The best laptops for 2022

Whether it’s in anticipation of back to school season or you just need a new machine for work, a new laptop may be near the top of your shopping list right now. Given we’re still dealing with the global chip supply shortage, you might find yourself concerned about rising prices or what might be in stock. The good news is, companies are still making a ton of new laptops, and there are plenty of models for you to choose from.

You probably have an idea of your budget here, but just so you know, most laptops with top-of-the-line specs can cost you around $1,800 to $2,000 these days. That doesn’t mean you won’t find a good system for under $1,000 — a grand is the base price for a lot of premium ultraportables in the 13-inch category, with chips like Intel’s Core i3 or i5 series. And if that’s too expensive, you’ll still have respectable options in the $600 to $800 range, but they might come with older, slower processors and dimmer screens. We've included our favorite budget-friendly model in this roundup but we have a list of more-affordable laptops that you can check out as well.

After working out how much money you want to spend, the laptop’s operating system is usually the first thing you have to narrow down. As always, the decision is slightly easier for people who prefer MacBooks. Now that Apple has brought its own M-series chips to its whole lineup — your only real considerations are budget, screen size and how much power you need.

Over on Team Windows, however, the shift to ARM-based chips hasn’t been as smooth. Though Apple has been able to bring huge increases in battery life while maintaining (and in some cases improving) performance with its own silicon, PC makers have been limited by Windows’ shortcomings. Microsoft released Windows 11 last year, and it’s supposed to run better on ARM-powered machines. Since the first of these laptops, like Lenovo’s ThinkPad X13s or 10w tablet, aren't available for review yet, we can’t tell how well the system runs. Of course, you can upgrade to Windows 11 on existing ARM-based PCs, but for now, it’s still safer to stick with an Intel or AMD processor.

Let’s not forget there’s a third and fairly popular laptop operating system: Chrome. If you do most of your work in a browser (lots of online research, emails and Google Drive), then a Chromebook might be a suitable, and often more affordable option.

As for other things to look out for, it’s worth pointing out that a couple of laptops coming out this year are doing away with headphone jacks. Though this doesn’t seem to be a prevalent trend yet, it’s a good reminder to check that a machine has all the connectors you need. Most laptops in 2022 offer WiFi 6 or 6E and Bluetooth 5.0 or later, which should mean faster and more stable connections if you have compatible routers and devices. While 5G coverage is more widespread this year, whether you need support for that depends on how much you travel.

Where you plan on taking your laptop also helps in deciding what size to get. Many companies launched new 14-inch machines in the last year, straddling the line between ultraportable and bulkier 15-inch offerings. For most people, a 14-inch screen is a great middle ground. But if you’re worried about weight, a 12- or 13-inch model will be better. Those who want more powerful processors and larger displays will prefer 15- or 16-inch versions.

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[axrmtech]

Laptops mentioned in this video :

3:44 - 4:33 Apple M1 Macbook Air
4:34 - 5:28 Dell XPS 13 series
5:31 - 5:35 Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360
5:36 - 5:44 Microsoft Surface Laptops
6:06 - 6:37 Razer Blade 15
6:38 - 7:01 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
7:03 - 7:59 Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook
8:01 - 8:34 HP Pavilion Aero 13
8:35 - 9:31 Microsoft Surface Pro Laptops

[bottomtext]

The removal of the jack on phones were already a joke, removing them on a laptop is so unexcusable with the space it has.

[akin]

For professionals I find these laptops optimal choices:

- M1 Macbook pro 14/16 for Java programmers, Javascript programers, or Adobe video editors.
- Dell XPS 13/15/17 for Data scientists, powershell for Azure cloud system admins, Kotlin programers, and C# programers.
- Dell Latitude 7420/9420 for analyst roles, administrative assistant, Excel gurus, and data engineers.
- MS Surface Pro 8 for the traveling consultant/sales rep or frequent vacation traveler.
- HP Dragonfly G3 or ZenBook Pro 14 for the executive with stlye.

[prison]

I think its time to start recognising Linux operating system as well. System76, Tuxedo or framework laptops

[cruxial]

Hey, nice video, but you really need to provide more details about the GPUs on gaming laptops. They are one of the main selling points of a gaming laptop, and saying "RTX graphics" and "Radeon graphics" simply isn't enough. Also, regarding the Razer Blade 15, you mentioned there was a 4k model, but I failed to find one on their website?
Other than that, really solid video!

[TH-ludu]

Boycott laptops without a headphone jack 🎧

[NoName-zfnr]

Although the overview is reasonable, Youtubers fail to mention the size of arrow keys. This review also fails to mention display ratio and surface. Many praised notebooks I consider unacceptable with tiny arrow keys, 16:9 or mirror displays.

[andrebradley]

Can you recommend a great laptop for college students

[soulrebelno]

The motherboard on my very expensive 17" HP laptop has just failed after a few short years of use. Apparently, this is a common occurrence; for some reason their motherboards just fail! Also, from the start it had battery problems, which affected the trackpad, so I had to send it back under warranty. When I got it back, the replacement battery also failed in less than a year, and the warranty had run out. I would never buy HP again.

[Silvio]

I hate shiny screens though. I checked the galaxy 360 out at bestbuy and i could see everyone behind me.

[joelgrebinsilvestri]

Xps 13 Series or Apple M2 macbook air? what do you recommend?
and why??

[OutreRim]

Would have been very nice to see Linux included. System76 and slimbooks, razer Lambada additionally some dell laptops can be bought with a Linux option

[sheldonkerr]

The most overlooked feature is the trackpad. XPS has the worst. MacBook has the best.

[bmc]

Believe me don't buy a laptop without ports ports and...ports.

[sayedhasan]

Your Experienc advice wanted..

Any good quality laptop between 60 to 70 thousand would be good for freelancing???

[braskabani]

Your average joe is cool with 1080p screen and i5.

[KejriwalBhakt]

Is Apple bringing Air M2? If yes what would be the price? Like a ballpark number?

[cadenchurchill]

After nearly 2 years, I am very impressed with how incredibly well the M1 MacBook Air has aged. Still great value, and at least in my opinion, better than a lot of the competition.

[alitherland]

What is the best GPU for deep learning performance? What about the ‎NVIDIA GeForce MX450?

[defiscanner]

Seriously this is easily the best looking laptop right now. Bravo Dell!!