Top 20 Laptops in 2014 and its Specifications ~ Tech World

Laptops And Specifications

Its very difficult to choose a laptop now.isnt it? Yes ,even the name 'laptop' is at the dieing stage.The era of Chromebooks and Ultrabooks has begun.Day by day its becoming a very difficult to choose a right laptop. Choosing the right laptop is even more confusing than ever - so we're here to help with our regularly updated guide to the best laptops.

The release of Windows 8.1 has pulled the OS further towards the touch and tablet future, even if the Start menu has returned. This, along with the performance boost Windows 8.1 offers, is a boon for the vast array of laptop-tablet hybrids now flooding the market.Here are the top 25 laptops in 2014.

1. Acer C720 Chromebook

It comes as no surprise that the first and most affordable budget laptop we're highlighting is a Chromebook. If you're after something that will handle basic word processing and spreadsheets, browsing the web over Wi-Fi and watching YouTube clips then the Acer C720 is a steal.

At this price you also have to expect compromises: the 1.40GHz Intel Celeron processor and Intel HD Graphics are up to a lot of tasks, and also help to secure 8.5 hours of battery life, but can't cope with intensive tasks such as video editing. Storage is scarce too: a 16GB SDD is supplied, but then you're expected to embrace the cloud and suck up the 100GB of free Google Drive space that comes with the purchase.

The 11.6-inch TFT screen is also on the dull side with a limited viewing angle, and the keyboard refuses to offer decent feedback. But these are to be expected and the overall package is a bargain.

Light, sturdy and really quite stylish, our reviewer went a little squishy over the HP Chromebook 11. Setting aside the limitations of ChromeOS and the Chromebook concept itself, this is HP being as clever as possible with the specs.

Instead of an Intel processor, HP chose the ARM-based Samsung Exynos 5250 and slotted in 2GB of RAM and 16GB of solid-state storage (bolstered by the usual 100GB of Google Drive space). When set to work together with a vibrant 11-inch IPS screen running at a decent 1,366 x 768 pixels, the overall effect is a smooth and responsive experience.

The only surprising result - considering the low-power and efficient choice of specs - is the battery life, which was a head-scratching three hours on full load and then five hours after a few fine adjustments.

The touchpad isn't top notch either, and suffers from being oversensitive on occasion, but you'll find the key connectivity ports are all there, such as USB 3.0 and HDMI, and the HP Chromebook 11 adds up to surprisingly well-built laptop.

On the face of it, the Asus Z102BA looks like a no-frills lightweight laptop, but it's actually packed with a few surprising features that make it a good general purpose portable.

First off, it's kept the choice of OS fuss-free and pre-installed a full copy of Windows 8. Second, it comes bundled with a version of Microsoft Office 2013 Home & Student Edition. Finally, its otherwise unremarkable 11.1-inch screen, which has a resolution of 1,366 x768 and a limited viewing angle, is also a nicely responsive touchscreen.

In fact, combine all these factors together with a good isolation keyboard for lots of typing, all the connectivity you need (including an Ethernet port) and plenty of space for photos, files and videos on its 500GB hard drive, and the Asus Z1023BA becomes a shoo-in for a student on a tight budget.

The only major thing letting it down is that the battery lasted three hours in our intensive test. A mediocre result considering the Asus is geared towards energy efficiency with its AMD A4-1200 APU, which combines CPU and graphics on a single chip.

Looking at the quality build of the Acer Aspire V5-122P, it's easy to fall into the trap of comparing it to the Aspire's high-end siblings and end up grumbling over its performance. Its budget limitations are squarely reflected in the internals: AMD's A6-1460, which includes Radeon HD 8250 graphics, backed by 4GB DDR3 RAM and capable of dealing with HD video playback, basic productivity tasks and some simple editing software, but not much more.

Equally, the 1,366 x 768 native resolution of the 11.6-inch TFT screen is, as you may have spotted by now, pretty standard on budget laptops and in this case benefits from a bright LED backlight.

Yet again, battery life rears its ugly head and only briefly, as the Asus achieves a measly 92 minutes against our Battery Eater test, and slightly more respectable two hours of general use.

The Aspire V5 is a stylish looking budget portable but very much a mixed bag. Ultimately, it's an adequate budget laptop running Windows 8 and, therefore, worth considering.

Sports car manufacturers might disagree, but its yet to be proven that the colour red will make a thing go faster on it's own, but it does make the HP Pavilion 15 stand out from other less stylish laptops at this budget price.

Make no mistake though, this is a budget laptop powered by an AMD APU, which combines both the graphics and the processor into one chip.

The overall experience is still peppy in Windows 8, and unless you plan to use it for video editing, the Pavilion 5 will handle all the usual document and spreadsheet work, film watching and web browsing you can throw at its way. It will also give you a respectable 5 hours of battery life in the process.

The 15.6-inch TN display isn't going to make film watching an earth-moving experience, though and the keyboard, as is often the case at this price, isn't very responsive.

Take a look, if you're looking for a tidy portable on a tight budget and need a full Windows 8 OS.

The Asus V550CA does a good job of balancing power and price, and at this price It's no surprise the Intel Core i7 packed isn't the latest: it's an Ivy Bridge, which means its last gen but still very capable.

There are no frills here in spec terms as it's designed to be a straightforward laptop for covering the needs of office work with good storage, web browsing and a bit of casual gaming.

You shouldn't expect to use the V5550CA for anything more as the integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 are mediocre befitting the low resolution of the 15.6-inch TFT screen on offer.

But this a capable laptop with a nice brushed aluminium lid and a generally appealing style, if you want cutting edge performance, you'll need to pay more.

Lenovo has a habit of pumping out similarly named products at a brisk trot and the G500s is essentially an update to the Lenovo G505.

The G500s comes with an Intel Pentium 2020M processor, 8GB of memory and integrated Intel HD graphics, which means it will handle Windows 8 and day to day use smoothly enough, along with the likes of HD video playback on it's sizeable screen.

That's 720p HD, however, not full 1020p HD as we're still looking at a native resolution of 1,366 x 768. Demanding tasks are firmly off the table, though. You won't be playing games like Titanfall on this portable.

The G500s isn't the most portable of devices at 2.5kg, which amounts to hefting around a small bag of potatoes, which makes it more suitable as a stay at home device.

We also didn't find that keyboard gave much feedback when typing, which caused a bit too many mis-types for our liking. But overall, this is a steady but mundane workmate with a good battery life.

If you're looking for a 15.6-inch touchscreen laptop and like to play the odd game, then the Z500 could be a contender.

Even without the latest Core i7, the Z500 still performs well as an all-rounder. But the biggest surprise is that it has discrete graphics, which paired with a low-resolution screen means the Z500 Touch could be in our gaming section, too. For example, we found that it manages a very solid 36fps in Bioshock Infinite on Medium settings.

This is no ultraportable though, it's a little too chunky to be carried everywhere, and the performance comes at the cost of battery life, which averages about three hours.

There a better gaming machines, but they cost more and there are lighter laptops but they don't offer as much performance or, indeed, as much storage. A well-designed machine from Lenovo, then, which probably explains why the company is doing so well.

The Lenovo Yoga 11S is quite versatile, we admit the clue was in the name. It's extremely portable and its solid hinge quickly turns it into a slate for browsing the web from the sofa or a tablet with kickstand for checking recipes while you're in the kitchen.

The Intel Core i7 processor and solid state drive ensure a quick and responsive Windows 8, but we'd have liked Lenovo to include the latest generation of Core i7, Haswell, for preference. We also can't understand why at least one USB 3.0 port wasn't included.

You can easily tuck this system into a carry bag and aside from more than casual gaming, it'll bend over backwards (sic) to do most things you'd ask of it. Very versatile and worth considering.

First, lets not get confused about which Surface this is. The Surface Pro 2 is actually packing closer to laptop specs. It comes with the full Windows 8.1 OS and not the 'optimised' Windows 8.1 RT that limits you to Windows Store apps. It's also powered by the latest generation of Intel Core i5 processor and not a Tegra 4, which you'd normally associate with smartphones and tablets.

In fact, the main selling point of the Surface Pro 2 is that it has improved across the board: from a more vibrant display and better performance and graphics to seven hours of battery life. With these increases, the Surface Pro 2 does find itself sitting in an awkward halfway house between laptop and tablet, particularly as its gained weight and chunkiness that doesn't compare favourably with other tablets. It's also still expensive at £719 without the keyboard.

In design terms, the Surface Pro 2 is a celebration of what Microsoft can do when it's cornered and needs to come out fighting, and it's a form factor that may just fit your needs perfectly and with no small amount of style.

Asus sees this 13-inch model as a showcase for what the company can achieve in design and performance terms, and there's a lot to like about this stylish brushed aluminium hybrid.

True to it's name this powerful laptop can be turned into a tablet quickly by unclipping the keyboard.

Although it's Intel Core i7 (3rd gen, not Haswell) and 4GB RAM offer a snappy Windows 8, this isn't where the TX300 stands out. It's features like the lush screen which supports full HD playback, the dual batteries (in base and tablet) and dual-storage of a 500GB drive and 128GB SSD respectively, which distinguish it from the crowd.

There are few caveats, no HDMI, for instance, only USB 3.0 ports on the keyboard but not on screen and the fact it weighs 2kg. That weight also doesn't reflect that it's a graphics gaming powerhouse and battery life isn't sparkling at around 5 hours, but then you are getting a gorgeous screen for your movies.

The Asus Transformer Book TX300 may not beat an iPad or a Apple MacBook Pro but it may well be the most comfortable compromise between laptop and tablet that we've seen.

If thin is your only form of beauty then look away now. The HP's EliteBook 820 G1 is a solidly built, well-specified and powerful laptop.

When we say solid, we mean in a 'throw it around a warzone' way as it meets military specifications. And when we mean well specified, the G1 has, for instance, the latest generation of Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. The integrated graphics isn't up to intensive gaming, but productivity is the priority here, as reflected in the firm but comfortable isolation keyboard.

Battery life is reasonable, in general use it achieved five hours, but this could be improved by slotting in a bigger battery thanks to the tool-free access to the internals. It's straightforward approach doesn't have space for a touchscreen either, which is unlikely to be a missed feature as it has an excellent trackpad with twin sets of buttons.

Overall, this is straight-shooting, good value laptop that will take a fair few knocks on the road and keep on rolling.

Fujitsu has chosen the modular route for the Lifebook series. The 14-incher has a bay on the left that enables you to swap modules out for different uses: Need a Blu-ray writer? Slot it in. Running out of power? Then grab a second battery module, and if you make a lot of presentations, it has a handy LED projector module too. We'd call this the Swiss Army knife of laptops, except we wouldn't recommend trying to open a tin of beans with one.

The E743 has an Ivy Bridge Intel Core i5 processor, which means it loses out on the battery boost the latest Haswell chips offer, but it does offer adequate integrated graphics for the business user. Connectivity is well taken care of, particularly when it's connected to the supplied dock.

We found its battery life adequate, around 4 hours in a working day, but a little heavy at 1.9kg. The lack of juice could be resolved with a second battery module, however.

This is a very versatile business laptop though and a not too shabby looking system either, with its smooth metallic finish and red trim around the keyboard.

Here's another 'bigger boned' high-end laptop powered by a top-end Haswell Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor - and it's a fast machine.

It's not the most stylish number, however, with a top and bottom of brushed aluminium and the rest being a cheap-looking plastic. The visible seals around the edges aren't that appealing either, but it does offer a stunning screen, a whopping 2TB of storage, discrete graphics and a Blu-ray writer.

Where the Toshiba falls over is battery life - a mere 77 minutes chains it firmly to a desk. That compromise may be satisfactory for many who want a powerful portable-type machine with a vivid 1920 x 1080 screen and speakers, but it doesn't excuse the choice of Nvidia's mid-range discrete graphics, which delivers more than integrated GPUs but not much more if you're after a true desktop replacement.

The slim and sharp exterior of the Samsung Series 7 Ultra screams quality, and that's echoed in the premium internals as well. The Ultra is powered by a Core i5, which is to be welcomed, but one of its standout features is the AMD Radeon HD 8500M graphics chip, which gives the Samsung some real graphical clout, while aiding the Full HD display in providing a pin-sharp viewing experience.

The overall package is pulled down slightly by its weight. At 1.6kg it's not as portable as others in its price range, and the small 128GB SSD isn't enough if you intend this to be your main computer.

The whole Series 7 Ultra experience is stylish and the performance is nippy nonetheless. If a quality screen is a priority and you need a little more graphical punch from your portable this is worth a spin

The XPS 13 is Dell's answer to the MacBook Air, but has a more compact rather than thinner and lighter design than its rival.

Due to it's Core i7 processors, decent amount of memory and SSD storage, the XPS 13 will handle whatever tasks you wish to throw at it outside of power gaming, but for not as long as we'd hoped. The battery lasts for around four hours, which isn't even half as long as the battery on the MacBook Air.

If you're after a 1080p viewing experience on a portable this is a crowd-pleaser too - it's 1,920 x 1080 touchscreen is fantastically sharp. But there are few caveats, most notably the lack of an SD card reader. But all told, this is a capable and desirable, luxury laptop that will turn heads in your local coffee shop.

This is the sixth generation of the MacBook Air, and although its regal position in the ultraportable world may not be on the wane yet, it did take a few tiny missteps this time.

Apple's decision to pony up for the latest gen, Haswell processor isn't one of them, although opting for the lesser Core i5 is. We would have preferred the faster Core i7, especially at this price, and the performance results aren't better across the board, as they should be, because of it. We note that the Core i5 chip does offer better integrated Intel HD Graphics than the previous MacBook Air though, offering a 40% boost to graphics performance.

But it's the battery life that astounds - 10 hours of movie playback and 12 in general use - incredible results. And we mustn't fail to mention the Wi-Fi support for the ac standard.

The 13-inch MacBook Air is still working its winning ways. It's still an oh-so very light and portable laptop with a responsive multi-touch trackpad and backlit keyboard, and everyone will love its staying power on a single charge.

The 13.3-inch ATIV Book 9 is on the business end of Samsung's Ultrabooks, which means performance and staying power are a crucial part of its sell. Fortunately, as well as being highly portable it also manages a solid nine hours of battery life.

That's quite a remarkable feature in its own right but when married with it's near-silent operation and a screen that has a native resolution of 3,200 x 1,800, it becomes an astonishing spec. Unfortunately, as our reviewer noted it's not entirely practical. The default desktop icons were tiny at this resolution. Note this should be resolved in Windows 8.1 as the DPI is automatically set and icons will look their normal size. As our reviewer noted though, it's likely you'll drop the screen down to 1080p, especially as this is the norm for watching films. This means that unless you particularly like the fact that the chassis can be laid flat for some tabletop touchscreen brainstorming with colleagues, the screen's full resolution becomes more of a bragging point.

We found the overall look and feel of the ATIV to be excellent, particularly the touchscreen and multi-touch trackpad, and it has all the connectivity you'll need for business purposes, including Ethernet.

The Pro edition means, of course, a Retina display. That's a native resolution of 2,880 x 1,800, and while the basic form of the MacBook Pro is unchanged, there's been a lot removed and upgraded internally.

As with the MacBook Air, the Pro has moved to a Haswell processor for the added battery performance. The optical drive has also been dropped completely and the hard drive has been switched for an SSD. These changes amount to Apple being able to shave the laptop down to a thickness of 18mm in pursuit of even greater sleekness. FireWire has also been replaced by two much faster Thunderbolt ports.

As you might expect, the main gripe with the MacBook Pro, even with the most fantastic of screens, is the price. This is especially noticeable when compared with its own lesser siblings. But for professionals, such as graphic designers and video editors. it's still an excellent solution and the battery life is even better than before.

The Yoga series from Lenovo are capable and stylish hybrids, but in this setting they can also be accomplished business ultrabooks too.

Snappy performance is guaranteed with a Core i3 (Haswell) processor, 4GB of RAM and an SDD (albeit a small one at 128GB). The ThinkPad Yoga will have no trouble dealing with complicated spreadsheets or the kind of productivity tasks required at work.

And while it's versatility may not be necessary for some business settings, the fact it has a sturdy hinge means you can flip it over into a tablet when needed or just stand it up for useful reference during a meeting.

Where the Yoga's performance gets all bent of shape is in its battery life, which amounts to only 3 hours. Some of that result is likely sucked away by the Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) 12.5-inch touchscreen. The storage is a little sparse too, most business users will need more than 128GB of SSD for all their presentations, docs and spreadsheets.

The ThinkPad Yoga maybe a step too far removed from the original business-class ThinkPads, but its stylish and could do well, particularly as a commuting sidekick.

Source: http://www.techradar.com/

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Tech World

Friday 11 April 2014