4
BEST CHROMEBOOK
ACER CHROMEBOOK SPIN 713
$629 AS TESTED EDITORS’ CHOICE Llllh
At just $629, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is a bargain, but it’s no stripped-down economy
model: It’s clad in aluminum instead of plastic, with an antimicrobial Gorilla Glass screen and a
touchpad, and it has a speedy Intel Core i5 with 8GB of RAM. The 13.5-inch display has a more
square 3:2 aspect ratio rather than the familiar 16:9, giving you a taller view for text and web
scrolling.
5
BEST BUSINESS LAPTOP
LENOVO THINKPAD X1 CARBON GEN 8 (2020)
STARTS AT $1,331; $1,888 AS TESTED EDITORS’ CHOICE Llllh
The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is one of our perennial favorites, and we reviewed the 2020 edition
just in time for the holidays. This ultraportable business laptop is a dream to work on at home
or on the road; although your business travel was likely curtailed in 2020, you’ll enjoy using it
anywhere. It is super-lightweight, features one of the best keyboards and displays around, and
has all the connectivity a professional user could want.
6
BEST MOBILE WORKSTATION
DELL PRECISION 7540
STARTS AT $1,339; $5,227 AS TESTED EDITORS’ CHOICE Llllm
When it comes to 15.6-inch laptops, mobile workstations make gaming rigs look like wimps—
and the new king of the hill is Dell’s costly but colossal Precision 7540, which we tested in a
maxed-out Xeon/Quadro RTX configuration. By a narrow margin, it’s the fastest mobile
workstation we’ve tested. This stupendous performance combined with a handsome 4K
screen makes it the best mobile workstation you can buy.
7
BEST GAMING LAPTOP
ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS G 14
STARTS AT $1,049.99; $1,449.99 AS TESTED
EDITORS’ CHOICE LlllH
The Zephyrus G14 is arguably the best value in gaming this year. Our midrange test
configuration outpaces more expensive machines thanks to its Ryzen 9 processor, and its RTX
2060 is plenty capable as a high-refresh 1080p gaming GPU. It helps that these are tied
together in a slick, super-portable chassis with long battery life and a 120Hz screen at an
unusual-for-gaming 14 inches. In a world of expensive gaming laptops, it’s an unmatched
combination of power, portability, and price.
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BEST CONVERTIBLE 2-IN-1 LAPTOP
HP SPECTRE X360 15 (2020)
STARTS AT $1,399; $1,849 AS TESTED EDITORS’ CHOICE Llllm
HP’s oversize Spectre x360 15 has a big screen—but it’s a convertible, so you can transform it
