Last Updated on June 13, 2023 by Markeyus Franks
Handheld devices have taken over much of our time through innovation and we can’t help but agree that handheld smart devices are increasingly getting capable of offering the same productivity as laptops. Still, there is a need for laptops as in certain aspects, handheld devices cannot offer the performance of the same magnitude as laptops. Laptops have everything that smart devices of today offer but on a magnified scale. Your scope to excel is much higher on these devices with a big screen and keyboard.
2022 has seen the launch of some exciting new laptops and whether you are looking for a workhorse for your business or a gaming machine that will propel you to the top of the leaderboard, there is a laptop for almost every user. What we have for you today are some of the best laptops of 2022 each outscoring the other on different hardware aspects like display, portability or processing power or simply in terms of utility and overall user experience. We have picked the best of the lot and have reviewed each laptop to help you with your purchase.
The Best Laptop Consumers Should Buy – Our Recommendation
The only component in the computing sector that is seeing innovation every year is the processor. While there are supply issues that we stated above, many laptop manufacturers have slowly started rolling out laptops with these new processors. With the fall of 2022 fast approaching we feel, it doesn’t seem right to buy laptops with processors earlier than the current and last generation.
In this regard, we have picked laptops that either has present or at most last generation processors. This is exclusive to our picks for the best laptops in 2022 and we don’t feature laptops with age-old components. The current crop of processors is some of the most advanced processors with unparalleled AI capabilities and the power to run games on even the slimmest of machines.
Take the MacBook Air M2 for example, it is our most recommended device in 2022 and more so after Apple started shipping them with their latest M2 processor. The M2 has exceptional processing and gaming capabilities embedded in an SoC design on a refreshed architecture that offers better processing, graphics and AI capabilities. With a comfortable size and weight to carry around all day and a battery powerful enough to last till post office work even after heavy usage in the day, there aren’t many laptops that can pip Apple’s latest on overall performance.
Best Laptops of 2022 – Our Picks
Apple MacBook Air M2 – Best Overall
The new MacBook Air M2 is a culmination of path-breaking innovation and cutting-edge architecture. Even without military-grade certifications like many laptops, it is sturdy and is built to withstand heavy usage. Under the lid rests an IPS-grade liquid retina display with thin bezels making the 13.6-inch screen surpass the MacBook Pro’s 13.3-inch display. The display supports a billion colors and comes with a notch that houses a new 1080p camera. The display also supports the P3 color gamut and sRGB color coverage stands at 99.9 percent with a 1400:1 contrast ratio and pretty even 500 nits brightness distribution.
The keyboard is from the older MacBook Pro with shallow key travel distance but excellent backlit. The showstopper is the new M2 processor with four each performance and efficiency cores and an eight or ten-core GPU embedded in an SoC design. There is more power now albeit at the cost of slightly reduced efficiency. Single core performance is higher than Intel and AMD counterparts while in multi-core benchmarks, AMD slightly manages to catch up with the M2. Power consumption is higher hence efficiency takes a hit but Apple more than makes up for it with a 16-core neural engine and 100 GB/s memory bandwidth. The GPU is powerful enough to run most games on low-medium settings and render mainstream content
The new Air supports a maximum of 24 GB of LPDDR5 unified memory operating at 6400MHz. For storage, there is a 256GB SSD on board with options to configure up to 2 TB. Battery performance is exceptional with over 15 hours of backup during real-world usage. There is support for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos in the form of four screen-faced speakers offers good clarity but the bass is low. In terms of connectivity, there is Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth for wireless connections and two Thunderbolt 3 ports that double up as USB 4 ports when required.
Pros
- High-Quality Display
- Powerful M2 Processor
- Pro Keyboard
- Exceptional Battery
- Beamforming Three-mic Array
Cons
- Thunderbolt 3
- Inadequate Physical Connectivity Ports
Specifications
Display : 13.6-inch Liquid Retina Display, 2560×1664, 500 nits, P3, True Tone
Processor : Apple M2, 8-Core CPU, 8-10 core GPU, 16-Core Neural Engine
Memory : 8GB LPDDR5-6400 Unified Memory Configurable to 16/24 GB
Storage : 256GB SSD Configurable up to 2TB
Wireless Connectivity : Wi-Fi 6, 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0
Ports : 2x Thunderbolt 3, USB 4, USB 3.1 Gen 2
Battery and Charging : 52.6-Wh Li-Po Battery, 30-watts USB-C Charger
Apple MacBook Pro 13 M2
Next, we have another Apple device, the MacBook Pro 13 M2, taking up the crown of the most portable laptop. The 2022 MacBook Pro comes with a 13.3-inch IPS-grade display and a strong build of aluminium. The case doesn’t attract grease and withstand rough use with ease. Thick bezels around the display are the only spanner in an otherwise perfectly build laptop. The panel is enriched with True Tone Technology that automatically adjusts color temperatures based on ambient light. Brightness is pretty evenly distributed across the panel with 100 percent sRGB coverage and 98.8 percent P3 coverage.
Powering the Pro 13 is the same M2 processor that’s wonderful at executing single-threaded tasks but suffers a bit in multitasking. The base model has an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU with the efficiency cores reaching up to a maximum 2.42GHz and performance cores touching 3.2GHz on load. There are ample scopes to game and create content on the MacBook Pro 13. The M2 offers faster video editing, transcoding with ProRes, image upscaling and scene editing.
The new MacBooks still use the old Magic keyboard and the media touch bar under the display. The Force Touch trackpad allows users to be creative and comes with pressure sensors. Unlike the Air, the Pro is actively cooled and hence there is more room for users to manoeuvre with the load they put on their laptop. Two Thunderbolt 3 ports are all the physical connectivity features with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connections. The battery lasts twenty hours and uses a 67-watt USB-C adapter for charging.
Pros
- Extreme Battery Back-up
- 100GB/s Memory Bandwidth
- Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
- Premium Build Quality
Cons
- NO Thunderbolt 4 or PCIe 4
- Thick Bezels Around Display
Specifications
Display : 13.3-inch IPS Grade Retina Display, 2560×1600, 500 nits, P3, True Tone
Processor : Apple M2, 8-Core CPU, 10 core GPU, 16-Core Neural Engine
Memory : 8GB LPDDR5-6400 Unified Memory Configurable to 16/24 GB
Storage : 256GB SSD Configurable up to 2TB
Wireless Connectivity : Wi-Fi 6, 802.11ax, Bluetooth 5.0
Ports : 2x Thunderbolt 3, USB 4, USB 3.1 Gen 2
Battery and Charging : 58.2-Wh Li-Po Battery, 67-watts USB-C Charger
Microsoft Surface Pro 8
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is the power of a laptop combined with the flexibility of a tablet though you have to procure the clip-on keyboard separately. The device comes with a 13-inch high-quality touchscreen that you can prop up using its built-in kickstand and attach the Surface Pro Signature Keyboard to start working like a regular professional. The IPS panel has a 120Hz refresh rate with a 1000:1 contrast ratio and 450 nits brightness.
At the heart of the tablet, cum laptop is a powerful Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor with a peak frequency of 4.8GHz and Intel Iris Xe graphics with a clock speed of 1350MHz. With this processing power, there is nothing business centric that this convertible cannot do. It can run multiple office applications, Chrome tabs and heavy applications simultaneously. With 16GB LPDDR4X memory and 512GB SSD, there are unlimited possibilities with the Surface Pro 8.
The Surface Pro is Intel Evo certified and comes with Windows 11 out of the box. The Battery lasts around 7 hours on a single charge with support for quick charging. Two Thunderbolt 4 ports and Intel AX201 powered Wi-Fi 6 are the only connectivity options.
Pros
- 120Hz Refresh Rate Display
- Powerful Processor
- Thunderbolt 4 Connectivity
Cons
- No Cellular Connectivity
Specifications
Display : 13-inch, 2880×1920, 450 nits, 120Hz, HDR, IPS, Glossy, Pen Support
Processor : Intel Core i7-1185G7, 4-cores, 4.80GHz
Memory : 16GB LPDDR4X-4266MHz, Configurable up to 32GB
Storage : 256GB SSD Configurable up to 1TB
Wireless Connectivity : Wi-Fi 6, Intel AX201
Ports : 2x Thunderbolt 4
Battery and Charging : 51.5-Wh Battery, 65-watts Charger
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
Unlike the Surface Pro 8, the Surface Laptop 4 features a permanent keyboard. The build is robust with metal strewn all over the body. The lid opens up to a 15-inch touch-enabled IPS display with native pen support but thick bezels all around. IPS screen’s image quality is excellent with a 1500:1 contrast ratio and 97.7 percent sRGB color coverage. Brightness distribution is uneven and peaks at just over 400 nits.
In terms of performance, users get to choose from a variety of processors according to their requirements. The review we have linked to comes with an Intel Core i7 1185G7 processor with 4.80 GHz turbo speed and Intel Iris Xe graphics. The 11th Gen processor is fast enough for everyday tasks and the GPU is powerful enough to drive light content creation and casual gaming. Out of the different configurations available, you can choose between 8, 16 and 32GB of LPDDR4X quad-channel memory.
The Surface Laptop 4 is perfect for users who like to stay close to their work. The device is sleek but very powerful for regular productivity. Its keyboard is responsive and it also allows users to catch up on quality entertainment thanks to Dolby Atmos speakers. It has a battery life of above 10 hours with reduced brightness. There is just a single USB 2.0 port and a USB-C 3.2 Gen1 port and thankfully Wi-Fi 6 makes up for the lack of physical ports.
Pros
- Accurate Colors on Display
- Extreme System Performance
- Silent Operation
- Lightweight Chassis
Cons
- Poor 720p Webcam
- No LTE
Specifications
Display : 15-inch, 2496×1664, IPS, Glossy, Touchscreen
Processor : Intel Core i7-1185G7, 4-cores, 4.80 GHz
Memory : 16GB LPDDR4X-4266MHz, Configurable up to 32GB
Storage : 512GB SSD
Wireless Connectivity : Wi-Fi 6
Ports : 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1
Battery and Charging : 57-Wh Battery, 65-watts Charger
Lenovo Yoga 9i
If you have been waiting for a proper convertible, your wait ends now. The Lenovo Yoga 9i is the best device that can entice both students and business users with its sheer design, build and internal prowess. Lenovo’s convertible sports a 4K UHD display with mesmerizing color coverage and touch support. It has a sturdy hinge and is made to withstand heavy usage. The IPS screen has a brightness of 500 nits with HDR 400 support and 90 percent DCI-P3 color space.
The Yoga 9i features an Intel Core -i7 1195G7 quad-core, multi-threaded processor with 5.0 GHz turbo speed and Intel Evo branding. Coupled with 16GB LPDDR4X memory and Intel Iris Xe graphics, the Yoga 9i is made to handle the heaviest of workloads. The processor excels at both single and multi-threaded tasks and can even handle mainstream games at low settings.
Lenovo’s convertible comes with Windows 11 Home and has two Thunderbolt 4 ports for high-speed connectivity and extended displays. Keyboard performance is good enough with a slightly dim backlit but highly responsive trackpad. It also has a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, MIMO-powered Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.1 for connectivity. Thanks to Intel Evo branding, the Yoga 9i returns decent 7 hours of battery life from its 60WHr battery.
Pros
- Extreme Performance
- Exquisite Display
- Lightweight Build
Cons
- Lacklustre 720p Camera
Specifications
Display : 14-inch, UHD, 3840×2160 IPS, HDR 400, Touchscreen
Processor : Intel Core i7-1195G7, 4-cores, 5.0 GHz
Memory : 16GB LPDDR4X-4266MHz
Storage : 512GB SSD
Wireless Connectivity : Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
Ports : 1x USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1, 2x Thunderbolt 4
Battery and Charging : 60-Wh Battery, 100-watts USB-C Charger
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano
Lenovo ThinkPads have had a penchant for being excellent business-focused laptops and the ThinkPad X1 Nano is no different. Although it’s a feature-rich laptop, its less than a kilo weight is perhaps the driving force behind its popularity. The screen is an HDR 400 certified IPS panel on a 16:10 aspect ratio and 450 nits brightness. Everything on the 2K screen looks amazing with life-like and punchy colors. As with most other ThinkPads, the Nano is a tough device, built to withstand extreme rough use.
It’s tough to imagine how a device so lightweight houses the powerful mid-range Intel Core i7-1160G7 processor that blazes through the heaviest business tasks. With its 4.4GHz peak speed, users can expect to work on huge MS Excel databases to child’s play. Adding to the multi-tasking capabilities of the X1 Nano is 16GB LPDDR4X quad-channel RAM and Intel Iris Xe integrated GPU.
Lenovo keypads rarely disappoint and users would be left particularly impressed with the responsive trackpad. The laptop features a 256GB SSD but users can swap it for a higher capacity drive themselves. Cooling features are adequate with huge vents at the edges. Connectivity ports are limited to just two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a 3.5mm audio port. A 48.2 WHr battery lasts close to 10 hours and supports a rapid charge. In addition to Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth, there is an option for LTE.
Pros
- Ultralight Chassis
- Thunderbolt 4/USB 4
- LTE Connectivity
Cons
- Slow SSD
Specifications
Display : 13-inch, 2K, 2160×1350, IPS, HDR 400
Processor : Intel Core i7-1160G7, 4-cores, 4.4 GHz
Memory : 16GB LPDDR4X-4266MHz
Storage : 256GB SSD
Wireless Connectivity : Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
Ports : 2x Thunderbolt 4
Battery and Charging : 48.2-Wh Battery, 65-watts Charger
Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360
The second true convertible on our list today, the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 is one of the thinnest convertibles you can buy right now. The chassis is extremely sleek and thin with a high-quality 15.6-inch touch-enabled AMOLED display under the lid. The bezels around the display are extremely thin with a peak brightness of 370 nits. Due to the sleek chassis, the Galaxy Book Pro 360 comes with a feather-touch backlit keyboard and a fairly responsive gesture-supporting trackpad.
Powering the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 is the tried and tested workhorse, the Core i7-1165G7. This mid-range processor has stable single and multi-threaded ratings and is good for casual and professional use. Though we do not recommend gaming on this laptop, the Core i7 processor with 4.70 GHz turbo speed and Intel Iris Xe is fully capable of mainstream gameplay at low settings. Users can multi-task on the go thanks to its huge 16GB LPDDR4X memory and store as much as they want with a 2TB SSD.
The Galaxy Book Pro 360 can be used as a convertible with native stylus support. It has one Thunderbolt 4 port supporting 8K displays and two USB-C ports for charging and file transfer. There is a lack of cellular connectivity but users are blessed with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1. Battery performance is excellent with a large 67 Whr cell lasting up to 11 hours on medium usage.
Pros
- AMOLED Display
- Stylus Included
- Thunderbolt 4 Connectivity
- Metal Chassis
Cons
- Poor Keyboard
Specifications
Display : 15.6-inch, AMOLED, 1920×1080, 370 nits
Processor : Intel Core i7-1165G7, 4-cores, 4.70 GHz
Memory : 16GB LPDDR4X-4266MHz
Storage : 2TB SSD
Wireless Connectivity : Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1
Ports : 1x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-C
Battery and Charging : 67-Wh Battery, 65-watts Charger
Dell XPS 13 9310
If you are looking for a purely business-focused laptop, look no further than the Dell XPS 13 9310. The laptop comes in a plastic body with metal accents and a textured palm rest that allows users to be comfortable with the laptop. It has a sleek tapering body with an excellent responsive keyboard and a perfectly placed trackpad. Dell’s displays rarely disappoint and the XPS 13 9310 does not disappoint with its 13.4-inch FHD thin-bezel screen. The screen has an anti-reflective coating with 500 nits brightness and a good contrast ratio.
XPS 13 9310 is a highly portable business laptop with a punchy performance thanks to the Intel Core i7-1185G7 processor. 11th Gen Intel processors offer excellent value for the money and you get to own a powerful device that blazes past everything that you task at your work. Gaming is possible at low-medium settings while you can also create some content on this laptop thanks to 16GB of physical memory and Iris Xe graphics. For storage, there is a 512 GB SSD that is user replaceable.
Dell XPS 13 9310 uses AX1650 powered Killer Wi-Fi 6 with 2×2 capabilities. The laptop comes with Intel Evo branding and is Energy Star certified with full Alexa compatibility and a good 11-hour battery life. However, the charger supplied is pretty slow and takes over 2 hours to charge up fully. Ports are pretty limited with only two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a MicroSD card reader.
Pros
- Bright Display
- High Efficiency
- Upgradeable Storage
Cons
- Thunderbolt 3
Specifications
Display : 13.4-inch, IPS, 1920×1200, 500 nits
Processor : Intel Core i7-1185G7, 4-cores, 4.80 GHz
Memory : 16GB LPDDR4X-4267MHz
Storage : 512GB SSD
Wireless Connectivity : Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
Ports : 2x Thunderbolt 3
Battery and Charging :
Acer Swift 5
Our last pick, the Acer Swift 5 is an Evo-branded thin and light PC with a plastic body. The laptop has a 14-inch FHD IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection over a responsive touch screen. Brightness could be a bit higher than the available 340 nits but images look brightly colored thanks to the 100 percent sRGB color space. The bezels around the display are razor thin with an anti-microbial coating all over the display.
We again find the Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor in this business notebook offer groundbreaking performance in regular business tasks. Its 4.7 GHz peak frequency and 16 GB onboard RAM also allow users to game and create light content with the Acer Swift 5. There is adequate storage in the form of a 1TB SSD that is user replaceable.
Acer equips the Swift 5 with a plethora of connectivity ports. There is a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports and an HDMI 2.0 port to extend displays. The keyboard is backlit and with good travel distance and offers an excellent typing experience for users. The battery is robust with over 15 hours of back up while wireless connectivity features include Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.
Pros
- Explosive Battery Life
- Dual Band Wi-Fi 6
- Multiple Connectivity Ports
- Corning Gorilla Glass Display
Cons
- Poor Speaker Performance
Specifications
Display : 14.0-inch, AMOLED, 1920×1080, 370 nits
Processor : Intel Core i7-1165G7, 4-cores, 4.70 GHz
Memory : 16GB LPDDR4X-4266MHz
Storage : 1TB SSD
Wireless Connectivity : Dual Band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
Ports : 1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
Battery and Charging : 56-Wh Battery, 65-watts Charger
Best Laptops of 2022-FAQ
Q: Which Brand of Laptop is the Best?
Ans: There are many brands of laptop offerings in the market and some of them have good features. But it all depends on what kind of user wants to buy it for their chosen purpose, as every user is different. You can refer to reviews online, who reviewed this product before you purchase it. You will get more information than you can imagine when you search online.
Q: How Much Ram does my Laptop Need?
Ans: Bill Gates once said that no amount of RAM is enough and this is because he could foresee what the tech space is going to be in the future. Presently some applications need more memory than they ever needed before as these applications are complex software and need more resources for each of their features to work properly. Simply put, the amount of RAM depends on the kind of applications you are planning to run on your laptop. 8GB is enough for most regular applications while you should go for 16GB if you will work with heavy applications like Adobe Creative Suite or Articulate Storyline.
