Windows is the world’s most popular operating system, making up more than 70 per cent of the market according to Statista.
One of the reasons behind the enduring success of Windows is the fact that it’s a highly established operating system. Since Microsoft announced the first version of Windows way back in 1985, the US tech giant has continued to improve the operating system by regularly releasing small updates and security patches. And every few years, it announces an entirely redesigned version of Windows.
The latest major Windows upgrade came out in October 2021 and is called Windows 11. It boasts new and amazing features, such as a redesigned user interface, the ability to use Android applications on Windows 11 devices, a revamped Microsoft Store, integration with Microsoft Teams, improved productivity functionalities and so much more. Arguably, the best thing about Windows 11 is that it doesn’t cost a penny; owners of supported Windows 10 devices can upgrade to it for free.
What also makes Windows so popular is that, unlike Apple’s macOS, it isn’t closed off to third-party manufacturers. As a result, there’s a large and constantly expanding market for Windows laptops. Whether you want a laptop for working, gaming, studying or simply browsing the web, you won’t struggle to find a Windows laptop that suits your needs and budget.
But of course, having such a large choice of Windows laptops on the market makes it hard to choose a model that ticks all the right boxes and ultimately meets your expectations. To help you make an informed choice, we’ve rounded up the best Windows laptops of 2022. They include options from leading manufacturers like Microsoft, Lenovo, HP, Asus and Samsung.
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Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
As well as offering a popular operating system, Microsoft also makes its own laptops under the Surface brand. And the latest model from this range is the Surface Laptop 5. Its top features include 13.5-inch or 15-inch touchscreens, 12th Gen Intel Core i5/i7 processors, a Thunderbolt 4 port for linking the laptop to an external 4K display, Windows 11, 17 hours of battery life, two far-field microphones, up to 32GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, an HD webcam and more. The Surface 5 sports a premium aluminum design and is available in several colours: Platinum Alcantara, Black Metal, Sage Metal and Sandstone Metal.
Prices start at £999.
Buy now, Microsoft
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
If you’re a creative professional and need a top-quality laptop for your craft, look no further than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio. It’s been designed to deliver the best possible performance, with a quad-core 11th Gen Intel Core H Series processor, NVIDIA’s Ampere architecture, and the DirectX 12 Ultimate and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, up to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of SSD under the hood.
There’s also a large 14.4-inch touchscreen display with Dolby Vision and a 120Hz refresh rate, so you should find it bright to look at and super smooth to use. Paired with the Surface Slim Pen 2, the display is perfect for drawing and making notes. Other features include Windows 11 Home, two USB C ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, Dolby Atmos sound, a 1080p webcam, Bluetooth 5.1, WiFi 6 and a high-end ââmagnesiumâ¯and aluminium build.
Buy now £1449.00, Microsoft
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Microsoft offers its own compact laptop in the form of the Surface Laptop Go 2. It sports a 12.4-inch 1536 x 1024 touchscreen, a quad-core 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, up to 256GB of storage, up to 8GB of RAM, one USB C port, one USB A port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an HD webcam, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 technology, an aluminum body and more. You can get it in a range of snazzy colours, including Sage, Ice Blue, Sandstone and Platinum.
Buy now £529.00, Microsoft
Asus X515
For students looking for an affordable Windows laptop, the Asus X515 is a great option. Costing just £339, it offers a large 15.6-inch display with full HD visuals and an anti-glare coating to prevent users from experiencing eye strain after using the laptop for long periods of time. The device has impressive specs for such an affordable price, including a 10th Gen Intel Core i3 processor, Intel UHD graphics, 256GB of storage, 8GB of RAM and 12 hours of battery life. The Asus X515 also comes with Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 11, running out of the box.
Buy now £339.00, AO
Lenovo Legion 5 AMD Advantage Edition
The Lenovo Legion 5 AMD Advantage Edition is a Windows gaming laptop that won’t break the bank. One of its headline features is a large 15.6-inch display that delivers a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Under the hood, there’s an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor, 512GB of storage, 8GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card. In terms of software, the laptop runs on Windows 10. Other features include an HD webcam, two 2W speakers, two USB C ports, four USB 3.2 ports, a single HDMI 2.1 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth 5.1 technology. Something to bear in mind is that this laptop is pretty heavy.
Buy now £899.00, Currys
Dynabook Portégé X40L-K
The Portégé X40L-K is a powerful Windows laptop designed specifically for people who work in a hybrid environment. It sports a compact design and is ideal if you spend a lot of time working on the go. The screen is 14 inches in size, which should be fine for most people, and has special blue light-reducing technology to prevent eye strain.
In terms of other features, the laptop provides 12th Gen Intel Core processors, up to 1TB of storage, a micro SD card slot for extra memory, 11 hours of battery life, two USB C ports, two USB 3.2 ports, a single USB 2.0 port, WiFi 6, Dolby Atmos Sound and a fingerprint sensor.
Buy now £1266.49, Box
LG Gram 16
The LG Gram 16 is another premium Windows laptop aimed at professionals. It has a large 16-inch display with a 2560x1600 resolution and an anti-glare layer. Other features include a 12th Gen Intel Core processor, Windows 11 Home, 1TB of storage, 16GB of RAM, an Intel Iris Xe GPU, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 technology, Amazon Alexa support and 1.5W speakers designed to deliver powerful audio.
Using the two Thunderbolt 4 ports, you can easily link the LG Gram 16 to an external 5K display and charge your devices. The battery should provide up to 20.5 hours of power, so your laptop won’t run out during a busy day of working on the go. While the Gram 16 is light to hold, the design seems a little cheap for such an expensive laptop.
Buy now £1059.00, Currys
HP Envy x360 13
If you can’t decide between purchasing a laptop or a tablet PC, it’s worth considering a convertible laptop like the HP Envy x360 13. The 13.3-inch 1920 x 1200 touchscreen has a 360-degree hinge, so you can either use it as a laptop screen or turn it into a tablet. This gives you the best of both worlds. You also get an Intel Core i7 1250U processor, an Intel Iris X GPU, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, a microSD card slot for extra memory, Windows 11 Home, two speakers, up to 17.5 hours of battery life, a variety of ports and more. Overall, it has a sleek and premium design.
Buy now £1099.99, HP
HP Envy 16
The HP Envy 16 is ideal for anyone who wants a laptop with a large display that also happens to be touch sensitive. Its touchscreen measures 16 inches and offers a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. Other features include an Intel Core i7 or i9 processor, up to 32GB of RAM, up to 2TB of storage, a microSD card slot, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card, four speakers, more than nine hours of battery life, a variety of ports, a five-megapixel front-facing camera and more. It’s slightly on the heavy side, but this is understandable due to the sheer size of the laptop. The silver version looks classy, too.
Buy now £1599.98, HP
Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360
The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 is a high-end convertible laptop that runs on the Windows 11 operating system. With a 13.3-inch or 15.6-inch touchscreen that can be used in laptop and tablet modes, it’s perfect for creative professionals. It also boasts a 12th Generation Intel Core processor, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, up to 16GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, WiFi 6, an FHD webcam, a 68W battery, a single Thunderbolt 4 port, two USB C ports, an S Pen and more. You can get the Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 in either silver or burgundy.
Buy now £1149.00, Samsung
Verdict
If you want the best overall Windows laptop, we’d recommend getting the recently released Surface Laptop 5 from Microsoft. As Microsoft’s flagship laptop of 2022, it offers two great display options, fast processors, Windows 11 out-of-the-box, great battery life and many other amazing features. And for those who don’t want to spend £1000 on a Windows Laptop, a great option is the Asus X515. At such a cheap price, it offers a large display, decent internals and a large range of features.
