Top 10 laptops for Christmas: Apple, Acer and Lenovo
Lenovo, Acer, Apple and Toshiba among those to release market-leading laptops in the past 12 months
Laptops are sometimes overlooked in the hardware market as smartphones and tablets clamour for attention.
However, there is plenty of innovation and excellence in this area of the market, and numerous vendors are competing for market share by releasing ever more functional and beautiful devices.
To recognise this, and with Christmas fast approaching, V3 has put together a run-down of some of the best laptops released this year to give you an idea of what to get the loved one in your life, or yourself.
10. Fujitsu Lifebook T904
Fujitsu's first convertible ultrabook, the Lifebook T904, has a display that twists round on a hinge allowing multiple viewing angles.
The Lifebook T904 is powered by Intel's latest Haswell chips up to Core i7, running Windows 8.1 Pro with a maximum of 8GB of RAM, so it has plenty of power for daily activities.
It also has a removable four-cell lithium polymer battery that's good for approximately 8.5 hours, so you can take a spare for events or long-haul flights, for example, without worrying too much about running out of power.
The thin aluminium design can transform from a standard clamshell laptop, and the Fujitsu Lifebook T904 is a great productivity machine for those on the go.
Top 10 laptops for Christmas: Apple, Acer and Lenovo
Lenovo, Acer, Apple and Toshiba among those to release market-leading laptops in the past 12 months
9. Acer Aspire R13
The Aspire R13 follows in the footsteps of last year's Aspire R7, except that the firm has realised that placing the trackpad above the keyboard wasn't exactly a great idea.
Much like its Star Trek-inspired predecessor, the laptop comes with Acer's Ezel Aero hinge, allowing the Aspire R13 to be used in six different modes, including 'tent mode' and 'pad mode'.
Perhaps surprisingly, the device can also be used as a standard laptop, while the 'stand mode' is aimed at doodlers who can use the Microsoft Surface-style Active pen.
In terms of power, buyers can choose from Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processors, up to 8GB of memory and up to 1TB SSD.
The Aspire R13 offers a fresh and innovative design in the Windows 8.1 laptop market, and we found it fast and responsive and fun to use.
Top 10 laptops for Christmas: Apple, Acer and Lenovo
Lenovo, Acer, Apple and Toshiba among those to release market-leading laptops in the past 12 months
8. Dell Latitude E7440
Dell's Latitude range is typically not as exciting as the flashy ultra-thin portable devices that get all the attention, but they are nevertheless solid corporate workhorses that tick all the boxes as far as business requirements go while still showing a certain amount of style.
The Latitude E7440 typifies this. As one of the 14in models in Dell's Latitude 7000 series of high-end ultraportables, it sits squarely in the corporate mainstream with Intel vPro support, removable battery pack options, and a durable chassis compliant with MIL-STD-810G standards.
At 1.63kg, the Latitude E7440 is not the lightest of systems, but it offers comprehensive connectivity options including 3G and LTE mobile broadband, plus optional WiGig capability on some models to support a new wireless desktop dock.
Dell also equips the Latitude E7440 with a touchscreen, making it suitable for Windows 8.1 and ready for Windows 10 when it ships.
Top 10 laptops for Christmas: Apple, Acer and Lenovo
Lenovo, Acer, Apple and Toshiba among those to release market-leading laptops in the past 12 months
7. Toshiba Satellite Pro R50-B
The Toshiba Satellite Pro R50-B, to give it its full name, might be the laptop of choice for the budget conscious buyer as it retails for £350 to £450.
Twenty percent thinner than its predecessor, the 15.6in laptop weighs in at 2.3kg and features an anti-glare screen with a resolution of 1,366x768.
Under the thinner chassis is a choice of Intel's fourth-generation Core i3 or Core i5 processors, complemented by up to 8GB of memory and up to 1TB of hard drive capacity.
Connectivity is provided by USB 3.0, VGA, HDMI and Ethernet ports, with WiFi and an SD Card slot for flash storage.
Unusually for an ultra-thin laptop, the latest Satellite Pro features a built-in optical drive as an option for people with extensive collections of CD-ROMs.
Designed for business use, the Satellite Pro has a Trusted Platform Module security chip designed to secure the laptop with integrated cryptographic keys. The chip was previously found only in Toshiba's higher-end Tecra and Portégé laptops.
For those paranoid about battery life, the Satellite Pro has a removable battery pack meaning that, if the quoted life of up to 7.5 hours is not enough, users can swap it out with another battery to keep working while on the move.
Top 10 laptops for Christmas: Apple, Acer and Lenovo
Lenovo, Acer, Apple and Toshiba among those to release market-leading laptops in the past 12 months
6. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2014 model
V3 first saw the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2014 model at CES in Las Vegas in January and we were impressed.
It offers touch and non-touch screen options, and the demo unit we tried boasted a 14in, 10-point multitouch, 2,560x1,440 in-plane switching display.
The unit measures 331x226x18.5mm and features an impressive array of ports, including two USB 3.0 as well as a single full-size HDMI, OneLink Docking, mDP and Native Ethernet inputs.
Prices begin at around £1,000 so, although it's not cheap, you are getting an impressive bit of kit for your money.
Top 10 laptops for Christmas: Apple, Acer and Lenovo
Lenovo, Acer, Apple and Toshiba among those to release market-leading laptops in the past 12 months
5. Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro
The Yoga 3 Pro is Lenovo's slimmest convertible laptop yet as it is one of the first to boast Intel's latest 14nm Core M processor.
The 'ultra slim' Yoga 3 Pro is the successor to the IdeaPad Yoga 13 line, with a new name format and a high resolution screen in a super-thin and light frame. The screen can be flexed 360 degrees, turning it into a tablet.
The Yoga 3 Pro's 13in Quad High Definition Plus screen with a 3,200x1,800 resolution means that all images, whether movie clips, photographs or webpages, look brilliantly clear, sharp and vibrant.
Lenovo has included a 1GHz Intel Core M 5Y10a processor with 8GB of RAM, running Windows 8, making the Yoga 3 Pro one of the few laptops on the market with a fanless design, allowing for a slimmer, and thus more portable, device.
And with thermal design power levels of "well under" 10W, it offers much longer battery life than its rivals.
The Yoga 3 Pro is a fresh and innovative design in the Windows 8.1 laptop market and we found it fun to use with fast and responsive performance.
Top 10 laptops for Christmas: Apple, Acer and Lenovo
Lenovo, Acer, Apple and Toshiba among those to release market-leading laptops in the past 12 months
4 Toshiba Kira
Launched in the first quarter of this year, Toshiba's Kira ultrabook seems to have taken its inspiration from Apple's MacBook Air models and tried to deliver a similar experience for Windows users.
The Kira follows Apple's styling somewhat, but manages to deliver an ultra-high definition touchscreen display (2,560x1,440 pixels) comparable to the Retina screen of the MacBook Pro, but in a slimline and lightweight chassis closer to that of the 13in MacBook Air.
With a 1.8GHz Core i7 processor and 256GB flash SSD, the Kira has ample speed and power for productivity work while on the move, although it does not support Intel's vPro security and management technology.
As with many modern slimline systems, the Kira has an internal battery that cannot be swapped for a spare, but does boast a reasonable battery life of up to nine hours. Overall, the Kira is an attractive system for mobile workers.
Top 10 laptops for Christmas: Apple, Acer and Lenovo
Lenovo, Acer, Apple and Toshiba among those to release market-leading laptops in the past 12 months
3. Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 3 earlier this year, and has been marketing the device as a laptop replacement.
The Surface Pro 3 is a tablet in one guise, but the addition of the keyboard means it can easily double up as a laptop, allowing you to write and edit documents far more easily than on most tablets.
We were impressed when we put this to the test, awarding the Surface Pro 3 a solid four-star review.
It has a great 12in screen and weighs just 800g, making it functional and portable. The addition of the stylus pen means you can draw notes and doodles on documents.
The Surface Pro 3 run Windows 8.1 and will no doubt be upgradable to Windows 10 when the operating system is released next year.
The only real downside is that if you want the keyboard, which you will if you want to use it as a laptop, it will cost you an additional £110. Maybe pick one up in the January sales.
Top 10 laptops for Christmas: Apple, Acer and Lenovo
Lenovo, Acer, Apple and Toshiba among those to release market-leading laptops in the past 12 months
2. Dell XPS 15
The Dell XPS 15 is by far one of the best laptops we've tested in a long time. It's hard to fault, as its weaknesses - which are few - aren't significant.
The laptop has one of the most impressive screens on a Windows 8 machine, and the 15.6in 3,200x1,880 resolution IPS touchscreen is LED backlit, vibrant and clear.
It also handles everything you can throw it at with ease, probably due to its maximum internal specifications of an Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and high-end GPU.
If you've got the cash to spare and you're looking for a portable powerhouse, the XPS 15 is a great option.
Top 10 laptops for Christmas: Apple, Acer and Lenovo
Lenovo, Acer, Apple and Toshiba among those to release market-leading laptops in the past 12 months
1. Apple Macbook Air
Apple added some new additions to its MacBook Air range in April, offering a boost in performance and knocking £100 off the price of the cheapest model.
This means you can get an 11in MacBook Air from £749, which comes with an upgraded dual-core Intel 1.4GHz Core i5 processor.
The 2014 MacBook Air's design is identical to last year's model, weighing just 1.08kg. This means that the laptop is barely noticeable in a backpack or handbag, and makes it one of the most portable available.
The 11in MacBook Air isn't as fully equipped with ports as some Windows devices, owing to its size, but you will find two USB 3.0 ports, a Thunderbolt connector and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.
One downside to the Air range is that Apple still hasn’t brought its Retina display technology to the thin and light model, which retains the same LED-backlit 1,366x768 resolution display as its year-old predecessor.
The main improvement is in performance. The dual-core 1.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor is 100MHz faster than the dual-core 1.3GHz Intel Core i5 processor in last year's model.
If you buy a MacBook Air for Christmas, it will also come with the latest Yosemite version of Mac OS, so you’ll benefit from features like handover and continuity, letting you answer a call to your iPhone on your laptop, or starting a note on your iPad and getting a prompt to finish it when opening your MacBook.
With its reduced price tag, excellent performance, light weight and handy software features, the MacBook Air is definitely our choice for the best laptop you could find under your tree this Christmas.