The Best Laptops of 2020 (that are not from Apple)
With a brand-new decade ahead of us, many will feel their current laptops are in desperate need of an upgrade. Apple’s recent Macbook offerings have been decent but nothing ground-breaking, therefore we are taking a look at some of the best laptops available from Apple’s biggest rivals.
HP Elite Dragonfly
HP has been a computer mainstay for many decades and their recent Elite Dragonfly release is arguably the best laptop ever released. It’s incredible design and gorgeous screen makes this the best laptop for anyone who can afford it. Battery life is excellent, the keyboard is a joy to type on, and it also has LTE connectivity. This lets you plug in a SIM card and access mobile internet wherever you are, without having to connect to slow Wi-Fi hotspots. Packed with a 256GB SSD, full HD touch Sure View display, up to 16GB of RAM and the best battery in the business, this is a powerhouse of a machine. The internal graphics card is not ideal for gamers, but this beautifully design laptop performs exactly where it needs to. Although very expensive, the HP Elite Dragonfly is perfect for anyone looking for a futureproof laptop.
Dell XPS 13
For many years, the Dell XPS 13 has been seen by many as the best alternative to a Macbook and in 2020 nothing has changed. From it’s gorgeous and light design, to the powerful modern components that power it. The Dell XPS 13 comes with an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and a bezel-less ‘Infinity Edge’ display, with an optional upgrade to a beautiful 4K touch screen, the little Dell powerhouse is worth every cent. With an improved battery life, 16GB of RAM and upgradeable to a 1TB SSD, the XPS 13 is almost the perfect laptop. Many will be disappointed with the weak internal GFX card and at an eye water price one could not blame them, but if you can afford it, the Dell XPS 13 will be your perfect companion for many years to come.
Huawei MateBook 13
Our previous two entries have been on the high end of the price spectrum, so what about people looking for a more price-conscious machine. Well, look no further than the Huawei Matebook 13. Packed with the latest components, including a discrete Nvidia MX150 graphics card, and a gorgeous lightweight design, that you’d expect to find on a much more expensive laptop, the Matebook 13 offers incredible performance at a very respectable price. With a 13inch 1440p display and upgradeable internal storage, this little machine offers so much for so little. Although it does come with only 8GB of RAM and a lack of Thunderbolt 3 support, this laptop is incredible for its price point. Recently, the US government blacklisted Huawei, which many feared would have implications on whether the Chinese company’s laptops would still get support from the like of Microsoft and Intel. The good news is that both Microsoft and Intel have confirmed that they will continue to support Huawei laptops, which means the MateBook 13 and other models will still get important Windows 10 updates.
Alienware Area-51m
So far we’ve covered the 13inch business-minded laptops, but what about laptops for gamers? Once again Alienware comes to the rescue for gamers on the move. The Area-51m continues Alienware’s dominance in the gaming laptop market. This is an extremely powerful machine that puts most desktops to shame. The top of the range Area-51m comes with an i9-9900K processor, a NVIDIA Geforce RTX 2080, 64GB of RAM, a 144Hz IPS NVIDIA G-SYNC display as well as 2TB RAID0 SSDs and a 1TB SSHD built-in. That is ridiculous specs for a laptop and will tear through any game you through at it. Naturally, specs like these come at a very high price and this laptop is by far the most expensive on our list, but if you take your gaming seriously and require nothing less than 60FPS gameplay then look no further than the Alienware Area-51m.
Dell G5 15 5590
Of course, not everyone can fork out over $15 000 (USD) for a gaming laptop and the majority of gamers are on tight budgets. But fear not, we have the perfect laptop for those looking to still play the latest games without having to sell a kidney or two. The Dell G5 5590 is a great machine at a very friendly price point. The fully upgraded G5 comes with a 9th generation Intel Core i7-9750H, a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q, 16GB of RAM and a 15.6 inch FHD IPS Anti-Glare LED with 144Hz refresh rate. Although not the greatest specs, you’ll still be blasting through most moderns games at a respectable 1080p with good frame rates and most importantly a happy wallet. The battery life on the G5 is also incredible, with a projected 10 hours of gaming, which is pretty remarkable for a laptop, no matter the price point.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
Microsoft has proven over the last few years that they are no slouches when it comes to designing laptops and with the Surface 3 they have just created their best yet. The biggest change to the Surface this year is the choice of Intel or AMD hardware, which is an excellent addition for those loyal to a specific brand. The specs are pretty standard but the choice between a 13inch or 15inch is great for people who might be looking for a slightly bigger screen. The battery life is fantastic and the aluminum finish does give it that premium feel. The lack of ports is still an issue with the Surface 3 and once again no Thunderbolt 3 support might be a big no-no for some users. But anyone looking for a premium-looking laptop that will rival Apple’s best efforts will need not look further than the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3.
Acer Switch 3
So far we have covered expensive gaming laptops, expensive notebooks as well as reasonably priced offerings from the world’s leading manufacturers. But what about people just looking for an affordable laptop, people not concerned about power or additional bells and whistles? Well, the Acer Switch 3 is the perfect laptop then. It’s an incredibly affordable laptop and the ideal setup for anyone just looking for a basic machine that can do basic tasks. The specs are on the low end but it still performs admirably with your everyday tasks. With excellent build quality, this 2-in-1 laptop/tablet comes with the keyboard upgrade which means no little extras to pay for. As usual, it comes in several different versions, with USB Type-C, 8GB RAM, an IPS display and Intel Core i3 7100U CPU coming with the more expensive option. This is perfect for anyone on a tight budget, but don’t expect to play games on the Acer Switch 3.