The A-List
PREMIUM LAPTOPS NEW ENTRY
Apple MacBook Air
Affordable Apple M1 ultraportable from £999 from apple.com/uk
Apple’s ARM-based M1 chip is blasting away its AMD and Intel x86 opposition with truly extraordinary speeds. Even the low-end model with 8GB of RAM is ludicrously fast. Apple makes few changes to the Air’s design, but it looks fabulous and now supports both USB 4 and Wi-Fi 6. Add battery life into the teens and its only real threat comes from the updated MacBook Pro 13in. REVIEW Issue 316, p40
ALTERNATIVES NEW ENTRY
Dell XPS 17 (2020)
An excellent alternative to the 16in MacBook Pro thanks to a 17in IPS screen, bags of power, allround quality and a great range of specs. From £1,799 from dell.co.uk REVIEW Issue 315, p48
Apple MacBook Pro 13in (M1)
Apple replaces Intel’s Core processors with its own M1 chip and the results are sensational: brilliantly fast with an incredibly long battery life. From £1,299 from apple.com/uk REVIEW Issue 316, p44
Huawei Matebook X Pro
This laptop packs a 13.9in screen with a 3,000 x 2,000 resolution and powerful components. It might not be flawless, but it’s very desirable. £999 from johnlewis.com REVIEW Issue 312, p86
TABLETS
Apple iPad Pro 12.9in (2020), Laptop-killing tablet from £969 from apple.com/uk
This tablet rises above the category thanks to its ability to swing between laptop, tablet and – courtesy of a Lidar sensor – augmented reality dream machine. Make sure you budget for the £349 keyboard, though. And a storage upgrade. And the cellular option… REVIEW Issue 316, p82
ALTERNATIVES NEW ENTRY
Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020)
Amazon continues to amaze with how much it packs in, with a 1,280 x 800 IPS screen and 32GB of storage the stars. £90 from amazon.co.uk REVIEW Issue 316, p80
