There was a time when laptops were rumored to be waning in popularity as consumers' increasing interest in tablets and large phones seemed to threaten the laptops' existence.
However, the CES 2015 trade show has proven such idea to be nothing but a "speculation." The event displayed a number of exciting models that consumers should watch out for in the coming days.
One important thing that a consumer should do when getting a new laptop is to know what his or her needs are. Some of the things to consider include choosing a platform (Chrome, Mac, or Windows OS), laptop size, keyboard and touchpad, specs, type (hybrid or traditional), battery life, budget and brand.
To make things a little bit easier, here are some of the best laptops that have managed to outshine the rest in terms of features and "unique" capabilities. They are mentioned in random order and not according to rank.
Dell XPS 13. Dell touts the XPS 13 as the smallest 13-inch laptop that one can find on the planet. Its optional Ultra Sharp Quad+ infinity display with 5.7 million pixels is surrounded by a minimal bezel. The top and bottom parts are reinforced with carbon fiber elements and machined aluminum. It's a "solid and strong as a rock" machine with an impressively fast and responsive touchpad. The battery promises to last up to 15 hours. Other features include RAM of either 4GB or 8GB and SSD of 256GB. Packed with the 5th genation Intel Core processor, the XPS 13 starts at $799 for the Core i3 version. It could reach as high as $1,899 for the Core i7, which is built with the QHD+ display.
Acer Chromebook 15. For consumers who enjoy working the "Google" way, Acer has made for them a Chromebook to match their needs. The Chromebook 15 is a 15.6-inch laptop that is meant to offer a bigger screen experience to the Chrome OS of Google. In order to keep the price down and the weight low, Acer used plastic instead of metal in the laptop's build. While it boasts a crisp 1920 by 1080 pixel resolution, consumers can opt to have a 1366 by 768 resolution in their laptop's display. Other features include the new 5th generation Intel Core i3, 16GB or 32GB SSD, 2GB or 4GB of RAM, all-day battery, MIMO 2x2 WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI, USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and SD card reader. Its pricing starts at $249.99.
Alienware 15. Dell's Alienware lineup has come up with a fresh take on one of the PC maker's most popular products, which is none other than the Alienware 15. While it may have the same features found among rivals (impressive RAM, 5th generation Intel Core processor, Nvidia GTX 980M), its most unique feature is the Graphics Amplifier. The latter is an external bay, which has been designed to support a single PCI Express graphics card of up to 375 watts.
Samsung ATIV Book 9. The ATIV Book 9 laptop from Samsung is a Windows-based ultrabook, which could be the strongest competitor of Apple's MacBook Air. As TechTimes previously reported, the ATIV Book 9 is "the latest in the company's Series 9 laptops and is the very first to be powered by an Intel Core M processor, which allows devices to go fanless while maintaining battery life and performance." The base model begins at $1,199.99.
Apple MacBook Air. The MacBook Air is probably one laptop name that never really lost its appeal to consumers. Though Apple has the habit of keeping their products "not visible" in every CES event, the MacBook Air certainly deserves to be mentioned in this lineup. For 2015, Apple is set to release an all-new MacBook Air that bears a radically new design and boasts the latest USB Type-C port. Pricing details are yet to be announced.
Lenovo Yoga 3. The Yoga 3, which has an 11-inch display, is similar to the Yoga 3 Pro that was released in the previous year, although it is absolutely a more compact version. It has a 1920 by 1080 display, SSD of up to 258GB, memory of up to 8GB and stereo speakers. It's scheduled to hit store shelves in March and will be priced at $799. Its 14-inch model will retail at $979.
MSI GT80 Titan. This gaming laptop comes with a type of keyboard that is fully mechanical in order to deliver the best possible feedback and game controls. It is billed by MSI as the thinnest and lightest gaming laptop in the world today. It is speculated to retail at $3,500, which could be attributed to its "powerhouse" features such as Intel Core i7-4980HQ processor, RAM of 24GB, 128GB M2 SATA SSDs and 1TB 7200 HDD.
