The holiday season is ramping up and we at CGMagazine have you covered with some great gift guides for everyone in your life. On the laptop front, 2018 has brought with it a wide array of devices for all budgets and lifestyles. From gaming and art to computing and schoolwork here are the best laptops of the year!
DELL Chromebook 5190
Starting off with the most budget-friendly laptop on this list, the Dell Chromebook 5190 is a flexible and durable device for the worker on the go. It’s got a spill-resistant keyboard and is tested to survive falls which makes it a great laptop to use when kids are around.
While it isn’t particularly flashy it is a 2 in 1 device and the ability to switch it into tablet mode is a nice feature. The Chromebook also has a substantial 13-hour battery which makes it a perfect budget option for students. In addition, the speakers and screen are good enough that it can also serve as a streaming device for use in between study sessions.
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Price: $499.99 CDN
ASUS Vivo Book S
If you’re looking for a media streaming device with a fantastic feeling keyboard then the ASUS Vivo Book S is definitely worth the price. It’s not clicky, but instead has a nice cradling sensation whenever you type. It’s responsive, and easy to use which is especially useful when working on assignments or writing articles like this one.
The Vivo Book S also has a great battery as it can be charged fully in less than an hour and has around a nine-hour battery life. Streaming Netflix or watching YouTube videos is a treat, as the visuals are striking and crisp, which makes the device a perfect media hub. Overall, this is a great device for a student or somebody who likes to stream lots of media.
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Price: $799.99 CDN
Dell G3 15 Gaming Laptop
Gaming laptops tend to be extremely pricey, often ranging in the mid $1,500 and higher. Thankfully for those looking for a less expensive option, there’s the Dell G3 15. The base model sports an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5 graphics memory which makes it capable of running a wide variety of popular games including Tomb Raider, Forza and Overwatch. The keyboard is nicely backlit and the keypad is surprisingly competent, although a mouse is still very much a must if you’re doing any serious gaming.
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Price: $1,199.99 CDN
Huawei Makebook X PRO
If style is what you seek then the Huawei Makebook X Pro could very well be the laptop for you. It’s a thin device with a lot of power that stands out visually and performance wise against its Windows competition. It sports an NVIDIA GeForce MX150 with 2GB Video Ram, a 512GB SSD drive, a quad-core Intel i7, and 16GB RAM, which makes it simply a beast for everyday task fulfilment.
The one drawback and reason why we didn’t give this laptop a perfect score is the strange webcam placement. Instead of being on top of the screen it rests just above the keyboard and as a result, the angle is extremely awkward and unflattering. If that’s not a dealbreaker for you then the Makebook X Pro is worth the buy and is an overall great device.
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Price: $1,499.99 CDN
Omen 15 by HP (15-CE020CA)
For the gamer in your life, look no further than the OMEN 15. This laptop is featured often in Overwatch League advertisements and there’s a reason for that, it’s a great machine for gaming. It comes equipped with an Intel Core i7 along with a Nvidia Geoforce GTX 1050 card that allows it to run basically every game on the market today.
Visually, it has a sleek-red aesthetic and even before you flip it open, the Omen symbol and the dual cross textured design makes it stand out. While it is rather pricey, the sharp 15.6 inch screen and overall package make it a great deal and one of the best gaming laptops on the market today.
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Price: $1,699.99 CDN
ASUS Zenbook S
The perfect fit for the multitasker in your life, the Asus Zenbook S is a powerful, durable, sleek device that more than lives up to its premium price tag. While the keyboard is great the real standout is the glass trackpad, which manages to be one of the few laptop trackpads that actually feels good and is responsive.
Not only does the Zenbook S have great computing power but it can also run games such as Civilization V, Total War: Warhammer, and even Fortnite. ASUS has outdone itself this time around, building something that checks almost all the boxes I have for a laptop, all while making something that turns heads every time I opened it up in public.
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Price: $1,999.99 CDN
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin
The last and most expensive laptop on this list is the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin and it somehow more than lives up to its multi-thousand dollar price-tag. It’s ridiculously lightweight, clocking in at 4 lbs and is only 0.69 inches thick to boot. Graphics wise, the Stealth Thin comes with an ultra-powerful NVIDIA GTX 1070 Max-Q graphics card and utilizes Intel’s 8th gen core i7, which means that you’re always going to have enough power, no matter what task you’re trying to fulfil. In Quake Champions, the Stealth Thin plays at a consistent 125 FPS and it clocks in at 135 FPS while playing Overwatch.
The keyboard also feels great and is fully programmable in terms of lighting, which adds another layer of polish to this great device. Gaming laptops have come a long way in recent years, and the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin is a testament to that. It offers a sleek, professional looking package, all while providing the performance gamers crave.
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Price: $2,229.99 CDN
