Laptop Test 2020: The Best Notebooks For The Office, University And Work

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Laptop Test 2020: The Best Notebooks For The Office, University And Work
Laptop Test 2020: The Best Notebooks For The Office, University And Work

Video: Laptop Test 2020: The Best Notebooks For The Office, University And Work

Video: Laptop Test 2020: The Best Notebooks For The Office, University And Work
Video: Top 10 Best Business Laptops in 2021 2024, March
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placement product price offer
Entry-level model: HP 15s-fq1420ng approx. 500 euros To Cyberport
Price-performance tip: Acer Swift 3 approx. 750 euros To Cyberport
Highend: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 approx.1,560 euros To notebook cheaper

If you are only interested in gaming laptops, take a look at our associated purchase advice: The best gaming laptops 2020.

Entry-level model: HP 15s-fq1420ng

HP 15s-fq1420ng

Now from € 477.00 at Cyberport price comparison price can now be higher. Price from 26.07.2020 23:29

The HP 15s-fq1420ng is the cheapest model on our list with almost 500 euros. It has a matte display with 15.6 inches and an Intel Core i3-1005G1 processor. It is a dual-core CPU that uses little energy. Nevertheless, it offers enough performance to do all office work smoothly. Older or less demanding games shouldn't be a problem either.

In addition to the built-in 8 GB RAM, the laptop also has 16 GB Intel Optane memory. According to the manufacturer, this is an intelligent memory that remembers the most frequently used programs and loads them in advance the next time. This should make the computer work even faster.

Note: The operating system is Windows 10 S. The main difference to normal Windows 10 is that only applications from the Microsoft Store can be installed. If you want to use programs outside the Microsoft Store, an upgrade to Windows 10 Home or Pro would make sense.

HP 15s-fq1420ng at Cyberport

screen
  • 15.6 inch display
  • 1920 x 1080 pixels
Anti-glare display Yes
hard disk 256 GB SSD
random access memory 8 GB + 16 GB Intel Optane
connections
  • 1x USB 3.1 Type-C
  • 2x USB 3.1 Type-A
  • 1x AC smart pin
  • 1x headphone / microphone combo connector
  • 1x HDMI 1.4b connector
  • 1x SD card reader
processor Intel Core i3-1005G1
graphic Intel UHD graphics
operating system Windows 10 S

Alternative with Ryzen processor: The Lenovo V155-15. A little more than 560 euros are due here, but there is a CD drive and Windows 10 Pro. This model also contains the Ryzen 5 3500U, which is significantly more powerful than the Intel Core i3-1005G1.

Price-performance tip: Acer Swift 3

Acer Swift 3 SF314-57-55BK

Now from € 743.00 at Cyberport price comparison price can now be higher. Price from 2020-27-07 01:07 a.m.

The Acer Swift 3 SF314-57-55BK is our price-performance winner, who is also a good all-rounder. The compact 14 inch IPS display ensures that this model comes with a weight of just under 1.6 kg. The SSD is sufficiently large with 512 GB. The device also has an Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor including the integrated Intel UHD graphics and 8 GB of RAM. However, one of the RAM latches is soldered and can therefore not be easily replaced. However, you can upgrade the RAM and increase the RAM to a maximum of 12 GB.

Thus, this laptop is a lot more powerful than, for example, the aforementioned HP 15s-fq1420ng. Gaming is quite possible with this laptop in a chic aluminum robe. But it won't be enough for the latest AAA games. Incidentally, GIGA tested the Acer Swift 3 and we were most impressed by the image quality and the long-lasting battery. What else we think about the device, you will learn in our corresponding test.

Acer Swift 3 at Cyberport

screen
  • 14 inch IPS display
  • 1920 x 1080 pixels
Anti-glare display Yes
hard disk 512 GB SSD
random access memory 8 GB (expandable to 12 GB)
connections
  • 1x USB 3.1 Type-C
  • 3x USB 3.0
  • 1x USB 2.0
  • 1x HDMI
  • 1x headphone / microphone combo connector
  • 1x SD card reader
processor Intel Core i5-1035G1
graphic Intel UHD graphics
operating system Windows 10 Home (64 bit)
particularities
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Fingerprint sensor

Convertible alternative: If you prefer a convertible - a laptop that can also be used as a tablet - take a look at the HP Pavilion x360 14-dw0107ng. At just under 880 euros, this model is a little more expensive, but has a touchscreen and 16 GB RAM. In exchange for this, a separate graphics card was dispensed with.

The best high-end laptop: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401IU-HE001T
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401IU-HE001T

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401IU-HE001T

Now from € 1,558.69 at a notebook price comparison price can now be higher. Price from 26.07.2020 23:41

Hardly any high-end laptop is as compact, durable and at the same time as powerful as the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401IU-HE001T. Compared to the other devices in this segment, the design is rather simple. Thanks to the narrow edges of the screen, you can also enjoy the matte 14-inch display without restrictions. In addition, the display of this model has a refresh rate of 120 Hz, which creates a more pleasant picture for the human eye.

The AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS provides the necessary computing power in combination with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. You also have 16 GB of fast DDR4 RAM with 3,200 MHz. If necessary, this can be expanded to 24 GB, with one of the latches being soldered. Finally, the battery with 76 Wh provides the necessary endurance so that you don't have to keep an eye on an outlet during your work. In our detailed test of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 you will get even more information about the device and our final rating.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 at Notebooksbilliger

screen
  • 14 inch IPS display
  • 1920 x 1080 pixels
  • 120 Hz
Anti-glare display Yes
hard disk 512 GB NVMe SSD
random access memory 16 GB (expandable to 24 GB)
connections
  • 2x USB 3.2 Type-A Gen1 (Power Delivery & DisplayPort 1.4 with G-Sync)
  • 2x USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2
  • 1x HDMI 2.0b
  • 1x headphone / microphone combo connector
processor AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS
graphic Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q (6 GB GDDR6)
operating system Windows 10 Home (64 bit)
particularities Backlit keyboard

Alternative with even more power: The GA401IV-HE244T with an RTX 2060 graphics card and the AniMe Matrix is available from the same model series for around 2,000 euros - these are over a thousand individual LEDs on the notebook cover that can be individually adjusted. If you're looking for a 2-in-1 device, check out the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 for just under 1,800 euros.

The best laptops in 2020: this is how we tested it

There are many laptop models on the market today. Convertible, 2-in-1 device, ultrabook or would you prefer a mobile gaming computer? We have focused on laptops that are suitable for the office, university and everyday work. At the same time, we wanted to cover different price segments and also offer additional alternatives. In order to be able to give you the best possible overview, we based our own assessments on user reviews and other test institutions such as a chip or notebook check.

Laptop buying advice: what should I pay attention to?

First, think about what you will use your laptop for. Your laptop should at least have these technical specifications to be reasonably future-proof, depending on the application:

office All-rounder High-end
operation area Email, internet surfing, office programs, casual games Video editing and graphics-intensive games work, but not always at maximum settings Gaming at maximum settings, video editing, rendering, parallel operation of virtual machines
SSD 256 GB 512 GB 512 GB SSD (+ 1 to 2 TB HDD)
Random Access Memory (RAM) 8 GB 8 to 16 GB 16 GB or more
connections USB-C port and several USB ports, possibly headphone jack, HDMI etc.
processor Intel Core i3 or Ryzen 3 Intel Core i5 or Ryzen 5 Intel Core i7 or Ryzen 7 and separate graphics card
price up to 500 euros around 800 euros from 1,000 euros

How big should the display be?

Regardless of all the technical data, you first need to know how big the screen of the laptop should be:

  • Large screen: Work and play more comfortably, but harder.
  • Small screen: Handy and mobile, but permanently more unpleasant to work and play.

We recommend a screen between 14 and 17 inches depending on the application. If you do a lot of office work on the go, 14 or 15 inches makes sense. If you primarily use the laptop as a gaming computer or regularly use programs such as Photoshop or Premiere, you should consider a 17-inch device. But also keep in mind that a laptop with 14 inches is usually much easier to handle - so you have to weigh it up here. Gamers also have to think about the built-in graphics card.

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Does the display reflect?

There are matt or glossy laptop displays. Basically, matt displays are preferred because they do not reflect the surroundings, which can be very annoying. But if it has to be a laptop with a glossy display, because the other technical specifications are good, there are also matt foils that you can stick to the laptop display. As a rule, touch input (if available) continues to work afterwards. When buying, pay attention to the correct size of your display and the film (inch specification).

How big should the hard disk be?

For modern laptops, we definitely recommend a solid state disk (SSD) instead of a hard drive disk (HDD) - they are significantly faster. The M.2 format with a fast PCI Express connection is ideal. The SSD should have at least 256 GB of storage so that it doesn't need to be saved later. 512 GB or even 1 TB is even better. An SSD with 256 GB also does it if no memory-hungry programs, games or similar software are installed. If you buy a laptop with 128 GB SSD, you should make sure that you can install a larger SSD later, if necessary.

  • What is an SSD?
  • What is an HDD?

Our video tells you the most important facts about SSDs:

All about SSDs - TECHfacts

Which connections are useful?

Does the laptop have enough connections for my way of working? Are there modern USB-C ports or the older USB-A ports? Is the laptop charged via USB-C cable or with its own power supply? Is there a card reader for (micro) SD cards? Do I need an HDMI port to quickly transfer the laptop picture to the TV? If you connect a lot of peripheral devices to the computer during your work and have hardly any connections, you must later switch to USB adapters or dongles. It's not that much fun on the go.

USB: connector types and colors explained

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How much RAM do I need?

Laptops are not as easy to upgrade as full-blown PCs. If you buy too little RAM, you may not be able to change anything later. To be future-proof, a laptop with upgradeable RAM is worthwhile.

How much RAM do I need?

We recommend at least 8 GB RAM for new laptops. If you also want to play games with maximum graphics settings or use computing-intensive applications such as Photoshop or editing programs, you should have at least 16 GB. For pure office laptops that occasionally surf the Internet, 4 GB is sufficient if necessary. However, it is not particularly future-proof.

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How powerful does my laptop have to be?

This is about the built-in processor (CPU) that determines the performance of the laptop. This information is sometimes hidden. Then check out data sheets or downloadable PDF instructions to find out the processor type. We recommend at least one Intel Core i5 processor. If you use graphics-intensive games or programs with your laptop, you should rather have a separate graphics card. An Intel Core i7 would also make more sense.

Difference between Intel i3, i5 and i7 explained

More and more new devices are now equipped with AMD processors. The two counterparts to the aforementioned Intel CPUs would be the AMD Ryzen 5 and the AMD Ryzen 7. These also have an integrated graphics chip and are particularly impressive due to their low energy consumption.

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But also consider that a more powerful laptop consumes more energy under load, which affects the battery life. Both Intel and AMD therefore have special CPU series in their range that are particularly economical and optimized for long runtimes:

  • Intel U-Series: Low energy consumption, relatively good performance.
  • Intel Y-Series: Even lower energy consumption, slightly less performance under constant load.
  • AMD U-Series: Low energy consumption, relatively good performance.

You can recognize CPUs in this series by their name. Example: i5-10210 U, i7-10510 Y or Ryzen 5 4500 U.

Repair, upgrade and warranty?

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Two important points that many often neglect when buying a new laptop: the repairability and the warranty conditions of a laptop. Devices of this type are becoming ever more compact in their construction and the consequence is that important components such as the battery, the working memory or the hard disks are increasingly difficult to access. Any repairs are therefore becoming increasingly complicated or even impossible for laypeople.

Therefore, it would be advisable to find out before buying whether the laptop contains permanently installed or soldered components. The question of whether it has a maintenance hatch is just as important - in most cases, this enables the uncomplicated replacement of the hard disk and the working memory. In some cases, however, every repair comes too late and then, ideally, the guarantee applies. The manufacturers grant these for different lengths of time. Here, too, you should inform yourself beforehand and, if necessary, extend the guarantee in advance.

Before you buy: Are there problems with the selected laptop model on the Internet?

If you have chosen a laptop, you should specifically look for problems related to this model before buying on the Internet. Take a look at negative customer reviews, if available. Under certain circumstances, your chosen laptop, for example, often has problems with the WLAN or Bluetooth module - and that would be very annoying. If you don't find any major complaints, that's a good sign.

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