Best Windows 11-ready laptops 2022

Best
Windows 11-ready laptops
Windows Central
2022

Best overall: HP Spectre x360 14

The HP Spectre x360 14‘s main attraction is likely the 13.5-inch touch OLED display with a 3000×2000 resolution and tall 3:2 aspect ratio. It looks incredible thanks to 100% DCI-P3 color reproduction, 400 nits brightness, and anti-reflective coating, plus it works with an active pen for Windows Ink.

The taller display gives more space on the keyboard deck, which HP used to blow up the touchpad. The keyboard is comfortable, and quad speakers surround for impressive audio. Wi-Fi 6 is included for fast wireless internet, the camera has a privacy shutter, and there’s an IR camera for Windows Hello. A fingerprint reader rounds things out.

Two Thunderbolt 4 ports are accompanied by USB-A 3.1, a microSD card reader, and 3.5mm audio, which is a decent modern mix. As for performance, it makes the cut for Intel Evo certification thanks to 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs, Intel Iris Xe graphics, and instant-on. This is a powerful laptop with about 10 hours of battery life from non-OLED models.

Do note that there’s also a 16-inch HP Spectre x360 with larger display, 11th Gen Intel Core H-series CPUs, quad speakers, and the same beautiful convertible design.

Like the Spectre x360, the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 is also a convertible PC that can be rotated around for tent, stand, and tablet modes. It’s incredibly thin and light, it has excellent battery life, and it can perform. Port selection is a bit limited with just one Thunderbolt 4, two USB-C, 3.5mm audio, and microSD card reader, but for something this size that’s not bad.

The 15.6-inch AMOLED display has excellent color and contrast, and an S Pen allows for quality inking. The extra inking software Samsung includes is a bonus here. VESA DisplayHDR 500 is supported to help with viewing HDR content, and the speakers have Dolby Atmos for better sound.

The keyboard and touchpad are both comfortable, and performance is strong. 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs can handle just about anything, and 10 hours of battery life is normal. If you’re looking for a 15-inch convertible that’s about as thin and light as possible, this is the way to go.

The Razer Blade 15 is our top pick when it comes to the best gaming laptops available today. There are many configuration options available, with some new Blade 15 options announced at CES 2022. You can now get up to a 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H CPU, NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPU, DDR5-4800MHz RAM, and PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD storage.

There are FHD, QHD, and UHD display options available, letting you get the resolution you want. The FHD model has up to a 360Hz refresh rate for the fastest performance, though the QHD with 240Hz and the UHD with 144Hz are equally impressive.

Everything is contained within a sleek aluminum chassis that’s just 0.67 inches (16.9mm) thin. This translates to shorter keyboard key travel, but the customizable RGB lighting is at least a nice touch. Ports include two Thunderbolt 4, three USB-A 3.2, HDMI 2.1, and Ethernet, plus there’s a UHS-II SD card reader. An IR camera with FHD webcam adds security and a streaming quality picture.

If the 15-inch model is just a bit too big, or if you want an AMD-powered system, check out our Razer Blade 14 review.

This 14-inch convertible separates itself from other foldable laptops with its focus on business features. This is the ThinkPad’s specialty, and the X1 Yoga (Gen 6) is no different. With this generation comes a taller 16:10 display and optional 5G connectivity, allowing you to stay connected with the fastest mobile hookup possible.

The new 16:10 aspect ratio adds some pixels to the display, coming at you with 1920×1200 (FHD+) or 3840×2400 (UHD+) resolutions. You can get the former with or without Privacy Guard, while the latter has an anti-reflective coating, Dolby Vision HDR400, 90% DCI-P3 color, and 500 nits brightness. All models have a siloed active pen for when you need to make some notes or sketches by hand.

Security is a main focus here, with human presence detection, IR camera, webcam shutter, dTPM 2.0 chip, fingerprint reader, and Kensington lock slot. As for performance hardware, get up to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, 16GB of LPDDR4x RAM, and a 1TB m.2 PCIe SSD. This laptop is also Intel Evo certified.

Be sure to have a look at our Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 6) review for more information. And note that there’s a ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 7) on its way March 2022. If you can hold out until then, the new 12th Gen Intel Core CPUs and display options might be worth the money.

The Dell XPS 13 9310 is easily one of the best-looking laptops on the market today, and is definitely the best Dell laptop. The 16:10 display has almost no bezel at all, the aluminum body is thin, and the optional white color is truly sharp.

11th Gen Intel Core CPUs provide plenty of performance, and you can even upgrade the SSD after purchase. Unfortunately, RAM is soldered. Battery life is excellent, especially if you opt for a lower-res display, and the Thunderbolt 4 ports will keep you connected to your most modern accessories. The keyboard is well spaced and comfortable, and the touchpad makes great use of all available space below.

The display is really where the XPS 13 shines. There are a few options available, starting with an FHD+ model without touch function. It has an anti-glare finish and 500 nits brightness. Next up is another FHD+ model with touch, edge-to-edge glass, and an anti-reflective finish with 500 nits brightness. New to the 9310 is an OLED display with 3456×2160 resolution, touch, beautiful color, and anti-reflective layer. Finally, the UHD+ model is touch with 500 nits brightness and an anti-reflective coating.

If you’re looking for a 13-inch Ultrabook that’s also one of the best Windows 11-ready laptops, this is one of the most impressive options out there right now. The Dell XPS 13 Plus was announced at CES 2022 as the next evolution of the XPS 13. It has a larger keyboard deck, haptic touchpad, better webcam, improved performance hardware, and more. Availability should be sometime in spring 2022.

The Surface Pro 8 is Microsoft’s perfection of the 2-in-1 form factor. This is a PC with a removable keyboard and touchpad, allowing it to be used as a tablet or as a notebook (thanks to the retractable stand on the back). Compared to the Pro 7, the Pro 8 has a more rounded chassis made of aluminum, thinner display bezels, and a larger screen with 120Hz refresh rate and Dolby Vision. There are now dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, better cameras, and a larger battery.

The 13-inch display has excellent color reproduction and up to 441 nits brightness, plus the 120Hz refresh rate makes everything look smooth. There’s now haptic feedback for the inking, making it seem more natural than ever. Performance hardware includes 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs, up to a 1TB M.2 SSD, and up to 32GB of LPDDR4x RAM.

As for typing and pointing, the Type Cover is now in line with the version that comes with the Surface Pro X, to the point where they’re interchangeable. There’s a holding slot for the Surface Slim Pen 2, and the keys and touchpad are comfortable.

For a better idea of how the Pro 8 compares to the older model, check out our Surface Pro 8 vs. Surface Pro 7 comparison.

Sometimes what you need is a laptop with a massive 17-inch display; the issue here is the bulk that usually comes with it. LG’s gram lineup bucks the trend, offering up a 17-inch Ultrabook that weighs just 2.98 pounds (1.35kg). That’s as light as many 13-inch laptops. The huge display has a 2560×1600 resolution with 16:10 aspect ratio, and the battery should last you a full day.

The gram 17 brings a comfy keyboard, fingerprint reader, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, plus its port selection of Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, USB-A 3.2, 3.5mm audio, and microSD card reader is generous. The touchpad looks a bit small on the huge chassis, but it tracks well.

Intel Evo certification means you get snappy performance with or without AC power. Get up to an 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and two 1TB M.2 PCIe SSDs. There’s not much space inside for a heavy discrete GPU, but Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics will put up a good fight.

Bottom line

Windows 11 system requirements state that a PC must have at least an 8th Gen Intel CPU (with some 7th Gen chips now included), 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage space, and a 9-inch display with HD resolution, as well as UEFI, Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0 compatibility. All of the above laptops make the grade, with assurances from the manufacturers that the PCs will be ready to go for the new OS.

Our top pick for most people when it comes to the best Windows 11-ready laptops is the HP Spectre x360 14. It has a knockout 3:2 display with 3000×2000 resolution and OLED panel, resulting in a viewing experience that’s hard to match. It’s backed up by modern Intel performance hardware, a comfortable keyboard and touchpad, plenty of security features, and decent port selection.

This is our top overall pick for best Windows laptop, so it only makes sense that it’s at the top of the list here thanks to its Windows 11 compatibility.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Cale Hunt is a staff writer at Windows Central. He focuses mainly on PC, laptop, accessory coverage, and the emerging world of VR. He is an avid PC gamer and multi-platform user and spends most of his time either tinkering with or writing about tech.

Daniel Rubino is the executive editor of Windows Central. He has been covering Microsoft since 2009, back when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Surface, HoloLens, Xbox, and future computing visions. Follow him on Twitter: @daniel_rubino.