The best laptops of 2016

What should be a good laptop? People name 3 parameters that most influence their subjective assessment of the laptop: performance, screen quality and mobility. Mobility, in turn, is made up of the length of battery life (without charging from the mains) and the convenience of moving from place to place (small dimensions and weight).

Focusing on the opinion of users, we selected for today’s ranking of the best laptops in 2016 in the categories «gorgeous screen», «maximum autonomy» and «performance + compact». And also — 3 most powerful gaming laptops that did not concede a stationary gaming systems for the most demanding games.

Asus Zenbook UX305CA: multimedia ultrabook with unsurpassed screen

Asus Zenbook UX305CA — a compact, lightweight, slim and beautiful laptop with a powerful hardware and excellent touch screen. Equipped with high-performance Intel processor of the latest generation, which is even under heavy load allocates a minimum of heat: the average value of its thermal power is only 4,5 W, maximum — 7 W. Laptop cooling system has no fan, so the unit is completely silent and does not require periodic cleaning of the internal parts from dust.

Asus Zenbook UX305CA is equipped with Samsung IPS-matrix with anti-reflective coating, which has a very high color accuracy, wide viewing angles, color saturation and sharpness of lines. The pixel density of the screen is 276 ppi, whereby it perfectly conveys the finest image details.

Asus Zenbook UX305CA Specifications

• Processor: Intel Core M3 / M5 / M7 / i5.
• RAM (memory): 4-8 Gb, DDR type (LDDR) 3, 1866 MHz, non-removable.
• Video: Intel HD Graphics 520 (integrated in the processor).
• Storage: SSD M.2 format, capacity — 128-512 Gb.
• Battery: li-po, battery life — up to 10 hours, non-removable.
• Interfaces: USB 3.0 — 3 ports, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, micro-HDMI, Audio Out Combo (common for microphone and headphones).
• Cooling system: passive (fanless).
• Screen: touch-type, matt, diagonal — 13.3 «, resolution — 3200h1800, type of matrix — IPS.
• Case Material: outside — aluminum, inside — plastic; Sizes — 324h226h12 mm; weight 1.2 kg.
• Operating system: Windows 10 Home or Pro.
• Optional: webcam, multitouch, ergonomic keyboard with a larger spacing between the keys, microphone, 2 speakers.

Dell XPS 13 2016 9350: laptop with the longest battery life

Dell XPS 13, 2016 — record for autonomy. The maximum duration of its battery life — as much as 18 hours, the average (for a moderate load) — 10-12 hours. It is compact, lightweight and efficient unit with an excellent display, a beautiful, pure sound, and suitable for professional use and for entertainment.

The feature of this notebook — the existence of a universal interface Thunderbolt 3 to connect peripherals such as an external monitor or a LAN adapter.

Dell XPS 13 2016 9350 Specifications

• Processor: Intel Core i5 / i7, 2 cores, frequency — 2200-2500 MHz.
• RAM: 8-16 Gb, LPDDR3 type, 1866 MHz.
• Video: Intel HD Graphics 520 or 540 Iris Graphics integrated.
• Storage: SSD M.2 format, capacity — 256-512 Gb.
• Battery: li-po, the battery life — up to 18 hours non-removable.
• Interfaces: USB 3.0 — 3 ports, Wi-Fi 802.11ac + Miracast, Bluetooth 4.0 / 4.1, a built-in card reader for SD / SDHC / SDXC memory cards, Thunderbolt 3, audio output Combo.
• Cooling System: Active (1 fan).
• Screen: touch-type (optional), brushed, LED-backlit display, diagonal — 13.3 «, resolution — 3200h1800 / 1920 × 1080 resolution, type of matrix — IPS.
• Case Material: outside — aluminum, inside — plastic; Sizes — 304h235h15 mm; weight 1.3 kg.
• Operating system: Windows 10 Home or Pro.
• Optional: webcam, multitouch touchpad, microphone, stereo speakers, LED backlight keyboard.

Apple MacBook Early 2016 — a perfect balance of performance and compactness

Apple MacBook Early 2016 — quality standard, style and technology in a miniature design. The diagonal of its screen is 12 «(the smallest size that is comfortable to use during long operation), body thickness — 13 mm, and weight — only 920 g

Ultrabuk equipped with the same processor and cold productive as Asus Zenbook UX305CA, and also does not require an active purge air. It works silently.

Apple MacBook Early 2016 Specifications

• Processor: Intel Core M3 / M5, 2 cores, frequency — 1100-1200 MHz.
• Chipset: Intel Broadwell-U PCH-LP.
• RAM: 8 Gb, LPDDR3, 1866 MHz.
• Video: Intel HD Graphics 515 integrated.
• Storage: SSD 256-512 Gb.
• Battery: li-po, the battery life — up to 11 hours non-removable.
• Interfaces: USB 3.1 Type C, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, audio output Combo. LAN port available.
• Cooling: passive.
• Screen: LED backlighting, diagonal — 12″, resolution — 2304h1440, 226 ppi (Retina), type of matrix — IPS.
• Operating System: Mac OS X.
• Optional: webcam, multitouch touchpad, microphone, speakers, LED backlight keyboard.

Three heroes: the best gaming laptops in 2016

Bronze medal: DELL Alienware A15

DELL Alienware A15 — great gamer machine designed for the most demanding operations. It is easy to pull the vast majority of modern games. Equipped with the latest generation of super-powerful processor, the fastest to date, RAM (DDR4) and high-performance discrete video. It supports dynamic overclocking and connecting additional external graphics card via Alienware Graphics Amplifier Module.

Thanks to an impressive array of interfaces for connecting peripherals laptop is easily converted into a universal gaming center with multiple monitors, surround sound system, and so on.

Managing computer devices and external modules are carried out by the firm application Alienware Command Center. With it, the user can create configuration profiles for different games and tasks.

Another advantage of the DELL Alienware A15 compared to many other gaming laptops — it’s a good mobility: low weight (under normal to gaming models dimensions of the body) and a capacious battery, which supports autonomous operation up to 7 hours (in reality, with an average charge load is enough for 5 , 5 hours, with intensive — at 3 hours). Reducing the weight of the machine achieved by carbon fiber — material of the shell. Lightweight, durable and wear-resistant carbon fiber used in the aerospace industry.

Specifications

• Processor: Intel Core i7 6700HQ, 4 cores, frequency — 2600-3500 MHz.
• Chipset: Intel HM170.
• RAM: 16 Gb, DDR4-2133 type, 2133MHz. The maximum amount of RAM — 32 Gb.
• Video: discrete — NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M / 970M / 980M or AMD Radeon HD R9 M395X, video memory — 2-4 Gb, type GDDR5; built — Intel HD Graphics 530.
• Storage: SSD (M.2 format) — 256 Gb; HDD (SATA 3) — 1000 Gb.
• Battery: li-ion, battery life — up to 7 hours.
• Interfaces: USB 3.0 — 3 ports, USB 3.1 Type C + Thunderbolt 3 — 1 port, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, LAN port — 1000 MBit / s, audio microphone, audio output for headphones, HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, card reader for SD / SDHC / SDXC, port Alienware Graphics Amplifier dock (allows you to connect to your laptop video card from a stationary PC).
• Screen: touch (optional), brushed, LED-backlit display, diagonal — 15.6 «, resolution — 1920 × 1080 (Full HD) or 3840h2160 (Ultra HD 4K), type of matrix — IPS.
• Material: the lower part of the body — carbon fiber, display module — the aluminum;
• Optional: webcam Full HD, multi-touch touchpad, microphone, speakers, gaming keyboard with rugged programmable buttons and an LED backlight. Corporate 3D sound «Creative Soundblaster».

Silver medal: MSI GT80S 6QE Titan SLI

MSI GT80S 6QE Titan SLI — the perfect solution for the most demanding gamers. The machine is equipped with a super-fast processor, 32 GB DDR4 memory and, unlike its competitors, two graphics cards working together (SLI).

Multiple interface for connecting peripheral devices such as a universal high-speed Thunderbolt port 3, also allow you to turn this laptop into a home game center.

Specifications

• Processor: Intel Core i7 6820HK, 4 cores, frequency — 2700-3600 MHz.
• RAM: 32 Gb, DDR4, 2133MHz. The maximum memory capacity — 64 Gb.
• Video: discrete — two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M (SLI), video memory — 8 Gb, GDDR5; built — Intel HD Graphics 530.
• Storage: SSD (M.2 format) — 256 Gb; HDD (SATA 3) — 1000 Gb.
• Battery: li-ion, battery life — up to 3 hours.
• Interfaces: USB 3.0 — 5 ports, USB 3.1 Type C + Thunderbolt 3 — 1 port, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, LAN port — 1000 MBit / s, audio microphone, audio output for headphones, HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, card reader for SD / SDHC / SDXC.
• Screen: LED backlighting, diagonal — 18.4 «, resolution — 1920 × 1080, type of matrix — IPS.
• Case Material: outside — aluminum, inside — plastic; Sizes — 456h330h494 mm, weight — 4.95 kg.
• Operating system: Windows 10, plus brand SteelSeries Engine 3 app for keyboard settings, mouse and headset. Also — traffic management board «Killer Networking Manager» for online games, access to «WTFast» private gaming network.
• Optional: webcam Full HD, multi-touch touchpad, a discrete sound card, microphone, 4 speakers, subwoofer, gaming keyboard with LED backlight drive DVD ± RW (DL + Blu-Ray), proprietary 3D sound «Sound by Dynaudio», Superefficient cooling system COOLER BOOST 3.

Gold medal: ASUS ROG G752VT

The last participant of today’s rankings — handsome ROG G752VT, pinnacle of evolution of mobile computers from Asus company. It combines unmatched power, ergonomics and style. The newest Intel Skylake with support for dynamic overclocking, DDR4memory generation, NVIDIA excellent graphics card GeForce GTX 970M promises, according to the developer, victory in any game.

Stability and high performance of the laptop under all load conditions provides a unique cooling system with the function of removing dust from internal components, the dust does not accumulate inside the housing and is blown out together with the warm air.

Other features of the ASUS ROG G752VT:

Gaming keyboard with a short response time and processing function up to 30 simultaneous key presses (the competition is the number of a fraction).

Support for drives with NVM Express interface. In contrast to the AHCI standard against which operate drives on the vast majority of mobile computers, NVM Express provides read and write access to 10-40% faster.

Technology G-SYNC, which synchronizes the output frame rate of the graphics processor and the screen update. In this way eliminates gaps, jumps and lag when changing images.

Support for an external graphics card.

The Asus G752VT operating system is integrated with the application Game Center ROG, designed to manage all game options. Also it can be used to record gameplay. In addition, the notebook is equipped with a good sound system, excellent screen with Full HD resolution and a mass of various interfaces for peripherals.

Specifications

• Processor: Intel Core i7 6700HQ, 4 cores, frequency — 2600-3500 MHz.
• Chipset: Intel CM236.
• RAM: 8-32 Gb, DDR4, frequency — 2133MHz. The maximum supported capacity — 64 Gb.
• Video: discrete — NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, the video memory — 3-6 Gb, GDDR5; built — Intel HD Graphics 530.
• Storage: SSD-type NVM Express (with built-in M.2) — 128-256 Gb; Hard Drive (SATA 3) — 1000-2000 Gb.
• Battery: li-ion, battery life — up to 3 hours.
• Interfaces: USB 3.0 — 3 ports, USB 3.1 — 1 port, the Thunderbolt 3, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, LAN port — 1000 MBit / s, audio microphone, audio output for headphones, digital audio output (S / PDIF) , HDMI, mini-DisplayPort, a card reader for SD / SDHC / SDXC.
• Screen: matt, with LED backlighting, a diagonal — 17.3 «, resolution — 1920 × 1080, the type of matrix — IPS.
• Housing material: plastic, aluminum.
• Optional: webcam Full HD, multi-touch touchpad, microphone, speakers, subwoofer, gaming keyboard with LED backlight and soft keys, a unique cooling system with a channel for removing dust, surround audio streams generated by technology «Sonic Studio» and «Sonic Radar» .