The Best Laptop Models From Top Brands This 2018
Choosing a laptop is getting more complicated nowadays, with devices now coming in a variety of form factors and features like touchscreen and stylus support. For those who choose to stick to a brand, here are a few of the top names this year, along with some recommended models.
Some brands have surprisingly stood out form the rest, like Dell which climbed up to number 3 in Engadget's "Best and Worst Brands 2018" in the laptops category. And while some brands have only improved, some previous top ranking names like Apple has since sunk to mediocrity as the iPhone-obsessed company dropped to seventh place.
Asus
Asus has dropped two places due to a weak Innovation score, as this brand has mostly stuck to the traditional laptop form factor and feature set these past years. It's still a leader in gaming, though, and this focus on performance shows in their offers.
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What Asus lacks in the way of models that bend and come apart, it makes up with striking design and top-notch specs. The Zenbook 13 UX331, for example, is an eye-catching cobalt blue in a sea of white, black and gray.
Asus also makes highly durable models like this year's Chromebook C213S, and its Zenbook models cover everything from budget price points to high-end portables.
Dell
Dell is simply impressive in how it rose from a name associated with corporate beige boxes to being some of the sharpest laptops one could buy today.
Of course, there's still the long list of mainstream and budget products on its line-ups, but Dell has managed to spice things up with gaming models like the Alienware 15.
It's still the Dell XPS line that puts this brand head and shoulders above other offers in this price range, prompting Tech Radar to describe the new XPS 13 as "The best laptop is now even better." It packs the 8th Gen Intel Core chips, and all the other specs are extremely customizable, ranging up to options like a 1 TB solid state drive or a 4K display.
Lenovo
Lenovo is Engadget's top brand for 2018, and for good reason. Even if a bit behind in the innovation part of things, this brand checks all the boxes while also coming out with some highlight models.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, for example, is the prime example of a high-performance business laptop. It's one of the few models to come with an HDR capable display, and like other ThinkPad models, the keyboard that comes with it is best-in-class.
Still, it's on top of HP and Dell by just a hair. Versatile models like the Yoga 920 along with a wide range of budget models helped pushed this laptop brand over the rest.
