Best high-end laptop
The newly redesigned MacBook Pro with Retina Display combines an amazing screen with just enough of the MacBook Air design to feel like a new animal, and to take its place as the best of the current MacBook breed.
Price: $2,078.98 – $2,199.00 (check prices)
The good: The unprecedented high-resolution screen on the new
MacBook Pro with Retina Display makes images — even simple text — look beautifully clear. Despite a redesigned, lightweight body, the powerful components, including an Nvidia GPU, compare well to recent high-end desktop replacements. Overdue new ports, including USB 3.0 and HDMI, are welcome.
The bad: With a $2,199 entry-level price tag, the
MacBook Pro with Retina Display costs more than the typical American mortgage. The lack of onboard Ethernet jack, FireWire, or an optical drive can be inconvenient at times. Despite being thinner and lighter, it’s not as travel-friendly as a true ultrabook or MacBook Air.
Best ultra-thin 13-inch
This year’s MacBook Air makes gradual improvements rather than anything revolutionary, but lowered prices continue to make it the go-to mainstream recommendation for any MacBook owner-to-be, and i decided to put this laptop in top 5 list of best laptops for december 2012.
Price: $1,099.95 – $1,199.00 (check prices)
The good: The 13-inch
MacBook Air has new Intel CPUs, better battery life, and an improved 720p Webcam, and finally adds USB 3.0 ports, while shaving $100 off the price from last year’s models.
The bad: The design, while strong, stays largely the same: there’s no Ethernet port, and the base SSD storage option of 128GB is smaller than a standard hard drive, though common for ultrabooks.
Best gaming laptop
The Samsung Series 7 Gamer is huge, expensive, and unattractive, but it’s also one of the best gaming laptops that we’ve seen this year. If you don’t mind its beefy 17-inch form, you won’t be disappointed.
Price: $1,789.99 – $1,899.00 (check prices)
The good: The
Samsung Series 7 Gamer has a fantastic screen, plenty of ports, a blazing processor and graphics, and most of the features you’d be looking for in a gaming desktop replacement.
The bad: This clunky beast isn’t a looker, and it’s hardly priced to be relevant to most shoppers: at slightly under $2,000, this is a specialty item.
Best convertible laptop
The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 is a convertible touch-screen laptop/tablet that most importantly doesn’t compromise the traditional laptop experience.
Price: $1,099.00 – $1,249.99 (check prices)
The good: The
Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 looks as good as any 13-inch ultrabook, with the added attraction of a 360-degree screen and a laptop body that can fold into a tent, stand, or slate.
The bad: Tablet mode leaves the keyboard exposed, and the
Yoga 13 costs more than standard ultrabooks with similar components.
Best budget laptop
Dell has managed to give a very upscale feel to its mainstream Inspiron 14z, a 14-inch ultrabook that comfortably juggles price, design, and performance.
The good: With a new slim design, the
Dell Inspiron 14z impresses by including an Intel Core i7 CPU and discrete AMD graphics, all for a very reasonable price.
The bad: There’s still a bit of a budget feel to parts of the body. Battery life, while decent, isn’t going to get you through a full day.
So this is a short list of top 5 laptops for december 2012. In next updates we will post more informations about those specific models. Until then feel free to visit our
laptop reviews.
