Best laptops

Apple MacBook Air 11 (mid-2012)

October 5th, 2012 - The MacBook Air 11 continues to be a wonderfully portable laptop, suiting travel or those who are constantly on the move. While an IPS screen would be nice and the default storage sizes need to be raised, this is a lovely piece of engineering that has well and truly carved its niche.

Samsung Series 9 (13-inch, 2012)

October 2nd, 2012 - There are some small concerns, but the new Samsung Series 9 is an absolute pleasure to use. 7

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display

September 14th, 2012 - It's not cheap, and it'll take some time for the software world to catch up, but great battery life, good sound, impeccable build and a screen that'll blow you away means that the MacBook Pro with Retina Display has set a new standard for the rest to follow. 10

Asus ZenBook Prime UX31A

June 25th, 2012 - The ZenBook Prime UX31A is everything the ZenBook UX31E should have been, and more. We have no hesitation in recommending this laptop if you truly want no-compromise performance in an ultrabook. 18

• Where to buy? $1499 to $1999 at 2 stores

Asus G75VW

June 13th, 2012 - The G75VW is a very fine piece of engineering, something that any power user would be proud to wield. 2

• Where to buy? $2203 to $2374 at 2 stores

HP EliteBook 8560w

November 14th, 2011 - The HP EliteBook 8560w is a beautiful piece of engineering, providing you can afford it.

• Where to buy? $1984 to $3570 at 2 stores

Alienware M11x R3

October 26th, 2011 - We still love the M11x, but with the ever-marching pace of technology, we'd like to see it go on a diet, get a better screen and a much better touch pad and buttons for the R4. And maybe, just maybe, make use of the currently pointless 3G slot. 2

SteelSeries Sensei

October 14th, 2011 - The Sensei is a phenomenal mouse. It's a testament to its performance that despite having woefully horrible button customisation and macro support, it's still one of our favourite mice.

Roccat Kova[+]

October 7th, 2011 - The Kova was fantastic, and the Kova[+] now adds Roccat's great software into the mix. We'd recommend this one for all.

Razer Lachesis (5600dpi)

September 5th, 2011 - If you need an ambi mouse, the Lachesis should be on your list of rodents to check out. 2