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Chromebooks are built with cloud storage in mind and offer a pittance of local storage -- usually only 32GB or 64GB. So, instead of storing a bunch of Word docs and Excel files on a Chromebook, for example, you are meant to use Google Drive or Dropbox. Instead of a large music library stored locally in iTunes, you are meant to use Google Play or Spotify. Same deal with photos -- instead of storing photos locally, Google Photos, Flickr or another cloud service.
Chromebooks feature USB ports and SD card slots, however, which let you connect to external storage devices for those times when you need to access a file that you have saved not to the cloud but an external hard drive, thumb drive or SD card. When you connect an external drive or SD card to your Chromebook, however, nothing happens. You won't see a helpful prompt or a new desktop icon that, A. lets you know the system has recognized whatever it is that you connected to it, and B. provides a quick way to view its contents.
Using an external storage device with a Chromebook takes a little more work on your part. I'll show you how to view and download files on an external drive and which types of files types and file systems Chrome OS can recognize.
Supported file systems
Chrome OS supports a wide range of file systems for external drives. It can read and write to the NTFS file system that Windows PCs use, read (but not write to) the HFS+ file system that Macs use, and cross-platform FAT16, FAT32 and exFAT file systems. It also supports the MTP file system used by digital music players and ISO9660 and UDF used by CDs and DVDs.
Supported file types
According to Google, these are the types of files Chrome OS supports:
When you connect an external storage device to a Chromebook, you'll need to do a little legwork to access its contents. Click the Launcher button in the lower-left corner of your Chromebook's display and then click the Files app. If you don't see it listed, it means you haven't used it recently and will need to click All Apps and find the Files app listed among all of your Chromebook's apps.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
With the Files window opened, in the left panel you should see your external drive listed directly below the Downloads folder. Just as you can in Windows Explorer on a PC or Finder on a Mac, you can view the drive's folders and files here. Just double click a file to open it.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
How to transfer files
If you want to move a file from an external drive to your Chromebook, you have two options: drag and drop or copy and paste.
The Downloads folder is where all of your Chromebook's local files are stored. You can copy a file from the drive to your Chromebook by dragging it from the external drive and dropping it on the Downloads folder listed in the left panel. You can select multiple files by clicking the tiny, circular thumbnail to the left of the file name; the thumbnail turns into a blue checkmark icon to indicate it's been selected.
The other option is to copy a file by right-clicking and choosing Copy or using keyboard shortcut Ctrl-C, opening the Downloads folder, and then pasting by using the right-click menu or Ctrl-V.
You can also choose to cut instead of copy, of course, if you want to move the file instead of just copying it. You can also move in the reverse direction and move files from your Downloads folder to your external drive (or Google Drive) to free up drive space on your Chromebook.
Last step: Eject
Like Windows and MacOS, ChromeOS will scold you if you remove a drive before ejecting it. To eject a drive, click the little eject button to the right of it in the left panel of the the Files window.
How to Factory Reset a MacBook, Windows Laptop or Chromebook to Sell or Give Away
How to Factory Reset a MacBook, Windows Laptop or Chromebook to Sell or Give Away
One side effect of spending more time at home during the pandemic is the realization that I have a lot of old tech lying around. A lot. Then, when I made a KonMari attempt at decluttering said tech, I unearthed several things I forgot I had -- including an old laptop I stopped using years ago because it was too slow for my high-end computing needs.
While this laptop no longer sparked joy for me, it turned out to be a perfect fit for my mom. It just needed to be cleaned up first, and I'm not just talking about removing dust and mystery goo with a few swipes of a disinfectant wipe, though you'll want to do that, too. The type of cleaning I'm talking about is restoring the laptop to like-new condition inside and out. Cleaning the outside is the easy part. Wiping the computer of all your apps, files, folders and other personal information isn't necessarily as straightforward. Of course, how much data scrubbing you need to do will likely depend on the recipient.
The big picture steps you take to refresh a laptop are the same regardless of whether it's a Windows laptop. Apple MacBook or Chromebook -- save your old data, remove all personal information, then go for a factory reset. It's the actual step-by-step procedure that differs depending on the type of laptop you're dealing with. Below, you'll find everything you need to know and do before giving your laptop a second life. And with supply chain issues, shipping problems and chip shortages making new devices harder to get, passing along a new-to-you laptop can be a welcome holiday gift.
Last thing first
I typically save the laptop's physical cleaning until last (why clean your fingerprints off twice?), but you may want to start there -- especially if it's been gathering dust in the back of a closet/under a bed/in the garage for the past several years. The basic equipment required for a good laptop cleaning is a can of compressed air and some disinfectant or alcohol wipes. For a slightly deeper clean, you may also want to grab a screwdriver and remove the bottom cover of your laptop (if possible) so you can carefully blow out any dust that's accumulated on the fans and vents.
After the laptop is clean, you can also wipe down the power adapter and any related accessories. It's also a good idea to ensure the power adapter is still in good, working condition. If you're still not quite sure where to start with the cleaning, check out our complete guide to getting your laptop looking its best.
Gifting a used MacBook
Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
Before you even think about doing a factory reset on your MacBook, you need to save any data you want to keep. You may have already done this at some point if you migrated data from this old MacBook to a new one using using Apple's Migration Assistant. If that's not the case, it's time to hook up an external drive and use MacOS' built-in Time Machine tool to create a backup. If you have an iCloud account, you can back up your data there as well.
Sign out of everything
You'll also want to log out of all accounts before wiping your MacBook's drive. Start with iCloud, Find My Mac and iMessage. Then look for individual software accounts you may need to deregister. If you use a browser other than Safari, such as Chrome or Firefox, you should sign out of those as well. Basically, if it's got personal account information, you'll want to sign out. (Here's how to find account settings in MacOS.)
Two other things you should do before a factory reset: Unpair any Bluetooth devices -- particularly if the MacBook is being gifted to someone in your household -- and reset the NVRAM. The latter is memory that holds onto settings that the MacBook needs before loading MacOS. On startup, press and hold Option-Command-P-R to reset the NVRAM.
Perform a factory reset
If you've done everything above, you're ready to return your MacBook to its out-of-the-box state. On an Intel-based Mac, reboot the system and press and hold Command-R to enter Recovery Mode. (Accessing Recovery Mode on MacBooks running on the company's Apple Silicon chips is different, however.)
Read more:Before selling your MacBook, you need to factory reset it
Once in Recovery Mode, you'll see a window of MacOS utilities. Use the Disk Utility to erase your drive. When that's complete, you'll be able to reinstall MacOS. After it's done reinstalling, you'll reach the Setup Assistant. From there you can stop and shut it down or set it up for the recipient.
Gifting a used Windows laptop
Screenshot by Josh Goldman/CNET
As with gifting a MacBook, start by backing up any important folders and files on your old laptop to cloud storage or an external drive. If you're doing the latter, go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup > Add a drive and select the external drive. Then click on Backup Now.
Sign out of all your apps
A lot of paid software requires you to sign in with an account, a product key or both. Before you wipe your laptop's storage, sign out of any accounts and deregister software licenses (if possible). If you need those product keys to re-register software on a new laptop, be sure to save that information. If you use a browser other than Edge, such as Chrome or Firefox, sign out of those as well. Basically, if it's got personal account information, sign out.
Reset the laptop
Ready to clean the drive and reinstall Windows? Go to Settings > Update and security > Recovery. At the top of the window, you'll see Reset this PC. Click on Get Started and select Remove Everything from the box that appears. From there, you can select to reinstall Windows from the local drive or download from the cloud. After that, Windows cleans the drive of all software, settings and data. When it's done, the laptop will start in its setup assistant mode. You can then stop and shut it down for a fresh-out-of-the-box experience or do some setup, which is nice touch, especially if it's going to a family member so they can use it right away.
Unlink from your Microsoft account
If you used a Microsoft account to sign in to the laptop, the last thing you'll want to do is remove the laptop from that account. Sign in to your account from another computer and click on the Devices tab at the top of the page. Find the laptop that you're gifting on the list of devices, and at the bottom of the listing, you'll see the option to remove the device. Click it and you're done.
Gifting a used Chromebook
Sarah Tew/CNET
Chromebooks are the easiest to refresh for gifting. That's mainly because of their cloud-based design. Google also makes it extremely easy to wipe your data and securely clean the internal storage as well as remove the Chromebook from your Google account.
Check the AUE first
Before you even consider gifting an old Chromebook, check its auto-update expiration. Google only guarantees Chrome OS and browser feature support on non-Google hardware for so long. Every device has a date on which it stops receiving updates, aka its AUE date. Current models receive updates for eight years; older models could potentially be a year or two away from reaching their AUE.
Google maintains an AUE list, so finding the date your Chromebook will stop receiving updates is as easy as locating your model on that list. The AUE can also be found in your Chromebook's settings. Here's how to find the AUE from Google and in your Chromebook.
Give it a Powerwash
Powerwash is Google's built-in factory reset tool for Chromebooks. Once you've backed up folders or files stored on the Chromebook's internal drive, running Powerwash will securely scrub the system and reboot. When it restarts, it'll be just like the day you unboxed it.
The actual Powerwash typically takes less than a minute to complete. A simple search for "powerwash" in your Chromebook's settings will bring you right to the feature, but here's everything you need to know about the procedure.
Remove the Chromebook from your Google account
Although you've removed your account from the Chromebook, you haven't removed the Chromebook from your account. Start by signing into your Google account and head to the Security settings. If you use the Chrome browser, you can also click on your account avatar and select Manage your Google Account from the drop-down menu.
In the Security section, scroll down until you see a box labeled Your devices, which lists all the devices attached to your account. At the bottom of the box, click on Manage devices and find the Chromebook you're gifting and select Sign Out.
Give the Chromebook a good external cleaning, gather up any accessories and it's ready to hand off to your giftee.
Read more: How to regift a game console
How Factory Reset Your Devices
Make sure to wipe personal data before selling, trading in or regifting your gear.
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Your Old Laptop Could Last Longer if You Try These Tips
Your Old Laptop Could Last Longer if You Try These Tips
Before you splurge on a shiny, new laptop, you may want to consider giving your current system some TLC. There's a lot you can do to take better care of that old laptop and stretch its lifespan as long as possible.
Brett Pearce/CNET
The longevity horizon of a laptop is analogous to the longevity of a human: It partly comes down to responsible behavior, partly genetics and partly just dumb luck. There's no guarantee that anything you do can save it from dying young or failing to keep up with increasingly demanding tasks.
And there's no guarantee that if you treat it like crap it won't last far longer than expected -- in 10 years you might find yourself cursing it. "Fail already you slow POS so I can justify buying a replacement!" That's the argument I had daily with my 7-year-old iPad. (Which I still use for some things despite having finally bought a new iPad Pro.)
It baffled me, for instance, when I learned that my friend's 7-plus-year-old Lenovo Yoga 2 13 still functions, and actually functions well. It's filthy, it's been knocked off precarious perches by flying cats, it sits baking in hot sunlight, endures summers with 90% humidity indoors, and its operating system hasn't been updated in... I don't think ever. She still hasn't filled up the 128GB drive. Recently she asked if she should upgrade to Windows 11 (from Windows 8.1). After picking my chin up off the floor, I pointed out that she probably couldn't; even if it meets the requirements, it would likely be even slower than it is now.
But I have to report that it has finally gone to that great e-waste bin in the sky. Only because she dropped it one time too many. Time to recycle it.
I kept on using it, thinking the trackpad was just going bad, until it popped out completely and I realized the battery beneath it had swollen. Ah, the joys of the early ultrathin models! (This is a 2013 Samsung ATIV Book 9.)
Lori Grunin/CNET
Yet, in the interim, I've gone through at least two laptops, one with a battery that swelled and another with a wiring and broken plastic issue that rendered the display unusable. They exited this world in close to pristine aesthetic condition. And she had to return a Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 13-inch after a year of working from home thanks to connectivity failures, though it already looked pretty beaten up.
Bottom line: It's a crapshoot.
Read more: Do I Really Have to Upgrade to Windows 11 From Windows 10? What to Know
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst
Data backup is on my long, long list of "do as I say, not as I do" advice. But the longer you hold onto a laptop, the more irreplaceable files and information you'll accumulate on it. And the greater the chance it'll crumble into e-waste. So before you touch your laptop to address any issues -- including cleaning -- you should back it up.
The unwritten rule is this: If you don't back up your laptop, it will experience a catastrophic failure. But if you do, then nothing will happen. Because that's the way the universe works.
No. Just no.
Lori Grunin/CNET
Coddle it
I don't mean sing it a lullaby before you put it to sleep every night, or even treat it gingerly. Just use some common sense when it comes to handling and storage. For example, don't think, "Awww, cute. Instagram it!" when your cat curls up on your laptop keyboard seeking attention or warmth. Think, "That cat is going to annihilate my MacBook's butterfly keyboard."
Other simple practices include:
Don't leave it sitting in hot sunlight.
Keep animals and kids away. If you have to leave it unattended for a minute, shove it somewhere a little less accessible, or at least tilt the lid down partially so that the screen and keyboard are protected.
Don't leave it hanging off the edge of a desk, couch, chair, ottoman and so on. This is a good policy for any object, frankly.
Don't eat around it (she says, flicking pistachio shell pieces off the keyboard and digging flakes out from gaps).
Wash or sanitize your hands before using it to minimize dirt and oils transferring. These can build up over the years.
If you only use it sporadically, keep it in the most dust-free location available.
When it's on or in sleep mode, don't cover it with fabric or leave it in any other environment where there's no airflow. (This goes triple for Windows 10 laptops, since Microsoft's default is to wake them to force updates, but not to make sure it goes back to sleep afterwards. Twice I've had laptops come close to overheating in bed with me because having current virus definitions is obviously more important than not setting me on fire.)
Don't leave it charging 24/7. Note that depending upon the vintage or model of your system, leaving it plugged in may not cause any problems, but using it off-power periodically lets you spot-check incipient battery or electrical system issues. You can also use a utility to check how worn your Windows laptop battery is.
Don't smoke around it. Nothing gunks up electronics faster.
You should also check the adapter cable periodically, especially if you've got pets. Run your fingers along it feeling for teeth marks. A chewed-through cable won't ruin your laptop -- they're designed to stop working if the insulation is punctured -- but it can get expensive replacing them. My cat, Iris the Destroyer, earned her name by chewing through two Dell AC adapters at $70 a pop (among other reasons). If you catch it early, you can reroute them for safety. Plus, it's not good for the animals.
If your cat likes to curl up on the keyboard, get a tilting laptop stand -- Felix will likely find an alternative space on your desk that's even less convenient -- or create a space near your desk where your cat can still supervise you and that mimics the radiating warmth of the keyboard.
Clean it
It's easy to ignore basic maintenance, especially if you use your laptop every day. You just stop noticing the crud after a while. But periodically taking a minute to examine entry points around keycaps, the keyboard surface, touchpad surface, speaker grilles, hinge, ports, vents and screen may save you some heartache (and money) in the long run. A filthy touchscreen can make it less responsive as well.
But even if none of it poses a long-term health issue for your system, you don't want to wait until detritus builds up so much that it's almost impossible to get out or off. Keeping the fan vents clear and dust-free is especially important.
Streamline it
Every now and then, take a pass through applications and files, as well as programs and services that run at startup, and jettison anything you don't need. Will doing that extend the life of the system? Probably not, except perhaps by reducing a fractional amount of heat generated by unnecessary processor activity.
But at the very least, periodically weeding it can make it feel faster, just like cleaning out a room can make it feel bigger. And at best you will experience some real performance improvements, including improved battery life. It may also turn out that you don't need the memory or storage upgrades that you thought you did. And if you never bothered to uninstall the bloatware that came with your Windows system, try uninstalling it. A clutter-free Start Menu may improve performance a little.
The best way to make it feel like new is to freshen the operating system, which essentially reinstalls it while leaving your data and files intact, rather than wiping the drive and starting anew. In Mac OS you use Recovery Mode. Windows has a couple options: Refresh to reinstall the operating system while preserving your files; and Fresh Start, which refreshes the operating system but without all the bloatware that might have come with it initially.
At some point, you'll probably feel like the incremental approach isn't working for you anymore. Then it's time to consider wiping it off and starting from scratch: You'll need to reinstall the same version of the operating system and applications. This can be trickier, since it may require repurchasing old programs, recustomizing every aspect of the operating system or application behavior, debugging system glitches again and more. Plus, you run the risk of breaking something that was working fine before.
That's software. What about hardware? Aside from upgrades, a laptop's hardware remains pretty static. There's no magic wand to wave that will make your trackpad feel five years younger. One exception is battery life: Changing your software settings can make a big difference to the battery's longevity.
Here are some more suggestions:
An external hub can greatly expand the usability of an older system as well as reduce wear and tear on the connections.
Lori Grunin/CNET
Accessorize it
Using accessories such as an external keyboard, mouse or monitor -- even cheap ones -- may help save wear and tear on the built-in components and hinge. More important, once those components of a laptop start to get wonky, the system itself will still be usable if you can find external replacements for the devices.
If you're constantly moving between desktop locations, it's worth getting a dock or hub for those external devices. This will save wear and tear on the connections from constant plugging and unplugging. It also adds extra ports, which is another perk that will extend the useful life of your laptop. Here are some more suggestions:
Upgrade it
Because real upgrades always require some expense, this is probably one of the final steps you'll consider. But small, incremental upgrades can make a big difference. Not as many laptops support internal memory or storage upgrades as they used to -- replaceable batteries even less so -- but if you can, you should definitely take advantage of the option as you start to hit limits. That's one of the advantages of hanging onto an older laptop -- it's more likely to be upgradable.
That's as long as you feel comfortable opening it up to stick things in. Before you start down this path, make sure to find an upgrade or maintenance guide for your particular system to verify that it supports your plan. You should also check that it doesn't require expensive nonstandard components, which will cost more than it's worth.
When I bought this inexpensive Asus UL30 in 2009, it was partly for its upgradability and removable battery. The display failed before I even got a chance to take advantage of that. (It was probably fixable, but wasn't worth it given the price.)
Lori Grunin/CNET
External upgrades can be easier and more practical, though in some cases they don't provide as big a boost. Or they may not make as big a difference as you thought they would. I secretly added a Netgear Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) USB dongle to a tech-challenged friend's laptop, which was equipped with pokey Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n). Speedtest showed that throughput doubled. Given how much time she spends online, that seemed to make it worth the money.
She didn't notice any difference.
If you're running short on storage, an external drive is an obvious enhancement. Unless you only plan to use it to offload files you don't use often, you may want to avoid going too cheap. A slow external drive can be more annoying than uplifting. You can also potentially improve performance by booting from an external drive, though that depends on the connection and the drive speed.
Another possible performance upgrade -- only if you've got a newer laptop with a Thunderbolt 3 connection, though -- is to add an external graphics processor, aka eGPU, to boost speed in applications or games with heavy GPU usage. This can be a pricey upgrade, though, and the enclosure and the graphics card are frequently sold separately, which can obscure the true cost.
You may want to consider moving to a newer version of the operating system if you're not on it already. If your laptop supports Trusted Platform Module, or TPM -- it probably does if it's not really old or really low-end -- consider upgrading to Windows 11. Windows 11 adds almost nothing notable in my opinion, but it has a refreshed interface and surfaces features you might not have known were there, which can at least make your laptop feel like it's newer.
I don't think an OS upgrade is a no-brainer, though. If your laptop's crumbling to dust, a newer version of the OS may not unequivocally improve things. And you also run the risk of losing the ability to run some applications.
Case in point: In 2019, Mac OS Catalina (10.15)removed support for 32-bit applications. So if a program hasn't been migrated from 32 to 64 bit -- and there are good reasons why it may not have been -- the upgrade would actually be a step backward for you.
Sticking with an outdated version of an operating system is widely considered to be bad hygiene, though, because you don't get the constant barrage of virus, malware and security updates that up-to-date systems receive.
Convert it
And finally, when you're at the end of your rope, you've got nothing to lose by replacing the operating system with something new altogether. If your laptop powers on and at least most of the keys work, there's a good chance it can be converted into a Chromebook, running Google's Chrome OS, to give it at least a little more useful life before it goes to live upstate on a retired laptop farm.
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Lenovo Ideapad 100S review: A budget laptop with great battery life
Lenovo Ideapad 100S review: A budget laptop with great battery life
There was a time, not too many years ago, when $999 was considered the cutoff price for a budget laptop. How times, and expectations, have changed. Today, along with $50 Amazon Fire tablets and sub-$200 smartphones, it's possible to get a reasonably functional PC experience for much less than you might think.
The latest example of this new low-cost computer trend is the Lenovo Ideapad 100S, an 11-inch clamshell laptop that sells for $199 in the US (£179 in the UK, AU$299 in Australia). It's among the most refined of the ultra-budget PCs, but it's not the first. Note that as of December 2015, Lenovo is selling the system online for a discounted price of $179 in the US.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The $200-and-less (using US prices) computer has been growing category since mid-2014, anchored by products such as the $200 HP Stream 11 laptop and the Intel Compute Stick, a tiny desktop PC that can be found for as little as $119. All run Windows 10 and Intel Atom or Celeron processors, and are intended primarily for web surfing and cloud apps (note the very small amount of onboard storage, ranging from 8GB to 32GB).
The advantage is, unlike a similarly priced Chromebook (a simple laptop running Google's Chrome OS, which is essentially the Chrome web browser and little else), you can install and run regular Windows software, such as photo editing programs or alternate web browsers, as long as they'll fit on the tiny hard drives. You won't be doing pro-level photo editing or playing PC games, but at these prices, there's virtually no good reason to go for a Chrome OS system instead if you only have $200 to spend.
Sarah Tew/CNET
With a colorful chassis (our model was bright red) that doesn't feel too flimsy, and a typically excellent Lenovo keyboard design, this could easily be the clear winner in the ultra-budget category, if not for one issue. The touchpad here is not a simple clickpad-style model, as seen in the HP Stream 11 and nearly every other laptop available today. Instead, it's an older design with separate left and right mouse buttons. But more importantly, the older touchpad design does not currently support common gestures such as two-finger scrolling. For someone who does a lot of long-form reading online, that can be a deal breaker, but you'll have to judge for yourself if the excellent keyboard makes up for it.
Lenovo Ideapad 100S
Price as reviewed
$199
Display size/resolution
11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 screen
PC CPU
1.33GHz Intel Atom Z3735F
PC Memory
2048MB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz
Graphics
32MB (dedicated) Intel HD Graphics
Storage
32GB SSD
Networking
802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
Operating system
Microsoft Windows 10 Home (32-bit)
Design and features
The challenge of any ultra-budget laptop is to look and feel like it costs just a little more than it actually does. No one is expecting a unibody aluminum chassis or sleek edge-to-edge glass over the display -- but a flimsy hinge, a lid that bends and flexes when you move it, or a creaky body that feels like it won't stand up to even modest handling isn't worth it at any price.
Lenovo avoids those missteps by building the 100S into a body that's a little larger and thicker than some other 11-inch laptops, giving the system some protective bulk. The sturdy hinges also fold back a full 180 degrees to lie flat, so you get a lot of useful viewing angles. The matte red outer color, which covers the back of the lid and the bottom panel, is fingerprint-resistant, and the darker red color also looks more upscale than the glossy black plastic on so many budget laptops.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Inside, the keyboard keeps the same basic design as most other Lenovo laptops, with widely spaced island-style keys that curve out just a bit at the bottom on each key, giving you a little more usable surface to hit. It's miles beyond the keyboard on HP's Stream 11, for example.
The touchpad, however, is the single biggest stumbling block for the 100S. The pad loses valuable surface area by breaking its left and right mouse click functions out into separate physical buttons. It's a style of touchpad you rarely see any more, and for good reason. The pad here is also not set up for multitouch gestures. That's important to note, as the standard two-finger scroll won't work, nor will tapping two fingers on the pad for a right-click action. It makes the system harder to use when scrolling down long Web pages, and it's a deficiency to seriously consider before buying.
Sarah Tew/CNET
You also can't expect much from the screen on an ultra-budget laptop, although the basic 1,366x768 display here is fine for the price. It has a pleasing matte finish that keeps glare to a minimum, but it's also confined to limited viewing angles compared to the IPS (in-plane switching) displays on more expensive laptops, which means that the image gets washed out quickly when you view the screen from side angles.
Ports and connections
Video
HDMI
Audio
Combo headphone/microphone jack
Data
2 USB 2.0, microSD card reader
Networking
802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive
None
Connections, performance and battery
While the thicker chassis could fit in more, you're limited to a budget-feeling pair of USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI output and a micro-SD card slot. Faster USB 3.0 and a full-size SD card slot would be have been handy, but a reach considering the price. One of the USB ports will most likely be used for an external mouse to make up for the hard-to-use touchpad.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The only option offered right now is the chassis color, in white, red, blue and silver. All models include the same Intel Atom Z3735 CPU, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of solid-state storage, which matches up with other ultra-budget PCs.
In benchmark testing with other low-cost Intel Atom and Celeron systems, the Lenovo 100S hung around the middle of the pack. To get a significant boost in performance, you'd have to look towards something like the Surface 3, the Atom-powered entry level version of Microsoft's Surface line, which uses a faster Atom processor and more RAM, but also costs more than twice as much, even without adding a keyboard cover. In hands-on testing, the 100S ran well when used for casual websurfing and online tasks, but it's important to keep a few best practices in mind -- especially that Microsoft's own browsers, Edge and Internet Explorer, tend to run much smoother on low-power Windows laptops.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Battery life was a pleasant surprise in the Lenovo 100S. The system ran for 11:17 on our offline video playback battery drain test, which is near MacBook territory, and for 9:57 in an online streaming playback test. The HP Stream 11 ran for 7:58 in the offline test, and the Surface 3 for 7:41. The advantage in all these cases is that Intel's lower-performance CPUs are almost always very efficient at sipping battery power, so these systems tend to run for a long time on a single charge.
Conclusion
Spending less than $200 on a laptop is a surprisingly viable option right now, and for those who mainly use Gmail, Facebook, Netflix and Amazon (or your own list of mail, social media, streaming video and online shopping tools), a laptop with an Intel Atom processor, low-res screen and paltry 32GB of storage may very well be all you need.
Of the current ultra-budget options, the overall design and build quality of the Lenovo Ideapad 100S is my favorite, but the dated, non-gesture-supporting touchpad can be a deal breaker if you plan to scroll through long online articles or Facebook feeds. If the next generation of 100S swaps in a modern touchpad, it would get my highest budget-laptop recommendation. As it is, my generally very positive impressions come with a large asterisk.
Multimedia Multitasking test 3.0
Acer Aspire Switch 10 Special Edition1191Microsoft Surface 31220Lenovo Ideapad 100S2182Asus Transformer Book Flip TP2002881HP Stream 113742
Note: Shorter bars indicate better performance (in seconds)
Apple iTunes encoding test
Microsoft Surface 3300HP Stream 11342Asus Transformer Book Flip TP200346Lenovo Ideapad 100S428Acer Aspire Switch 10 Special Edition450
Note: Shorter bars indicate better performance (in seconds)
Video playback battery drain test
Lenovo Ideapad 100S677Asus Transformer Book Flip TP200546HP Stream 11478Microsoft Surface 3461Acer Aspire Switch 10 Special Edition442
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance (in minutes)
System Configurations
Lenovo Ideapad 100S
Microsoft Windows 10 Home (32-bit); 1.3GHz Intel Atom Z3735F; 2GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz; 32MB (dedicated) Intel HD Graphics; 32GB SSD
Acer Aspire Switch 10 Special Edition
Microsoft Windows 10 Home (32-bit); 1.3GHz Intel Atom Z3735F; 2GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz; 32MB (dedicated) Intel HD Graphics; 64GB SSD
Asus Transformer Book Flip TP200
Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 1.6GHz Intel Celeron N3050; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz; 144MB (dedicated) Intel HD Graphics; 64GB SSD
HP Stream 11
Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 2.16GHz Intel Celeron N2840; 2GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz; 64MB (dedicated) Intel HD Graphics; 32GB SSD
Microsoft Surface 3
Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit); 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z8700; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz; 32MB (dedicated) Intel HD Graphics; 128GB SSD
Choosing a new laptop, whether it's for work, home or going back to school, isn't an easy decision, but CNET's list of the best laptops for 2022 is a great place to start with our top picks across brands, operating systems, budgets and categories. Many of the models from 2021 have been updated for 2022 with the latest chips from Intel and AMD, and Apple's new M2 chips, too.
Our top laptop choice for most people is the updated Apple MacBook Air M2. It offers a great combination of everything we look for when we're testing: reliable everyday performance, long battery life and a design that works for a broad range of users. The latest MacBook Air starts at $1,199, which is why we still recommend the 2020 MacBook Air M1 as a lower-cost alternative to the newest Air model, as it's still an all-around excellent laptop. For those looking for a more value-oriented option, Acer's Swift 3 is our current recommendation. Well-configured older versions are available for under $550, while new models start under $800, and fully loaded with an OLED display it's right around $1,200.
At CNET, our laptop experts have collective decades of experience testing and reviewing laptops, covering everything from performance to price to battery life. This hand-curated list covers the best laptops across various sizes, styles and costs, including laptop computers running on Windows, MacOS and Chrome.
If you want more laptop brands and options for a particular category, we also have specialized lists you can look at, including the best gaming laptops, best 15-inch laptops, best two-in-ones and best Chromebooks, as well as the best laptops for college students, designers and the best MacBook Pro alternatives. If you need to stay as low as possible on the price of a new laptop computer, check out our best budget laptop and best budget gaming laptop picks.
This best laptop list is updated periodically with new models we've tested and reviewed. If you need advice on whether a particular type of laptop or two-in-one is right for you, jump to our laptop FAQ at the bottom of the list.
James Martin/CNET
Thanks to a new design, a larger display (13.6 inches versus the previous 13.3 inches), a faster M2 chip and a long-awaited upgrade to a higher-res webcam, the 2022 version of the MacBook Air remains our top choice for the most universally useful laptop in Apple's lineup, with one caveat. At $1,199, the $200 increase over the traditional $999 MacBook Air starting price is a disappointment. That's why you'll still find the M1 version of the Air retains a spot on our best laptop list. Still, we like everything else about it and is our first choice if you're considering an Air and don't mind spending more.
Read our Apple MacBook Air M2 review.
Josh Goldman/CNET
Available with either AMD Ryzen or Intel Core processors, this 14-inch laptop gives you more screen to work on than 13-inch laptops, but is still incredibly lightweight -- less than 3 pounds. The bigger display is nice, too, covering 100% sRGB color gamut (better than you typically find at its starting price under $700). It also has a backlit keyboard, a fingerprint reader and USB Type-C and HDMI ports, too. The 2022 version of the Swift 3 falls just under $1,000 with 12th-gen Intel Core i-series CPUs. But the 2021 models are still widely available for less than $600.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The Dell XPS 13 is a perennial favorite for its size, weight and performance and just overall good looks. In 2020, Dell made the laptop even smaller, while making the laptop screen larger and increasing performance for both CPU and graphics-intensive tasks. For 2022, it made the XPS 13 even smaller and lighter, kept its sub-$999 starting price the same and dropped in the latest 12th-gen Intel processors.
While we haven't had a chance to test the new model yet, we expect it to be a strong Windows alternative to the MacBook Air. Also, if you want to save money, the 2021 XPS 13 with 11th-gen Intel chips is available for less now.
This thin, 3-pound convertible is a solid choice for anyone who needs a laptop for office or schoolwork. The all-metal chassis gives it a premium look and feel, and it has a comfortable keyboard and a responsive, smooth precision touchpad. Though it's light on extra features compared to its premium linemate, the Yoga 9i, it does have one of Lenovo's sliding shutters for its webcam that gives you privacy when you want it. And it has a long battery life to boot at 12 hours, 45 minutes in our tests. The latest version with 12th-gen Intel processors starts at $999 (although you can find it on sale for less). The 2021 models are still available, too, at reduced prices.
Josh Goldman/CNET
Acer's Spin 513 is an update of sorts to one of the best Chromebooks from 2021, the Spin 713. It's a two-in-one convertible Chromebook with a 13.5-inch display that has a 3:2 aspect ratio. The extra vertical space means less scrolling when you're working. The screen size is also close to that of letter-size paper, making it comfortable for notetaking in tablet mode with a USI pen. Compared to the 713, it drops a couple of noncritical features like an HDMI output in favor of a more affordable price. It has amazing battery life, though, and a sturdy fanless design, making it silent -- perfect for quiet classrooms, meetings, lectures or video calls.
Joshua Goldman/CNET
Lenovo launched the Yoga line 10 years ago with Windows 8 and now, with Windows 11, the flexibility of the design has only gotten better. The company's flagship 14-inch Yoga 9i Gen 7 has an updated look with comfortable, rounded edges and 12th-gen Intel processors that give it a big multicore performance jump. A beautiful OLED display and improved audio make it excellent for work, video conferences and entertainment. Lenovo includes an active pen and a laptop sleeve to complete the premium package.
The powerful speakers do add some vibration to the palm rests when turned up and Lenovo has cluttered the laptop with pitches for optional services and software. But, overall, the latest Yoga 9i is the two-in-one convertible laptop to beat. Unfortunately, its availability is limited at the moment so you might have to wait to buy one.
Read our Lenovo Yoga 9i Gen 7 review.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
New Apple silicon, new display, new design and all the ports we've been asking for: The latest 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro is the best Pro ever. The combination of the larger MacBook Pro's hardware and MacOS extracts the maximum performance from the components while delivering excellent battery life. The new mini-LED high-resolution display is gorgeous. And if an HDMI output and SD card reader were on your shortlist for features, you'll find those here too.
You pay for it, though: Base price for the 16-inch model of this premium laptop is $2,499.
Read our Apple MacBook Pro review.
Josh Goldman/CNET
There are plenty of 15.6-inch laptops, but 16-inch models like the Dell Inspiron 16 Plus are something of a rarity. The 16-inch display is a great size since the laptop is barely bigger than a 15.6-inch model, but you get more room for work and a roomier keyboard and touchpad along with it. For this Inspiron, Dell packed in performance parts including Nvidia discrete graphics (though it's nearly half the price if you go with Intel integrated graphics) and the display covers 100% sRGB and 81% AdobeRGB color gamuts, which is good enough if you're getting started with creating web content. Also, the laptop has a more premium fit and finish than we're used to seeing in the Inspiron line.
Read our Dell Inspiron 16 Plus review.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
Although this Microsoft Surface laptop is not the Surface Laptop, the Surface Pro continues to hit all the right notes if you're looking for a do-it-all Windows tablet that doubles as a Windows laptop. Microsoft recently overhauled it for the Surface Pro 8, which has a larger 13-inch display, 11th-gen Intel Core processors and two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports. The Surface Pro 7 is still around for the time being at a discount, and an updated version called the Surface Pro 7 Plus will stay in the lineup, so you'll still be able to get the classic Pro design but with new processors.
Read our Surface Pro 8 review.
Sarah Tew/CNET
There's a lot to love with the Razer Blade 14, which incorporates one of the fastest mobile CPUs available (for now, at least), the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, and top-end mobile graphics with the GeForce RTX 3070 or 3080. Its display can go pixel-to-pixel with the MacBook's. And its high-quality build is up there with the best MacBooks but, like an Apple, it's not necessarily the best laptop deal, even compared to other premium laptops.
Read our Razer Blade 14 review.
HP
HP's Victus 16 is a surprisingly robust and powerful gaming laptop that keeps up with the latest games at a more affordable price. Compared to HP's high-end Omen gaming laptop line, the Victus is more of an all-purpose laptop but still configured for gaming with a price starting at less than $1,000. HP offers several configurations with graphics chip options ranging from Nvidia's entry-level GeForce GTX 1650 up to a midrange RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6500M.
Read our HP Victus 16 review.
James Martin/CNET
The XPS 17 combines the same slim, premium design of its 13-inch linemate but with increased performance possibilities. It can be configured with up to a 12th-gen Intel Core i9 processor, 64GB of memory and a 6GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics chip. The best part: Dell trimmed up the chassis so much that you get a 17-inch display in a body that's the size of an older 15-inch laptop. You're getting a lot of power and a big screen in the smallest possible package.
Dell XPS 17 review.
Laptop FAQs
How much does a good laptop cost?
Setting a budget is a good place to start when shopping for the best laptop for yourself. The good news is you can get a nice-looking, lightweight laptop with excellent battery life at prices under $500. If you're shopping for a laptop around $500 or less, check out our top picks here, as well as more specific buying advice for that price range.
Higher-end components like Intel Core i-series and AMD Ryzen processors and premium design touches like thin-display bezels and aluminum or magnesium bodies have made their way to laptops priced between $500 and $1,000. You can also find touchscreens and two-in-one designs that can be used as a tablet or a laptop -- and a couple other positions in between. In this price range, you'll also find faster memory and ssd storage -- and more of it -- to improve performance.
Above $1,000 is where you'll find premium laptops and two-in-ones. If you're looking for the fastest performance, the best battery life, the slimmest, lightest designs and top-notch display quality with an adequate screen size, expect to spend at least $1,000.
Which is better, MacOS or Windows?
Deciding between MacOS and Windows laptop for many people will come down to personal preference and budget. Apple's base model laptop, the M1 MacBook Air, starts at $999. You can sometimes find it discounted or you can get educational pricing from Apple and other retailers. But, in general, it'll be at least $1,000 for a new MacBook, and the prices just go up from there.
For the money, though, you're getting great hardware top to bottom, inside and out. Apple recently moved to using its own processors, which resulted in across-the-board performance improvements compared to older Intel-based models. But, the company's most powerful laptop, the 16-inch MacBook Pro, still hasn't been updated to Apple silicon.
But, again, that great hardware comes at a price. Also, you're limited to just Apple laptops. With Windows and Chromebooks (more on these below), you get an amazing variety of devices at a wide range of prices.
Software between the two is plentiful, so unless you need to run something that's only available on one platform or the other, you should be fine to go with either. Gaming is definitely an advantage for a Windows laptop, though.
MacOS is also considered to be easier and safer to use than Windows, especially for people who want their computers to get out of the way so they can get things done. Over the years, though, Microsoft has done its best to follow suit and, with Windows 11 here, it's trying to remove any barriers. Also, while Macs might have a reputation for being safer, with the popularity of the iPhone and iPad helping to drive Mac sales, they've become bigger targets for malware.
Are Chromebooks worth it?
Yes, they are, but they're not for everyone. Google's Chrome OS has come a long way in the past 10 years and Chromebooks -- laptops that run on Chrome OS -- are great for people who do most of their work in a web browser or using mobile apps. They are secure, simple and, more often than not, a bargain. What they can't do is natively run Windows or Mac software.
What's the best laptop for home, travel or both?
The pandemic changed how and where a lot of people work. The small, ultraportable laptops valued by people who regularly traveled may have suddenly become woefully inadequate for working from home. Or maybe instead of needing long battery life, you'd rather have a bigger display with more graphics power for gaming.
If you're going to be working on a laptop and don't need more mobility than moving it from room to room, consider a 15.6-inch laptop or larger. In general, a bigger screen makes life easier for work and is more enjoyable for entertainment, and also is better if you're using it as an extended display with an external monitor. It typically means you're getting more ports, too, so connecting an external display or storage or a keyboard and mouse are easier without requiring a hub or dock.
For travel, stay with 13- or 14-inch laptops or two-in-ones. They'll be the lightest and smallest while still delivering excellent battery life. What's nice is that PC-makers are moving away from 16:9 widescreens toward 16:10- or 3:2-ratio displays, which gives you more vertical screen space for work without significantly increasing the footprint. These models usually don't have discrete graphics or powerful processors, though that's not always the case.
Which laptop is best for gaming or creating?
You can play games and create content on any laptop. That said, what games you play and what content you create -- and the speed at which you do them -- is going vary greatly depending on the components inside the laptop.
For casual browser-based games or using streaming-game services like Google Stadia, Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming, you don't need a powerful gaming laptop. And similarly, if you're just trimming video clips, cropping photos or live-streaming video from your webcam, you can get by with a modestly priced laptop or Chromebook with integrated graphics.
For anything more demanding, you'll need to invest more money for discrete graphics like Nvidia's RTX 30-series GPUs. Increased system memory of 16GB or more, having a speedy SSD for storage and a faster processor such as an Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 will all help you get things moving faster, too.
The other piece you'll want to consider is the display. For gaming, look for screens with a high refresh rate of 120Hz or faster so games look smoother while playing. For content creation, look for displays that cover 100% sRGB color space.
How we test computers
The review process for laptops, desktops, tablets and other computer-like devices consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our expert reviewers. This includes evaluating a device's aesthetics, ergonomics and features. A final review verdict is a combination of both those objective and subjective judgments.
The list of benchmarking software we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. The most important core tests we're currently running on every compatible computer include: Primate Labs Geekbench 5, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10 and 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra.
A more detailed description of each benchmark and how we use it can be found in our How We Test Computers page.
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