When it comes to laptops, choosing the best one can be quite a challenge. These are 5 of the best laptops of 2010, listed by price from highest to lowest.
Apple MacBook Pro : In regards to customer reviews and customer satisfaction, the MacBook tops most lists of the best laptops. It’s my computer of choice for all things technical – from programming, editing photos, movie making, etc. I’ve got a Windows PC upstairs, but I run to my Mac every time for anything that requires a lot of processing power. If you use your laptops as heavily as I do, the Mac is the way to go. Around $1800, I will warn you that once you have a Mac, it’s hard to go back.
Processor: 2.26GHz
RAM: 4GB
Hard Disk Size: 250 GB
Battery life: 7 hours
Asus U30JC: Unless you keep up with all the new laptops, chances are you probably haven’t heard of the Asus. Maybe they keep their prices low by not advertising. Regardless, it was MSNBC’s best back-to-school computer of 2010. Which is exactly what we purchased this for. A little under $1000, you’ll get a lot of power for the price. Not as thin or light like the Mac, but it is a good compromise between power, portability and price.
Processor: 2.26 GHz
RAM: 4GB
Hard Drive: 320 GB
Battery Life: advertised as 9.5 hours, but closer to 7 if you’re just surfing the net.
Sony VAIO CW21FX/P: My youngest daughter wants one of these, but I think it’s only because she finds the pink laptop stylish. Maybe she’ll forego the pink color by the time she graduates, which is when she’ll actually get a laptop. Don’t worry, it comes in black if pink is not your style. Br prepared to deal with the extra VAIO software that it comes with. This was the only complaint my co-worker had with hers. I’m not certain whether this extra software issue is any worse with VAIO than it is with other computers. Regardless, for around $680, I don’t think it’s too much of problem.
Processor: 2.13 GHz
RAM: 4 GB
Hard Drive: 500 GB
Battery Life: up to 4 hours
Toshiba Satellite L515-S4925: If you’re just looking for a functional computer to make household budgets, pay bills, write research papers or surf the net, there’s nothing that the pricier laptops offer that you’d need. For an affordable, all purpose, durable laptop, there’s no reason not to go with the Toshiba. It’s not super portable, though. At around $550, maybe they were able to keep the cost low with the battery. You’ll only get around 2 hours of battery life, so it’s best kept plugged in. The display is better than many other computers in this price range, though, which is a definite plus.
Processor: 2.0 GHz
RAM: 4GB
Hard Drive: 320 GB
Battery Life: up to 2.5 hours
Acer Aspire: If you’re just looking for a portable laptop that you can keep up with your emails or surf the web, and know that you will not try any hard core gaming or programming on it, then the Acer is a great value. Videos still look fine and you can still do other apps like photo editing. My sister bought one last year and was so happy with it, she bought another one on Black Friday this year. Regularly priced around $399, it’s a good deal. I’m not sure if there’s an option in regards to the gloss, but if there is, don’t get the glossy finish. The gloss only looks good if no one touches it. Don’t pick this based on price alone, though, make sure you understand that you are getting only about half the processing speed and RAM.
Processor: 1.3 GHz
RAM: 2048 MB
Hard Drive: 250 GB
Battery Life: up to 6 hours
