Top laptops 2019: From eco-shells to dual-screens, these are the laptops to love

A new age of smart work is here 
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Amelia Heathman13 September 2019

While smartphone screens are getting bigger — Samsung’s new Note 10+ comes in at a hefty 6.8 inches — you may be forgiven for thinking laptops have lost their place in the world. But when it comes to university or flexible working, the laptop is still in demand.

Research by Currys PC World found students spend more than 400 hours on their laptops over the course of an academic year on average. And according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 54 per cent of workers in the UK work flexibly in some way, requiring offsite tech to power them through the day.

Last week’s tech show in Berlin, IFA, saw all manner of laptop announcements, from the small to the expensive.

Whether it’s a super-light device you’re after, or one with a long battery life, here’s our guide to the best laptops in 2019.

The Apple one: Apple MacBook Air

The MacBook Air is Apple's most popular Mac
Apple

Details: This is Apple’s most popular Mac and it’s not hard to see why. With a thin and light body that weighs just 1.25kg, this is a device that can be carried around all day without it getting tedious. The latest version features TouchID, which swaps passwords for fingerprints, so it’s extremely secure, as well as a Retina display with four million pixels, offering razor-sharp clarity.

Inside, the device is powered by an 8th generational Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and Apple promises up to 12 hours battery life. The Mac comes installed with Apple apps including Safari, Pages, Garage Band and hands-free Siri.

Finally, the MacBook Air is the company’s first product made with 100 per cent recycled aluminium, which means that over its lifetime its carbon footprint will be reduced by 47 per cent, compared with the previous generation.

Students, don’t forget to take advantage of Apple’s education discount, which offers up to 15 per cent off the cost of a new Mac, as well as a free pair of Beats headphones thrown in.

Price: From £1,099, Apple.com

The Chromebook one: HP Chromebook x360 14

The HP Chromebook x360 14 uses Chrome OS instead of Windows or Mac software
HP

Details: If you’ve never used a Chromebook before, it’s a device that uses Google’s computer-specific operating system called Chrome OS, which is different to Windows and Apple’s Mac software. Everything takes place in the browser and the cloud, so it leans heavily on Google apps such as Google Drive, Gmail and Photos, and is quite speedy — handy when you need constant access to the internet.

Software updates happen automatically so the laptop becomes smarter and more secure over time. Also they are often more affordable than Apple’s devices. This HP Chromebook features an 8th generational Intel Core i3 processor, up to 14 hours of battery life, B&O Play speakers, and an extremely thin frame so there’s more of the beautiful 14-inch full-HD touch display to enjoy.

Don’t like Drive? You can download Microsoft Office apps for free.

Price: £549.99, Johnlewis.com

The 2-in-1 one: Lenovo Yoga C940​

The Yogabook gets its name from its flexible use - either as a laptop or it can folded up into a tablet (Lenovo )
Lenovo

Details: Lenovo’s Yogabooks are known for being some of the thinnest and lightest 2-in-1 laptops around. The name comes from the fact that you can use it as a laptop or fold it up to become a tablet.

The new C940 will be one of the first laptops to ship with Intel’s new 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, which holds promises of an extremely long battery life to keep you powered throughout the day.

It’s smart too: speak to Alexa when the lid is open and locked or asleep and she’ll respond. There’s also multi-language support for English and German.

There’s a digital stylus that can be stored and charged inside the laptop when it’s not in use. The Super Resolution feature upscales videos on Windows Media Player, while the Modern Standby mode enables the laptop to perform background tasks such as receiving emails in sleep mode.Wake it up securely with the fingerprint scanner and you’re ready to go.

Price: £1,169.99, Lenovo.com, available sometime in September

The affordable one: Acer Aspire 3

The Acer Aspire 3 has 1TB of storage to keep everything and anything saved
Acer

Details: You don’t need to spend more than £1,000 on a decent laptop, thanks to Acer. Though the processor isn’t as powerful as the one you’ll find in more expensive computers, it does have an Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and a whopping 1TB worth of storage so you can keep everything and anything on here without running out of space.

With a 15.6in screen, it’s perfect for writing documents or watching Netflix, while the eight-hour battery life means you can just about leave your charger behind for the day.

Acer has also incorporated some BlueLightShield technology to reduce the harmful blue lighting for when you’re working late into the night.

Price: £349, Currys.co.uk

The dual-screen one: ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo (UX581)

ASUS has extended the screen into the keyboard on the Zenbook Pro Duo (Asus )
Asus

Details: Instead of making the screen wider, ASUS decided to make it longer, by integrating a second screen into the keyboard of the ZenBook Pro Duo. This 14in secondary touchscreen helps with productivity on the go, making it easier to multi-task and have multiple programmes open at the same time.

The laptop has a 4K ultra HD OLED touchscreen with ultra-slim bezels, as well as featuring a 9th Generation Intel Core processor and up to 32GB of RAM.

The microphone offers Microsoft’s Cortana and Alexa voice-recognition support, while the laptop comes with a detachable stand and ASUS stylus for writing and drawing on the screens.

Price: £2,499.99, Amazon.co.uk

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