GROUP TEST WINDOWS 11 LAPTOPS

Want a new laptop to get the most out of the new Windows? We’ve picked out six of the best for work, play and everything in between…

Razer Blade 15 Advanced

What’s the story?

Razer has been on top of its gaming game for years now – first with its mice and keyboards, and now with the Blade 15 Advanced. This machine will motor through every top title, comes with a range of high-quality displays, and looks mean as hell in black aluminium.

Is it any good?

Keen gamer? You’re not going to go wrong here. This Blade is available with a choice of three excellent Nvidia graphics cores: the GeForce RTX 3060, 3070 or 3080. They’re all great for mainstream games and e-sports titles, while the 3080 serves up sensational speed for ray-traced games and future blockbusters.

This laptop has Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth alongside USB and Thunderbolt ports, with displays running at between 60Hz and 360Hz and resolutions between Full HD and 4K.

While it’s true that any Blade will always be a great gaming option, it’s worth doing some research before you buy. The non-Advanced versions of this machine are cheaper, but here you’re getting better RGB lighting, faster screens, more ports and slimmer frames.

Downsides? No gaming laptop has brilliant battery life when it’s playing, and you’ll find lighter machines elsewhere. And while this Razer is a well-made piece of kit, you can find similar performance for less if you’re willing to forgo the luxuries.

But if you do want a sleek, good-looking and super-fast gaming laptop with loads of features and impressive build quality, your search might well end with the Blade 15 Advanced.

from £2150 / stuff.tv/15A

Key specs

● 15.6in 1920x1080-3840x2160 IPS/OLED

● Intel Core i7/i9, 16/32GB

● Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060/3070/3080

● 512GB/1TB SSD

● 9hr battery ● 355x235x 16-20mm, 1.99-2.09kg

STUFF SAYS A gaming giant with lashings of power and top-notch design ★★★★✩

Acer Swift 3

What’s the story?

The Acer Swift 3 is the best laptop on the market if you want a Windows 11 machine that doesn’t cost too much. In its most affordable spec it costs a very reasonable £529, and even the top models just about duck under the £1000 bar.

On the outside it has the quality and ergonomics to handle everyday computing; on the inside it’s got solid components that will run the new OS with ease.

At this price there are trade-offs, of course: pricier laptops will be slimmer and lighter or have better components, and this screen won’t trouble the best creative notebooks.

Is it any good?

The Ryzen 5 and Core i5 CPUs in the more affordable models are both quite adept for day-to-day use, and at the top end we find Core i7s that can tackle basic tasks alongside loads of browser tabs and some mainstream creative tools.

What else do we like? Well, it’s light and thin, the keyboard offers speed and firmness, and the trackpad is large and has gesture support. You get plenty of USB options, Wi-Fi 6 and a fingerprint reader… and a battery that should be enough to get through a working day.

But there are areas where the Swift isn’t so effective. The 14in display isn’t bright enough for outdoor use, the speakers are only good for casual media and videos, and it lacks Thunderbolt, Windows Hello support or wired internet.

But these are unlikely to be dealbreakers – because you are getting ample power, a solid chassis, a reasonable keyboard and a display that can cope with most workloads.

from £529 / stuff.tv/Swift3

Key specs

● 14in 1920x1080 IPS

● Intel Core i5/i7 or AMD Ryzen 5, 8/16GB RAM

● Intel Iris Xe/AMD Radeon

● 256/512GB/1TB SSD

● 8hr battery

● 323x212x15.9mm, 1.2kg

STUFF SAYS Doesn’t break boundaries, but it’s capable and affordable ★★★★✩

Asus TUF Dash F15

What’s the story?

Gaming laptops are some of the most popular portables around, but we can’t all afford a beast like the Razer on p62. If you’d like some serious gaming power without the serious price, this Asus is your best option by miles.

Its price ranges from £899 to £1399, so every model in the series is far cheaper than a Razer Blade, and these affordable notebooks have good components and impressive displays.

Is it any good?

The Dash F15 uses a variety of different graphics cores, and each is tempting in its own way. At the top end you’ve got the GeForce RTX 3060 and RTX 3070, which can play top games at fast framerates, while the cheaper models have RTX 3050 and RTX 3050 Ti cores that are suitable for popular e-sports titles like Call of Duty and Rainbow Six.

The Intel processors used here are often slower than their AMD counterparts but they’re quick enough to handle standard tasks, and the varying models have 8GB or 16GB of memory and 512GB or 1TB of SSD storage. So far, so good.

You get plenty of USB ports alongside a Thunderbolt 4 connection – and a fast, consistent, comfortable keyboard. The 1080p panel has rock-solid contrast and colour quality, and it’s available at a range of different refresh rates. The battery only lasts an hour when gaming, which is normal for a laptop of this type, but we managed eight hours of working.

The Asus is a little bit ordinary in some departments. It’s a hefty 2kg yet its metal and plastic casing looks a little cheap; there’s no webcam or card reader, and the speakers are feeble. The trackpad isn’t great for games either – you’ll want to add a USB mouse and headset.

The Dash F15 can’t compete with the market’s best gaming notebooks when it comes to finesse and performance, but it does still offer rock-solid playing power alongside decent design… and it’ll leave you with more cash to spend on games.

from £899 / stuff.tv/F15

Key specs

● 15.6in 1920x1080 IPS ● Intel Core i5/i7, 8/16GB RAM ● Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050/3060/3070 ● 512GB/1TB SSD

● 8hr battery ● 360x252x19.9mm, 2kg

STUFF SAYS Understandably compromised, but a great budget laptop for gamers ★★★★✩

Dell XPS 13

What’s the story?

The Dell XPS range has been around for ages, and for good reason: these machines consistently balance quality components, excellent displays and sleek enclosures, and they’re often at the forefront when it comes to embracing new features. The latest XPS 13 excels in all areas, and Dell has managed to keep the prices surprisingly low.

Is it any good?

Even if you go entry-level you’re getting top-notch design and ergonomics here. The latest version combines aluminium, carbon fibre and a Gorilla Glass display to create a machine that’s sturdy and good-looking, and at just 14.8mm thick and 1.2kg it’s comparable with any other ultraportable. The tiny bezels, stainless steel logos and scratch-resistance are all impressive in the flesh.

And there’s no shortage of practical features. It has a lid sensor that boots the machine as soon as it’s opened, and you can log in with Windows Hello. You get Thunderbolt 4 ports and a microSD card slot, and the battery lasts between 12 and 18 hours depending on your choice of screen. The keyboard is fast and satisfying, while the large touchpad is accurate and supports gestures.

On the inside you’ve got Intel’s Core i5-1135G7 and i7-1185G7 CPUs, with the former suitable for everyday work and the latter ideal for creative stuff. The screen choices are broad, with OLED, touch and anti-reflective options all available.

This tiny notebook is a brilliant option for productive days – it’s fast, light and crammed with features. And it means you won’t have to break the bank to get started with Windows 11.

Oh, and you don’t have to settle for the basic XPS 13 either: Dell also produces this machine as a 2-in-1 that’s barely any heavier than the conventional laptop. There are also 15in and 17in versions if you’d like larger displays and more powerful processors – those are the top options if you need a heavyweight productivity tool.

from £1099 / stuff.tv/XPS13

Key specs

● 13.4in 1920x1200/3840x2400 IPS or 3456x2160 OLED ● Intel Core i5/i7, 8/16GB RAM ● Intel Iris Xe ● 256/512GB/1TB SSD ● 12hr battery ● 296x199x14.8mm, 1.2kg

STUFF SAYS A workhorse with great looks, top display quality and slick ergonomics ★★★★★

LG Gram 16

What’s the story?

The LG is the only machine in this group that holds a Guinness World Record: at just 1.19kg, it’s officially the lightest 16in laptop on the planet.

Beyond the disarming lack of heft, it has a battery that lasts for almost 22 hours when playing media and 12 hours in a tough work benchmark. That makes it one of the only notebooks that could last two days before running out of juice.

Is it any good?

The Gram 16 impresses beyond the scales. It has a 16:10 display with 2560x1600 resolution, which means plenty of space for work and fun, and quality levels are consistently good – there’s loads of contrast and great colour accuracy thanks to its wide colour gamut. The speakers have good detail and depth, so that big screen is well-suited for movies.

The keyboard is crisp, firm and fast, the trackpad is fine, and elsewhere we find a fingerprint sensor, a decent webcam and plenty of USB and Thunderbolt 4 ports. It also has built-in Alexa functionality, as well as Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.

On the inside, the Gram 16 is available with the same Intel Core i5-1135G7 and Core i7-1165G7 processors as the Dell on the previous page. And that’s no bad thing: the i5 is a capable option for everyday workloads and the i7 will handle your content-creation apps too.

There’s loads to like about this laptop, but there are some compromises to bear in mind too. The slimline chassis means the processors never quite run at their full speeds, and you can find more power in larger machines. You’re also missing out on discrete graphics and Windows Hello in the webcam.

Despite that, the huge battery life and feather-like weight mean the Gram 16 is the best choice right now if you need a bag-friendly notebook that’ll last for absolutely ages – and starting at £1249, it’s not particularly pricey. Note that LG also produces 14in and 17in versions if 16in isn’t the perfect size for you; the former starts at £100 less.

from £1249 / stuff.tv/Gram16

Key specs

● 16in 2560x1600 IPS ● Intel Core i5/i7, 8/16GB RAM ● Intel Iris Xe

● 512GB/1TB SSD ● 22hr battery

● 356x243x16.8mm, 1.19kg

STUFF SAYS Record-breaking design and battery life make the LG a contender ★★★★★

HP Spectre x360 14

What’s the story?

This HP is one of the best laptops you can buy… and that means it’ll give you a brilliant Windows 11 experience. It’s a 2-in-1 device, so it works as a laptop or tablet, and the high-quality screen, powerful internals and superb ergonomic design make it a fantastic all-rounder.

Is it any good?

Very. For a start the Spectre x360 is one of the best-looking laptops on the market, clad in machined aluminium that comes in black, blue or silver with bevelled copper edges. There’s a smart speaker grille, tidy logos and a crisp backlit keyboard. It’s a notebook that will turn heads.

And the 360° hinges mean it can turn into a tablet too, improving productivity and making it easier to play touchscreen games; plus it can sit in a tent position for media viewing. Build quality is superb throughout – it’s easily strong enough to be slung into a bag without concern – and at 1.34kg it won’t weigh you down.

The 13.5in display has a 3:2 aspect ratio, so it’s taller than most, which means you get extra height for web pages and documents. You can specify a Full HD touchscreen, but the OLED is a worthwhile upgrade: the 3000x2000 resolution is crisp and the contrast is stunning.

On the inside, you get the familiar choice between Intel Core i5 and Core i7 with a 512GB SSD. You can expect full-day longevity, but be aware that non-OLED models last longer.

The rest of the spec list is impressive. It has Thunderbolt 4 ports with 100W of power delivery alongside a full-size USB port and a microSD card reader, and on the inside there’s Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 and speakers that are punchy enough for music. The keyboard is crisp and satisfying, and there’s a 13in version if you’d like all that in a smaller package.

The Spectre x360 14 strikes a great balance between size and portability, though, and that’s why this one is our favourite from the range. Look no further for superb design, comprehensive features and impressive components.

from £1200 / stuff.tv/x360

Key specs

● 13.5in 1920x1280 IPS/3000x2000 OLED touchscreen ● Intel Core i5/i7, 8/16GB RAM ● Intel Iris Xe ● 512GB SSD ● 11.5hr battery ● 298x220x16.9mm, 1.34kg

STUFF SAYS Great display options, loads of features and awesome performance ★★★★★