View from the Labs
You’ve never had as much variety to choose from when it comes to budget laptops, but the decision-making process is still packed with peril
As I cast my eye across the 18 laptops sitting on my desk, two things spring to mind. The first and most important is that I need a bigger desk, but the second is the sheer beauty that comes through variety; I’m robbed of the saying that no two laptops are the same due to Chillblast and PC Specialist using identical chassis, but you get the idea.
For instance, I grew to love the featherweight Samsung Galaxy Book S Intel after a grumpy start – it took me a while to get used to its shallow keyboard – but I have an equal level of admiration for the MSI GF65 Thin. I’m by no means the target market for the latter, but what an achievement to squeeze all that gaming power into a sub-£900 machine.
I hope that having such a wide choice of laptops aids you in your decision making, but I really can’t emphasise enough that choosing a laptop isn’t the same as choosing a desktop PC. For a start, models come and go with astonishing frequency. We print the part codes in the feature table on p76 so you can see the exact machines we tested, but the chances of that SKU being available for the whole month this magazine is on sale are not as high as I’d like.
SKU stands for stock-keeping unit, and it has become the industry shorthand for a specific model sold in a specific retail outlet with a specific specification. A manufacturer will send in a SKU for us to test, and then I hope and pray it stays on sale for the duration of the magazine’s on-sale period – and if it’s a hot model, one that wins an award, my prayers often go unanswered.
That’s why we’ve focused on ranges of laptops in this Labs rather than one specific model. Even if the exact SKU is no longer available, our review will provide an excellent idea of the quality of the chassis, the keyboard, the screen and even the battery life. The latter will vary depending on the power of the components inside, but you can take an educated guess whether it’s going up or down.
The only downside to this rangebased approach is that it leads prospective buyers into the same unfortunate trap we all fall into when buying a house. You set your budget, tell yourself that’s the limit and not a penny more. But then the estate agent shows you details of a house that’s just a fraction more expensive with an added zing of luxury. The analogy doesn’t work perfectly – does an extra double bedroom equate to another core, is an en suite shower room a workable webcam? – but unless you’re firm with yourself you’ll find you are inexorably drawn one more step up the ladder.
I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing (full disclosure: ten years down the line, we definitely regret not opting for the house with an en suite bathroom), but don’t get dragged too far up the scale. Laptops such as the Acer Swift 3 are a great choice if you’re spending less than £500, but as you head further up the range you’d be better served by a laptop with a better combination of screen keyboard – such as our Labs Winner, the Asus ZenBook 14.
“A manufacturer will send in a SKU for us to test, and then I hope and pray it stays on sale for the duration of the issue’s on-sale period”