Top 5 laptops for 2017 revealed
Top 5 laptops for 2017.
With smartphones being capable of doing practically everything lately, it might seem as though getting a good laptop would be difficult. What sets a good laptop apart is its ability to balance power, efficiency, portability, and comfort. It should have a fantastic keyboard and trackpad to go along with it.
The modern laptop is lightweight, sleek, efficient, easily portable, and powerful enough to get any computing task done. Again, a good laptop should be easy to carry around from place to place, and it should have a battery life that is able to last at least eight hours of a day without needing to be plugged in.
It should be powerful enough for almost anything short of intensive video editing and advanced gaming. Unlike smartphones, laptops are different in that an individual’s needs for the device may vary. Some people need to do video editing or web design and photo editing. Others just need a reliable keyboard and a few windows, so something less powerful will do. Some might want a super light laptop that can sometimes double as a tablet.
In non-ranking order, IT News Africa has rounded up some of the best laptops for 2017.
The Huawei MateBook X
1. Huawei MateBook X
Huawei launched the MateBook range in May 2017, alongside the MateBook X was the MateBook E which has a detachable keyboard and doubles up as a tablet and notebook.
Being the first clamshell laptop manufactured by Huawei, the 13-inch fanless notebook has Intel’s latest-generation processor, a crazy-sharp 2K screen and a fancy power button that doubles as a fingerprint reader. The laptop prices range from $1,099. This device is definitely a must have this year.
Specs:
Operating System: Windows 10
Physical size: 13.0 inches
Dimensions: 2160×1440 inches IPS non-touchscreen, 200ppi
Graphics processor: Intel HD Graphics 620
System Memory: 4/8GB LPDDR3 RAM
Storage: 256/512GB SSD
Battery: 5449mAh non-removable battery
Apple MacBook Pro 2017 13.3-inch.
2. Mac Book Pro 2017
The latest version of Apple’s MacBook Pro was launched in June 2017. The MacBook Pro comes in two sizes the 13-inch and the 15-inch model. The device contains the latest, 7th generation (Kaby Lake) Intel Core i-series chips, but still maxes out at 16GB of DDR3 RAM.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro is locked at 2,560 x 1,600 pixels whereas the 15-inch version supports a 2,880 x 1,800 display. The 13-inch MacBook Pro has a premium design. It comes in a darker, iPhone-inspired Space Grey, or a classic silver finish. with a Touch Bar you will also get a Touch ID fingerprint reader, which means you can unlock your laptop with your fingerprint, rather than a password. The device retail price starts at $1,299.00.
Specs
Operating System: Mac OS X
Screen Size: 13.3-inches
Dimensions: 13 x 2.2 x 9.4 inches
Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7
System memory: 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3
Storage: 256GB PCIe-based onboard SSD
Battery: Built-in 76.0-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
Lenovo Yoga 520.
3. Lenovo Yoga 520
Lenovo launched the Yoga 520 earlier this year along with the 720. The Lenovo Yoga 520 weighs 1.74 kg and is 19.9mm thick. The 520 is fitted with a 14-inch HD IPS touchscreen panel. It has two screen options available for potential customers, Full HD or HD. The HD panel of 720p resolution, while the FHD offers a more impressive, but industry standard, 1080p resolution.
The Yoga 520 comes with 64-bit Windows 10 Home pre-installed. Apart from the Windows apps, users also get a suite of Lenovo apps that help run the system. With a retail price starting at $449.99, the laptops come with accessories like the optional Lenovo Active Pen and a fingerprint reader for iron-clad security.
Specs:
Operating system: Windows 10 Home
Size: 1.74kg
Dimensions: 330 x 235 x 19.9mm/12.9 x 9.3 x 0.8″
Processor: Up to 8th Gen Intel Core i7
System memory: Up to 16GB DDR4
Storage: Up to 512GB PCIe SSD/Up to 1TB SATA HDD/Up to 512GB PCIe SSD + 1TB SATA HDD
Battery: 2-cell (35Wh)/Up to 10 hours
Dell Xps 13.
4. Dell XPS 13
Dell’s XPS 13 is somewhat of a classic design at this point, even if it is iterated upon each generation. The latest device has the thin bezels, holding in the slightly larger 13.3-inch display. It’s built using a combination of aluminium and carbon fibre which helps keep the weight down.
Dell’s range of XPS 13 laptops come with varied hardware configurations depending on what you’re willing to spend. At the low-end, it offers Core i3 and i5 CPUs from Intel’s 7th generation of processors, specifically the i3-7100U and i5-7200U. At the higher-end, it offers chips from the new Intel 8th generation, specifically the Core i7-8550U quad-core. Retailing at $799.99, the device offers between 4GB and 16GB of LPDDR3, and up to 1TB of solid-state storage space.
Specs:
Operating system: Windows 10 Home
Size: 1.2 kg
Dimensions: 1.97 x 7.87 x 0.35 – 0.59 inches
Processor: Intel Core i7 (4th Gen) 4510U / 2 GHz
System memory: 8 GB
Storage: 256GB PCIe SSD
Battery: 60WHr Integrated Battery
Microsoft Surface Book 2.
5. Microsoft Surface Book 2
The Surface Book 2 is Microsofts’2-in-1 laptop that was released in November 2017. It is a versatile laptop that offers great tablet experience. With a weight of as little as more than 1.5 kgs, the Surface Book is easy to handle.
The Surface Book 2 has an eighth-generation core i7 processor and a Nvidia GTX 1050 GPU with 2GB of GDDR5 graphics memory, both big upgrades over the previous model, which is the Surface Book. The device has up to 16GB of system RAM and has a 15-inch touchscreen display with enhanced colour and graphics or a 13.5-inch display. According to Microsoft it up to 17 hours of battery life. You can get the Surface Book for a starting of $1,499.
Specs:
Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
Size: 13.5-inch
Dimensions: Intel HD 620 or Nvidia GTX 1050 / GTX 1060.
Processor: Intel Core i5 or i7.
System memory: 13.5″: 8 or 16 GB LPDDR3 RAM; 15″
Storage: 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB SSD
Battery: claimed 17 hours
By Fundisiwe Maseko
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