Best laptops and all-in-one computers this Christmas

From low-cost Chromebooks to an iMac with an incredible 5K-resolution display, there are laptops, desktops and hybrids out there for every budget and for everyone in the family. These are a handful of our recent favourites.

Lenovo makes one of our favourite laptop-tablet hybrids. It starts off as an ordinary thin laptop, but the lid and display fold back a full 360 degrees to form either a thick tablet, or a stand/kiosk device when only folded partway back. This year the company is on its third version. It's changed up the design with some tweaks for a thinner, lighter system. The difference is that the new hinge has the look and feel of a wristwatch band and is constructed of more than 800 individual pieces of steel and aluminium.

The iMac remains the gold standard in all-in-one desktop computers. In person, the new "5K"  5,120x2,880-pixel display is simply stunning, especially when displaying high-res full-screen photos and video. For a photo or video professional, it's certainly worth a serious look, although it is very expensive.

The idea behind the Surface Pro is that it can replace both a laptop and a tablet. This latest Surface is thinner than its predecessors, with a larger, higher-resolution screen. Just be aware that you'll probably have to buy the clip-on keyboard separately.

The flagship MacBook Pro laptop exists somewhere between the chunkier idea of a "pro-level", power-user laptop and the slim ultrabook ideal. But the high-end 2,880x1,800-pixel native resolution screen it packs in is incredible.

Chromebooks are basic computers that don't run Windows or Mac applications, only Web-browser based ones. If you've used the Chrome Web browser on a computer, imagine the only things you could do on a computer were the things that can be done within that browser -- you'll get the idea of what these devices are like to use.

The simply named Acer Chromebook 13 drops the common x86 CPU for the ARM-based Nvidia K1, which allows for a smooth high-definition 13-inch screen, and the kind of 3D performance you usually only find in much more expensive products. It's very cheap, and good for the basic stuff.

The Y50 Touch from Lenovo finally has nearly everything we could ask for from a gaming laptop. Good performance, a touchscreen, and a design that won't make it look like you live in a student hovel.

The 13-inch MacBook Air, despite not being the newest design on the block, is still one of the most universally useful laptops you can buy. And, now that the 13-inch version starts at £849, it should be the go-to starting point for anyone looking for an excellent portable computer.

The Switch 10 hybrid uses a powerful magnetic catch that connects two prongs on the top of the hinge to two openings on the bottom of the tablet screen. Sounds simple, but it's a much better system than every other pull-apart hybrid we've tried.

For loads more gift ideas, check out the rest of our Christmas Tech Gift Guide 2014.