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The best laptops to give as gifts
Even at the cheaper end, laptops make for expensive gifts, and with tons of options out there, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. Let us help simplify things for you. If you check out our 2018 holiday gift guide, you'll see we narrowed our shortlist to just half a dozen machines. Dell's latest XPS 13 is a terrific all-rounder if you're looking to buy someone a Windows laptop. AGigabyte's lightweight Aero 15X, meanwhile, is a solid choice for those who want to play games on the go. Our picks also include Microsoft's Surface Go, the ASUS Chromebook Flip and the updated MacBook Air, which is so new it hasn't even begun shipping yet. Whether you're buying for a gamer, a person with basic needs, or someone overdue for a new ultraportable, we think we've found someone for nearly everyone.
The best Cyber Monday deals
This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.
ASUS Chromebook Flip C302 review: King of the Chromebooks
It's been years in the making, but Chromebooks are escaping "second computer" or "cheap netbook" status. Google thinks these machines can be your main computing device, and they're finally getting better build quality, nicer screens and quality keyboards. But they're also getting higher prices. ASUS' first entry into the premium Chromebook space is the Chromebook Flip C302. This is the second Flip ASUS has made, but it's significantly different from the first, which was a tiny, netbook-sized device with a low-quality touchscreen and weak Rockchip processor. But for only $250, it offered the essential Chrome OS experience in a super-portable package. The new Flip is a different beast entirely, made to compete directly with Samsung's $550 Chromebook Pro. It has a bigger, pixel-dense screen, Intel processor and access to the Google Play Store for Android apps. The Flip's $470 price, significantly higher than the original, reflects these upgrades. But after spending a few weeks with the Flip C302, I've come to think it might be the best Chromebook on the market right now. It's not perfect, but it's enough computer for almost anyone.
The best computers for students
What would a back-to-school guide be without a healthy dose of computer recs? Other than a small dorm TV, perhaps, it's the single most expensive investment you're likely to make as you begin college -- and if you're graduating or pursuing an advanced degree, it's possible you've been waiting patiently for a reason to upgrade. As you can imagine, our guide includes a slew of laptops and convertibles (eight, to be exact), along with a detachable (that would be the new Surface Pro) and a pair of desktops, in case you're content to work just in the dorm. And that's not counting the three gaming notebooks we recommend in our shopping guide for PC gamers! With starting prices ranging from $469 to $1,550, and screen sizes running the gamut from 12 inches to 27, we found something for just about every use case.
ASUS' future Chromebook is a premium alternative to the Flip
ASUS' Chrome OS efforts are currently headlined by the cheap-and-cheerful Chromebook Flip, which mainly stands out for combination of a 2-in-1 design with a bargain basement price. However, the PC maker is about to shake things up in a big way. In the culmination of a series of leaks, Newegg has listed a $499 C302CA laptop that appears to be an upscale sibling to (but not replacement for) the Flip. It touts a larger 12.5-inch, 1080p screen, and it's running Intel's Core m3 processor instead of the budget Rockchip part you saw in the Flip last year. Combine that with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage and it's clear that this is a premium Google-powered system -- not at the level of the Chromebook Pixel or HP Chromebook 13, but much nicer than the Celeron-based portables that dominate the Chrome OS world.
Chromebooks now have an easy time running Android apps
You no longer have to be an early adopter to run Android apps on a Chromebook. Google has released a stable version of Chrome OS that includes Google Play Store access in beta, giving you the opportunity to run mobile apps on top of your usual web access. You'll have to own an Acer Chromebook R11 or an ASUS Chromebook Flip to give this update a shot, but it beats having to run a Chrome OS beta just to see what all the fuss is about.
tl;dr: Engadget is launching mini review videos!
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-649475{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-649475, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-649475{width:630px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-649475").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Never accuse us Engadget editors of not knowing who reads our site. That's the whole point: We know you guys, and we know that you don't always read through to to the end (and that some of you, unfortunately, don't read at all). So for all of you -- the folks who like to write "tl;dr" in the comments -- we're introducing mini review videos that cut straight to the point in 30 to 45 seconds. Think of it as the simple review card you all know and love, brought to life. You'll be seeing a lot of these on our site, and to kick things off, we're starting with a product we reviewed just last week: the ASUS Chromebook Flip.
ASUS Chromebook Flip review: small, solidly built, well-priced
I'm sick of reviewing Chromebooks. What was once the source of fierce debates about the future of computing is now a commodity: Most models have the same specs, the same internals and more or less perform the same. There are a lot of them, and most aren't particularly good or particularly bad. They're forgettable; unremarkable. That cranky preamble aside, I did want to test the Chromebook Flip. This machine, made by ASUS, is notable on a few counts. With a 10-inch screen, it's one of the smallest around, even if it does hearken back to the days of the netbook. It's one of the few with a 360-degree rotating touchscreen. The build quality is better than most, thanks to an all-metal chassis. The battery life is longer too, at 10.5 hours. Lastly, it's cheap for what it is: just $249. Yes, there's a catch -- several, even -- but all told, I recommend it anyway.
