(Image credit: Laptop Mag)
And while kudos go to the winner, keep an eye on Asus, which earned a solid second-place finish. Dell was right on its tail in third place. Now, without further ado, here are the rankings for our 2019 Best and Worst Laptop Brands special report.
Best HP Laptop
1.HP (86/100)
HP has vaulted to No. 1 in our Best and Worst Brands report, thanks to its very strong reviews scores, stellar designs, impressive innovations, and top-notch value and selection.
HP’s Main Strengths
Reviews (36/40)
HP had a stellar year. Of the 16 HP laptops we reviewed in the past 12 months, nine of them received our Editor's Choice award. That outstanding ratio is even more impressive when you consider the diversity of laptops that received a four-star or higher rating, which includes Chromebooks, convertibles, and workstations. The company's laptops averaged 3.9 stars out of 5, with none receiving a score lower than 3.5. HP also tied for first place ( with Dell) for the most laptops with a 4.5 rating or higher, with three.
Design (14/15)
HP knows how to make a pretty, elegant laptop. Don't believe us? Then feast your eyes on the 15-inch Spectre x360 with its Poseidon Blue aluminum chassis and golden accents, or its dark-gray ash and copper cousins that are just as sleek and flexible.
Support and Warranty (13/20)
HP's tech support was lopsided in our testing. Its best agents seem to be manning their social media accounts, where we got prompt, efficient — and most important, correct — answers. Their phone agents provided either incorrect or incomplete advice and could take almost a half-hour to answer a question that should have taken a few minutes.
Thankfully, HP covers all shipping costs on its tech support, which starts at a pretty standard one-year warranty with 90 days of phone support. A handful of optional add-ons, including a three-year extension with accidental-damage support, are available.
Innovation (9/10)
HP dared to be different during the past year, and the best example of that is the HP Spectre Folio. Instead of going with the usual flip-around or detachable 2-in-1 route, the company created something truly unique, with a leather design and one-of-a-kind hinge that makes changing from laptop to tent to tablet mode with one hand a cinch.
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For power users, the ZBook Studio x360 G5 is a real standout, as it's the most powerful convertible we've tested thanks to its Xeon CPU, 32GB of RAM, Quadro P1000 graphics and 4K display. Gamers will like the upcoming Omen X 2S, which sports a secondary display right on the deck for streaming Twitch or for getting quick access to macros or maps.
For privacy, HP debuted a webcam kill switch on two Spectre x360 models, which cuts off power to the front-facing camera. And the company introduced the third generation of its SureView screen, which combines a narrow, 35-degree field of view with IPS technology.
MORE: Best HP Laptops
HP’s gaming laptops start at a reasonable $749 for the HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop, which includes a Core i5, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB of RAM and 1TB hard drive plus 128GB SSD. If you need more gaming oomph, the HP Omen 15 ($1,769; starting at $749) is the way to go.
For creatives and number crunchers, HP has several workstations including the ZBook 15 G5 (starting at $1,649) and ZBook Studio x360 G5 (starting at $1,399), which we like for their durability and gorgeous displays respectively. In terms of business notebooks, you have the ProBook 455 ($556 starting) and EliteBook x360 1040 G5, which costs $1,146 and comes with a Core i5-8250U, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a non-SureView 1080p panel.
Best Asus Laptop
2. Asus (83/100)
As they say, fortune favors the bold. Asus shot to second place this year, thanks to the innovations it brought to the table, including the ScreenPad and ErgoLyft hinge. The design of Asus' laptops continues to impress and the company offers a wide selection of products.
Asus surprised us with the ZenBook Pro 15, the first laptop with a ScreenPad, or a touchpad that doubles as a secondary display. But like last year, the company lost points on tech support because some of its agents couldn't offer help.
Asus' Key Strengths
Asus' Key Weaknesses
Asus' online tech support (on social media and live chat) proved a reliable avenue for finding correct answers to our undercover questions. Unfortunately, though, the Asus team members we talked to on the phone were not well-versed in the company's own applications and kept sending us in the wrong direction.
Asus offers a standard one-year warranty with its laptops, which sometimes includes accidental damage protection, depending on your laptop. It doesn't offer extended warranty programs (maybe that will change near the end of this year), but one upside is that you can upgrade memory or storage without voiding your warranty.
Dell continues to dominate in the premium market yet struggles to make good mainstream and budget laptops. With scores ranging from 2 to 4.5 stars, Dell's laptops are all over the board. But when averaged, those scores come out to a rather disappointing 3.5 stars. Four Dell laptops earned an Editor's Choice Award (second to HP), though none of those costs less than $1,000.
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Dell's standout laptops are all premium machines. The XPS line continues to impress, and the XPS 15 even earned the top stop on our best 15-inch laptops page. The latest XPS 13 is a smaller version with a compact chassis along with a vivid display and long battery life. Dell also sells some excellent business laptops, including the Precision 5290 2-in-1 and Latitude 5420 Rugged.
Design (13/15)
With such a large catalog of laptops, there's bound to be some hits and misses in Dell's lineup. The 2018 and 2019 XPS 13 and the XPS 15 sit at the top of the pyramid with their stately, sturdy builds. The XPS 15 offers a mix of aluminum and soft-touch finish and Dell's proprietary woven crystalline silica fiber interior. Colors on the XPS 13 ranged from dark gray to gold to light silver.
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But the XPS line isn't the only looker in the lineup. You’ve got stunners like the Precision 7730 and the Latitude 7490 with its carbon-fiber lid. There's also the Latitude 5290 2-in-1, with its metallic back panel and auto-deploying kickstand. The company's gaming laptops also got a much-needed makeover with the G7 15 and G5 15, which boast such bold colors as white, blue, black, and red.
However, Dell's notebooks continue to vacillate between captivating and lost in the shuffle. Laptops like the Precision 3530, Latitude 3390 2-in-1, Inspiron 15 5000, and Inspiron 17 5770 falls into the latter category as they're not ugly, but not exciting, either. Rounding out the catalog are the company's rugged laptops (Latitude 7424 and Latitude 5420), which are large, and with massive loads of MIL-SPEC-certified toughness to boot.
Support and Warranty (16/20)
Our undercover investigation showed that Dell's best tech support is found on its social media, where agents demonstrated a solid understanding of its technologies and provided answers within minutes. We just wish its telephone agents were a bit more focused on providing answers than taking control of our system and doing everything for us.
Dell allows you to extend its warranties for the XPS and Inspiron laptops by up to four years, and the company covers shipping both to and from its centers. The company also offers accidental damage protection as an add-on.
Innovation (8/10)
In 2019, Dell built on the best laptop by cramming a crazy-small 0.08-inch HD camera into the XPS 13, so you get the same barely their bezels without the nose cam. Meanwhile. the Inspiron 13 and 15 7000 2-in-1s for consumers sport a clover magnetic pen garage built into the hinge. Dell's Mobile Connect software is one of the best solutions for transferring files between phones and PCs, and a beta feature allows you to access your phone in virtual reality.
On the business front, the upcoming Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-1 is the world's smallest commercial 2-in-1, but it also offers proximity sensing from Intel to make unlocking your PC as easy as walking up to it. Dell also put AI to work in the Precision workstation line with new software that uses artificial intelligence to optimize performance.
MORE: Best Dell Laptops
Professionals looking for a reliable business notebook should check out the 14-inch Latitude 3490 which starts at $589 or the Latitude 7480 ($898). Looking for something a bit more premium? Check out the $1,389 Latitude 5290 2-in-1 or the superdurable Latitude 5420 Rugged ($1,399 starting), which both boast enough battery life to get you through the workday.
If you're a creative pro, you'll want to pick up the Precision 7730 ($1,199 starting) for its viciously vivid 17.3-inch display and excellent performance. Even with its Alienware counterpart, Dell also makes gaming laptops, like the G3 15 ($849) and G7 15 ($949), which are apart of its budget and mainstream lines, respectively. Dell recently launched a 2019 G Series that boasts RTX GPUs, which dips into premium gaming, though we haven't reviewed that machine yet.
Despite Dell's large selection, we'd like to see better prices on systems like the XPS 13, which gives you only a Core i3, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD for $800.
Best Alienware Laptop
4. Alienware (80/100)
A newcomer to Best and Worst Brands, Alienware comes out swinging and lands in fourth place, just a point behind its parent company. Known for its out-of-this-world gaming laptops, Alienware brought a number of innovations to the table, including its redesigned Alienware Command Center software.
It also introduced the Alienware Area-51m, the world's first fully upgradeable gaming laptop (including the CPU and GPU). The laptop marks a new era in the company's history by introducing the new Legend design, which is stylish yet functional. And when it comes to choice, Alienware has scads of customization options. However, we're still waiting for the company to consistently hit that sub-$1,000 markets for budget gamers.
Alienware's Key Strengths
Functional, Innovative Design: Alienware's Legend design is not only stunning, but it's also functional, allowing consumers to access and swap out everything from the storage to the processor.
Lots of Customization: Alienware's never been a brand to shy away from the kitchen sink approach. From color to components, consumers can build their dream system. The company has recently added 4K OLED displays to several of its laptops.
Alienware Key Weaknesses
No Sub-$1,000 Option: Although Alienware offers an impressive amount of configurations, it's rare for you to see one of its systems starting at under $1,000.
Reviews (34/40)
Alienware absolutely crushed it this year, consistently releasing excellent gaming laptops. Yes, the subsidiary of Dell sells only a few models, but of the five we reviewed, three were Editor's Choice picks and none received less than a 4-star rating. With those marks, Alienware achieved the highest average laptop rating of any brand, at 4.1 stars.
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While we recommend each of the Alienware laptops we reviewed this year, the standout is undoubtedly the Area-51m. A 17.3-inch behemoth, the upgradable Area-51m is packed with the most powerful components around, including a Core i9 CPU and a GTX 2080 GPU. The sleeker m15 is a more budget-friendly option that offers similar performance as well as long battery life (for a gaming laptop) and a brilliant display.
Design (12/15)
The spaceship has evolved. With the Alienware Area-51m, the company is making a decisive move by employing the new Legend design language. As seen on the Area-51m, Alienware is going for a sleeker look, sporting rounded curves, bold honeycomb patterns, and magnesium-alloy chassis with otherworldly paint jobs dubbed Dark Side of the Moon and Lunar Light. Alienware has pulled back on the number of customizable LEDs, but it’s still there with its seductive glow. But the new aesthetic is equal parts lovely and functional as it's the world’s only upgradable laptop on the market — and, yes, that includes the CPU and GPU.
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Alienware, however, isn't done with its Epic design language just yet. On the contrary, the company made many tweaks to the interstellar-battleship aesthetic. The company launched the m15 and m17 laptops, the thinnest, lightest Alienware laptops in their respective size range. The m15 is also the first Alienware system to incorporate the highly popular narrow bezel design that gives viewers more display real estate. And the Nebula Red m17 is our favorite red laptop this year. But even though Alienware has been trimming the fat, it still hasn't been enough to match competing systems,
Innovation (9/10)
The gaming laptop that truly stole the show in the last year is the Alienware Area 51m, which is the first gaming laptop to offer an upgradeable CPU and GPU along with a stunning all-new design and cooling system.
Alienware also delivered its thinnest and lightest 15-inch and 17-inch notebooks ever and its first 15-inch OLED gaming laptop. On the software front, Alienware Command Center enables GPU overclocking with an updated interface, as well as auto-tune game profiles.
Support and Warranty (16/20)
Our undercover technical support investigation showed that Alienware customers will find the best help on social media platforms, where the company's knowledgeable agents provided answers in a timely fashion. If only the company's telephone agents were a bit more accurate and focused on providing answers than jumping onto our system and doing it for us, their overall experience would be loads better.
Warranties for Alienware laptops can be extended by up to five years. The company allows you to upgrade memory and storage without voiding your warranty, and it provides an option to spend a little more to add accidental-damage protection
MORE: Best Alienware Laptops
Depending on the configuration, the Area-51m can go for up to $5,149 and come stuffed with an overclockable 9th Gen Core i9 desktop CPU, a full RTX 2080 GPU, and 64GB of RAM. The Alienware 15 R4 caps out at $4,789 and comes with an 8th Gen Core i9 laptop CPU, a GTX 1080 Max-Q GPU, and 32GB of RAM. For just a $360 difference, that upgrade is wild.
While Alienware is focused on high-end gaming, we'd like to see one of these machines dip into the sub-$1,000 range.
Lenovo's Key Strengths
Lenovo's Key Weaknesses
Reviews (29/40)
Lenovo's ratings dropped drastically this year. The decline can be attributed to multiple 2.5-star reviews and the absence of some top models (X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga), which will be released later this year. Without those reliable performers boosting Lenovo's scores, the company averaged a laptop rating of just 3.5 stars, down from last year's 3.8 stars. It's not all bad news for Lenovo, however: ThinkPads continue to impress, and now Lenovo has some top gaming machines and midrange options to offer.
In fact, one of Lenovo's few Editor's Choice picks this year is a gaming laptop. The $1,100 Legion Y7000 is an excellent value, thanks to its slim aluminum chassis, colorful display and strong overall performance. For the everyday consumer, the Yoga C930 is a well-rounded machine and one of our favorite convertibles. A nice addition to Lenovo's portfolio is the beastly X1 Extreme, although business users may want to wait for the refreshed X1 Carbon.
Design (12/15)
Lenovo officially has two looks: business formal and business casual. First, casual. With the Legion Y740, Y730 and Y7000, the company has successfully developed gaming laptops that could easily make it in an office meeting — provided you turn off the keyboard’s customizable lighting. Yogas, like the C630, continue to be crowd-pleasers, so much so that Lenovo extended the design to the Chromebook C630. The Yoga Book C930 is one of the slimmest laptops of the year at 0.4-inches thick. ThinkPads like the X1 Extreme and the X380 are firmly business formal, delivering subtle beauty and MIL-SPEC toughness.
Our reviewers ran into several build-quality issues when handling Lenovo's midtier/budget laptops. In cases like the V330, the give in the lid was "alarming," while the IdeaPad 530s "wobbled when [we] applied pressure to the left of the touchpad." We also encountered a bit of difficulty when trying to extract the stylus from the 500e Chromebook. And "in tablet mode, the top and bottom of the [Flex 6 11’s] chassis don't align well, causing a gap."
Support and Warranty (11/20)
The best support and help that Lenovo provides isn't from its agents, but from its online databases and mobile app. If you try their phone agents or social media accounts, you're going to get a whole lot of nothing: they failed to answer all three of our questions we asked over the phone, and their online agents were terribly slow at responding.
Lenovo laptops include either a 12- or 36-month hardware warranty, depending on the unit, with the former being the industry default and the latter being far more time than most include for free. Accidental-damage protection costs extra.
Innovation (9/10)
Lenovo deserves credit for making its wild Yoga Book C930 more practical by adding an E Ink display. That machine is also still amazingly light, at 1.7 pounds, and benefits from a precision pen. Still, the knock-to-open feature is gimmicky.
We're impressed by the regular Lenovo Yoga C930, which squeezes a Dolby Atmos soundbar right into the hinge. This laptop also boasts an active pen with onboard storage and a privacy shutter for the camera. Other Lenovo highlights include the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which is now the world's lightest commercial 14-inch laptop.
What's around the corner looks amazing. Lenovo has unveiled the world's first foldable PC, which will be part of the ThinkPad X1 family. That machine's 13-inch OLED display can bend into multiple modes, and the PC supports pen input. The device will go on sale in 2020.
MORE: Best Lenovo Laptops
Additionally, the company offers a flurry of gaming laptops, including the Legion Y530 ($799), the Legion Y7000 ($825), and the 17-inch Legion Y740 ($2,489) with its Core i7 CPU and a powerful Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU.
Mobile professionals should check out the ThinkPad L380 ($779) as well as the slim powerhouse that is the ThinkPad X1 Extreme ($2,955). If you need a thin-and-light system, look no further than the ThinkPad T series laptops like the 3.3-pound T490 (starting at $846) or the 4.2-pound T580 (starting at $786). Not thin enough for you? Then check out the X1 Carbon with its barely-there 2.5-pound carbon fiber chassis. Oh, and let's not forget the ThinkPad P1 ($3,209) and its beastly power thanks to a monstrous Intel Xeon-2176M CPU, Nvidia Quadro 1000 GPU and MIL-SPEC tested 4-pound chassis
1.HP (86/100)
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)
HP’s Main Strengths
- Top reviews score: With a 36 out of 40, HP turned in the highest score in the reviews category. And it also earned a class-leading 9 Editors’ Choice Awards.
- Stellar designs: Just one look at a system like the leather HP Spectre Folio tells you that HP is leading instead of following, not to mention thoughtful touches like angled USB ports.
- Great innovations: Integrating a helpful kill switch for the webcam on multiple laptops and its improved SureView screen for business laptops are two great examples.
- Support could be better: Based on our undercover testing, HP’s reps could be a bit more transparent about why they need to take over your system and for how long during those types of sessions.
Reviews (36/40)
HP had a stellar year. Of the 16 HP laptops we reviewed in the past 12 months, nine of them received our Editor's Choice award. That outstanding ratio is even more impressive when you consider the diversity of laptops that received a four-star or higher rating, which includes Chromebooks, convertibles, and workstations. The company's laptops averaged 3.9 stars out of 5, with none receiving a score lower than 3.5. HP also tied for first place ( with Dell) for the most laptops with a 4.5 rating or higher, with three.
Design (14/15)
HP knows how to make a pretty, elegant laptop. Don't believe us? Then feast your eyes on the 15-inch Spectre x360 with its Poseidon Blue aluminum chassis and golden accents, or its dark-gray ash and copper cousins that are just as sleek and flexible.
Support and Warranty (13/20)
HP's tech support was lopsided in our testing. Its best agents seem to be manning their social media accounts, where we got prompt, efficient — and most important, correct — answers. Their phone agents provided either incorrect or incomplete advice and could take almost a half-hour to answer a question that should have taken a few minutes.
Thankfully, HP covers all shipping costs on its tech support, which starts at a pretty standard one-year warranty with 90 days of phone support. A handful of optional add-ons, including a three-year extension with accidental-damage support, are available.
Innovation (9/10)
HP dared to be different during the past year, and the best example of that is the HP Spectre Folio. Instead of going with the usual flip-around or detachable 2-in-1 route, the company created something truly unique, with a leather design and one-of-a-kind hinge that makes changing from laptop to tent to tablet mode with one hand a cinch.
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For power users, the ZBook Studio x360 G5 is a real standout, as it's the most powerful convertible we've tested thanks to its Xeon CPU, 32GB of RAM, Quadro P1000 graphics and 4K display. Gamers will like the upcoming Omen X 2S, which sports a secondary display right on the deck for streaming Twitch or for getting quick access to macros or maps.
For privacy, HP debuted a webcam kill switch on two Spectre x360 models, which cuts off power to the front-facing camera. And the company introduced the third generation of its SureView screen, which combines a narrow, 35-degree field of view with IPS technology.
MORE: Best HP Laptops
HP’s gaming laptops start at a reasonable $749 for the HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop, which includes a Core i5, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB of RAM and 1TB hard drive plus 128GB SSD. If you need more gaming oomph, the HP Omen 15 ($1,769; starting at $749) is the way to go.
For creatives and number crunchers, HP has several workstations including the ZBook 15 G5 (starting at $1,649) and ZBook Studio x360 G5 (starting at $1,399), which we like for their durability and gorgeous displays respectively. In terms of business notebooks, you have the ProBook 455 ($556 starting) and EliteBook x360 1040 G5, which costs $1,146 and comes with a Core i5-8250U, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a non-SureView 1080p panel.
Best Asus Laptop
2. Asus (83/100)
As they say, fortune favors the bold. Asus shot to second place this year, thanks to the innovations it brought to the table, including the ScreenPad and ErgoLyft hinge. The design of Asus' laptops continues to impress and the company offers a wide selection of products.
Asus' Key Strengths
- Innovative features: Between the ScreenPad (a touchpad that doubles as a secondary screen) and ErgoLyft hinge, Asus took some serious risks this year, and reaped the rewards
- Gorgeous designs: Asus puts serious thought into the design of each of its laptops.
Asus' Key Weaknesses
- Support and warranty: Asus' support once again failed to deliver. The support team we spoke to on the phone had difficulty answering our questions and the company doesn't (yet) offer any extended warranty programs.
- Few standout laptops: While we liked the majority of Asus laptop we reviewed this year, only one received a 4.5-star rating and our Editor's Choice award.
Reviews (31/40)
Asus offers some great laptops across a wide range of categories, from affordable Chromebooks to premium gaming rigs. The average Asus laptop scored a solid 3.8 out of 5-star rating, and only two devices we reviewed this year earned below a 3.5. Those high scores result from the stunning designs and reasonable prices Asus is known for. But as much as we like Asus' latest offering of laptops, only one earned an Editor's Choice award.
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- The one Asus laptop worthy of our EC, the 4.5-star ROG Strix Hero II, has a striking design with dark aluminum surfaces highlighted by a glowing RGB light bar. Gamers will also appreciate the Strix Hero II's 144-Hz panel and GeForce GTX 1060 GPU.
- The $850 ZenBook 13 UX333FA is another standout laptop that has outstanding battery life, along with a compact design and strong performance. An even more affordable option is the $699 VivoBook S15, which comes in a variety of beautiful color options.
Asus is like a fashion house in that it offers a variety of designs at any given time. ZenBooks, like the ZenBook S UX391UA, ZenBook Pro, and ZenBook 13 UX333FA, are the company's classic look, complete with the intricate concentric circles gently etched into an aluminum lid. And while the Chromebook C523NA and the VivoBook Flip 14 were described as "rather bland," the VivoBook S15 stunned with its beautiful Firmament Green chassis that’s both metal and plastic.
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Gaming laptops like the TUF Gaming FX705 and the FX504 is where Asus gets avant-garde with some of its more outlandish designs, including a large, stylized X. The Zephyrus (ROG Zephyrus S) line of laptops is more refined, offering a two-toned metal lid with an exhaust vent that remains hidden until you open the system. Some laptops, like the ROG Strix Scar II, are a bit polarizing despite the Zephyrus exterior chassis, thanks to its camouflage-inspired interior.
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Gaming laptops like the TUF Gaming FX705 and the FX504 is where Asus gets avant-garde with some of its more outlandish designs, including a large, stylized X. The Zephyrus (ROG Zephyrus S) line of laptops is more refined, offering a two-toned metal lid with an exhaust vent that remains hidden until you open the system. Some laptops, like the ROG Strix Scar II, are a bit polarizing despite the Zephyrus exterior chassis, thanks to its camouflage-inspired interior.
Support and Warranty (14/20)
Asus' online tech support (on social media and live chat) proved a reliable avenue for finding correct answers to our undercover questions. Unfortunately, though, the Asus team members we talked to on the phone were not well-versed in the company's own applications and kept sending us in the wrong direction.
Asus offers a standard one-year warranty with its laptops, which sometimes includes accidental damage protection, depending on your laptop. It doesn't offer extended warranty programs (maybe that will change near the end of this year), but one upside is that you can upgrade memory or storage without voiding your warranty.
Innovation (10/10)
When it comes to innovation, Asus is the most aggressive brand around. The company took a risk with the ScreenPad on the Asus ZenBook Pro 15, and it paid off. This LCD is a touchpad, music-player controller, productivity-shortcut toolbar, and second display all in one. And the improved ScreenPad Plus is coming soon to more laptops.
MORE: Best Asus Laptops
The company peeks into premium territory with the ZenBook 13 UX333FA, which offers a strong Core i5 CPU and excellent battery life, all for a reasonable $849. If you're a big spender, consider the ZenBook Pro 15 ($1,199 starting), which nets you up to a Core i9, a GTX 1050 Ti and a gorgeous 4K display. That machine also features a wild touchpad with an LCD screen that functions as a customizable second display.
Asus has a tiered gaming-laptop lineup, starting with the entry-level Tuf Gaming FX504 ($679), ROG Strix Scar II ($1,699), and ROG Zephyrus S ($1,399), which we praised for their strong overall performance. And with the ROG G703 ($3,999) refreshed, the company even dipped into the premium gaming scene.
Asus has a tiered gaming-laptop lineup, starting with the entry-level Tuf Gaming FX504 ($679), ROG Strix Scar II ($1,699), and ROG Zephyrus S ($1,399), which we praised for their strong overall performance. And with the ROG G703 ($3,999) refreshed, the company even dipped into the premium gaming scene.
3. Dell (81/100)
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)
Dell continues to be one of the most consistent and forward-thinking laptop brands out there, maintaining its third-place spot in our rankings for the third year in a row. The Austin-based PC maker has stayed near the top of the pack with its stellar premium laptop lineup (led by the XPS line), and some of the slimmest and sexiest designs out there.
Dell still does stumble in a few areas, as it's mainstream and budget systems fared less favorably in our reviews than its high-end machines did. And while the company provides great tech support via social media, we found its phone agents to be a bit lacking. Still, with a great lineup of laptops, generous warranty options, and a wide range of options for all budgets and use cases, there’s a reason Dell remains near the top.
Dell’s Key Strengths
- Premium powerhouses. Dell’s high-end laptops remain the best in the business, with the XPS 13 and XPS 15 topping our roundups of the best laptops and best 15-inch laptops.
- A laptop for every need. Dell’s value and selection are near-unparalleled, as the company offers everything from high-end mainstream and business notebooks like the XPS and Latitude series to the surprisingly strong budget gaming laptops found in the G series.
- Innovative, attractive designs. Dell fixed the one glaring problem with the XPS 13 by finally getting a webcam at the top of the machine’s impossibly slim bezel. And the latest Latitude 7400 2-in-1 redefines how smart a business machine can be.
Dell’s Key Weaknesses
Mixed review performance. While Dell’s PCs comprise some of our favorite laptops, not all of them are winners. The company’s notebooks scored an average 3.5 out of 5 stars in the past years, with its four Editor’s Choice winners all being premium notebooks.
Phone support. Dell’s customer support is generally good, but the company’s phone agents tend to insist on taking over your machine and solving your problems themselves rather than giving you quick answers.
Dell continues to dominate in the premium market yet struggles to make good mainstream and budget laptops. With scores ranging from 2 to 4.5 stars, Dell's laptops are all over the board. But when averaged, those scores come out to a rather disappointing 3.5 stars. Four Dell laptops earned an Editor's Choice Award (second to HP), though none of those costs less than $1,000.
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Dell's standout laptops are all premium machines. The XPS line continues to impress, and the XPS 15 even earned the top stop on our best 15-inch laptops page. The latest XPS 13 is a smaller version with a compact chassis along with a vivid display and long battery life. Dell also sells some excellent business laptops, including the Precision 5290 2-in-1 and Latitude 5420 Rugged.
Design (13/15)
With such a large catalog of laptops, there's bound to be some hits and misses in Dell's lineup. The 2018 and 2019 XPS 13 and the XPS 15 sit at the top of the pyramid with their stately, sturdy builds. The XPS 15 offers a mix of aluminum and soft-touch finish and Dell's proprietary woven crystalline silica fiber interior. Colors on the XPS 13 ranged from dark gray to gold to light silver.
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But the XPS line isn't the only looker in the lineup. You’ve got stunners like the Precision 7730 and the Latitude 7490 with its carbon-fiber lid. There's also the Latitude 5290 2-in-1, with its metallic back panel and auto-deploying kickstand. The company's gaming laptops also got a much-needed makeover with the G7 15 and G5 15, which boast such bold colors as white, blue, black, and red.
However, Dell's notebooks continue to vacillate between captivating and lost in the shuffle. Laptops like the Precision 3530, Latitude 3390 2-in-1, Inspiron 15 5000, and Inspiron 17 5770 falls into the latter category as they're not ugly, but not exciting, either. Rounding out the catalog are the company's rugged laptops (Latitude 7424 and Latitude 5420), which are large, and with massive loads of MIL-SPEC-certified toughness to boot.
Support and Warranty (16/20)
Our undercover investigation showed that Dell's best tech support is found on its social media, where agents demonstrated a solid understanding of its technologies and provided answers within minutes. We just wish its telephone agents were a bit more focused on providing answers than taking control of our system and doing everything for us.
Dell allows you to extend its warranties for the XPS and Inspiron laptops by up to four years, and the company covers shipping both to and from its centers. The company also offers accidental damage protection as an add-on.
Innovation (8/10)
In 2019, Dell built on the best laptop by cramming a crazy-small 0.08-inch HD camera into the XPS 13, so you get the same barely their bezels without the nose cam. Meanwhile. the Inspiron 13 and 15 7000 2-in-1s for consumers sport a clover magnetic pen garage built into the hinge. Dell's Mobile Connect software is one of the best solutions for transferring files between phones and PCs, and a beta feature allows you to access your phone in virtual reality.
On the business front, the upcoming Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-1 is the world's smallest commercial 2-in-1, but it also offers proximity sensing from Intel to make unlocking your PC as easy as walking up to it. Dell also put AI to work in the Precision workstation line with new software that uses artificial intelligence to optimize performance.
MORE: Best Dell Laptops
Professionals looking for a reliable business notebook should check out the 14-inch Latitude 3490 which starts at $589 or the Latitude 7480 ($898). Looking for something a bit more premium? Check out the $1,389 Latitude 5290 2-in-1 or the superdurable Latitude 5420 Rugged ($1,399 starting), which both boast enough battery life to get you through the workday.
If you're a creative pro, you'll want to pick up the Precision 7730 ($1,199 starting) for its viciously vivid 17.3-inch display and excellent performance. Even with its Alienware counterpart, Dell also makes gaming laptops, like the G3 15 ($849) and G7 15 ($949), which are apart of its budget and mainstream lines, respectively. Dell recently launched a 2019 G Series that boasts RTX GPUs, which dips into premium gaming, though we haven't reviewed that machine yet.
Despite Dell's large selection, we'd like to see better prices on systems like the XPS 13, which gives you only a Core i3, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD for $800.
Best Alienware Laptop
4. Alienware (80/100)
It also introduced the Alienware Area-51m, the world's first fully upgradeable gaming laptop (including the CPU and GPU). The laptop marks a new era in the company's history by introducing the new Legend design, which is stylish yet functional. And when it comes to choice, Alienware has scads of customization options. However, we're still waiting for the company to consistently hit that sub-$1,000 markets for budget gamers.
Alienware's Key Strengths
Functional, Innovative Design: Alienware's Legend design is not only stunning, but it's also functional, allowing consumers to access and swap out everything from the storage to the processor.
Lots of Customization: Alienware's never been a brand to shy away from the kitchen sink approach. From color to components, consumers can build their dream system. The company has recently added 4K OLED displays to several of its laptops.
Alienware Key Weaknesses
No Sub-$1,000 Option: Although Alienware offers an impressive amount of configurations, it's rare for you to see one of its systems starting at under $1,000.
Reviews (34/40)
Alienware absolutely crushed it this year, consistently releasing excellent gaming laptops. Yes, the subsidiary of Dell sells only a few models, but of the five we reviewed, three were Editor's Choice picks and none received less than a 4-star rating. With those marks, Alienware achieved the highest average laptop rating of any brand, at 4.1 stars.
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While we recommend each of the Alienware laptops we reviewed this year, the standout is undoubtedly the Area-51m. A 17.3-inch behemoth, the upgradable Area-51m is packed with the most powerful components around, including a Core i9 CPU and a GTX 2080 GPU. The sleeker m15 is a more budget-friendly option that offers similar performance as well as long battery life (for a gaming laptop) and a brilliant display.
Design (12/15)
The spaceship has evolved. With the Alienware Area-51m, the company is making a decisive move by employing the new Legend design language. As seen on the Area-51m, Alienware is going for a sleeker look, sporting rounded curves, bold honeycomb patterns, and magnesium-alloy chassis with otherworldly paint jobs dubbed Dark Side of the Moon and Lunar Light. Alienware has pulled back on the number of customizable LEDs, but it’s still there with its seductive glow. But the new aesthetic is equal parts lovely and functional as it's the world’s only upgradable laptop on the market — and, yes, that includes the CPU and GPU.
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Alienware, however, isn't done with its Epic design language just yet. On the contrary, the company made many tweaks to the interstellar-battleship aesthetic. The company launched the m15 and m17 laptops, the thinnest, lightest Alienware laptops in their respective size range. The m15 is also the first Alienware system to incorporate the highly popular narrow bezel design that gives viewers more display real estate. And the Nebula Red m17 is our favorite red laptop this year. But even though Alienware has been trimming the fat, it still hasn't been enough to match competing systems,
Innovation (9/10)
The gaming laptop that truly stole the show in the last year is the Alienware Area 51m, which is the first gaming laptop to offer an upgradeable CPU and GPU along with a stunning all-new design and cooling system.
Alienware also delivered its thinnest and lightest 15-inch and 17-inch notebooks ever and its first 15-inch OLED gaming laptop. On the software front, Alienware Command Center enables GPU overclocking with an updated interface, as well as auto-tune game profiles.
Support and Warranty (16/20)
Our undercover technical support investigation showed that Alienware customers will find the best help on social media platforms, where the company's knowledgeable agents provided answers in a timely fashion. If only the company's telephone agents were a bit more accurate and focused on providing answers than jumping onto our system and doing it for us, their overall experience would be loads better.
Warranties for Alienware laptops can be extended by up to five years. The company allows you to upgrade memory and storage without voiding your warranty, and it provides an option to spend a little more to add accidental-damage protection
MORE: Best Alienware Laptops
Depending on the configuration, the Area-51m can go for up to $5,149 and come stuffed with an overclockable 9th Gen Core i9 desktop CPU, a full RTX 2080 GPU, and 64GB of RAM. The Alienware 15 R4 caps out at $4,789 and comes with an 8th Gen Core i9 laptop CPU, a GTX 1080 Max-Q GPU, and 32GB of RAM. For just a $360 difference, that upgrade is wild.
While Alienware is focused on high-end gaming, we'd like to see one of these machines dip into the sub-$1,000 range.
5. Lenovo (76/100)
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Our first-place brand from last year fell to fifth place because of a few poor review scores and unhelpful tech support. Although it was an off-year for Lenovo, the vendor still landed in the top half of our rankings, thanks to some innovative new features and the wide selection of laptops it has on tap.
Lenovo found its footing in the gaming sector with the Legion Y7000, an affordable rig with a sleek design and vivid display. And while the Yoga C930 impressed us with its soundbar hinge, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and ThinkPad X1 Yoga's absence (both available in June) hurt Lenovo's average review scores this year.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Our first-place brand from last year fell to fifth place because of a few poor review scores and unhelpful tech support. Although it was an off-year for Lenovo, the vendor still landed in the top half of our rankings, thanks to some innovative new features and the wide selection of laptops it has on tap.
Lenovo's Key Strengths
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- ThinkPads and Legion: Lenovo's ThinkPad business laptops continue to impress us, and now the Legion brand is consistently producing reliable gaming machines.
- Great value and selection: From budget Chromebooks to premium 2-in-1s to beastly workstations, Lenovo offers something for everyone.
Lenovo's Key Weaknesses
- Poor phone support: Lenovo's support agents were unable to answer our questions about the company's own apps, and their social media support was slow to respond.
- Inconsistent quality: There's no denying the excellence of Lenovo's Thinkpad laptops, but some of the notebooks we reviewed this year missed the mark.
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Lenovo's ratings dropped drastically this year. The decline can be attributed to multiple 2.5-star reviews and the absence of some top models (X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga), which will be released later this year. Without those reliable performers boosting Lenovo's scores, the company averaged a laptop rating of just 3.5 stars, down from last year's 3.8 stars. It's not all bad news for Lenovo, however: ThinkPads continue to impress, and now Lenovo has some top gaming machines and midrange options to offer.
In fact, one of Lenovo's few Editor's Choice picks this year is a gaming laptop. The $1,100 Legion Y7000 is an excellent value, thanks to its slim aluminum chassis, colorful display and strong overall performance. For the everyday consumer, the Yoga C930 is a well-rounded machine and one of our favorite convertibles. A nice addition to Lenovo's portfolio is the beastly X1 Extreme, although business users may want to wait for the refreshed X1 Carbon.
Design (12/15)
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Lenovo officially has two looks: business formal and business casual. First, casual. With the Legion Y740, Y730 and Y7000, the company has successfully developed gaming laptops that could easily make it in an office meeting — provided you turn off the keyboard’s customizable lighting. Yogas, like the C630, continue to be crowd-pleasers, so much so that Lenovo extended the design to the Chromebook C630. The Yoga Book C930 is one of the slimmest laptops of the year at 0.4-inches thick. ThinkPads like the X1 Extreme and the X380 are firmly business formal, delivering subtle beauty and MIL-SPEC toughness.
Our reviewers ran into several build-quality issues when handling Lenovo's midtier/budget laptops. In cases like the V330, the give in the lid was "alarming," while the IdeaPad 530s "wobbled when [we] applied pressure to the left of the touchpad." We also encountered a bit of difficulty when trying to extract the stylus from the 500e Chromebook. And "in tablet mode, the top and bottom of the [Flex 6 11’s] chassis don't align well, causing a gap."
Support and Warranty (11/20)
The best support and help that Lenovo provides isn't from its agents, but from its online databases and mobile app. If you try their phone agents or social media accounts, you're going to get a whole lot of nothing: they failed to answer all three of our questions we asked over the phone, and their online agents were terribly slow at responding.
Lenovo laptops include either a 12- or 36-month hardware warranty, depending on the unit, with the former being the industry default and the latter being far more time than most include for free. Accidental-damage protection costs extra.
Innovation (9/10)
We're impressed by the regular Lenovo Yoga C930, which squeezes a Dolby Atmos soundbar right into the hinge. This laptop also boasts an active pen with onboard storage and a privacy shutter for the camera. Other Lenovo highlights include the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which is now the world's lightest commercial 14-inch laptop.
What's around the corner looks amazing. Lenovo has unveiled the world's first foldable PC, which will be part of the ThinkPad X1 family. That machine's 13-inch OLED display can bend into multiple modes, and the PC supports pen input. The device will go on sale in 2020.
MORE: Best Lenovo Laptops
Additionally, the company offers a flurry of gaming laptops, including the Legion Y530 ($799), the Legion Y7000 ($825), and the 17-inch Legion Y740 ($2,489) with its Core i7 CPU and a powerful Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU.
Mobile professionals should check out the ThinkPad L380 ($779) as well as the slim powerhouse that is the ThinkPad X1 Extreme ($2,955). If you need a thin-and-light system, look no further than the ThinkPad T series laptops like the 3.3-pound T490 (starting at $846) or the 4.2-pound T580 (starting at $786). Not thin enough for you? Then check out the X1 Carbon with its barely-there 2.5-pound carbon fiber chassis. Oh, and let's not forget the ThinkPad P1 ($3,209) and its beastly power thanks to a monstrous Intel Xeon-2176M CPU, Nvidia Quadro 1000 GPU and MIL-SPEC tested 4-pound chassis
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