Laptops

Best mobile PCs of 2012

Whether you call them notebooks, laptops, Ultrabooks, or hybrids, they all have one thing in common: They let you take your computing power on the road. In our opinion, these models were the best mobile computers of 2012. This chart represents a subset of our picks of the Best 100 Products of 2012. The machines are presented here in the order in which the appeared on that list.

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Vizio CT14-A2

Vizio's rookie laptop effort was good enough to land at number four on our Top 100 list. The CT14-A2 has a sleek, minimalist design, with big keys that deliver great tactile feedback. Vizio also managed to pack a fabulous 14-inch, 1600-by-900-pixel LCD in a package that weighs just 3.4 pounds. This is a very capable Ultrabook.

4.5/5
prices from $1,199.00
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Lenovo IdeaPad Y580

Coming in at number 10 overall, Lenovo's affordable workhorse of a laptop does it all. Packing a quad-core processor, a Geforce GTX 660M GPU, and a 15.6-inch, 1080p LCD into a 6.2-pound chassis, this well-balanced system is great for both digital media editing and playing PC games.

4/5
prices from $829.95
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Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display/2.3GHz Core i7 (Mid 2012)

The stunning performance and effortless portability that Apple's flagship laptop delivers helped it come in at number 24 on our master list. It's the fastest Mac we've ever tested, but it boasts a spectacular IPS screen with 2880 by 1800 pixel resolution.

prices from $2,348.98
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Alienware M17X R4

This luggable laptop (it weighs more than 11 pounds) landed smack dab in the middle of this year's list, proudly holding court at number 50. This machine is perfect for LAN parties and dorm rooms. An Ultrabook it's not, but it does pack the fastest mobile GPU available, a gorgeous 17-inch display, and a great keyboard.

4/5
prices from $1,649.00