With more and more people looking to get back into the office or classroom, laptops are more important than ever in your work arsenal. From thin and light options that push the boundaries of how small a computer can be to powerhouses that rival desktops in pure computing power under the hood, there are laptops for every need and purpose. With so many laptops on the market, CGMagazine has taken the time to pick the best laptop 2023 and what is worth your hard-earned money.
As with every year, the selection of laptops for the CGMagazine list was determined through hands-on testing, research and analysis of customer reviews and ratings. CGMagazine’s team of experts also took into account the unique needs and requirements of different users, such as those looking for a laptop for work or those who need a laptop for entertainment and light work.
Here are CGMagazine’s nominees for Best Laptop 2023:
MSI Titan GT77 (12UHS) Laptop
Writer: Clement Goh
Score: 8.5
Price: $3999.99
By design, the biggest Titan GT77 model money can buy is also the least portable. It’s surprising to notice MSI’s laptops depending more on wall chargers with every upgrade. Users expect a high-powered laptop to also burn as much juice. Here, the desktop replacement design philosophy starts to take over some mobility features. When MSI’s GT77 digs its rubber feet permanently on desks, desktop-level performance comes unparalleled from past models like the Raider GE76. MSI still builds the GT77 with high level gaming in mind. While the sleek design and RGB suite make it a viable eSports companion – with sharp triple digit frame rates to show.
MSI’s $5000+ Titan GT77 gaming laptop more than shines with a 17.3-inch 4K display, 12th Gen Intel i9 and 3080 Ti. Despite its impressive ability to play 4K and 2K games, MSI’s improvements still buckle under a weaker sound system, battery drain and lack of portability.
LG Gram 14 Laptop
Writer: Andrew Wilson
Score: 8.5
Price: $2172.99
Internally, the LG Gram 14 is powered by an Intel Core i7-1260p, Intel XE integrated graphics, 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and a reasonably spacious Samsung 512 GB SSD. You can also opt for models with an NVIDIA RTX 2050 dedicated graphics card for the first time in the Gram line up as well as getting as much as 32 GB of ram built in. LG has also packed a large 72Wh battery which LG claims will give you all day battery life, though in my testing gets over 10 hours of battery life. Still a great number in my opinion, however, it’s far from what LG claims.
In day to day use, I found that the LG Gram 14 was competent in all tasks I ran on it. From the basics such as watching YouTube videos, to sending/reading emails, the internal i7 breezed through everything with minimal effort and never made a hint of fan noise. In heavier or more demanding tasks such as the occasional 3D game run over Steam, the LG Gram 14 surprised me with how well it could handle a variety of games.
LG has produced an incredibly compact and powerful yet power efficient laptop with their latest Gram lineup. Anyone looking to accomplish tasks away from power outlets for long periods of time should give the LG Gram 14 a serious consideration.
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Laptop
Writer: Andrew Wilson
Score: 9
Price: $1599.99
Unboxing the Microsoft Surface Pro 9, you get the tablet itself, the charging cable and some paperwork that no one ever seems to read. Not too many frills here to excite you. Immediately upon holding the Surface Pro 9 in my hands, I was quickly floored at the rigidity and sturdy build quality compared to other tablets I have owned or tested over the years. Everything about the Surface Pro 9 felt very premium and well put together and made the device feel well worth its over $ 2000 CAD price tag.
In day-to-day use, I found the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 to be quite a competent and powerful tablet. While doing simpler tasks, such as web browsing, watching videos, checking email and typing up documents, the Surface Pro 9 easily sped through the tasks without breaking a sweat. At all times, the screen was bright enough in all environments I used it in, and the sharpness made sure everything I was viewing, looked as good as it could. I never once heard any fan noise in all light tasks, and the operation was completely silent
Price tag can get quite high with higher end configurations, users will not find a more powerful Windows tablet that delivers as much versatility as the Surface Pro 9.
HP Elite Dragonfly G2 Notebook
Writer: Dayna Eileen
Score: 9
Price: $2499
This device is best suited for productivity and simple media. Though the graphics are decent, you wouldn’t want to watch the latest blockbusters on the 13-inch screen with Intel Iris(R) Xe Graphics. I’ll also note that I wouldn’t recommend this laptop for any real gaming. I tried to jump into a few rounds of Fortnite, just to see how the Dragonfly would fare. It was less than ideal, but it’s not what it was built for, so I can’t complain. It did fairly well running games like Hades though, so all isn’t lost.
The HP Elite Dragonfly G2 Notebook excels at what it was meant to be. Working, browsing, and binge-watching were made comfortable and easy, with switching between tablet and laptop mode seamless. I found the device to work well in tablet mode, with the screen being very responsive. The notebook is compatible with the HP Rechargeable Active Pen G3, but we weren’t able to test the two together, so I can’t speak to how well it responds to the pen.
The only thing that holds me back from running out and grabbing my own HP Elite Dragonfly G2 Notebook right now is the price. The device excels at what it aims to, and its sound quality isn’t rivalled in any current laptops on the market.
WINNER: Best Laptop 2023 Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 Laptop
Writer: Andrew Wilson
Score: 9.5
Price: $1999.99
Samsung has produced quite an incredible device with everything they have put into their Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 laptop. It has all the features that any road warrior or office worker would likely want or need, while maintaining a thin and light form factor. The keyboard and touchpad are very comfortable to use and are great for long usage sessions.
Even mild gamers will appreciate the power of the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 for the odd game away from home. While I do wish there was a better way to carry the S Pen with the laptop, for my workload, I find there isn’t much more I could ask for out of it. This is easily a laptop I could recommend to just about anyone without hesitation, as long as they can afford it.
Samsung has put together quite a great laptop for the office worker who is always on the go. The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 can easily tackle the average daily workload and still have juice for the train ride home.
