2016 Laptops
Laptops are coming back in a big way this year, with all the major players launching one or more machines. We have been seeing a huge proliferation of tablets and “phablet” phones in the market which has caused many to speculate the death of the laptop. But it is not even remotely so! Read this specially curated list of 8 amazing laptops of 2016 to find the one to best suit your needs!
Dell XPS 13
The Dell XPS series has always been their top of the line offering. The latest edition looks all set to make its own mark as well. The 13.3” machine offers an i7 core with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. The look and feel is beautiful with an almost edge to edge display, called the infinity display.
There are a few issues, some which are almost a hallmark for Dell laptops. First, the battery life is not spectacular with many of its competitors offering better value in that area. Second, the webcam is a bit awkwardly placed, which will take some getting used to. Overall though, the XP13 is a great machine which promises great quality and good customer service.
Price: AU$ 2400, €1549 (for above specifications)
Microsoft Surface Book
Microsoft has pulled out the big guns with its offering for 2016, the Surface book. This laptop is widely heralded as the most powerful hybrid out there, with a fully rotatable hinged screen and tablet like features. The screen even comes off, which is not a novelty, but rest assured would be a feature well done in the Surface.
The specs are top notch to compete with the best, 6th generation i7, upto 512GB SSD, USB Type C ports and all the rest of it. It is quite heavy though, at 1.58 kgs if you have the full specifications. Not exactly ideal for a tablet – laptop, but the high end configuration will more than make up for that!
Price: AU$ 4197, €2707 (for above specifications)
HP Spectre x360
The x360 is HP’s attempt to enter the hybrid laptop-tablet market in a big way. The laptop looks gorgeous, quite thin and very elegantly designed. The only difference from other hybrids these days is that HP has opted for a fixed hinged design instead of allowing a separable screen.
The one strange feature of the Spectre is its very large trackpad, which is quite smooth but a bit glitchy with the tapping and clicks. It comes with an 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD, and also features the latest i7 6th generation version. The Spectre is a great laptop which will fulfil all of your daily business and leisure needs.
Price: AU$ 1847, €1200 (for above specifications)
Asus Zenbook
When you look at all the laptops out there, the first thing you tend to notice is a hefty price tag. The Zenbook from Asus is the answer if you’re looking for a performance book on a budget. It’s a solid, all-metallic body which feels great to use, even though a bit on the heavy side. It features a 15.6” UHD screen which is perfect for viewing and editing high resolution photos and video.
It’s heavy on the hardware too, with a core i7 processor, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. Definitely the heavy duty stuff you want for gaming. This laptop definitely has some Zen thinking behind it, for it costs a fraction of the top players and offers that much and more.
Price: AU$ 2087, €1343 (for above specifications)
Acer Predator 17
The gamers out there will want the full low down on this one. The Asus predator is one of the most heavy duty gaming laptops on the market and it has looks to die for. It seems designed for its namesake, with a striking black and red colour scheme. It has an NVIDIA GTX 980M graphics card, a core i7 6700HQ 2.6 GHz Quad core processor and 32GB of RAM, upgradable to 64GB. It has a 1TB SSD and a 1080p screen resolution on the 17” screen.
Looking at the bright red WASD and Arrow keys, the aggressive spaceship style design and the monster proportions, this laptop is definitely made for the gamer in you. It may cost the world, but it is most certainly worth it!
Price: AU$ 3482, €2241 (for above specifications)
Lenovo IdeaPad 700
This is the stiffest competition that the Microsoft Surface Pro will have to face in the market. The IdeaPad 700 has a detachable, fully independent screen with its own stand. Lenovo also offers an Active pen for ease of use on the touchscreen which will help you keep the fingerprint marks in check.
Unlike the Surface, the IdeaPad does not have the USB Type C ports and has no options for expanding device connectivity. On the plus side, you can have up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD hard disk. Additionally, it has the NVIDIA GEForce 950M graphics card for all your needs. This is indeed a serious alternative to the Surface.
Price: AU$ 1739, €1120 (for above specifications)
Samsung Ativ Book 9 Pro
Samsung is not exactly the first name that springs to mind when you think of a laptop brand, but the company is all set to change that with its newest offerings this year. The Ativ Book 9 has a 15.4 inch 4K touchscreen. It has a rigid unibody frame which looks and feels great. It has all the standard bells and whistles like the new Type C USB, multiple ports etc. It is powered by the Intel i7 processor with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD. The battery lasts for 7 hours without charge.
This laptop is perfect for the heavy user. It’s specs are good enough to run the heavy games and support the heavy duty softwares too. Samsung is looking to take on the biggest name in the market – Apple’s MacBook and it seems poised to do exactly that.
Price: AU$ 2088, €1344 (for above specifications)
MacBook Air
This is the product that makes tech geeks drool all over their desks and pocket protectors. The newest MacBook Air is rumoured to come out sometime in June of 2016 and we can hardly contain our excitement! To keep up with competitors, Apple is likely to move to the latest trends like the Skylake processor, USB Type C, a Retina display and possibly even touchscreen. We’ll just have to wait and see.
This is most definitely one of the hottest, most anticipated laptops this year and will surely cause a buzz when it’s announced. We too will be waiting in lines to get our hands on the Air the minute it surfaces!
Price: AU$ 1549, €997 (for above specifications)
It might be possible for tablets and phones to take over in the future, but for now, the laptops rule the roost. We would love to hear your comments and reviews of all the laptops we mentioned here, so don’t forget to leave us one! If you think there are more amazing laptops to be reviewed by us, leave us a comment below and we promise to look it up!