Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Laptops
By Nilay Patel 
posted December 8th 2009 2:27PM
posted December 8th 2009 2:27PM
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season.
Buying a laptop as a holiday present for someone is fraught with danger: you're more than likely buying someone's primary machine, and they're going to think of you every single time they boot it up, whether it's to do work, play games, or gently stalk old flames on the "Face Book." Worry not, though -- we're here to help, with a grab-bag of laptop choices that offers something for everyone.
Dell Studio 15 - Dell's Studio 15 doesn't start out as the flashiest laptop in the world, but you can certainly make it that way, with a wealth of custom graphics and colors at your disposal. It's more than solid underneath that 15.6-inch 720p display for its $699 starting price, with a 2.2GHz Intel T6600 Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB drive. Just don't spring for the nail polish option and you'll do fine.
$699 - Buy from Dell
ASUS UL80Vt - If you're willing to spend a little more but still aren't willing to break a grand, the UL80Vt offers a compelling mix of battery life and performance for around $825. The 1.73GHz Intel SU7300 Core 2 Duo is paired with both power-saving integrated graphics and a more powerful NVIDIA GeForce G210M, which lets it handle just about any task on it's 14-inch display, web browsing should be a snap, and we actually found the 11-hour battery life rating to be underestimated --we got 12 hours in our tests. Sure, you can get a lot more for just a little extra, but the UL80Vt won't disappoint if you're on a strict budget.
$819 (with $100 gift card) - Buy from Amazon
Oh, you shouldn't have
Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro - Back when we reviewed the cheaper plastic MacBook, we advised potential buyers to save their pennies and trade up the the $1,199 aluminum MacBook Pro, and we're sticking to it. The extra coin buys you sturdier materials and construction, a slightly nicer screen, and most ports, while inside the Core 2 Duo processor and NVIDIA 9400M graphics are enough to handle almost anything you can throw at it. Sure, Macs aren't for everyone, but if they're what your giftee wants, the 13-inch MBP is sure to make 'em happy.
$1,199 - Buy from Apple
Lenovo X200 Multitouch Tablet - Although there's a been a wave of touchscreen laptops lately, we still think the convertible tablet form factor makes the most sense for touch interaction, and Lenovo's X200t brings a nice12.1-inch multitouch capacitive display to the form factor. Prices start at $1,509 for a 1.4GHz Intel SU9400 Core 2 Duo and 2GB of RAM and scale up from there.
$1,509 and up - Buy from Lenovo
HP Envy 15 - Arguably the hottest PC laptop on the market right now both in looks and, uh, radiant heat, the Envy 15 is a 1.73GHz Core i7-powered beast of a machine, complete with 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4830 graphics and a 15.6-inch 1080p display. Yes, it looks like a certain other laptop. Yes, it will boil water at a hundred paces. Yes, they're going to freak out and love you forever.
$1,799 to $2,299 - Buy from HP
Dell Adamo XPS - Oh, it's weird. Real weird. But it's also the thinnest laptop ever made, and it's proof that Dell can design and manufacture with the best of 'em. Sure, we wish $1,799 bought more than a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo SU9400 CPU and integrated graphics, but there's a 128GB SSD to make up for it, and well -- look at it. Better hurry on this one, though: the listed ship date is December 22nd, which means you'll be just under the wire.
$1,799 - Buy from Dell
Apple 17-inch MacBook Pro - Apple's largest laptop only appeals to a small number of people who need a really big screen, but we're suckers for display real estate. Add in the nice unibody build that truly helps with such a large machine, an integrated (but user-replaceable) battery that lasted nearly five hours in our tests, and your loved one's unabashed Mac fanboyism, and we'd say this surfboard is better than two tickets to paradise.
$2,499 - Buy from Apple
Stocking stuffer
Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T -The inexpensive thin-and-light segment really blew up in 2009, and the Acer's Timeline machines are standout examples of the species. Weighing in at just 3.08 pounds, the 11.6-inch Timeline 1810T packs a 1.3GHz Intel SU4100 Core 2 Duo, 3GB of RAM, a 320GB drive, a multitouch trackpad, HDMI out, and Windows 7 Home Premium for just $549. And did we mention that the six-cell battery should last you pretty much all day?
$549 and up - Shop for Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T
$549 and up - Shop for Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T
$699 - Buy from Dell
$819 (with $100 gift card) - Buy from Amazon
Oh, you shouldn't have
HP ProBook 5310m - Truth be told, we fell in love with the ProBook's all-business looks the second we saw it. Prices start as low as $699, but here we're much more interested in the $999 model, which features a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB drive and a Gobi-powered WWAN module that lets you access the 3G network of your choice. Beauty and brains? Can't miss.
$999 - Buy from HP
$999 - Buy from HP
$1,199 - Buy from Apple
Lenovo X200 Multitouch Tablet - Although there's a been a wave of touchscreen laptops lately, we still think the convertible tablet form factor makes the most sense for touch interaction, and Lenovo's X200t brings a nice12.1-inch multitouch capacitive display to the form factor. Prices start at $1,509 for a 1.4GHz Intel SU9400 Core 2 Duo and 2GB of RAM and scale up from there.
$1,509 and up - Buy from Lenovo
We can't afford the rent now, can we?
$1,799 to $2,299 - Buy from HP
$1,799 - Buy from Dell
$2,499 - Buy from Apple
really? the dell adamo with the horribly unusable hing design? that should have been filed under a new heading; "oh no you shouldn't"
at least the acer timeline series made one of your spots. they're great little machines.
@willowtwf Agreed. If you just have to have thin and light and have oodles of $, the Vaio X looks to me like a better feature-set in a more functional design.
@willowtwf
And exactly how would you know that it is unusable if you have never used it?
@BE77Y because it's a dell (I am joking... well... not really)
17" MBP is pure sex. Too bad I can never afford one :/ (hugs 15" MBP)
@poematik14 My personal favorite of the Macbooks is the 15-inch, but that's the one that always seems to be ignored. =(
@poematik14
Personnaly the 13" MBP is ideal for my needs. The power of a fully functional laptop and (almost) as portable as a netbook.
The screen is big enough for use on its own, and its got the power to drive an external when you need extra real estate.
2 Macs on the list? hello controversy
Go away Troll
@yulebellow Two HPs and two Dells on the list? Hello, controversy.
@yulebellow If Apple made tablets and netbooks, all the laptops in their list would be Macs. : )
Someone just got served.
@N900 crap, my "@Nilay Patel" fell off. =\
The 17" MBP is good if you like the design and have the extra money. Otherwise, there's at least a dozen more powerful 17" laptops that you can get for less money. Yeah they're not as pretty but they work better as desktop replacements.
@Jacob1 unless you need a mac.
plus "desktop replacement" doesn't really fall under the "laptop" gift guide category.
@kressaty
Desktop replacement is a large part of the laptop world. Most 17" laptops are considered desktop replacement, not portable, and while the MBP is the most portable 17", it's also less powerful than most.
@kressaty
Is there ever anyone who really "needs" a Mac?
@shadowj0
The way Engadget's site designers/programmers are going I may "need" a Mac to use the site properly, as it is pretty much broken everywhere else.
@Jacob1
This is a gift list, and as such it's supposed to represent a balance between some beautiful and indulgent and something useable. No one will really appreciate a bargain bucket present even if the internals are great. The MBP 17" is probably as good as you get in terms of balance of power with indulgence.
Also, why does everyone discount OS X when they say you could get something cheaper and more powerful? I mean, yeah that's great...unless you hate Windows, then no one will be thankful for your present ; )
A really fair GIft Guide. I like the way they acknowledge the fact the HP Envy's design is a complete rip off at last!
@PATRICKmcnicholl
Yea, they totally ripped off Sony's chiclet keyboard.
It's not like a certain other company started to use those, and then all of a sudden they "invented" it, even though Sony had been using it for a whole year before hand.
@Dubb You are an Idiot. Chicklet keyboards have been around for Ages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiclet_keyboard
@PATRICKmcnicholl
You completely missed my sarcasm and you call me an idiot?
Engadget said "Yes, it looks like a certain other laptop." about the Envy. You agreed with them. Even though it looks nothing like a Macbook to me, so the only thing I can think of is the chiclet keyboard. Which many people claim Apple invented and everyone ripped off. It was however first introduced by Sony. But any extreme fanboy will tell you that Apple invented and Sony stole it.
@Dubb Go back under a Bridge you troll. Only an idiot wouldn't see the 'Envy' completely stole the design of a unibody macbook
@Dubb I know that Apple didn't invent the Chiklet keyboard. But that to me is the most unimportant part of the unibody macbook. The original Adamo stole about as much of the Unibody's design as the HP also. I mean compare them side by side! Dell and Hp's "luxury" computers have both stole a brilliant design of a computer.
@PATRICKmcnicholl and @Dubb Is the whole "YOU COPIED!" thing so much as a bad thing?? Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. I mean, if all you wanna do is say "Macbook did it first" or "Sony did it first" then fine. Sit there and eat your fanboy cake. But sometimes the copies are better. Sony put the Chiclet into a TRUE laptop first, but the Macbook's take on it was better. The Unibody design of the Macbook Pro is a great design, but the look and feel, and the performance of the ENVY (sans the trackpad, please) is better.
The point is if you didn't have copies, you wouldn't have the continual evolution of design, architecture, and technology.
Now if both of you are done, I made some tea in the kitchen.
@PATRICKmcnicholl
No sorry, Engadget is the "troll" here, waiting for someone to take the bait and start off an "I completely agree" comment.
Looks like you took the bait. Compare them side by side, I know I just did, and the only thing that is remotely similar is the keyboard and the bevel around the screen. Everything else is different from the Macbook. Port selection, arrangement, completely different latching, all bevels look nothing like the Macbooks bevels, especially on the bottom, no slot loading drive, I could go on like this all day. Shall the idiot that sees the glaring differences continue?
@N900 I hear you. But it isn't the small things like 'Keyboards' that irritate me. It's the complete stealing of design without adding to it. What company have to completely rip another product off? Dell and hp apparently. They have just blatantly copied it. I mean the aluminium border around a black screen which has been popular on all Apple products since the iPhone? Taken by Dell and HP. Unibody Alluminium design? Taken by Dell and HP. And (worst of all) Multitouch Trackpad made by Apple? Stolen by Dell and Hp. It's the sheer lack of innovation that enrages me about these companies sometimes.
@N900
I'm in complete agreement with you, and I don't mind other companies copying from each other.
What I care about are facts. People yell "They stole Apple's keyboard design!!! Rabble rabble rabble!" and I shake my head and facepalm.
I have no problem giving credit to Apple where they have innovated and outdone their competitors in certain areas but I am tired of the misinformation.
Such as the HP Envy being a complete ripoff of the Macbook Pro. Based on no actual fact, the fact is I see "some" resemblance but only in the screen and keyboard. The screen and keyboard does to make the whole laptop.
I like facts, not ignorant people that will continue to march on with the other ignorant fools in lock step.
@PATRICKmcnicholl
"And (worst of all) Multitouch Trackpad made by Apple?"
First of all Apple makes NOTHING. They design things. Everything is made in China/Taiwan similar regions of the world by companies other than Apple.
I'm willing to bet that the track pad is licensed from another company for use in their laptops, like Alps or Synaptics. Just like Dell and HP and Asus buy from the same OEM retailer that Apple buys from for their multi-touch trackpad.
Are you seeing how ill-informed you are PATRICKmcnicholl? You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, you have no research into the background of the statements you are trying to present.
@Dubb You completely forgot to mention how they ripped off the entire concept of 'Unibody' and the multitouch trackpad. So yeah. It's almost all of the computer's design stolen. You = troll. Oh and the colour scheme is taken as well. And the area of the logo. And the keyboard indent. All borrowed from the unibody mac. I sure would hate to have you as a designer. You would just steal from someone else. Sad
@Dubb Oh i'm so sorry. I meant designed. Pardon my English. Seriously, how hopeless a troll are you?
@Dubb Dude, you really are blind. They have stolen alot of the design. Don't be stubborn. You're getting patrickmcnicholl mad. Now stop this bickering. Patrick, they DID steal alot of the design, but I think we all know that by now. Dubb, just admit defeat, they did take the whole Unibody design and Multitouch trackpad from them, not to mention alot of other things. Don't be such a hater.
@Dubb "everything else is different" ... Except the black framed glass display, the color scheme in general, the keyboard area and indention, the no button touch pad, and the location of the logo. I mean it is just generally quite clear to everyone else that they look similar. I guess you can't see it, but to me, and apparently most people, it is obvious.
The Studio 15 is getting an i7 Mid-December. Sure it's not at $699, but it's a nice upgrade.
The amazon link shows the asus with a 1.3ghz processor not a 1.73.
@walker2151 It's overclocked to 1.73 ghz IIRC
@walker2151 It has an option to overclock to 1.7 (and has the discrete G210 graphics chip that can be turned on an off).
Glad to see the Asus UL80VT made the list
@Chavez
Yes my room mate has a UL80Vt and it is a very nice laptop!
But if you want a slimmer/lighter laptop, and don't need that silly Optical Drive the UL30Vt is also a very good option. - http://bit.ly/5hW8nz - The reviews on this laptop are also very high...
i bought my gf a Acer aspire 1410 with a u2300 dual core CPU for $400.
All she needs is enough power to play Peggle , go online and write her papers/notes at school. I would have loved to get her the timeline, but that was a little much.
What the hell?!?!
You didn't include [laptop]?!?!?
I'm surprised the Dell Studio XPS 1340 isn't on that list, it sits pretty with the Macbook Pro 13" and not only looks good, but is also quite powerful for it's size. Plus I've seen you guys using it in numerous videos in the past, including your Windows 7 review.
@Nilay Patel
"and we'd say this surfboard is better than two tickets to paradise."
Oh, but is it better than a cheeseburger in paradise? I think not!
I tried to post a comment on how there are no AMD laptops on the list, it's been almost 30 minutes and still nothing. All my replies show up fine and timely in the replies above. What gives?
@Dubb
I guess I'll reply to my own post. If my rant about no AMD CULV laptops not being on the list shows up, then ignore this one.
But anyways, I find it kind of sad that there are no AMD CULV laptops on the list, like the fine DM3 with the Athlon Neo X2 and RadeonHD 3200.
Engadget, you haven't done a single review on the AMD CULV that I can find, I wouldn't mind seeing one.
@Dubb Intel: "All ur post R belong to uS!"
@Dubb Well, regardless of the processor in the DM3, I'd never put it on this list -- the trackpad and screen are huge dealbreakers.
AMD actually pinged us with some suggestions for the guide, but none of them were particularly interesting. I tried to find stuff at each price point that was somewhat novel.
@Nilay Patel
I agree, the DM3 series touchpads are beyond horrible and I wouldn't wish one on anyone! I actually took mine back and got a Sony CW series with a bluray drive for just $200 more.
although it is nice to have something to put under the tree, i'd wait on the mac book pro until the i7 upgrades due in January...