One of the cooler consumer/business crossover laptops we've seen, the XPS 13 will work in the classroom or meeting room, but its design is a heavy handed wink and nod to the popular MacBook Air.
Published:Caption:Dan AckermanDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.
1
of 6
MacBook Air (13-inch)
The king of ultraportable laptops has some limitations (no DVD drive, obviously, and more limited onboard storage), but there’s simply no beating its battery life and design.
Published:Caption:Dan AckermanDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.
2
of 6
Apple iMac 27-inch
Apple's big screen iMac is due for a refresh any week now, but assuming the new model keeps the same, gorgeous display, any new specs will seem secondary. Browsing, gaming, movie watching, and any kind of written or design-oriented productivity work are no match for the 27-inches/2,560x1,440 pixels of glory.
Published:Caption:Dan AckermanDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.
3
of 6
Toshiba Portege Z835
No need for that first post-college (or post-high-school) laptop to look cheap, even if it's budget-minded. Toshiba's take on the ultrabook has a 128GB SSD and decent performance for around $800-$900, depending on the configuration.
Published:Caption:Dan AckermanDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.
4
of 6
HP Envy 14 Spectre
The glass-covered Spectre is expensive, but it’s got one of the best screens we’ve ever seen, and it strikes a nice balance between full-sized laptop and ultrabook.
Published:Caption:Dan AckermanDisclosure:We may get a commission from retail offers.
5
of 6
Origin Chronos
We like Alienware's take on the small scale gaming desktop, but the Origin Chronos shows that for just a little bit more money, true boutique PC vendors still have the performance edge thanks to their willingness to overclock.
