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| RadioNZ - 10 May (RadioNZ)Analysis - A combination of consumer and business conservation measures and cranked up power stations met demand, Gyles Beckford writes. Read...Newslink ©2024 to RadioNZ | |
| | | BBCWorld - 10 May (BBCWorld)A cut in Welsh business rate relief is branded `unfair` by some companies in retail and hospitality. Read...Newslink ©2024 to BBCWorld | |
| | | Stuff.co.nz - 10 May (Stuff.co.nz)Gemma Adams was just 23 when she stumbled across a business idea while struggling to get her “townie” head around the farm lingo her husband used on their farm. Read...Newslink ©2024 to Stuff.co.nz | |
| | | PC World - 9 May (PC World)At a GlanceExpert`s Rating
ProsExcellent free planGreat privacy toolsReliable and transparent no-logs policyConsExpensiveOur VerdictProtonVPN offers privacy- and security-focused features in droves, including an easy-to-use multi-hop feature and support for TOR servers. Privacy advocates will love the open-source app and multiple independent audits. Plus, it has one of the most generous free subscription options of any VPN provider.
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ProtonVPN in brief:
P2P allowed: Yes
Device connections: 10 simultaneous connections
Business location: Switzerland
Number of servers: 4,800+
Number of country locations: 91
Cost: $9.99 per month, or $59.88 for one year
When you use a third-party VPN you have to place a certain amount of trust in your service provider. Some companies make that really hard by hiding who they are or confusing you with opaque data collection policies. Then there are services that make trust easier — like ProtonVPN, from the creator of ProtonMail.
Swiss company Proton provides commendable transparency with all of its apps which are also all encouragingly open-source. In a VPN market where everyone is out to make a quick buck, Proton seems like an anomaly. Its privacy-focused services genuinely seem to want to make the internet a better place.
Further reading: See our roundup of the best VPN services to learn about competing products.
What are ProtonVPN’s features and services?
Proton VPN’s homescreen interface feels like something out of WarGames, in a good way.
Proton VPN’s homescreen interface feels like something out of WarGames, in a good way. Sam Singleton
Proton VPN’s homescreen interface feels like something out of WarGames, in a good way. Sam Singleton
Sam Singleton
ProtonVPN for Windows starts by displaying a map of the world with triangles signifying the countries where ProtonVPN has servers. If you prefer to use the VPN without the map, there’s an arrow button on the top left to collapse it for a more smartphone-like interface. The interface hasn’t changed much since our last review, a swap to purple arrows seems to be the only noticeable difference.
On the left rail are your connection options and available servers. There’s a Quick Connect button at the top if you want ProtonVPN to choose the fastest server based on your current location. Otherwise, you can scroll down the list of countries to choose another option.
ProtonVPN’s server drop-down menu provides useful data such as current load to help you pick the best server.
ProtonVPN’s server drop-down menu provides useful data such as current load to help you pick the best server. Sam Singleton
ProtonVPN’s server drop-down menu provides useful data such as current load to help you pick the best server. Sam Singleton
Sam Singleton
For more info about each country’s specific servers, you’re able to click on the downward-facing arrow to the right of each country name. This displays all the server options for that location. Here you’ll find useful information such as actual server location by city, current server load, and if the server supports streaming and P2P.
Once you connect to a server, the map transforms, showing a line to your virtual location and the home symbol at the top center of the map. Below the map you’ll see connection information such as session duration, up and down bandwidth volumes, and speeds, as well as a bandwidth graph.
ProtonVPN offers a number of really solid extras. The Secure Core feature is a multi-hop VPN connection where it tunnels you through two different VPN connections rather than one to increase anonymity. But unlike typical multi-hop implementations, Secure Core is a one-click affair where you choose the exit country and have minimal options for the first connection.
The inclusion of multi-hop is welcomed, but services such as Surfshark go even further by allowing users to customize their route by choosing their own start and end points.
ProtonVPN says Secure Core puts your traffic through “privacy friendly countries” first (Iceland, Sweden, and Switzerland). The aim is to protect a user’s privacy as much as possible and defend against network traffic monitoring. ProtonVPN says that this method makes it harder for an attacker to discover a user’s true IP address or attempt to match browsing activity to the user. There’s a more in-depth explanation on the ProtonVPN website.
If TOR is your thing, ProtonVPN supports TOR connections over VPN on specific servers. Again, this feature is only available to Plus and Visionary subscribers.
There are also the usual VPN features such as DNS leak protection, an internet kill switch that halts your internet access should the VPN connection drop, and NetShield for blocking malware, ads, and trackers at the server level.
The NetShield feature has been improved since our last review and it now displays the number of ads and trackers blocked as well as the data saved by blocking those annoyances.
ProtonVPN offers a well thought-out split-tunneling feature.
ProtonVPN offers a well thought-out split-tunneling feature. Sam Singleton
ProtonVPN offers a well thought-out split-tunneling feature. Sam Singleton
Sam Singleton
Under the Settings menu at the top left, you have access to other advanced features such as Split Tunneling to choose specific apps to route into or outside of the VPN as well as an area to change your VPN protocols. This feature is only available for Windows and Android.
Finally, if you want to use different VPN connections based on contexts such as home, work, or travel, ProtonVPN lets you set profiles using the tab in the left rail. Here you can lock in settings for each profile such as which servers to connect to, protocols to use, and connection type — Standard, Secure Core, P2P, or TOR.
Beyond VPN configuration, ProtonVPN also touts the security of the data centers it uses in Iceland, Sweden, and Switzerland — the privacy-respecting countries.
These are a collection of data centers in former military bases, remodeled fallout shelters, and other hard-to-reach locations. The implication being these servers are physically, as well as digitally, secure. Just in case, you know, you happen to live in the Fallout universe, rest assured your data will still be secure.
ProtonVPN is available for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux. For the purposes of this review, I tested the Windows and Android app versions.
How much does ProtonVPN cost?
ProtonVPN offers three different subscription options.
ProtonVPN offers three different subscription options. Sam Singleton
ProtonVPN offers three different subscription options. Sam Singleton
Sam Singleton
There are a few subscription levels for ProtonVPN and price will vary with each. The basic free subscription is just that, free. At no cost, you’ll get a one-device connection limit and access to five servers located in Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and the U.S.
Despite this, you can’t actually choose your server; instead, ProtonVPN will automatically connect you to the optimal server depending on your home location.
The free tier is mercifully free of ads and abides by the same no-logs policy of the paid tiers. It also imposes no data or time limits — a rarity among free VPNs. Overall, you get a lot for paying nothing and it’s a great VPN for anyone looking for a free option.
The next step up is the VPN Plus plan, which I used for this review, and it provides the full VPN experience for about $10 per month, or $60 for a one year subscription.
The highest-tier plan is called Proton Unlimited and it provides not only the full VPN, but also gives you access to Proton’s full suite of services including ProtonMail, ProtonCalendar, Proton Drive, and Proton Pass. This will set you back about $13 per month or around $120 for one year.
As a whole, it’s not the most expensive VPN on the market, but the monthly subscription options make it costlier than most.
For payments, ProtonVPN accepts credit cards or PayPal.
How is ProtonVPN’s performance?
As always, when testing a VPN’s speeds I measure connection speeds across its servers in six different countries around the world and then compare them to my baseline internet speed.
ProtonVPN’s speeds were impressive. Let me rephrase that, ProtonVPN’s download speeds were impressive. Upload speeds, not so much. During the tests, ProtonVPN was able to keep 57 percent of the base download speed. That puts it firmly in the top 10 speediest performers, just shy of making our list of fastest VPNs.
Upload speeds were a different story. I clocked an average of 18 percent of base upload speeds across all servers that I tested with ProtonVPN. That is abysmally slow. It’s hard to diagnose exactly why this is the case because there are numerous factors that go into any and all speed results.
That being said, I can’t honestly recommend ProtonVPN for those who need a VPN for most professional work-related uses such as online meetings or uploading documents while connected.
Bizarrely slow upload speeds aside, ProtonVPN should offer fantastic speeds for what most people wish to do with a VPN, with the obvious caveat that speed results can change based on the capability of your devices as well as your location, home internet connection, and overall user traffic in your area.
When it comes to accessing streaming content, ProtonVPN passed with flying colors. I was able to access streaming services such as Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney Plus, and even the notoriously difficult Netflix.
When it comes to accessing streaming content, ProtonVPN passed with flying colors.
How is ProtonVPN’s security and privacy?
ProtonVPN allows users to choose between WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols.
ProtonVPN allows users to choose between WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols. Sam Singleton
ProtonVPN allows users to choose between WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols. Sam Singleton
Sam Singleton
ProtonVPN provides both WireGuard and OpenVPN protocol options for Windows and Android users. There aren’t any options to customize your protocol connections, but considering these are the two fastest and most secure protocols currently available, you likely won’t need to anyways.
It comes with top-of-the-line AES 256-bit encryption and a dependable kill switch. During my testing the kill switch worked flawlessly, preventing any accidental IP address leaks during an unexpected internet disconnection.
ProtonVPN’s privacy policy states that the company doesn’t track your browsing activity, your IP address, or bandwidth usage. It does track geographical distribution data on its users at an aggregated, global level. It says that it uses this data only to help allocate resources and to counteract government attempts to block ProtonVPN.
To back up its no-logging policy claims, ProtonVPN underwent a successful third-party audit by security auditing company Securitum in 2022. It also publishes an up-to-date transparency report as well.
ProtonVPN is managed by Proton Technologies AG and the company offices are located in Geneva, Switzerland.
Switzerland has strong personal privacy laws and is not a current member of the Five, Nine, or Fourteen Eyes data sharing alliances. However, it has been known in the past to cooperate with Five Eyes’ partner countries regarding law enforcement requests. Still, you should feel safe that your data is not going to be logged or shared while using ProtonVPN.
Overall, ProtonVPN provides great privacy protections — although it falls just short of the lofty standards set by Mullvad, our favorite VPN for privacy.
Is ProtonVPN worth it?
ProtonVPN is a fantastic choice for a VPN. Whether you’re interested in security, privacy, or streaming, it’s hard to go wrong here. Plus, it offers one of the best free VPN plans on the market. You’ll get a lot of the benefits offered by the paid service without having to open up your wallet.
The only real downside is that ProtonVPN’s paid Plus subscription is quite expensive, but no more so than other top providers such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN. And even though you might pay more, you do ultimately get a lot of value for your money.
Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article.
VPN Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 9 May (PC World)A strong brand can make the difference between a successful business and a less successful one. You probably don’t have the capital to hire a fancy branding agency or consultants. You do, however, probably have the capital for a STORI AI Essential Plan.
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STORI AI Essential Plan: 5-Year Subscription – $149.99
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| | | ITBrief - 9 May (ITBrief)Red Hat and Elastic extend their partnership to introduce upgraded search experiences backed by retrieval augmented generation (RAG) patterns, reinventing AI use in business applications. Read...Newslink ©2024 to ITBrief | |
| | | ITBrief - 9 May (ITBrief)Adobe has unveiled Acrobat AI Assistant, a tool that seamlessly integrates with workflows to boost business efficiency. Read...Newslink ©2024 to ITBrief | |
| | | ITBrief - 9 May (ITBrief)Alteryx genAI perception study reveals 80% of businesses see value in generative AI, whilst 43% of the public remains sceptical, expressing fears over its future use. Read...Newslink ©2024 to ITBrief | |
| | | ITBrief - 9 May (ITBrief)Abi Nourai named new Regional Vice President for ANZ at tech giant MongoDB, set to accelerate AI adoption and business growth in the region following his strategic success in the UK. Read...Newslink ©2024 to ITBrief | |
| | | PC World - 9 May (PC World)Picking up a brand new laptop can be a stressful experience. How much storage will I need? Which GPU is the best for my budget? The sight of the alphabet soup model numbers are enough to set your heart racing. If you’re not sure where to begin, don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re looking for a lightning fast gaming laptop or a lightweight 2-in-1 for office work, we’ve got something for everyone.
Why you should trust us: It’s in our name. PCWorld prides itself on laptop experience and expertise. We’ve been covering PCs since 1983, and we now review more than 70 laptops every year. All of the picks below have been personally tested and vetted by our experts, who’ve applied not only performance benchmarks but rigorous usability standards. We’re also committed to reviewing PC laptops at every price point to help you find a machine that matches your budget.
Looking for sweet discounts? Check out our regularly updated roundup of the best laptop deals available right now.
Updated May 8, 2024: We added the Lenovo Yoga 7i underneath our top 2-in-1 pick because it’s a good option for those who prefer fit and longevity over raw performance. We’ve also updated our list of recent laptop reviews.
The best laptops at a glance
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (2024) (Best overall), $849.99 at Dell
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Best overall runner-up), $999.99 at Asus
Acer Aspire 3 (Best budget laptop), $329.99 at Acer
Alienware m16 R2 (Best gaming laptop), $1,849.99 at Dell
MacBook Air M3 (Best Mac) $1,594 at Amazon
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus (Best Chromebook) $499 at Best Buy
Alienware m16 R2 (Best gaming laptop) $1,849.99 at Dell
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra (Best content creation laptop) $2,094.99 at Samsung
Acer TravelMate P6 (Best ultraportable) $1,157.09 at Amazon
Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED (Best 2-in-1) $1,199.99 at Amazon
The best laptops we’ve tested
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (2024) – Best overall
Pros
Strong performance
Exceptional battery life
Wonderful typing experience
Cons
CPU throttles under heavy loads
No user upgrades
Why we like the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus
The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is one of the most well-rounded laptops money can buy. It offers strong performance, exceptional battery life, and a vibrant display. The best part is that it costs about $1,000, which is a reasonable price point considering the price to performance ratio. In fact, it performed exceptionally in PCMark 10’s benchmark, according to our review. With a PCMark 10 score of 7,061, it beat out the Acer Swift Go 14, which has similar specs to the Dell, and the more expensive Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. The Inspiron 14 Plus also lasted an impressive 17 hours on a single charge, which is definitely more than a full workday or school day. You don’t have to worry about finding a wall outlet to charge up.
Who should buy the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus
Anyone looking for a really good, well-rounded laptop. In addition to the impressive performance and battery life, it also has a lovely 14-inch 1400p display. According to our review, “the display is exceedingly well suited to office work and static imagery.” It has a peak brightness level of a stunning 418 nits as well as an anti-glare coating, which means you can use this laptop in different lighting environments. It may not have the prettiest design we’ve ever seen, but its hardware capabilities and astoundingly long battery life make up for the blah aesthetics.
Alternative option: If you’re looking to save about $200, you should definitely consider picking up the Acer Swift Go 14. It offers zippy day-to-day performance, long battery life, and a good typing experience.
Read our full
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus review
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED – Best overall runner-up
Pros
Robust build quality
Attractive OLED touchscreen
Good CPU and integrated GPU performance
Outstanding battery life
Cons
Blah design
Keyboard isn`t memorable
Mediocre connectivity options
Why we like the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED
The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED wowed us with its zippy CPU performance, phenomenal battery life, and attractive OLED touchscreen display. According to our review, “movies and games look realistic and vibrant” on the 1200p OLED touchscreen, although it can be difficult to use in bright environments due to the reflective surface. It also lasted 16 hours on a single charge, which is absolutely wild! That result really trumps otherwise excellent competitors like the Lenovo Slim 7 14 Gen 9 and the HP Pavilion Plus Laptop 14. As for performance, the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED absolutely crushed the PCMark 10 benchmark with an impressive score of 6,772. That means it’s very fast and responsive during real-world tasks like web browsing, video conferencing, and so on.
Who should buy the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED
Anyone looking for a powerful, affordable laptop with an OLED display! It’s so much more than its OLED screen, though. The build quality is quite good and day-to-day performance is zippy. Plus, you won’t have to go looking for an outlet often thanks to the long battery life. Connectivity options are a bit limited, but that’s not unusual for a laptop in this price range. Overall, it’s a great Windows machine that hits all the right marks.
Read our full
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED review
Acer Aspire 3 – Best budget laptop
Pros
Reliable performance
1080p display
HD webcam
Solid build
Cons
Speakers sound tinny when playing music
A little heavy
Best Prices Today:
$299.99 at Amazon
Why we like the Acer Aspire 3
The Acer Aspire 3 laptop offers both reliable performance and a rugged build at an imminently affordable price. It’s fast enough for everyday tasks like checking e-mail, watching Netflix, and browsing the web. You’re also getting a full-sized keyboard as well as a 1080p screen. The Aspire 3 also blew the competition out of the water with a Cinebench R15 score of 1,925, beating out the Acer Aspire Vero 14, which has similar hardware. Cinebench is designed to run all of the cores of a laptop’s CPU and determine how well a laptop handles processor-intensive multi-threaded workloads.
Who should buy the Acer Aspire 3
Anyone who’s on a restricted budget! To get more specific, we feel as though the Acer Aspire 3 is a good option for students and remote workers. It’s inexpensive and the HD webcam produces “clean, crisp video” according to our review, which means you’ll always look your best in videoconferencing calls. It also delivers strong performance for the price.
Alternative option: If you absolutely cannot spend $330 for the Acer Aspire 3, then you should check out the Acer Aspire Go 15–it’s about $30 cheaper and has better battery life (12 hours!).
Read our full
Acer Aspire 3 review
Dell Inspiron Plus 16 7630 – Best midrange laptop
Pros
All-day battery life
Good graphics performance
Reasonable price
Cons
Light on ports
Gets warm under heavy workloads
Why we like this Dell Inspiron Plus 16
The Dell Inspiron 16 7630 packs a lot of power for the price thanks to the Intel Core i7-13700H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. This machine can handle both day-to-day activity as well as some gaming. The RTX 4060 GPU actually turned in a respectable 3DMark Time Spy result of 8,754. It’s not the most cutting-edge graphics performance we’ve ever seen, but you should be able to play most games on the Medium or High graphics setting. The 1600p display also has a taller 16:10 aspect ratio screen, which is ideal for office work, and the battery lasted over 11 hours on a single charge.
Who should buy the Dell Inspiron Plus 16
The Dell Inspiron Plus 16 7630 is great for professionals, students, or anyone who’s looking for a powerful yet affordable machine. The battery will last you a full work day and then some, and it can pull double duty playing games. Dell laptops often go on sale, so you may be able to score this machine at a steep discount.
Read our full
Dell Inspiron Plus 16 7630 review
MacBook Air (M3) – Best MacBook
Pros
Excellent battery life
Great combination of price, features, and performance
256GB SSD is now two NAND chips, maintaining performance
Cons
Expensive memory upgrades
Dual external display support requires closed lid
Best Prices Today:
$1,594 at Amazon$1699 at Adorama$1699 at Apple
Why we like the MacBook Air (M3)
The MacBook Air (M3) has a lot to offer for the $1,299 price. In fact, it received high marks across the board thanks to the 8-core CPU (M3) and the 10-core GPU. It’s capable of chewing through office work as well as casual use tasks. While performance is comparable to the MacBook Pro (M3), there is one difference: the fans or lack thereof. The MacBook Air doesn’t have any fans, which results in quieter operation before heavy-duty tasks will likely put more pressure on the chip. That said, battery life is the real star of the show here. The MacBook Air (M3) breathed its last breath at the 19 hour mark, which is perfect for those with busy schedules.
Who should buy the MacBook Air (M3)
Anyone who prefers MacOS over competing operating systems. Battery life is outstanding and the laptop itself is both slim and light, weighing in at just over three pounds. The 15-inch Liquid Retina (LED) screen might be considered a step-down from the MacBook Pro’s Liquid Retina XDR (mini-LED) display, but that doesn’t mean it’s a poor screen. It still looks fantastic for day-to-day use. The $1,299 price tag is also reasonable for the performance and features you’re getting.
Read our full MacBook Air (M3) review
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus – Best Chromebook
Pros
Snappy day-to-day performance
Versatile 2-in-1 design
Good typing experience
Cons
Stylus not included
Heavier than expected
Why we like the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus
From the convertible design to the beautiful touchscreen, the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus has a lot to offer, especially for under $500. The 2-in-1 design allows you to swing the screen around and use the laptop like a tablet, upping the versatility factor. You can also expect snappy day-to-day performance as well as lightning fast boot-up times.
Who should buy the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus
If you’re looking to pick up a premium Chromebook for work or personal use, then the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is a fine choice. While the $499 price tag is very much in the high end when it comes to Chromebooks, we feel the overall fit, finish, and firepower make it worth the extra cash.
Read our full
Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus review
Alienware m16 R2 – Best gaming laptop
Pros
Solid gaming performance
Rugged build quality
Good battery life
Cons
Display is dimmer than we like
Why we like the Alienware m16 R2
The Alienware m16 R2 delivers strong graphics performance and good battery life. This specific model comes loaded with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, which is nothing to sneeze at. It lasted a respectable 11 hours and fifteen minutes on a single charge and it averaged 144 frames-per-second when running the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark. According to our review, it’s only “four frames-per-second slower than the Razer Blade 16,” which has an RTX 4090 GPU and a price tag of over $3,000.
Who should buy the Alienware m16 R2
Anyone looking for a great gaming laptop. You’re getting strong graphics performance as well as long battery life, which is unusual for a gaming laptop, as most tend to die around the six hour mark. The 16-inch IPS display also has a resolution of 2560×1600 and a refresh rate of 240Hz, so gameplay should be nice and smooth. The picture quality is good, but it’s not an OLED panel. While it may not be the brightest or most color rich display we’ve ever seen, it’s perfectly fine for gaming. Besides, you can always plug into an external monitor if need be.
Alternative option: If you’re looking for a more lightweight option, you should definitely check out the $1,599 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. It weighs just 3.31 pounds, which means you can easily take it anywhere with you. That said, it didn’t make the cut because of ho-hum battery life. Plus, the Alienware m16 R2’s RTX 4070 GPU is more powerful than the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14’s RTX 4060 GPU.
Read our full
Alienware m16 R2 review
Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition – Best budget gaming laptop
Pros
Impressive all-day battery life
Gorgeous 16:10 display
Rugged chassis
Cons
Keys feel a bit soft
720p webcam leaves little to be desired
Why we like the Asus TUF Gaming A16
The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is something of a unicorn and I mean that in the best way possible. This specific machine exhibits strong graphics performance as well as long battery life. Long battery life? A gaming laptop? How preposterous. Well, not anymore! The Asus TUF managed an incredible 11 and a half hours on a single charge. Also, thanks to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, the laptop achieved 123 frames-per-second in the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark. That’s impressive, especially for a sub-$1,000 gaming machine.
Who should buy the Asus TUF Gaming A16
The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is a good option for those on a tight budget. For under a grand, you’re getting reliable graphics performance, a spacious keyboard, and long battery life. It also works as a good general purpose machine. With a Cinebench R20 score of 589, it should have “no trouble running lightweight apps and programs,” according to our review.
Alternative option: The $1,000 Lenovo LOQ 15 stands as another solid budget option. It’s more than capable of 1080p gaming and the design is very sci-fi inspired. It didn’t nab the top pick because of the poor battery life (not unusual for a gaming laptop) and limited ports, but if you’re looking for more raw GPU horsepower, its RTX 4060 is a step above the RTX 4050 included in the Asus TUF.
Read our full
Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition review
Acer Chromebook 516 GE – Best gaming Chromebook
Pros
Rigid build
Fantastic CPU performance
Plenty of wired and wireless connectivity
High resolution 1600p display
Cons
Disappointing speakers and microphone
Display falls behind in contrast, color vibrancy
Mediocre keyboard and touchpad
Why we like the Acer Chromebook 516 GE
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE wins a lot of brownie points because it’s a reliable performer thanks to the Intel Core i5-1240P CPU and the 16-inch 1600p display’s fast 120Hz refresh rate. Compared to some Windows laptops, it’s reasonably priced as well. Not only does it fly through everyday tasks with ease, but it’s also a great machine for cloud gaming. As long as you’ve got a stable Internet connection and currently belong to a streaming service (Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, etc), you’ll blitz right through most triple-A games. In fact, according to our review, “gameplay felt perfectly smooth” and “Nvidia’s GeForce Now diagnostics panel flagged no problems.”
Who should buy the Acer Chromebook 516 GE
Anyone that wants to give cloud gaming a whirl or just a dependable machine for day-to-day use–the Acer Chromebook 516 GE can pull double duty in that regard. In addition to the smooth cloud gaming performance, it also features a wide array of connectivity options: two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, one HDMI, one Ethernet (wired connectivity is especially useful for cloud gaming), and one 3.5mm combo audio. Other goodies include a 1080p webcam, a 65 watt-hour battery, and a rugged design.
Read our full
Acer Chromebook 516 GE review
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra – Best content creation laptop
Pros
Phenomenal battery life
Solid GPU performance
Gorgeous OLED screen
Good audio
Cons
Not a great keyboard
Chargers keep getting bigger
Best Prices Today:
$2499.99 at Best Buy
Why we like the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra is the perfect laptop for content creation. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU will give you the extra boost you’ll need for intensive video or photo editing tasks and the 16-inch 1800p OLED touch display is sharp enough to get those little details just right. Plus, it comes with 1TB of SSD storage (you’ll need a good amount of space for your images and videos) and a microSD for easy offloading of photos. Battery life is top-notch, too. It lasted a total of 18 hours on a single charge, which is downright impressive. That said, if you’re editing a lot of photos with the brightness turned all the way up, you may see a shorter result.
Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra is a great laptop for content creators because of the powerful hardware (discrete graphics are a must!) and stunning OLED screen. It also has a diverse array of ports such as Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-A, HDMI 2.1, microSD, and headphone/mic. Although its OLED screen is high-resolution, it’s not 4K, so consider the similarly spec’d Dell XPS 17 below if editing 4K video is crucial to your workflow. Other cool features include a 1080p webcam, a fingerprint reader, and a lovely Moonstone Gray color scheme.
Alternative option: The Dell XPS 17 9730, with its powerful internal components and massive 17-inch 4K display, is still a good option for content creators. While we like the thin chassis and long battery life, it doesn’t have an OLED screen, which offers better color accuracy.
Read our full
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra review
Acer TravelMate P6 – Best ultraportable
Pros
Long battery life
Light and portable
A good price for a business laptop
Cons
Keyboard is a tad mushy
No NPU for future Windows AI features
Consumer laptops deliver similar specs for a lower price
Why we like the Acer TravelMate P6
The Acer TravelMate P6 is featherlight at just 2.65 pounds. The chassis is made of magnesium-alloy, which is a very light yet durable material. According to our review, “the ports are reinforced with additional metal brackets to hold up wear and tear.” In other words, this machine is built to last. It also has fantastic battery life, which is what you want in an ultraportable laptop. The 65 watt-hour battery lasted nearly 13 hours on a single charge–more than a full workday! This laptop offers reliable performance, too. The Acer TravelMate P6 turned in a respectable Cinebench R20 score of 3,065, which isn’t far behind the more powerful HP Pavilion Plus.
Who should buy the Acer TravelMate P6
Anyone looking for an affordable, lightweight ultraportable. In addition to the lightweight form factor, it also comes with a 1080p webcam with a physical privacy shutter and a 14-inch 1200p display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The taller screen makes it easier to scroll through documents or webpages, and the 1080p webcam will make you look good on videoconferencing calls. The keyboard provides a nice typing experience, too. It even boasts white backlighting, which is perfect for typing in low light environments.
Alternative option: If you’re interested in picking up a more high-end ultraportable, you should consider picking up the HP Dragonfly G4. It weighs same as the Acer TravelMate P6, but has much better battery life–it managed 17.5 hours on a single charge! The only downside is that it costs just over $3,000 thanks to its more potent components and support for mobile LTE connections.
Read our full
Acer TravelMate P6 review
Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED – Best 2-in-1
Pros
Long battery life
Connectivity includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports
Fast performance
Cons
Function keys are small
The display is a little dim
Best Prices Today:
$1,199.99 at Amazon
Why we like the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED
When it comes to 2-in-1 laptops, the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED just gets it right at the start. It has a gorgeous OLED display, a zippy Intel Core i7-1360P CPU, and a versatile convertible design. You can flip the screen around 360 degrees and use it like a tablet or prop the device up like a tent if you so wish. Colors on the 1800p OLED display are also “remarkably bright and saturated,” according to our review. The battery died at the 12 hour mark, dominating laptops with similar hardware like the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i and the Acer Aspire Vero 14.
Who should buy the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED
The Asus Zenbook 14 Flip is a good option for business professionals because of its convertible, lightweight design and stunning OLED display. You can take this machine with you anywhere and you don’t have to worry about finding an outlet to charge up. How can you go wrong with that?
Alternative option: If you’re looking to save some cash, the $899 Lenovo Yoga 7i is a good option, especially if you prefer longevity over raw performance. In terms of performance, it’s middle of the pack. That said, it lasted a whopping 13 hours on a single charge, and it’s beautifully designed hardware.
Read our full
Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED review
Recent laptop reviews
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 14: The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 14 is a lightweight, elegant all-rounder for business professionals.
Acer Predator Helios Neo 18: Want a lot of performance for $1,500? Acer’s gigantic Helios Neo 18 is a good bet.
Lenovo Yoga 7i: The Lenovo Yoga 7i (16IML9) is a competent and well-built at a palatable price. It’s not the best value for a standard laptop, but it’s flexibility may make up for its shortcoming for some users.
Acer Swift Go 14: The Acer Swift Go 14 is a reliable travel workhorse through and through.
How we test laptops
The PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we’ve tested. Chromebooks, on the other hand, go through a series of web-based tests. It wouldn’t be fair or possible to run the same kinds of tests on a Chromebook, as they’re Chrome OS-based machines.
Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them. For a much deeper look at our review methodology, check out how PCWorld tests laptops.
Windows laptops
PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on.
HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop’s CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file.
Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a short period of time.
3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains consistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips.
Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop dies.
Chromebooks
CrXPRT 2: The CrXPRT 2 benchmark tests a Chromebook’s battery life.
Speedometer 2.0: This test determines a Chromebook’s web browser performance. It simulates this by adding, completing, and removing a to-do list.
Basemark Web 3.0: This benchmark gauges how well a Chromebook can handle web-based applications.
Kraken 1.1: Kraken 1.1 is a JavaScript performance benchmark.
Jetstream 2: Jetstream 2 is a combination of WebAssembly and JavaScript benchmarks. This is a way to gauge how well a Chromebook runs advanced workloads.
FAQ
1.
What form factor is best for a laptop?
The first question you should ask yourself is what kind of laptop you’re looking for. There’s traditional clamshells, 2-in-1’s, Chromebooks, and much more. The displays on convertible laptops (aka 2-in-1’s), for example, can swing around 360 degrees. This allows you to use the laptop like a tablet. They can also be propped up like a tent for viewing movies or participating in video calls. Chromebooks, on the other hand, exclusively run Google’s web-focused Chrome OS and are generally used for everyday tasks. All you need is a Gmail account and boom, you’re in. There are pros and cons to each of them. Chromebooks are affordable and generally have good battery life whereas convertibles are normally lightweight and portable.
2.
How much processing power do I need in a laptop?
If it’s CPU power you’re looking for, look for processors with higher numerical names. A Core i7 is more suited to gaming and more intense work than everyday tasks. Intel processors are available in Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9. The higher the number, the more powerful the CPU. If you don’t need a ton of power, Intel Core i5 processors are your best bet, as they offer good performance at a decent price. Basic office and web work gets along just fine on a Core i3. As for AMD options, the Ryzen 3 is good for basic productivity and web browsing, while Ryzen 5 chips rival Intel’s Core i5 as solid all-arounders. If you need more power, the Ryzen 7 chip is well suited for content creation like video editing. Finally, if you’re dealing with 4K video, spring for a Ryzen 9.
3.
Discrete graphics vs. integrated graphics?
You’ll want a discrete graphics card for hardcore gaming or editing videos. It’s separate from the processor, so you can expect higher performance out of it. Integrated graphics, on the other hand, are attached to the CPU and uses less power as a result. This is perfectly fine for everyday tasks, especially if you’re not doing anything that’s graphics-intensive.
4.
How much memory do I need in a laptop?
8GB of RAM is zippy enough for general use. If you’ve got a gaming laptop, 16GB of RAM is the way to go, and content creators will want even more.
5.
Do I need a big display on a laptop?
If you’re a video editor or someone who does a lot of multimedia work, you’ll want a display that’s anywhere from 15- to 17-inches. The sweet spot is really anywhere from 13- to 14-inches, though. The bigger the display, the heavier your laptop is going to be. A 13- or 14-inch display is the best in terms of portability and value.
6.
How long should my laptop last on a single charge?
If you plan on taking your laptop anywhere with you, aim for something that can last 10 to 12 hours on a single charge. That’s more than a full work day, so it should theoretically get you through long flights or a day of classes. Obviously, more is always better. Just know that the bigger the battery, the heavier the laptop. Read our round-up of the best laptop chargers.
7.
How much does a good laptop cost?
Many good laptops cost around $500 to $750, but the price really depends on your budget. If you’re strapped for cash (been there, trust me), go for a Chromebook or an entry-level business laptop. You can find solid options for under $500. Spending $750 to $1,000 can get you better displays, additional performance, more storage, and nicer designs. If you splurge for a laptop that costs over $1,000, you’re usually paying up for premium build quality, great extras, and top-shelf performance.
Gaming laptops are different. You can sometimes find gaming laptops with entry-level discrete graphics on sale for around $850, but you’ll usually need to spend at least $1,000 for a system with decent 1080p gaming chops. You can pay more — often much more — for better graphics firepower and nicer displays, but the costs can rise rapidly depending on your hardware of choice. Some fully loaded gaming laptops can go for multiple thousands of dollars but you’re getting the equivalent of a desktop replacement in return. Spending $1,200 to $2,000 usually gets you a very good gaming laptop.
8.
Are connectivity options important on a laptop?
A wide array of ports is always a plus in my book, as it eliminates the need for an adapter. I’d recommend a laptop that has both USB-C and USB-A. An HDMI port is good, too. This is especially useful for when you want to hook up to an external monitor.
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