Best Laptops of 2021 | Apple's new M1 MacBooks shine, Asus for the Win (dows), and more

Earlier this month, we went through a list of the best gaming laptops users could buy in India in 2021. However, the current list will tackle the current crop of laptops, weaving out the very best of 2021. So without further delays, here are our picks for the best laptops of 2021.

Best Windows Laptop 2021 | Asus ROG Flow X13 | There’s no doubt that Dell’s XPS 13 and 15 models are some of the bests we’ve seen in 2021. However, our pick for the best Windows laptop in 2021 has to go to the Asus ROG Flow X13. While conventional premium laptops like the Dell XPS, HP Spectre, and Lenovo Yoga Carbon laptops offer a premium laptop experience, the Asus ROG Flow X13 offers so much more. The slim and light machine can be outfitted with an entry-level graphics card in a slim 13-inch profile, the Flow X13 also has a connector for an external E-GPU. So, while the Flow X13 may be an ordinary premium laptop, the E-GPU that goes with it transforms the overall experience giving you the versatility of a powerhouse gaming laptop with the e-GPU and a slim and light productivity workhorse without it.

Best Mid-range Laptop 2021 | Apple MacBook Air | While the new M1 version of the MacBook Air was revealed in late 2020, it still stands as one of the best mid-range laptops around. The new version of the MacBook Air can take on some of the best Windows laptops around without the hefty price tag of newer MacBook Pro models. The MacBook Air can handle games at playable frame rates as well as intense photo and video editing thanks to the M1 chip, which is quite impressive for a mid-tier laptop. Whether it’s content creation, light gaming, or multi-tasking, the MacBook Air can handle it all at quite a reasonable price.

Best Budget Laptop 2021 | Asus VivoBook K15 OLED | Asus’ Vivobook line-up is tailored towards budget-minded consumers. However, this year, Asus took an OLED screen and put it on a budget laptop. Displays have always been a major issue among budget laptops, but the display is the strongest aspect of the Vivobook K15 OLED. This makes the VivoBook OLED of the best budget laptops around by addressing the biggest drawback of laptops in this segment.

Best Premium Laptop 2021 | Dell XPS 13 | While laptops like the HP Spectre and Lenovo Yoga series have become synonyms with all things premium, the title for Best Premium laptop of 2021 well-deservedly goes to the Dell XPS 13 (2021). In our review of the XPS 13 (2021), we noted “Dell retains everything that makes the XPS great while improving performance courtesy of the latest 11th Gen Intel processors.”

Best Laptop for Creators 2021 | Asus Zenbook Pro Duo | While the MacBook Pro may be the best-in-its-class for content creators, the Asus ZenBook or Zephyrus Duo laptops go the extra mile. While the MacBook Pro does offer superior performance, Asus’ Duo models have a second screen that can be utilised to great effect. The second screen on Asus Duo laptops can do everything from running multiple apps to splitting a single app to help increase productivity.

Best Laptop for Work & Play 2021 | Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 (2021) | This year’s Zephyrus G15 delivered on all fronts. whether it be gaming or performance, the G15 handled every task exceptionally well without breaking the bank, making it the most impressive gaming laptop of 2021. Asus also equipped the G15 with well-balanced hardware built into a solid chassis that could handle the heat with minimal stress. And beyond AAA gaming, the Zephyrus also has excellent speakers and nearly eight hours of battery life, which is simply amazing for a gaming laptop.

Best Mobile Workstation 2021 | Acer Concept D & Asus ProArt | While regular creators will be content working with an Nvidia RTX 30-series GPU and an 11th Gen Intel or Apple M1 chip, more demanding users often look elsewhere. That’s where the Acer Concept D9 Pro and Asus ProArt StudioBook 16 Pro are as powerful as it gets with Nvidia Quadro 5000 and Quadro 6000 GPUs, respectively. The laptops can also be equipped with Intel Xeon processors to push the limits of performance even further. It is worth noting that Asus’ ProArt model offers more portability than the Concept D9 Pro.

Best Chromebook 2021 | Lenovo Chromebook Duet | If you are looking for a budget Chromebook to take into 2022, then the Lenovo Chromebook Duet is an excellent pick. The Chromebook features a 10.1-inch Full HD display, a MediaTek Helio P60T processor, 4GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of eMMC storage. While we haven’t reviewed the Duet, it comes highly recommended and has some of the most impressive battery life you’ll find on a Chromebook.

Most Improved Laptop 2021 | Apple MacBook Pro | While most Windows laptops saw minor to solid upgrades in 2021, Apple’s new MacBook Pro models saw the biggest transformational change with the introduction of a new chip as well as critical improvements across the board, earning it the rank of most improved laptop in 2021. The M1 Max chipset on the MacBook Pro is one of the most powerful we’ve seen on laptops. While Intel’s Alder Lake CPUs are beginning to impress, they aren’t available on laptops yet, so as of now the new M1 Max MacBook Pro laptops have seen the biggest improvements in 2021.