Laptop sales have slowing down the last few years due to the emergence of powerful phablets and tablets.
However, the category has been making a comeback as of late thanks to incredibly thin and light laptops such as the HP Spectre and 2-in-1’s such as the Surface Pro.
Read : TechRadar India Special: BEST TECH OF 2016
2016 also saw Apple finally updating it’s Pro line of laptops, with the new MacBook Pro 2016 that comes with the revolutionary new TouchBar.
Let’s take a look back at the 5 best laptops of 2016:
(Note: The list is not ranked. Also we have only included laptops that have been released in India and are available to buy as of 22nd December 2016)
1/5 HP Spectre
The HP Spectre looks and feels fantastic and the level of craftsmanship is akin to that of an Apple product, which is to say its excellent.
The 13.3 Display is a full HD LED backlit IPS LCD panel which looks gorgeous and has great viewing angles. It is protected by Gorilla Glass, which should help prevent scratches.
The Spectre comes in two variants. The flagship variant comes with an Intel Core i7 7500U processor running at 2.7 GHz with a turbo boost unto 3.5GHz, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, Intel HD Graphics 520, 512 GB PCLE SSD and Windows 10 Pro. The lower spec model comes with an Intel Core i5 processor, the same 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
In terms of connectivity, the Spectre aims to draw inspiration from Apple and comes with only 3 USB C ports which means you need loads and loads of adapters for day to day use.
The cheaper model with Intel Core i5 and 256GB SSD comes in at Rs. 1,05,090 and the higher end variant with Intel Core i7 and a 512GB SSD costs Rs. 1,47,090.
The Spectre is an exquisitely crafted laptop with astonishing attention to detail and gorgeous looks. It is incredibly thin, light and is extremely powerful for such a petite laptop.
Also read: HP Spectre review: Crafted to perfection
2/5 Asus ZenBook 3
The ZenBook 3 packs incredibly powerful specs and a great HD display in a small and svelte chassis.
It is fashioned out of an aerospace-grade aluminium alloy with the company’s trademark ‘spun-metal’ texture that is also seen on the ZenPhone 3.
It is incredibly thin and svelte, clocking at 910 grams with a maximum thickness of 11.9mm.
It packs a 12.5-inch full-HD display with Gorilla Glass 4 to help protect from scratches, a backlit keyboard, Harmon-Kardon speakers for a premium audio experience and a 6-cell, 40WHr battery which Asus claims will give you up to 9 hours of battery life.
On the connectivity front, The ZenBook 3 comes with a USB-type C port for charging and data transfer and a headphone/microphone combo port.
Also read: Asus ZenBook 3 review: Compact powerhouse
3/5 Apple MacBook Pro (with Touchbar)
The new MacBook Pro comes in an all new chassis, which is much slimmer and lighter than the old one. In fact, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is actually thinner and has less volume than the 13-inch MacBook Air.
In a nutshell, the new MacBook Pros come with an adaptive touch strip called the Touch Bar, the latest Intel Core i5/i7 processors, super fast SSD, a super slim and light design, Touch ID and fair Thunderbolt 3 /USB C ports.
The new MacBook Pro comes in an all new chassis, which is much slimmer and lighter than the old one. In fact, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is actually thinner and has less volume than the 13-inch MacBook Air.
In a nutshell, the new MacBook Pros come with an adaptive touch strip called the Touch Bar, the latest Intel Core i5/i7 processors, super fast SSD, a super slim and light design, Touch ID and FOUR Thunderbolt 3 /USB C ports.
The Touch ID sensor is located on the power button just next to the Touch Bar and is powered by a brand new chip called T1, which provides a secure enclosure for storing your fingerprints.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touchbar starts at Rs 155,900 and the 15-inch variant is available from Rs 1,72,900.
4/5 Lenovo Yoga Book
The Yoga Book comes with a 10.1-inch fullHD touchscreen display, a quad-core Intel Atom x5-Z8550 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.
As with all Yoga machines, the Yoga Book can also be used in different modes such as Tent, Tablet and as a laptop.
What makes the Yoga Book so fresh and interesting is the fact that it doesn't come with a traditional physical keyboard. Underneath the 10.1-inch HD touchscreen display is another touch surface which displays an onscreen keyboard whenever required. Lenovo calls this a ‘Halo Keyboard’.
What makes the device stand out even further is the fact that the entire touch panel is also a digitiser. Lenovo bundles a stylus alongside the Yoga Book which has 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity. Dubbed the 'Real Pen', the stylus can actually be used to write on an actual piece of paper.
In fact, one can just take a piece of paper, put it on top of the 'Halo Keyboard' and start writing. Everything that you write on the piece of paper will be displayed on screen. Basically, the Yoga book digitises what you write on actual paper. Wacom provides the technology behind the ‘Real Ink Pen’.
Also read: Lenovo Yoga Book first impressions
5/5 Dell XPS 13
The Dell XPS 13 features a revolutionary design that's astonishingly thin and light. It has a nearly borderless 13.3-inch display which is crammed into a chassis equivalent to that of an 11-inch laptop.
The XPS 13 comes with Intel's latest Skylake processors, 8/4GB of DDR3 RAM, 256/128GB of storage and Windows 10 Home.
Unlike the HP spectre and the Apple MacBook Pro 2016, the XPS 13 doesn't skimp out when it comes to connectivity. It comes with 2 USB 3.0 ports, 1 Thunderbolt 3 port and an SD card reader.
The gorgeous bezel-less display, extremely thin and light chassis and stellar battery life make the XPS 13 a force to be reckoned with. It starts at Rs 94,990 for the 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD version and Rs 1,31,990 for the 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD variant.
