Are you in the market for a new laptop, but you’re unsure of which brand to go with? In this guide, we’ve covered 10 of the best laptop brands currently available to help you find the right option for your needs and budget.
Laptops have made work more productive, and, with them, you can work from virtually anywhere as long as you have a reliable internet connection and a place to plug your laptop in to charge it.
With a laptop, you can work from home, game from anywhere, build a business empire online, and even write a book without meeting your publisher. However, before you can do any of those things, you’ll first need a good laptop. And, with dozens of laptop brands to choose from, it can be a little intimidating to find your first laptop.
Fortunately, in this guide, we’ve put together a list of the best laptop brands to help you find the right option for your needs and budget. There’s no particular order for this list as each brand we’ve chosen has its pros and cons.
Table of Contents
1. Lenovo
3. Apple
4. ASUS
5. Acer
6. MSI
7. Microsoft
8. HP
9. Gigabyte
10. Razer
Lenovo
Lenovo is famous for its high-quality, highly dependable laptops. Most of their laptops are rated four stars or above on most review sites. Their Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon rates as one of the most dependable laptops currently available.
More than fifty percent of Lenovo’s laptops are rated at least four stars out of five, and their laptops have also received 10 Editor’s Choice awards.
The thing that separates Lenovo from other brands is that they have a wide range of laptop options. If you want a Lenovo gaming laptop, check out their Legion series models. If you need a system that is suited for business use, their ThinkPad and IdeaPad lineups are excellent options. If you need a utility-based laptop, the Yoga series is a good choice. Simply put, Lenovo has high-quality laptops for every use case.
However, one of the few downsides of Lenovo is that, according to a number of users, they don’t have the best customer support. Many Lenovo owners have reported that they struggle to answer even the simplest of questions and this can prove frustrating for both novice and veteran laptop owners.
But then again, most large companies (be they laptop providers, or any other big company) struggle to provide top-of-the-line customer service departments. And, with so many customers, there’s bound to be a good chunk that doesn’t have a good experience.
Ultimately, Lenovo’s laptops stand out from the crowd in terms of reliability and performance, and, for most users, that’s what matters most.
Dell
Dell prides itself on reliability and consistency. Year after year, they manage to bring in laptops that are not just beautifully built but also extremely dependable. Their durability makes them an excellent option for budget-minded individuals who want to get as much out of their investment as long as possible.
Furthermore, with Dell having laptops such as the XPS and the Inspiron models, you’re looking at a lineup of Dell models that have a reputation for customer satisfaction.
One of their biggest pros is their Alienware line of extreme gaming laptops (and desktops). With laptops like the Alienware R5 and the Alienware R4, Alienware stands out as one of the top providers of high-performance gaming laptops. Although, their models do draw some criticism for being overpriced when compared to the competition.
Another positive for Dell, though, is that, on average, their customers are happy with their customer support department.
One thing that Dell lacks is new, innovative designs, especially for its Inspiron models. It seems like each year they come out with the same design structure. However, that doesn’t undermine the dependable laptops that they sell.
So, if you’re looking for a laptop that you can depend on, no matter the situation, Dell is a brand worth considering.
Apple
Ever since Apple came out with the MacBook, the Mac trend has only kept growing. Thanks to an easy-to-use operating system, Apple’s MacBook lineup serves as the perfect-functioning tool to getting stuff done at work and doing projects for school.
Their MacBook Air has one of the sharpest displays on the market. On top of that, all of their most recent MacBooks have exceptional battery lifespans, allowing for flexible work schedules and productive sessions.
One thing that Apple lacks is a gaming-based laptop. A MacBook is a great laptop for school or work, but for the most part, Apple’s laptops aren’t suited for serious gaming. That’s because there aren’t a whole lot of games out there that are designed to run on MacOS. If you play games like World of Warcraft or League of Legends, though, then a MacBook wouldn’t be a bad option.
But, if you play a wider range of games, you’ll want to look at a Windows-based system.
The other downside of purchasing a MacBook is the premium you’ll pay to use the more user-friendly MacOS. On a hardware-for-hardware basis, Apple’s MacBooks will cost significantly more than a similarly specced Windows-based system.
ASUS
ASUS is a brand that does not disappoint its customer base. Built to be both compact and sturdy for the gamers and minimalist and innovative for the workforce, ASUS appeals to laptop users both young and old.
ASUS offers laptops at almost every price range from the budget-friendly ASUS VivoBook to the extreme ASUS ROG gaming series of laptops. The quality doesn’t depend on the price point either. The only differences you’ll find between the price ranges are the features and the storage.
Where ASUS seems to stand out the most, though, is in their lineup of high-end gaming laptops. Their ROG lineup of laptops is usually rated highly among similarly specced gaming laptops from other brands.
And, they offer both thin and lightweight gaming laptops, and heavy-duty desktop-replacement laptops as well.
So, if you’re in the market for a gaming-specific laptop, you’ll want to consider the options ASUS offers.
Acer
Acer also offers a wide range of laptop options. They’ve got plenty of budget-friendly options, and they have some nice high-end gaming laptops as well.
Their Acer Predator Helios model is typically one of the best gaming laptops under $1,000. However, Acer’s gaming laptop options also consist of the Nitro and Triton series which add more options to their impressive lineup.
One of the downsides of the Acer brand is their poorly rated tech support. They’ve developed a somewhat bad reputation for giving incorrect answers to their customers and for suggesting upgrades when they aren’t necessary.
MSI
MSI, otherwise known as Micro-Star International, offers mostly higher-end gaming-oriented laptops and they’ve drawn mostly good reviews from their customers. They also have a few high-end workstation models that would be good options for design professionals.
One area where they stand out is that they seem to price their laptops lower than the competition. So, even if some of their laptops have hardware that is a little behind the closest competition, they are typically priced accordingly, which makes them worth considering.
MSI’s gaming laptops have won plenty of awards, as well, including the Red Dot Design Award for their Raider GE66 and GS66 Stealth edition models.
Ultimately, while MSI may not be the biggest name on the laptop market, if you are looking for a higher-end laptop for gaming or for design work, they have options that are worth considering.
Microsoft
Microsoft is best known for its software capabilities and other related services but one field that it surprisingly excels in is consumer electronics and it proved this through its Surface models.
The Surface lineup has earned three Editor’s Choice awards. The Surface provides a little bit of everything. You can turn it into a tablet, make it touch-screen, turn it into a detachable, etc.
Unfortunately, Microsoft models require a bit more money since they have many more features that don’t necessarily come with a laptop. You’re going to have to pitch in a little extra to get what you want.
With the extra money, though, you’re going to get much more than your average laptop.
HP
HP is one of the most recognizable icons in the computer market. When you think of the laptop market, you’ll probably think of HP or Apple before you think of any other brand.
HP provides a variety of laptops, from value-oriented system, to flexible 2-in-1 systems, to ultra-cheap Chromebooks, to high-end gaming laptops.
The HP Omen lineup of laptops is consistently ranked as being among the top gaming laptops in their price range as they stack up well with the competition in terms of price-to-performance.
On the budget side of things, HP has a ton of different laptops that fall under $300-$500. And, those don’t include their even cheaper Chromebooks as well.
Ultimately, HP is as good of a laptop brand as any and, regardless of what kind of laptop you’re looking for, in your search you’ll likely find that HP has an option that suits your needs.
Gigabyte
Gigabyte is better known for the motherboards and graphics cards they produce. But, they have recently hopped into the high-end gaming laptop market as well.
They offer a few different options, including the Gigabyte Aero 15, to the Sabre 17-W8, to the AORUS 15. And each design has different hardware configurations available.
If you’re looking for a cheaper option, or a laptop that is better-suited for business purposes, though, Gigabyte probably ins’t the brand for you.
But, for gamers who are looking for a high-end RTX 3080 laptop that will serve as a desktop replacement, Gigabyte’s laptops are at least worth checking out.
Razer
Another major gaming laptop provider on the market, Razer does a good job of setting itself apart from the competition through marketing. Unlike Gigabyte and Alienware, Razer likes to go with more compact and lightweight laptops.
The downside of Razer, though, is that you do have to pay a premium to get their laptops. On a spec-for-spec basis, the price-to-performance on Razer’s gaming laptops are typically a lot higher than options from ASUS, MSI, HP, Acer, and Gigabyte.
But, that’s Razer’s marketing prowess at work. Like Apple, they’ve built a reputable brand and people are more willing to pay extra to get it. If you’re looking for a gaming laptop and you’re more budget-conscious, you might want to look at the aforementioned brands for lower-priced options.
Which Laptop Brand is the Best Option for You?
There are a ton of different laptop brands out there. Most of the brands listed above offer a wide range of options, between budget-friendly systems, high-end gaming laptops, flexible 2-in-1 systems, or business-oriented laptops. Then, there are options like Apple and MSI that focus on one aspect (ease-of-use for Apple, and high-end gaming for MSI).
Regardless, if you’re in the market for a new laptop and you’re not sure what option to choose, the brands we’ve covered above should help you get a good idea on what option would be the best for you.
