Best Graphic Design Laptop 2016
It seems as though, every year, we make a pitch for what we think the seven best laptops of the year are—but every year, it gets harder and harder to write an article like this. Why? The answer is a definitive, "I have no idea." First of all, the laptop industry has taken its fair share of lumps recently, and like younger siblings who can't help showing off, tablets are more portable and far more powerful than they used to be. As if that weren't enough to make you suffer from an inferiority complex, tablets' little brothers and sisters—smartphones—are starting to make mobile computing more of a real deal and not a far-off concept.
The reason I'm being as decisive as a kid in a candy store is because the decision to buy or use a laptop is purely personal and dependent on an individual's needs. That's why, this year, we're going to concentrate on the seven best laptops for specific uses. That way, if you came here looking for a laptop, you have to ask yourself why you want one. And if you're here looking for gift ideas, then each of these laptops fits a specific need, and you should be able to find something for that special someone on your list this holiday.
Best Laptop for Design or Video Processing
Microsoft Surface Book with Performance Base: If there is someone on your holiday list who deserves some extra special attention, you can't get any more extra special than this top-of-the-line laptop. The Microsoft Surface Book comes with bragging rights—but only if you buy the edition with the performance base. The base adds an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M graphics controller with 2GB of VRAM to the already impressive 2.6 GHz Intel® Core™ i7-6600U Skylake CPU, 512GB solid-state drive and 16GB of RAM. Coupled with a 13.5" 3000 x 2000 detachable touchscreen, this puts this premier laptop into the "ya gotta be kiddin' me range" with a price to match. What sets it apart? Well, the detachable option should make it clear that you can use the included Surface Pen to turn this into a digital design studio—complete with drawing pad, artist's canvas, and CAD drawing board—and the power and graphics muscle means that entertainment (watching movies and playing games) is as much as an option as business functionality. You could find more for less, but you won't see it as completely packaged as well as the Surface Book.
Best Non-Windows Laptop that Can Compete with the Surface Book
Apple 15.4" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Late 2016): Okay, that's cheating. This is the only non-Windows laptop that can compete (notice the lack of Chromebooks this year—has Chrome lost its luster?). The Apple architects responsible for the MacBook knew that the iconic laptop needed an update, so they updated the Apple 15.4" MacBook Pro with the one thing that creative professionals wanted, which is a Touch Bar that puts ease and functionality literally at your fingertips. The Touch Bar is more than a gimmick; it's a useful application-based system that can be used by productivity software like Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop, and GarageBand. So, on top of the already phenomenal 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core processor, 256GB PCIe SSD, and 16GB of RAM, you can also pile on a 15.4" 2880 x 1800 Retina display, AMD Radeon Pro 450 GPU with 2GB of GDDR5 memory, larger Force Touch trackpad, four (count 'em—four) Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a super-productive touch bar that will appeal to creatives of all types.
Best Budget Gaming Laptop
Dell 15.6" Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Series Notebook: The pros and cons of this laptop can be found in the B&H Explora article, The Best Gaming Laptop on a Budget—Ever , but for those not inclined to click through, let's just say this is a great steal for the money, with the only downside being a slightly dim screen. If you can get past that (and game in slightly darkened rooms like the rest of us) you'll find more bang for your buck with this Dell 15.6" gaming laptop. If you're not into gaming, you will still find it hard to pass up a 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad-Core processor, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M GPU with 4GB of GDDR5 RAM. Yeah, the 15.6" Full HD 1920 x 1080 IPS display may seem a little flimsy compared to better offerings, but for less than $1,000, you may not find a better laptop period, regardless of its gaming chops.
Best 2-in-1 Hybrid Laptop/Tablet
Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Why did Microsoft make the list twice? Partly because the Surface design regimen has taken the laptop/hybrid world by storm—many try to emulate it, but few succeed in replicating its ease of use and slim form factor. The Surface Pro 4 makes the list (instead of the Surface 3) because it is powered up by a variety of processors, from a Core M3 to an Intel Core i7, and a slew of storage options including up to a 1TB solid-state drive. But a mid-range model, with a Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive can still be had for less than $800, and for that, you still get one of the best laptops out there. Not only do you upgrade the processor from the Surface 3, you also get a bigger 12.3" screen and a pretty sharp 2736 x 1824-resolution display. The included Surface pen makes this ideal for design students, but the absence of the keyboard (which you have to purchase separately) may be a deal breaker.
Best Business Laptop
HP Elite x2 1012 G1: I have never been a big fan of Core m processors—they always felt a little underpowered when compared to their big brother Core i-Series chips. But if you're still using a four-year-old laptop, then anything will seem faster. The HP Elite x2 1012 G1 makes the list here because it crunches the numbers you need for business applications: Excel, PowerPoint, etc. It also has the power to multitask when web searching, and can handle all of this with less power consumption, which gets you about 5 hours of battery life—pretty poor if you're away from a power outlet for a while. Where it does shine is in its security; pre-installed HP Client Security, Intel® vPro, and optional features like a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and self-encrypting drive (SED) are all needed when using this as a business machine. It comes in a variety of configurations, from a Core m3 to a Core m7 model, and a form factor that sincerely flatters the Surface series with its slim feel, compact keyboard, and stylish stylus. Like the Surface; however, for some models the keyboard is also an added expense. Check back for a full review of the Elite x2 1012 G1 laptop soon, but if you're looking for a laptop that meets your requirements for a perfect business gift, then two questions remain: What are you waiting for, and do you have any openings in your company?
The Best VR Ready Laptop
The ASUS ROG G752VS OC Edition: VR isn't cheap—a good VR headset like Oculus Rift or HTC Vive comes with an additional price tag—you have to be able to pony up the scratch for a compatible PC, as well. For those of us in constant motion, we don't want to be tied down to our desks when experiencing VR, and a VR ready laptop is essential to keep things on the move. The ASUS ROG G752VS OC Edition happens to be a laptop that meets many of the stringent requirements for VR games—a Windows 10 machine with a 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7-6820HK quad-core processor and a whopping 64GB of 2400 MHz DDR4 RAM. With a 17.3" G-Sync display (which syncs the screen's refresh rate with the graphics card's frame rate output to minimize screen tearing and stuttering) running at Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 GPU with 8GB of GDDR5 VRAM, this laptop already exceeds most of our home PCs, and in style. It's capable, it's powerful, and it's ready to process whatever you throw at it. It's also pricey, but hey—you want your virtual reality to be as real as possible, and that comes with a premium price tag.
The Best All Around Budget Laptop
Acer 15.6" Aspire E5-575-521W Notebook: Here's the problem with budget laptops. What's budget for you may be too much for me, and what's too much for you may be a steal for others. We narrowed it down to these factors—the processor, the amount of RAM, and the screen resolution. There was a time not too long ago when an Intel Pentium laptop with HD 1366 x 768 resolution screen and 4GB of RAM (the minimum required to run Windows effectively) would have cost thousands of dollars. And yes, we know, Chromebooks are a reasonable alternative to pricey Windows-based laptops. But we did find an Acer 15.6" Aspire E5-575-521W Notebook that hits a couple of triggers for us: it has a reliable Intel Core i5 processor (anything lower, like an Intel Core i3 or Atom processor, may have trouble multitasking), it has a respectable 8GB of RAM where most only offer 4GB, and it can still display at full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution. Surprise—it also offers USB C connectivity and an 8-hour battery, along with dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
Yes, every year this gets harder and harder, and every year we find new laptops that surprise us. What will 2017 hold for the market, and for the future of laptops? Unfortunately, we don't see a psychic-card-reading-fortune-telling laptop on the horizon, but if we did, rest assured, we'll recommend it next year.
If you have any questions or additions to this magnificent seven, please post below, in the Comments section.
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Best Graphic Design Laptop 2016
Source: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/computers/hands-on-review/the-7-best-laptops-of-2016-by-usage
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