All Specs
When we reviewed the $799.99 HP Pavilion 24 All-in-One last year, we declared it the all-in-one PC for the rest of us, for whom a spendy Apple iMac is out of reach. If a 24-inch model at $800 is for the rest of us, then the HP All-in-One 22 is the all-in-one PC for
all of us. (Models start at $399.99, with our 22-dd0010 test configuration coming in at $429.99.) This entry-level all-in-one offers a leaner price and a smaller display than its 24-inch sibling. The low price levies its own cost, though: You get an underpowered mobile-grade AMD Athlon processor and just 4GB of RAM behind its 21.5-inch display. Its low-end components make the HP 22-dd0010 a better fit for consuming media than creating or editing it, but this undersize all-in-one boasts an attractive, modern design that belies its very entry-level status. It s satisfactory as a second PC, a kitchen info-station, or a school companion for a younger student.
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Chromebooks don t have a monopoly on cheap. The Asus VivoBook 11 ($309 as tested) targets budget notebook buyers who want maximum affordability and portability but insist on Windows. Its puny 11.6-inch screen makes it compact and light it s only 2.2 pounds and it s adequate for word processing, web browsing, and email. But it s sluggish, with just half the memory and one-quarter the storage of a good inexpensive laptop. Most users will be happier with the quicker response of a Chromebook or, if they can dig deeper into their pockets, a Windows system in the $500-to-$700 range.
Bare Minimum Everything
The VivoBook 11 that PCMag tested, at $309 at the time we purchased it, is model L203NA, with a dual-core Intel Celeron N3350 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC flash storage instead of a true solid-state drive. Different resellers offer different configurations that look to be better bargains: Walmart and Amazon sell the L203MA, which has a Celeron N4000, f
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Refreshed for 2021, MSI’s GS66 Stealth ($2,699 as tested) now has Nvidia s Ampere GeForce RTX 30 Series graphics to boost to frame rates. Our test model also brings a special treat we expect to see in more and more gaming machines as the year goes on: a brand-new 240Hz QHD G-Sync display that takes gaming visuals to the next level. The GS66 s sturdy build and per-key RGB keyboard continue to impress, though this isn t the fastest gamer on the block.
Despite an eight-core Intel Core i7 chip and a GeForce RTX 3080 with 16GB of video memory, our test model trailed the Alienware m15 R4 with an RTX 3070 in our benchmarks. The GS66 Stealth s sedate looks can be a pro or a con, but unless the Alienware s otherworldly appearance throws you off, give it strong consideration; it retains our Editors Choice badge for high-end 15.6-inch gaming notebooks.
Only slightly heavier Spectre x360 14 has bigger panel, 3:2 aspect ratio
The HP Spectre x360 14 we tested at the very start of 2021 impressed us so much we began our review by saying, HP still sells the Spectre x360 13, but you can forget about it. At the risk of eating our words, the latest Spectre x360 13 (starts at $962.49; $1,262.49 as tested) isn t totally forgettable if you re looking for a small and light convertible laptop. Sure, it lacks the taller 3:2 screen aspect ratio that helped its sibling snag an Editors Choice award among premium 2-in-1s. But it offers a nice choice of touch displays with a 16:9 aspect ratio, plus the latest Intel Evo and Tiger Lake silicon, and some really elegant engineering. It s an attractive system, though we d rather spend a bit more and carry three extra ounces with the larger model.
Long battery life
Cons
15-inch convertibles are simply unwieldy as tablets
We recently reviewed the 14-inch Lenovo Yoga 9i, a compact convertible laptop with plenty of upside, but maybe you’re in the market for something a little larger. Its big brother, the 15.6-inch Lenovo Yoga 9i ($1,799.99 as tested), brings the same high-quality hybrid form factor to a roomier display. Of course, the increased size makes the larger Yoga a little unwieldy as a tablet, but it also delivers more power. (The hybrid s snappy Intel Core i7 H-Series CPU and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics will impress.) Long battery life and an included stylus sweeten the pot for what is a good, if not standout, convertible. The premium HP Spectre x360 15 remains our favorite big-screen 2-in-1 machine.