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The best laptops for college students
Ah, college. A time of true enlightenment. Whether you're just starting out or you're heading into your final year, you're going to need a good laptop for college research and writing papers. But with so many different brands and confusing model numbers out there, it's easy to get overwhelmed.
Don't worry, we're here to help. We've pulled together a robust list of student-friendly laptops for college that we had previously tested and reviewed as part of our ongoing quest to find the best laptops. In other words, the folks over here at PCWorld have personally vetted each and every one of these picks. While most (if not all) of the laptops on this list are fantastic productivity machines, we've also got picks for gamers and macOS users, and options to hit every price point. You may also find some low-cost gems in our roundup of the best laptop deals, which we update daily.
Read on to learn more.
1. HP Spectre x360 14 1Q881AV – Best overall
When we think about the best thin-and-light laptop, it's always been a close contest between the Dell XPS 2-in-1 and the HP Spectre x360. This time around, we're giving the luxurious HP Spectre x360 14 some time in the sun, with a nod to the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 that preceded it as our top pick. The Spectre x360 14, now sporting the same Intel 11th-gen Tiger Lake CPU available in the Dell XPS line, trades blows with its eternal rival in test after test. It rises to the top because of a few key advantages: It offers longer battery life (thanks to a bigger battery), a far better keyboard, and little things like a USB-A port and a physical webcam shutoff switch, all for a lower price. Well played, HP.
2. Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition
If you're serious about gaming, the Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition is one heck of a powerhouse. The review unit we tested had an 8-core AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, an AMD Radeon RX 6800M GPU (with 12GB of GDDR6), 16GB of memory, and 512GB of NVMe SSD storage. You can play older titles on high to very-high graphics settings and newer games on medium. There are a few shortcomings, though. Battery life is lackluster and it's pretty darn heavy. That said, poor battery life and a clunky form factor isn't unusual for a gaming laptop, and if you're looking to play some games when you aren't busy working on assignments, this powerhouse offers much more value than most of its rivals.
3. Microsoft Surface Pro 7+
By naming this Windows tablet the Surface Pro 7+, Microsoft mistakenly implies that it's some sort of minor upgrade from the Surface Pro 7. Nothing could be further from the truth: We rarely see such massive upgrades in CPU and GPU horsepower, as well as battery life. It also offers an LTE option and an absolutely dead-silent, fanless chassis.
You may be wondering why we chose the 7+ and not the Surface Pro 8. While the 8 has a larger screen and good audio, configurations start at $1,099.99 and can go up to over $2,599.99. The 7+'s base configuration starts at $899, which is a more affordable option for college students, and it should still chew through tasks admirably. The base version has an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of SSD storage.
4. Pixelbook Go
As a general note, Chromebooks make excellent productivity machines. They're designed for basic tasks like web browsing, typing out papers, and so on. They're also largely virus-free.
Google's Pixelbook Go is a perfectly good Chromebook and that's exactly what the company set out to create. It offers a careful balance of quality features and economical compromises for a reasonable $649 starting price. It's also much better looking than the typical bare-bones model. If you're committed to the Chromebook universe, this is a laptop worth buying.
5. Gram 17 (2021)
The LG Gram 17 is a remarkably lightweight business laptop, and one worth considering if your scholarship left you ample room for a luxe laptop purchase. Although relatively big in size dimensions-wise, it somehow weighs just under three pounds. Is it a work of sorcery? No, it's the magnesium chassis that makes it so light. In our review, we liked the bounciness of the keys and the long battery life. The Gram 17 ran out of steam around the 13 hour mark, which is nothing short of impressive. The 17-inch IPS-grade display is stunning, too. With a resolution of 2560×1600, you're bound to get a crisp and vibrant picture. According to our review, the display size is perfect for productivity.
6. MacBook Air (Space Gray)
The MacBook Air with the new M1 processor so absolutely and thoroughly trounces the Intel version released earlier this year (with Intel's “Ice Lake” Y-series CPU/GPU) that it defies belief. And, since there's no fan, the Air runs super quiet, which is great in a classroom setting.
Unfortunately, Apple changed practically nothing else about the MacBook Air. This new model is exclusively a processor swap. But what a processor! You can read the full review of the MacBook Air M1 at our sister site, Macworld.
7. Acer Aspire 5 – Best budget option
With its affordable price point, decent performance, and robust build, the Acer Aspire 5 is a good budget option for most people. While the color scheme is a little boring, the build is surprisingly rugged. Our tester was surprised by its “solid, durable feel.” The keyboard is nice, too. It has a spacious layout, which is perfect for longer typing sessions. Performance is fast enough for general-use tasks like writing emails and browsing the web, but that's about it. If you're shopping around for a solid everyday laptop that won't break the bank, the Aspire 5 is definitely worth a look.
8. Acer Swift 3X
The Acer Swift 3X is both speedy and lightweight, an ideal choice for the college student who's always on the go. The higher-tier configuration we reviewed has an Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor, an Intel Iris Xe Max discrete GPU (with 4GB of LPDDR4X memory), 16GB of memory, and 1TB PCIe NVMe of SSD storage. But the real star of the show is its 14-inch 1080p IPS display, which shines at a bright 300 nits, according to our review. We managed to squeeze out 12+ hours of battery life on a single charge, so you can definitely expect this laptop to last through multiple classes.
9. Swift X (SFX14-41G-R1S6)
From stellar performance to the lightweight form factor, the Acer Swift X has a lot to offer. In addition to handling content-creation tasks, it can also run a few lightweight games as well. However, its biggest strength is its battery life. Despite the power-hungry internals, the Swift X's battery lasted more than 12 hours in our tests. Depending on your use, you won't need to go hunting for an outlet all that much. It's perfect for college students.
10. HP Envy x360 15 (2021) eu0097nr
The HP Envy x360 15 (2021) has an attractive design, decent internals, and a wide selection of ports. The unit we tested came equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage. For ports, you're getting two USB-A, USB-C, HDMI 2.0, and a full-sized SD card slot. In our review, we liked the keyboard quite a bit, saying “the keys give off a satisfying tactile bump and they actuate even if you hit just the corner of a key with your fingernail.” In other words, you don't need to worry much about accidental keypresses.
11. Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1
The Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 is affordable and offers good performance for the price. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor is fast enough for everyday tasks like web browsing and document editing. It makes a good productivity machine, which is perfect for college. According to our review, the laptop “remained comfortably cool and quiet while juggling multiple apps, browser tabs, and downloads.” It's also pretty versatile in terms of what you can do with it. You can prop it up like a tent and watch movies or flip the screen around and use it like a tablet. Overall, it's a good value. You're getting good performance, punchy audio, and a convertible touchscreen.
12. Aspire Vero
The Aspire Vero is affordable and fast enough for general use. The review unit we tested has an Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of memory, and 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 of SSD storage. While the internals are pretty good. the most unique thing about the Vero is that it's made out of PCR plastic, which makes it one of the few environmentally friendly laptops out there. While we dig how eco-friendly it is, the exterior's got a textured design that takes some getting used to. The keyboard is also springy and the 1080p non-touch display produces crisp images. The one downside is its short battery life. In our review, we managed to eek a measly seven hours out of the three-cell battery.
13. HP Chromebook x2 11 da0023dx
Ah, folio-style laptops. While some may find them cumbersome to deal with, our reviewer really liked this one. The HP Chromebook x2 11 is one of the best 2-in-1 laptops you can buy. The tablet's aluminum chassis feels rugged and like it'll last quite a while. The detachable keyboard took some getting used to, but ended up being fine for long typing sessions. The rear plate, which transforms into a kickstand that holds up the tablet, connects to the back of the tablet via magnets. The reviewer found the connection to be both clean and strong. As for the performance, it's about what you'd expect out of a Chromebook. It's zippy enough for everyday tasks like browsing the web and so on.
14. Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5
The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 is a good mid-range laptop. It's fast enough for web browsing, editing documents, and so on. That said, it can “feel taxed by demanding tasks.” When our tester opened up multiple tabs, he noticed a sag in performance. The port selection, however, is nice combination of old and new. It has two USB-C ports, a single USB-A port, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and a microSD card reader. As for the keyboard, our tester liked the “crisp and taut” feel of the keys. Although this laptop is a 2-in-1, it weighs about 3 pounds, which is kind of heavy for a convertible laptop. It may not be the most portable laptop in the world, but at least it has the flexibility to function as a tablet for applications that favor that form factor.
How we tested
The PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we've tested. Chromebooks, on the other hand, go through a series of web-based tests. It wouldn't be fair or possible to run the same kinds of tests on a Chromebook, as they're Chrome OS-based machines. Below, you'll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them.
Windows laptops
- PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on.
- HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop's CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file.
- Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a short period of time.
- 3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains consistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips.
- Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10's Movies & TV app until the laptop dies.
Chromebooks
- CrXPRT 2: The CrXPRT 2 benchmark tests a Chromebook's battery life.
- Speedometer 2.0: This test determines a Chromebook's web browser performance. It simulates this by adding, completing, and removing a to-do list.
- Basemark Web 3.0: This benchmark gauges how well a Chromebook can handle web-based applications.
- Kraken 1.1: Kraken 1.1 is a JavaScript performance benchmark.
- Jetstream 2: Jetstream 2 is a combination of WebAssembly and JavaScript benchmarks. This is a way to gauge how well a Chromebook runs advanced workloads.
What to look for in a laptop for college
The first thing to consider is budget. How much are you willing to spend on a laptop? If you're working with an inflexible budget, Chromebooks are a good option. They're affordable and designed to handle everyday tasks like writing papers, working on spreadsheets, and so on. Chromebook prices can range anywhere from $200 up to $1,000. If you want to spend a bit more, laptops with convertible touchscreens (otherwise known as 2-in-1s) offer a great deal of functionality. You can flip the screen around and use it like a tablet or prop it up like an easel for watching movies.
If you've got a jam-packed schedule, you'll probably be running from class to class with very little downtime in between. That's why we recommend a laptop with a long-lasting battery. We recommend something that'll last 7 to 10-plus hours on a single charge, unless you want a notebook that can play games on the side—gaming laptops are notorious for their shorter endurance, even during everyday tasks. That 7 to 10 hours is a good figure if you plan on taking your laptop with you everywhere.
Things like navigating your e-mail or watching Netflix will require more RAM. We recommend springing for 8GB of RAM or more. 4GB of RAM is fine and good for web browsing and basic office work, but 8GB is better for having more tabs open and whatnot. Plus, applications like Google Chrome and Spotify tend to eat up a lot of RAM. Most people can get by with 4GB in a pinch if you're on a tight budget, but you won't be able to multitask as much.
The final thing is a decent keyboard. In college, you're going to be spending a lot of time typing. Depending on your personal preference, you may want either a full or short travel keyboard. Mechanical keyboards, for example, normally have longer travel. This helps prevent accidental keystrokes. The keys also give a lot of tactile feedback, as they bounce back after they're pressed down.
For more specifics regarding the hardware you want inside your laptop, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide on how to buy a budget laptop without getting screwed, as well as our broader cheatsheet on what to look for in a laptop CPU and GPU.
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds review: The true wireless noise-canceling champ
At a glance
Expert's Rating
Pros
- Superb active noise canceling
- Extremely clean, neutral sound
- Good touch controls
- Straightforward EQ customization
- Easy to use companion app
Cons
- Huge charging case
- Less battery life than advertised
- Just one customizable touch input
Our Verdict
For noise canceling, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds should be among the first earbuds you look at. They silence noisy conditions well both at home and on the go, while also providing excellent audio for music playback and phone calls. Their primary weakness is size—both the earbuds and the charging case are large, and the latter doesn't comfortably fit into pockets. But if you can live with that sacrifice, you'll enjoy these stellar buds.
Price When Reviewed
280
Best Prices Today
Bose is known for noise canceling. Its over-the-ear cans have often set the bar for silencing noisy backgrounds. So it's no surprise that the company's QuietComfort Earbuds continue that reputation.
Launched a little over a year ago, these buds hit high marks for active noise canceling (ANC)—enough so that travelers should definitely consider them first. They deliver on sound quality and ANC in a way that makes them tough to beat. Even as a more expensive pair of buds, the price isn't a deterrent. Rather, the reason someone would choose a rival product like the Jabra 85t or Sony WF-1000XM4 boils down to personal preferences in audio profiles and portability.
Specs
- MSRP: $280 USD
- Colors: Triple black, Soapstone (white), Stone Blue, Sandstone (beige)
- Water-resistance rating: IPX4
- Bluetooth version: 5.1 (9.1m / 30ft range)
- Charging: USB-C (USB Type C to A cable included)
- Dimensions (Earbud): 39.1 x 25.9 x 26.9 mm (1.54 x 1.02 x 1.06 in)
- Dimensions (Case): 31.8 x 88.9 x 50.8 mm (1.25 x 3.5 x 2 in)
- Weight: 8.5g per bud, 73.7g for the case (90.7g total)
- Warranty: One year
Design and fit
Alaina Yee / IDG
Everything about the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds is huge. The buds themselves seem enormous compared to competitors—even when placed side-by-side with the Sony WF-1000XM4, which runs a little thick.
Strangely, they didn't look comically large when worn, even despite my smaller frame. The QuietComfort seems purposefully chunky, rather than awkwardly so, and the color versions (white, beige, and blue) have an unexpected elegance. These buds also feel lightweight in ear, despite their proportions.
This bigger size does mean that these earbuds are better suited for larger bodies. Three different ear tips are included in the box (Small, Medium, and Large); I had to switch out the medium tips, the default, to the small. Typically medium ear tips works best for me, but not this time. On the opposite end of the scale, a friend who borders on XL tips found the large to be just right. Small-boned people may think this a deal-breaker, and it could be. However, Bose has been sampling some alternative tip sizes to U.S. and Canadian customers. If you live in those areas, contact customer service. You may be able to get your hands on XS, Small/Medium, and Medium/Large tips.
Once I found a tip that fit, the seal was excellent. These earbuds felt so secure that I kept them in around water despite their IPX4 rating, which only protects against splashes and not full submersion. The labeling makes it easy to identify right and left buds.
Alaina Yee / IDG
The charging case for the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds borders on ridiculously large. It's almost double the size of competitors' cases, particularly the Jabra 85t and the Sony WF-1000XM4, two rivals that go toe-to-toe with these buds. Carrying these in a jacket pocket or a pants pocket isn't comfortable—I relegated them to my backpack. The kicker is that the charging case's generous measurements don't translate into extra battery life, as we'll discuss below.
Sound
PCWorld
People who love neutral sound signatures should enjoy the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds' default profile. Audio is well-balanced, with every part of the range clear and represented. Music comes through extremely clean and precise as a result—in fact, so much so that it can seem almost sterile or joyless to ears accustomed to warmer profiles. Make no mistake, you can get good bass from these earbuds, but for anyone used to Beats headphones, the QuietComfort Earbuds may feel too crisp.
Even with different EQ settings applied, that exactness is consistent. You can apply your own adjustments, or choose from one of the four default profiles (bass boost, bass reducer, treble boost, or treble reducer). No matter what you dial up or ease down, the precision remains. Being able to use such straightforward controls to quickly draw out more of the lows, mids, or highs is gratifying.
For voice and video calls, incoming audio sounds clear, as well. It can leech some of the warmth from low voices though, even while the depth remains. Using the earbuds for speaking isn't quite as good, as the audio has a hollow quality—similar to that of AirPods. (One person commented that I sounded like I was on a smartphone with a very good speakerphone mode.) But no one I spoke with had trouble making out what I was saying. I also didn't mind having sidetone on (the ability to hear myself speaking, or as Bose calls it, “Self Voice”), which is more than I can say about other earbuds with the same feature. With rival buds, I've sometimes wanted to switch it off immediately.
Volume across all types of audio can go quite high. To stay around my preferred volume (loud enough to block normal conversation with noise-canceling on), I usually was in the low 30-percent range. On Windows PCs, you can get even louder than that if you switch from headphone mode to headset mode. (You generally have to use the latter in voice calls.) In headset mode, I dropped to 9 percent for adequate volume.
Noise canceling
PCWorld
As stated already, Bose has a reputation for excellent active noise canceling, and justly so. Of the noise-canceling buds that have passed through my hands, the QuietComfort Earbuds stand above all. The Jabra 85t comes awfully close, but Bose still excels. With ANC at full strength and no music playing, it cut street noise on a moderately busy city road by more than half. (The rough estimate I'd give is around 65 percent.) Add on a little bit of music and the world fades away. The same applies to TV audio or prolonged conversations in the background.
The noise canceling controls are very streamlined. You get up to four different profiles, with Quiet and Aware modes as preset defaults. Quiet mode cranks up the noise canceling to the max, with no adjustments possible. Aware mode is the reverse—it allows in ambient sound, but with a unique twist: If a loud noise suddenly occurs, the earbuds will kick on enough noise canceling to partially muffle it. I didn't expect to like Aware mode's special trick, but it keeps music at a fairly even, normalized volume. The reaction to blaring sound engages and disengages pretty smoothly, too.
The other two profiles are completely user set—you can opt to create them or not. Whatever exists will be in the rotation when you touch your left earbud to switch between modes. There are 10 different levels of noise cancellation to choose from when creating a custom profile.
Unlike with other earbuds, you can't turn off active processing on the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds to help conserve battery life. The microphones are working at all times to either block or pipe in environmental audio. The upside of this fact is that Bose's engineers seem to have programmed the mics to filter out the sound of fabric brushing against the buds, so you can wear hoodies without driving yourself crazy.
Battery life
Alaina Yee / IDG
Battery life on the Bose QuietComfort earbuds is rated at 6 hours, similar to other rivals. I usually got closer to 5.5 hours of continuous music playback with noise canceling cranked all the way up. Given the size of these earbuds, it's a bit puzzling that they don't last the full 6 hours. In fact, the smaller Sony WF-1000XM4 outdoes them handily with up to 8 hours of music playback.
Also confounding is the low number of charges provided by the mammoth charging case. Despite its size, it has a rating of just two charges, and generally I only eked out a smidge more than that. Given this case's bulk, you'd expect at least three charges.
The QuietComfort does have a couple of useful battery-related features, though. First is wireless charging of the case, which isn't unusual among ANC earbuds of this class, but handy nonetheless. You can also drop depleted earbuds into the case for 15 minutes and get up to two hours of playback. Fully charging the earbuds takes two hours, and the case takes three hours over a USB-C cable.
Pairing and controls
PCWorld
Pairing with the Bose QuietComfort earbuds is a snap. You can pair multiple devices to these earbuds, but only use one at a time. Switching between those devices doesn't require much effort—typically you can just connect from your active device, and it'll take over.
When connected, these earbuds maintain their Bluetooth signal pretty well, even in multi-story buildings. I could often keep the connection through distances that spanned multiple walls or even while on different floors.
The touch controls on the earbuds aren't overly sensitive, thankfully. You can brush against them without causing accidental inputs, but they still immediately register deliberate taps a nd swipes. The only real disappointment about the controls is the lack of customization. On both buds, you can either press and hold for one command, or double-tap for another. When not in a call, the right bud connects you to your phone's digital assistant and pauses music playback, while the left bud lets you change your noise canceling mode and another command of your choice. Customizing that one left bud command is one of just three options: battery level, skipping forward a track, or going back a track.
I would have liked the ability to customize all commands (or at least, rotate them around), plus have a set for triple taps. The less-expensive Jabra 85t is more generous in this regard.
Volume and phone calls are controlled solely from the right bud—the former by swipes, the latter by a long press or taps. For calls, you must use the right bud at minimum, as that's where the mic is. (For music, you can use either left or right in single-bud mode.) When you take off the buds, they go into Standby mode after 20 minutes.
App
Installing the Bose Music companion app is optional, but you need it to get the most out of the QuietComfort Earbuds. I like the interface—the most-often used settings are right on the main screen, but Bose smartly added them in the full settings interface, too. You don't need to go in and out of menus to access everything. And while the controls are simplified, they're attractive and polished, easy to navigate, and never make tuning the buds feel like a chore.
Final thoughts
For noise canceling, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds should be one of the first set of earbuds you look at. (The other is the Jabra 85t, which has nearly the same level of ANC and also costs less.) They make travel much less stressful, and even for those glued to a chair in a work-from-home setup, they work for blocking out noisy housemates or neighbors. For strolls around the neighborhood, they don't pack down as well, but if you can live with that sacrifice, you'll enjoy excellent performance for audio and noise canceling.
EcoFlow Delta Mini Portable Power Station review: What can’t it do?
At a glance
Expert's Rating
Pros
- Robust set of features
- Companion app is handy
- Impressive recharge rate
Cons
- OK-ish power efficiency
- Pricey
Our Verdict
The EcoFlow Delta Mini Portable Power Station has all the bells and whistles you'd want from a power station. If it's within your budget, we have no real qualms with it. And the standard EcoFlow Delta doesn't cost a whole lot more if you need extra capacity and outlets.
Price When Reviewed
849
Best Prices Today
Maybe it's because I've researched a lot of power stations, but I can't seem to go anywhere on the internet without seeing an ad for the EcoFlow lineup. The sleekly designed power stations look great, so when the EcoFlow team reached out to see if I wanted to test one, I jumped at the chance. A week or so later, the $999 EcoFlow Delta Mini Portable power station (as well as the $400 EcoFlow 160W Solar Panel) arrived.
Even though this station has Mini in its name, it's not all that small. It weighs 23.6 pounds and measures 14.9 x 7.2 x 94 inches.
Note: This review is part of our roundup of portable power banks. Go there for details on competing products and our testing methods.
I really like the overall design. It looks and feels like a premium product. There are ports on either end of the station, with one end also featuring an LCD screen. The screen is big and easy to read, detailing how much power is being used or input into the station, the hours remaining, and which power options are turned on.
Just below the display is an IoT button to enable the station's Wi-Fi feature that allows you to connect it to your local Wi-Fi network. Then, using the EcoFlow app, you can remotely view all of its stats, update its firmware, and adjust settings without having physical access to the Delta Mini.
Below the IoT button is where you'll find four ports: one USB-C 100W (20V/5A) port, two USB-A (5V/2.4A) ports, and a fast-charge USB-A (12V/1.5A 18W) port. Below those is a gold-colored power button.
On the opposite side you'll find even more ports and connection options. There's a small cover near the handle that flips up to reveal the input ports. From left to right is a port dedicated to charging via a solar panel or a car charger, an AC charging port, and the overload protection switch. Between the two charging ports there's a switch that controls the AC charging speed, either “fast” or “slow,” going from a max of 800W to 200W (more on this in a minute).
EcoFlow
Below the input ports are five AC sockets, with a dedicated power button for the outputs in the center. And, finally, below those is a car outlet port and a DC5521 barrel port, along with the 12V power button.
The Delta Mini supports Pure Sine Wave output, meaning you should be able to use it with devices that have AC motors, such as a microwave or mini fridge, without issue. It can output a total of 1400W, with a surge capacity of 2100W. If you enable X-Boost in the app, or whenever an AC port detects that the power draw exceeds 1400W, X-Boost will automatically be enabled. However, EcoFlow recommends using just a single AC power outlet when you're using X-Boost mode.
With that high of an output, the Delta Mini is able to power items like a hand saw or an electric skillet without any issues.
To measure the station's efficiency, I connected my PortaPow power monitor along with a load tester to a USB port. The load tester constantly drains power, while the monitor records how much power is used. The end result was 669.446Wh of power used out of the 882Wh capacity. That translates to an efficiency of 75.90 percent. The average rating of all power stations I've tested is 83.51 percent—placing the EcoFlow Mini above only the Ego Power+ Nexus.
Another test I use to measure output is to connect a 4W desk lamp and record a time-lapse video of how long the lamp stays powered on. When it was all said and done, the desk lamp stayed lit up for 46 hours and 14 minutes. That's the second-best showing out of all the power stations I've tested, putting it behind just the GoalZero Yeti 1000x, which achieved a staggering 111 hours and 29 minutes.
As for charging time, the Delta Mini can be fully recharged in as little as 90 minutes using the included power adapter and enabling X-Boost. Doing so will charge the station at around 800W. If you're not in a rush, you can charge the station at anywhere from 200W (takes about five hours for a full charge), all the way up to 900W. Keep in mind, though, that constantly fast charging the battery can have a negative impact on its overall life. I'd recommend using it sparingly.
I also connected EcoFlow's 160W solar panel to the Delta Mini and monitored its charging rate. EcoFlow estimates eight hours of charging time with the panel, and that matches my experience: The power station showed it was receiving right at 140W of power from the panel, and that it would finish charging in eight hours.
Admittedly, the EcoFlow Delta Mini and the 160W Solar Panel may be expensive, but they're also some of the nicest power station equipment I've tested. They both feel like premium products, with the solar panel including a cloth carrying case that doubles as a stand. Seriously, this is nice gear.
That said, another option in EcoFlow's lineup is the $899 EcoFlow Delta Portable power station, which has a higher capacity and output and more ports for only $50 more than the Mini. I haven't tested the standard Delta, but assuming it's built to the same standards, I'd spend my money on it instead of the Mini.
The best laptops: Premium laptops, budget laptops, 2-in-1s, and more
Are you in the market for a brand spanking new laptop? If so, you've come to the right place. We curated a list of the best laptops available today. From traditional clamshells to swanky 2-in1's, we've got something for everyone. If you're working with an inflexible budget, don't sweat it, we've included Chromebooks and a few other affordable options. Every single one of these laptops has been tested and personally vetted by the crew at PCWorld as well. Read on for our picks for the best laptops around.
Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition – Best gaming laptop on a budget
The Asus ROG Strix G15 Advanced Edition is an all-AMD laptop that delivers fast CPU and GPU performance at a reasonable price point. It's packing an AMD Ryzen 5900HX processor, an AMD Radeon RX 6800M GPU (with 12GB of GDDR6), 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. According to our review, the GPU “doesn't outpace higher-wattage RTX 3080 laptop GPUs, but it's a worthy competitor for conventional gaming tasks.” Unsurprisingly, the Strix G15 is one chunky machine, measuring 28mm at its thickest part. Although the additional thickness allows more space for cooling components, it's not very portable. That said, so long as you don't plan on taking this laptop everywhere with you, it's a powerful gaming rig that's well worth the money.
We understand that the $1,650 price tag isn't “cheap” in the traditional sense, but this all-AMD laptop costs significantly less than comparable laptops in power. If you look on Best Buy or Nvidia's website for 3080 machines, they cost upwards of $2,200 to $3,000.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 – Best 2-in-1 laptop
Microsoft's Surface tablets were already atop our list of best 2-in-1 laptops, but Microsoft reworked the Surface Pro 8 in numerous ways by adding a larger, higher-resolution, faster screen, a pair of Thunderbolt ports that replace the legacy Surface Connector, and a new inking experience, among other features.
While this generation of the Surface Pro tablet forgoes an always-connected LTE option as well as the choice of a cheap Core i3, performance still soared to the top of the heap. Benefits like how the increased display refresh rate improves inking are subtle improvements that matter, too. It's the most dramatic revamp of a Surface in years and it's all for the better.
Pixelbook Go – Best Chromebook
Google's Pixelbook Go is a perfectly good Chromebook, and that's exactly what the company set out to create. It offers a careful balance of quality features and economical compromises for a reasonable $649 starting price. And it's a darn sight better than the typical bare-bones model. If you're committed to the Chromebook universe, this is a laptop worth buying.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 – Best Lenovo laptop
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 is one such laptop. It's packing a quad-core Core i7-1185G7, 16GB of RAM, and integrated Iris Xe graphics. That means it's well-equipped to handle “Office and other productivity apps” and “a variety of multitasking scenarios.” The real star of the show is the 16:10 display, though, as it gives you plenty of room to work with. If you consider yourself a business professional, you'll definitely want to pick this one up.
HP Spectre x360 14 1Q881AV – Best laptop for college students
When we think about the best thin-and-light laptop, it's always been a close contest between the Dell XPS 2-in-1 and the HP Spectre x360. This time around, we're giving the luxurious HP Spectre x360 14 some time in the sun. The Spectre x360 14, now sporting the same Intel 11th-gen Tiger Lake CPU available in the Dell XPS line, trades blows with its eternal rival in test after test. It rises to the top because of a few key advantages: It offers longer battery life (thanks to a bigger battery), a far better keyboard, and little things like a USB-A port and a physical webcam shutoff switch, all for a lower price. Well played, HP.
Dell XPS 17 9710 – Best 17-inch workhorse
Dell's updated XPS 17 boasts a huge 17-inch screen, 11th-gen Intel CPU, and GeForce RTGX 3060 GPU. By packing as much screen real estate into such a compact laptop, the XPS 17 is the poster child for what a content creation workhorse laptop is.
Asus Zenbook Flip 13 – Best convertible laptop on a budget
The Asus ZenBook Flip 13 offers a lot for the money. It's a beautiful laptop that offers decent battery life, very good graphics, and a lot of pep for most of what you'd do on a small 13-inch convertible laptop.
Some might fixate on its lack of a headphone jack, but that would be unfair to its impressive 11th-gen Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 chip and its drop-dead gorgeous OLED screen.
HP Chromebook x360 12b-ca0010nr – Best Chromebook on a budget
The HP Chromebook x360 12b takes you a cut above the rock-bottom basic Chromebooks that hover around $250 (and continue to sell well). Get one of those for your kids—who cares if they destroy it? But you, the adult in the room, deserve this one, with its surprisingly good design and great battery life.
This is still a budget-grade Chromebook, so there are some compromises: Performance is mediocre, and the 3:2 display, while nice and tall, isn't very bright. Still, we think HP made reasonable choices to provide a productive and enjoyable experience without breaking the bank.
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R19L – Best laptop under $500
If this particular model of the Acer Aspire 5 looks familiar, it's probably because it's been sitting atop Amazon's laptop bestseller list for months. It's easy to understand why. This AMD Ryzen 3-powered Aspire 5 packs some enticing features for the price, including a Full-HD 15.6-inch display, a slim-and-trim chassis, and solid performance on everyday computing tasks.
That said, a Windows 10 laptop this inexpensive has its compromises. In this case, we're talking a scant 4GB of RAM and a cramped 128GB solid-state drive, while battery life falls significantly short compared to similar Aspire 5 models that don't cost much more.
How we tested
The PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we've tested. Chromebooks, on the other hand, go through a series of web-based tests. It wouldn't be fair or possible to run the same kinds of tests on a Chromebook, as they're Chrome OS-based machines. Below, you'll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them.
Windows laptops
- PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on.
- HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop's CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file.
- Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a short period of time.
- 3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains consistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips.
- Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10's Movies & TV app until the laptop dies.
Chromebooks
- CrXPRT 2: The CrXPRT 2 benchmark tests a Chromebook's battery life.
- Speedometer 2.0: This test determines a Chromebook's web browser performance. It simulates this by adding, completing, and removing a to-do list.
- Basemark Web 3.0: This benchmark gauges how well a Chromebook can handle web-based applications.
- Kraken 1.1: Kraken 1.1 is a JavaScript performance benchmark.
- Jetstream 2: Jetstream 2 is a combination of WebAssembly and JavaScript benchmarks. This is a way to gauge how well a Chromebook runs advanced workloads.
What kind of laptop should I get?
Ah, here we are at the billion dollar question. Do you spring for a basic Chromebook or go for a Windows laptop with more features? Well, it really depends on your personal lifestyle and what you plan on using your laptop for. For example, Chromebooks are a great low-cost option for those who just want the basics. I use a Chromebook as my primary work laptop, as it has everything I need for both editing and writing. If you travel a bunch for work, it's probably a good idea to invest in a laptop with solid battery life. If you're still unsure, don't sweat it. I've put together a list of quick tips below.
- Laptop type: The first question you should ask yourself is what kind of laptop you're looking for. There's traditional clamshells, 2-in-1's, Chromebooks, and much more. The displays on convertible laptops (aka 2-in-1's), for example, can swing around 360 degrees. This allows you to use the laptop like a tablet. They can also be propped up like a tent for viewing movies or participating in video calls. Chromebooks, on the other hand, exclusively run Google's web-focused Chrome OS and are generally used for everyday tasks. All you need is a Gmail account and boom, you're in. There are pros and cons to each of them. Chromebooks are affordable and generally have good battery life whereas convertibles are normally lightweight and portable.
- CPU: If it's CPU power you're looking for, the cream of the crop is the Intel Core i7-1185G7. It's a quad-core, eight-thread CPU with “awesomely high clock speeds.” It can hit up to 4.8Hz on boost, too. However, a Core i 7 is more suited to gaming and more intense work than everyday tasks. Intel processors are available in Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9. The higher the number, the more powerful the CPU. If you don't need a ton of power, Intel Core i5 processors are your best bet, as they offer a good balance of performance and price. Basic office and web work gets along just fine on a Core i3, however.
- Graphics: You'll want a discrete graphics card for hardcore gaming or editing videos. It's separate from the processor, so you can expect higher performance out of it. Integrated graphics, on the other hand, are attached to the CPU and uses less power as a result. This is perfectly fine for everyday tasks, especially if you're not doing anything that's graphics-intensive.
- Display size: If you're a video editor or someone who does a lot of multimedia work, you'll want a display that's anywhere from 15 to 17 inches. The sweet spot is really anywhere from 13 to 14 inches, though. The bigger the display, the heavier your laptop is going to be. A 13- or 14-inch display is the best in terms of portability and value.
- Battery life: If you plan on taking your laptop anywhere with you, aim for something that can last 10 to 12 hours on a single charge. That's more than a full work day, so it should theoretically get you through long flights or a day of classes. Obviously, more is always better. Just know that the bigger the battery, the heavier the laptop.
- Price: The price really depends on your budget. If you're strapped for cash (been there, trust me), go for a Chromebook or an entry-level business laptop. These laptops are good choices for students or young professionals. If you can afford to spend more, the versatility of a 2-in-1 laptop is really worth it.
- Ports: A wide array of ports is always a plus in my book, as it eliminates the need for an adapter. I'd recommend a laptop that has both USB-C and USB-A. An HDMI port is good, too. This is especially useful for when you want to hook up to an external monitor.
Intel and Nvidia just dunked on Apple’s M1 Max. Should you believe the hype?
When Apple finally released its M1 Max processor in October, the Internet predictably saw dark days for PC laptops. Some even felt bad for PC laptop makers being uncompetitive with the MacBook Pro for perhaps “years.” Those predictions may have to be retuned a bit now that Intel and Nvidia have both come out swinging at Apple, however.
Nvidia was the first to step on Apple's sneakers when it announced its new GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPUs. Nvidia casually compared not just its newest GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU against Apple's fastest M1 Max, but also the far more pedestrian GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU using Autodesk Arnold, Blender, Chaos V-Ray, OctaneRender and Redshift.
As you can see from the comparison with the MacBook Pro 16's M1 Max, both the new GeForce flagship and the far blander RTX 3060 Laptop GPU simply crush the M1 Max. And by crush, we mean crush, because when a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU takes 10 minutes to perform a render and a GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU takes 22 minutes using Autodesk Arnold, versus 78 minutes for the M1 Max, it's a beat-down. That's an 87 percent decrease in rendering time for the RTX 3080 Ti vs. the M1 Max, and a 78 percent advantage for the RTX 3060. That's a shellacking no matter how you count it for working creators, but it should be pointed out that many of these apps have long been optimized for Nvidia's GPUs, giving GeForce a home field advantage.
Nvidia
For example, it's not clear if the testing Nvidia did for Blender Cycles used the version that's currently being ported to Apple's M1 and Metal API. We'd guess not since the presentation would have been based on numbers likely prepared well before CES 2022 to meet approval for public dissemination. With Blender support still in pre-beta stage, it's highly doubtful the Blender score is running an alpha version.
So is it fair if Nvidia shows off a stack of benchmarks arguably optimized for its GPU versus the unknown quantity of M1 Max support? It depends.
If your idea of a good time is to get into a yelling match on Twitter while wearing an Apple team jersey over the “unfairness” of Nvidia's results, then it's definitely not fair. If you're a working professional who gets paid to shovel pixels in Autodesk Arnold, Blender, V-Ray, OctaneRender, or Redshift, then it's most certainly a fair test, since the only thing you probably care about is how fast your hardware can make you money.
Intel steps up too
After Nvidia poked Apple in the nose a few times, Intel jumped into the ring later that morning by saying that its new 12th-gen “Alder Lake” laptop CPUs are faster than not only its older 11th-gen Tiger Lake H CPUs and AMD's Ryzen 9 5900HX, but also Apple's M1 Max. So yes, as the slide below says, the fastest mobile processor. Ever.
Intel
What's that based on? Fortunately, responsible companies show their homework as Intel did. In fact, Intel shows way more of its work than Nvidia did in its video, which publishes the results, but no information about how it tested the laptops.
Intel says its performance results for the Apple M1 Max is estimated based on: “public statements made by Apple on 10/18/2021 and measurements on Apple M1 Max 16″ 64GB RAM Model A2485. The metric used is the geometric mean of an n-copy SPECrate run of the C/C++ integer benchmarks in SPEC CPU 2017.”
For the uninitiated, SPEC is published by Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation, an industry group that has come together to create various agreed-upon tests and proclaims itself a “beacon of truth for 30 years.” Members include a who's who of tech companies including AMD, Apple, Intel, and Nvidia. You're typically required to publish much of the fine print, including wh at was used to compile the executables for the test too.
In Intel's case, it said it used ICC for the Windows laptops and Apple's Xcode 13.1 for the M1 Max. To its credit (although some would say it's just to avoid further Imperial entanglements), Intel discloses far more details on how it achieved its claim here.
Intel
Still, the upshot of Intel's tests says that even at 28 watts or so of power consumption, it's easily outperforming the M1 Max in a test even Apple has signed onto. As you push the wattage envelope of the Core i9-12900HK you're looking at perhaps near 45 percent more performance than that M1 Max.
So, what should you believe? One problem with SPEC benchmarks, though sometimes based on actual application code, is the lack of relatability for consumers. They can be useful for computer science students arguing in the quad, but for most people they're pretty esoteric. We'd probably want to see something we can relate to before determining if and how much of a beat down the new 12th-gen Alder Lake gives the M1 Max. It's very hard to argue against a test published by a benchmarking group even Apple is a member of though.
And it's good Intel published its homework. We wish Nvidia would have said a little more about how it tested the laptops against the Apple M1 Max—did the workloads include ray tracing features that GeForce GPUs pack dedicated hardware for? But it's hard to complain about what Nvidia did when Apple has been publishing results like the one below. This is a benchmark result Apple showed off for the M1 Max's launch and, frankly, we still have no idea what Apple based it on. The dark gray line represents MSI's killer GE76 Raider gaming laptop that's actually—to Apple's credit—displayed as being faster than the M1 Max. The lighter gray line is a Razer Blade Advanced, which is slightly slower than the M1 Max. Both are outfitted with a GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPUs.
Apple admits its slower than Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU, but it's really signaling just how power efficient it is.
Apple
The M1 Max may lose or come close to Nvidia's GPUs in raw performance, but Apple's real victory is its power consumption. Apple's M1 Max and its TSMC 5nm process is indeed impressive for the power it consumes. At the same time, just what the hell was Apple testing? We have no doubt the M1 Max is indeed efficient, but of the three “our bars are longer” presentations, Apple's is the thinnest on actual details and mostly leaves you wondering just how it determined what it did. If you're concerned over Nvidia or Intel being fair, you should be even more concerned about Apple's claims.
In the end, consumers should always take any vendor's claims with a grain of salt. Wait for independent reviews using tests that relate to what you actually do with your laptop before deciding what to buy.
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