The 8 Best Laptops of 2020

The Asus VivoBook S15 is our best overall laptop pick because it’s one of the most stylish, affordable and versatile laptops on the market today. With tons of power and Windows 10 Home running the show, it will handle everything from spreadsheets and Zoom meetings to marathon Fortnite gaming sessions and homework with the kids. It’s available in several storage options to hold the thousands of family photos and videos you have.

• If you’re a multitasker who likes working in several windows at a time, you’ll love the VivoBook S15’s large and colourful 15.6-inch screen, which is also perfect for Netflix movie nights with the kids or to entertain them while on the road.
• It’s super light and portable, just 1.8 kilograms and 1.6 centimetres thin, so it’ll take up very little space in your backpack or bag wherever you go.
• You can easily connect your speakers, monitors, printers and more, with the VivoBook’s ample ports.

Compared to other laptops on our list, the HP Envy stands out because of its smart convertible laptop design, which allows it to flip to four positions—such as the ‘tent’ for when you want to prop it up on your dorm-room table and watch The Mandalorian, or the comfortable ‘tablet’ for taking notes in class on its touchscreen. A bright 15-inch display is also perfect for live-streaming your professor’s next lesson.

• The Envy’s advanced Windows 10 Home operating system will allow you to install just about any software you’ll need for higher learning—such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop.
• With distance learning and virtual meetings becoming more common, the built-in HP Wide Vision HD Camera will make sure your video calls and meetings sound clear and look great.
• At school, your laptop often doubles as your entertainment centre. The Envy’s three-way speaker system sounds amazing for music, movies and more.

Whether your kids (or you) are blasting bad guys in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or building elaborate worlds in Minecraft, the highly-rated Acer Nitro 5 Gaming laptop has the processing power you need. From intense-action shooter games to fast-and-furious sports games, the Acer Nitro 5 is speedy and smooth on its big 15.6-inch screen, with no jitter or delay to disrupt all the action. Along with all that power comes bulk: at 5.51 pounds, it’s one of the heaviest laptops on our list so it might not be ideal for carrying between rooms or taking it on-the-go.

• The Acer Nitro 5 is all about portability and power. It’s thin and lightweight, making it a great candidate for students who might want to take it to school, as well!
• The Nitro 5 can grow with the gamer, allowing them to add more memory for faster speed and extra storage to make the laptop last for years of gaming to come.
• The Nitro 5 gaming laptop has four USB connection ports (more than most other laptops on our list) to plug-in accessories like gaming monitors, gaming headphones, microphones and more.

More and more Canadians are choosing Chromebooks over laptops because they’re affordable, easy to set up and they start faster than traditional laptops so you can get working or watching in seconds. The Google Pixelbook Go is perfect for lighter tasks, such as web browsing, streaming videos, working on cloud-based documents or light gaming. Keep in mind, however, that it’s lower specs means it is not well suited for memory-intensive tasks like video editing or high-end gaming such as Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed. On the plus side, it’s thin and super-light for maximum portability, and it’s ultra-sleek too, so you’ll want to show it off to your kids and colleagues.

• The Pixelbook Go has a whopping 12-hour battery, so it will last as long as you do in or out of the house. A quick-charge feature also gives you two hours of life from a short 20-minute plug-in time.
• Whether you’re tucking into a few episodes of Fuller House on Netflix with the kids or editing pics from the camping trip, you’ll do it all on its crisp and vivid 13.3-inch touchscreen.
• Tons of apps are available for the Pixelbook Go, including Google Docs for word processing, photo editing with Adobe Photoshop Express, as well as amazing games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin’s Creed and more.

If you’re on the fence over whether to buy a tablet or a laptop, the new 14-inch Asus Chromebook Flip is the best of both worlds. Its hinge design allows it to convert easily from laptop to touchscreen tablet for a work presentation, or to ‘tent’ or ‘stand’ modes perfect for Zoom calls or watching Paw Patrol with the kids. The downer is it’s noticeably less powerful than the other convertible on our list, the HP Envy, and it only has 64 GB of storage (vs. the Envy’s 512 GB).

• Its brushed metal finish is beautiful and durable, and at just over three pounds, this 2-in-1 will fold up and go with you anywhere.
• Its 10-hour battery gives you enough juice to get you through your work day and have enough power left for movie night with the kids.
• With its great-sounding dual stereo speakers blasting, you won’t believe it’s coming from a laptop.

With so many people working and learning from home lately, reliable and inexpensive laptops are in demand. The best budget laptop we’ve found is the Acer Aspire 1. It delivers all-day battery life, which makes it perfect for a full day’s work and then watching your favourite streaming shows at night. It’s also great as an entry-level laptop for students. Plus, its big, bright 15.6-inch display is rare for a laptop under $500. However, as a budget laptop its power and speed is lower compared to the others on our list, so it’s best suited for light activities like word processing and web browsing.

• The Aspire’s Windows 10 operating system allows you to use all the software you may need, including Microsoft Office and the Adobe Creative Suite.
• A wide range of connection ports ensure your printers, speakers, monitors, headphones and more, will hook up easily.
• With Zoom and Skype calls being commonplace for meetings and remote learning, the Aspire’s webcam is more than up for the task.

The Asus ZenBook is the best laptop for making your videos and images shine, whether they’re of your kids and the family dog, or a client’s big campaign. The star of the show here is its four-sided NanoEdge design to give you the most screen area in the least physical space, making visuals pops with less distraction for your eyes. And wow is it powerful, easily capable of running all the editing software you need—and perhaps an epic game of Fortnite Battle Royale!

● Talk about brilliant, the ZenBook’s main display is a beautiful and bright 15.6 inches, which goes nearly to the edge for maximum space.
● “Alexa, play my favourite playlist on Spotify,” is what you’ll be saying while editing away, as the ZenBook is Alexa-ready out of the box.
● Its 256 GB hard drive can hold about 150,000 photos or 3,000 minutes of video. Plus, you’ll be able to easily connect printers, cameras and other accessories.

If you’re busy and constantly on the go, the Asus ZenBook 14 offers unrivalled power and portability. It’s an Ultrabook, which is a newer laptop type that combines the latest technology in impressively thin and lightweight bodies. At less than an inch thick and just 2.8 lbs, this laptop is perfect for popping in a bag or backpack for work or school. Asus has managed to pack it with enough power for everything from Facebooking to Photoshopping, and ample hard drive space to keep your important work files and family vacation videos safely stored. The ultra-thin and light frame, and raw power does come at a price though: it’s the most expensive laptop on our list.

• In place of the mousepad is a super cool-looking “ScreenPad” touchscreen that can be customized to streamline common tasks, create shortcuts and more.
• Snuggle up in bed with a glass of vino and season two of Dead to Me on Netflix, all on the ZenBook’s gorgeous high definition 14-inch display.
• The ZenBook helps keep your data safe and secure from potential snoops by using facial recognition tech to unlock the device.