the latest Envy 15. Through it all, HP has earned a reputation for reliable laptops with very competent customer service.
Today, HP is a contender against some of the best laptop manufacturers in the world. Its Spectre x360 stole the show against the Surface Laptop in our head-to-head and continues to impress with HP’s consistent model upgrade philosophy. The AMOLED version of the Spectre x360 16 and Spectre x360 14 provide incredibly bright and vibrant displays that will please creative types and Netflix binge-watchers alike. If you need a thin laptop, be sure to check out the company’s latest Elite Dragonfly line.
Customer support options place HP in the top five of all manufacturers. With options for up to three years of comprehensive warranty, you can net yourself some serious protection for your new laptop, too.
HP’s laptops may not always steal the show, but its lineup of hardware is stronger today than it’s ever been and well worth considering if you want an alternative to some of the above offerings.
Microsoft
A decade ago, no one would have thought that Microsoft would be one of the best laptop brands in the world, but today, it has a well-earned spot on this list. After a few iterations of Surface tablets with some reliability issues, Microsoft claimed a 99.999% reliability in 2017 on its new Surface devices and offers hardware that is often class-leading in its way.
The Surface Book 3 has excellent battery life like its predecessor and adds even more power, and Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8 is one of our favorite 2-in-1s right now. Microsoft also updated its hardware lineup ahead of the launch of Windows 11. New to the list is the Surface Laptop Studio, which replaces the Surface Book for creative professionals, while the Surface Pro 8 mentioned above is a significant upgrade that adds refinement and polish at a cost.
Even more midrange devices like the Surface Laptop 4 (with both 13- and 15-inch versions) and a budget tablet like the Surface Go 3 help bolster Microsoft as one of the best laptop brands today.
The company also offers a standard one-year warranty for Surface products should new owners run into trouble, with 90 days of free technical support. If you are more interested in a tablet-like 2-in-1 for professional purposes, Microsoft has also updated the Surface Pro X (2020), which is an alternative to the iPad Pro with more connection options and Windows 10 on an AMD chip.
Not all the Surface devices are fantastic, and their prices tend to escalate very fast as you choose higher specs, but they’re still some of the best task-oriented laptops on the market.
Asus
Asus laptops might not often take the top spot in our best-of lists, but they usually warrant a medal placing due to their fantastic all-around capabilities. The current crop of its laptops includes thin and light Zenbooks, affordable Chromebooks, and powerful gaming machines like the incredible 2020 ROG Zephyrus G14. And as much as anyone, Asus is leading the movement to tiny bezels that pack as many laptops as possible into the smallest chassis.
For the savvy consumer who favors attractive and distinct-looking tech, look no further than the Asus Zenbook 13. The latest version of this laptop features a beautiful OLED screen and a battery life that keeps up with your busy day. Or, if you’re looking for an XPS alternative, we found that the Asus ZenBook S held its own with a design made to maximize the screen-to-body ratio. There are other stellar choices in the Asus family, including the Asus Zenbook 15 UX534FN and the Zenbook 14 UX425. Both of those laptops feature slim bezels, powerful performance, and a small and light framework.
Asus has also been bold with experimenting with new designs, and it’s one of the earlier companies to give its take and spin on laptops with two screens, but in a more traditional form factor that we know today.
Asus strongly resembles David in the story of David and Goliath. The lesser-known company continues to stack up against giants like Dell, HP, and Apple. It makes reliable laptops at genuinely affordable prices — and the company takes it a step further by adding a year of accident- and spill-protection warranties for free.
When should I buy or upgrade to a new laptop?
If you’re in the Windows camp, now is an excellent time to start shopping for a new laptop. Microsoft launched its new Windows 11 operating system, so we’ll start seeing plenty of devices that are refreshed or upgraded to ship with the new OS. If you already have a fairly recent model running Windows 10, it will likely be upgradeable to Windows 11, and you won’t need to buy a new laptop. However, if you want the best performance for gaming, creative work, or general productivity tasks, you want to consider Intel’s 12th-gen Alder Lake chips coming this year. For Apple fans, MacOS Monterey has been released, and the Mac-maker has recently launched updates to its MacBook Pro range with its own even more powerful silicon.
Do I need a laptop with a dedicated graphics card?
Thanks to the power of integrated graphics, only gamers or those doing 3D design work need a dedicated graphics card. If you find yourself playing high-end games or working in Adobe’s software suite frequently, you’ll likely want to choose a notebook with discrete graphics. AMD’s latest Radeon RX 6000 series and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3000 series are excellent options. There are tradeoffs to having a discrete GPU on a notebook — these laptops are generally thicker, heavier, and more expensive than models that lack it. If you’re a casual gamer, opting for a model with integrated Intel Xe or integrated Radeon graphics will be sufficient.
How much memory and storage should I get?
This all depends on what you intend to do with your laptop. Most users will be fine with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but if you’re doing video editing or need to store a lot of large files, you may want to go even higher. Upgrading the storage and memory will quickly drive up the cost of your laptop, so you’ll have to balance your needs with your budget. And with cloud-based PC solutions such as Microsoft’s Windows 365 Cloud PC subscription, you may not need to max out on your physical hardware, as your laptop will serve as the thin client to stream a desktop that’s hosted in the cloud. Be sure to check out our laptop buying guide to get an idea of what to look for and what to expect in 2022.
Can I use a gaming laptop to perform general office tasks?
Absolutely! Gaming laptops and PCs are among the most powerful consumer systems on the market today, and you don’t need a dedicated system for play and one for work. Instead, get the most powerful system that your wallet can afford, and you can use it for a variety of tasks, including gaming, cloud and web applications, programming, creative edits, and general office tasks. Some systems, like Razer’s laptops, are generally well-built with subtle enough designs that won’t look garish or out of place if you take them with you into the boardroom. Many laptops that are specifically designed for gaming will come with more aggressive styling that may not look too professional for use at work, but they’ll still pack plenty of power to edit videos, apply creative touches to photos, and work in spreadsheets and Word documents.
I need a laptop for travel — what should I look for?
Many factors go into making a laptop great. If you’re looking for a mobile solution, find something with a screen size ranging from 12 to 14 inches. This will give you a compact enough system with a large enough display to multitask and stay productive. If you care about the screen, choosing one with an OLED display will give you better contrast and colors, but they tend to be more expensive. Another factor to test on a laptop is the keyboard — most of your interaction will be through the keyboard and trackpad, so you’ll want to choose a model with deep key travel and a comfortable, ergonomic typing experience. A keyboard with shallow keys means that the keys will bottom out more quickly, leading to finger fatigue.
How often should I upgrade my laptop?
That will generally vary from person to person. If you’re not pushing your laptop with performance tasks, it should last you for years as long as you take care of it. Many PC models allow you to upgrade either the storage, memory or both, allowing the system to grow with you as your needs change.
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