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Best Overall

1. HP Envy 13 Touchscreen Laptop
   
   KEY SPECS
   
   • 10th-generation Intel Core i7 CPU
   
   • Intel graphics
   
   • 8 GB of RAM
   
   • 13-inch Full HD IPS touchscreen
   
   • 256 GB of SSD storage
   
   • Built-in fingerprint sensor
   
   • Built-in switch for disabling the webcam
   
   • Thunderbolt 3-capable USB-C port, two full USB-A ports, microSD
   card reader
   
   • Bang & Olufsen-tuned stereo speakers
   
   • Up to 17 hours of battery life
   
   >By offering a perfect blend of cool design, exceptional craftsmanship, excellent performance, and a host of handy hardware features, the latest generation 13-inch HP Envy is the best touchscreen laptop. Lightweight and elegant, it has a speedy and futureproof Intel processor, a Full HD touchscreen with thin bezels, a superb set of wired and wireless connectivity options, and epic battery life.
   
   >The keyboard and the trackpad impressed me a great deal during my testing. The latter in particular offers a massive leap in quality and precision over the previous generations. A built-in fingerprint sensor is also on board, as are a webcam kill switch and stereo speakers tuned by Bang and Olufsen.
   
   >Most importantly, when it comes to pricing, this HP Envy variant is impossible to overlook, especially considering its hardware specs and the build quality it offers. I tip my hat to HP for pricing the notebook well below $1,000!
   
   Price: $970
   
   
2. Lenovo Flex 14 2-in-1 Laptop
   
   KEY SPECS:
   
   • AMD Ryzen 5 3500U CPU (quad-core)
   
   • Radeon Vega 8 graphics
   
   • 12 GB of RAM
   
   • 14-inch 360-degree touchscreen with Full HD resolution (1,920 by 1,080 pixels)
   
   • 256 GB of SSD storage
   
   • Two full USB 3.0 ports, USB-C port, HDMI port, SD card reader
   
   • Up to 10 hours of battery life
   
   >Priced just a tad above $500, the Lenovo Flex 14 has a pleasantly understated design, as well as top-notch hardware specs. It has a versatile 360-degree touchscreen with a bundled stylus pen, a powerful AMD processor, and a rich set of connectivity features. A Windows Central review editor referred to the notebook as a “worthwhile budget convertible.”
   
   >The 14-inch Full HD touchscreen could use higher brightness and more vibrant colors, but it’s plenty good for a product this affordable. And the included stylus pen is all but guaranteed to come in handy for a plethora of tasks.
   
   >The backlit keyboard and the trackpad of the notebook are good for its price range. The built-in fingerprint sensor on the other hand, is a pleasant surprise. The same goes for the built-in webcam shutter.
   
   >The notebook can last for up to 10 hours between battery charges and, once that’s up, you can replenish its battery up to 80% in just 1 hour with the bundled charger.
   
   Price: $550
   
   
   The Apple User’s Pick
   
   
3. Apple iPad Pro (12.9-inch)
   
   KEY SPECS
   
   • Apple A12X Bionic chip with a built-in Neural Engine
   
   • 12.9-inch Liquid Retina display
   
   • Optional Apple Pencil
   
   • Up to 1 TB of built-in storage
   
   • TrueDepth camera with Face ID
   
   • Thunderbolt 3-capable USB-C port
   
   • Up to 10 hours of battery life
   
   >I said this before and I’ll repeat it again: the 12.9-inch Apple iPad Pro is a legit laptop replacement for several reasons, starting with its insanely capable A12X Bionic chip, which, according to Laptop Mag, “rivals or beats” most laptops. Equipped with Apple’s Smart Keyboard Cover, the tablet is a phenomenal productivity tool. Best of all, the iPad Pro is lightweight (it weighs only 1.4 pounds!) and versatile beyond belief.
   
   >The 12.9-inch Retina wowed me, and is “one of the best, most accurate mobile displays you can look at,” according to The Verge. In addition to being sharp and vibrant, it has a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz. The latter makes every task you perform on the iPad Pro fast and fluid. The screen is also a perfect canvas for the optional second-generation Apple Pencil — the best input device of its kind.
   
   >Apple’s iPadOS is also crucial in making the big iPad Pro a formidable laptop replacement. The mobile platform has intuitive user interface, superb multitasking capabilities, and a fantastic selection of apps that are tailor-made for a big screen.
   
   Price: $943
   
   The Chrome OS Pick
   
   
4. Asus Chromebook Flip C434 Touchscreen Laptop
   
   KEY SPECS
   
   • Eighth-generation Intel Core m3 or Core m5 CPU (dual-core)
   
   • 14-inch 360-degree touchscreen with 1,920 by 1,080 pixels; 360-degree hinge
   
   • Built-in stylus by Wacom
   
   • 4/8 GB of RAM; 64 GB of eMMC storage
   
   • Two USB-C ports, one full USB port, microSD card reader
   
   • Up to 10 hours of battery life
   
   >If you prefer Chrome OS, then the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 is the best pick worth your attention today. It has a gorgeous design and craftsmanship, a versatile 360-degree display, and top-notch performance. The product is also the “favorite Chromebook” of a Laptop Mag review editor.
   
   >Intel’s Core m processors found in the C434 are not the most powerful in the business, but they are plenty capable for Chrome OS. During my testing, every task I performed on the Chromebook Flip happened instantly.
   
   >I only wish that the Google Play store had more apps and games optimized for a large-screen experience. The ASUS Flip C434 is also a tad pricey for a Chromebook, but, given its design and performance, it’s well worth the splurge.
   
   Price: $530
   
   
   The Hardest Working Pick
   
   
5. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (7th Generation) Touchscreen Laptop
   
   KEY SPECS
   
   • Eighth-generation Intel Core i7 CPU (quad-core)
   
   • Intel graphics
   
   • 16 GB of RAM
   
   • 14-inch matte touchscreen with Full HD resolution (1,920 by 1,080 pixels)
   
   • 512 GB of SSD storage
   
   • Windows Hello sign-in with a fingerprint sensor
   
   • Two full USB 3.1 ports, two Thunderbolt 3-capable USB-C ports, HDMI port,
   microSD card slot
   
   • Built-in webcam shutter
   
   • Up to 18 hours of battery life
   
   >Lenovo’s touchscreen-equipped ThinkPad X1 Carbon is made for hard work on the go. It’s insanely lightweight yet impressively powerful and capable of easily making it through a full day (and beyond) on a single battery charge.
   
   >The product’s wired and wireless connectivity features are also exceptional. According to a PCMag review editor, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon “is as close to the ultimate business laptop as you can get.” I couldn’t agree more.
   
   >I was really blown away by the battery endurance of the variant with a Full HD display I tested. I also enjoyed using its quiet and precise keyboard, as well as its excellent trackpad. I like that Lenovo opted to install a webcam cover on the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, too.
   
   Price: $1500

If you prefer 2 in 1, I would recommend this [Lenovo Yoga 730] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKNCQYX/?tag=bkadamos_alltest-20)

The case is made from aluminum, feels very premium.
Hinges wobble so it is hard to open with one hand and screen turns 360 degree.
Very lightweight at 2.65 lbs.

You can upgrade/replace the storage, but not the ram.

There are two USB Type-C ports (both support TB3) and a headphone jack on the left side and a single USB 3.0 Type-A port on the right side.
No HDMI or SD card reader.
Comes with Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 which is good for day to day usage.

It supports digitizer pen and it has a comfortable grip and two buttons.x

Comes with chiclet keyboard, key travel is quite shallow, the pressure point is not well defined, and the resistance is too small, not nearly as good as the famous Thinkpad keyboard

The trackpad doesn't have dedicated mouse keys, the surface is smooth and supports Microsoft’s Precision.

The touchscreen is able to detect ten fingers at the same time. It detects inputs very precisely.

Screen is glossy, has good Brightness(but you still might struggle under direct sunlight), and good color coverage as well at 61.38% for RGB and 83.92% for sRGB and panel doesn't use PWM for brightness regulation.

CPU throttles under long time of heavy usage, but it still more powerful than most other ultrabooks in the market.

Storage is only NVMe (which makes it expensive if you want to upgrade/replace the SSD installed.

Fan noise and coil whine is minimal and not noticeable.

Heat management is very good, and it doesn't reach the point of being uncomfortable to hold.

Speakers are not very loud and doesn't have much bass but that is to be expected from a 2 in 1.

Battery life is very good at 7.5 to 9 hours with average usage.


If you prefer a traditional laptop with touchscreen and better GPU and screen, I would recommend this [ASUS Zenbook] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078T1715R/?tag=bkadamos_alltest-20) because of the following:

The lid is made from brushed metal, it can be opened easily with one hand and the case is made from metal as well, so overall build quality is great.
The display part flexes easily, and the keyboard bends a little if you are hard typer.

It is very light at 2.5 lbs, it has 2 USB 3, one USB type C, HDMI, and micro SD.
USB type C doesn't support Thunderbolt 3 or charging and it also doesn't support DisplayPort Alternate mode which means you can't connect external monitors using the port.
The ram is not upgradeable, so what you buy is what you get, major con if 8 is not enough for your usage.

Keyboard has four-stage backlight and page Up/Down, Home and End keys don't have their own keys, meaning you would need to use Fn keys to use them, and Key travel is short and feedback is very mushy so it is not the best option if you are used to mechanical keyboard or fast/frequent typer.

Touchpad very accurate and fast as it comes with Microsoft’s Precision, and supports multitouch gestures.
Touchpad has a glass surface which is very smooth and the buttons are firm.


Screen doesn't have PWM-flickering (which is a good thing), and it is very bright.
Color coverage is above average at 93% sRGB and 60.4 RGB.
High brightness and the matte display makes it great for outside usage.
Screen is IPS and has great viewing angles.

Because of how small and light the laptop is, it does throttle under intensive work for long period of time (over 30 mins in intensive work), but in short bursts it works very well.

Fan gets loud under heavy work, but not to the point where it would be annoying.

Sound quality is good, but bass is minimal.

Battery supports quick charge ( a big plus), and Asus claims it can charge up to 60% in less than 50 mins.

Battery life on average usage had from 7.5 to 9.5 hours.
NVIDIA MX150 which is one of the best for this range but still not great for newer games Benchmark(use the same website to check the benchmarks of the other GPU from the right hand list).

Screen issues are fairly prevalent in the market and unfortunately all of these have some issue or another when it comes to that.

Thinkpad T430

Refurb Thinkpads (T/W/X/P) I think are often some of the best values for lower-priced options due to their build quality and keyboards. If you don't need the larger text you might opt for a 1600x900 T420 instead. Both are low-quality-TN panels but the resolution can be a definite improvement to user experience. Also has the 7 row keyboard. With the price difference you can upgrade the RAM yourself back to 8GB.

ASUS P2540UA

I... don't like this one a whole lot. Yes it's "Amazon choice". Yes it's only $500. But you can still easily improve upon the poor display quality at this price, and I think that's a more important consideration than other differences. I might look at:

• Acer R 15 (IPS 72% NTSC touch, HDD + open M.2 slot, $535)
  
• Dell Inspiron 5567 FHD Touch model (IPS 45% NTSC touch, HDD w/ no open M.2, $500)
  
• Thinkpad E570 -- configure with i3-7100U, 1920x1080 IPS, 8GB RAM (or upgrade yourself for slightly cheaper), and 256GB SSD.
  
  

  Lenovo Yoga 900
  

  
  PenTile (RG/BW) not-true-3200x1800 display, regarded deceptive marketing on part of Lenovo. This is something Lenovo has moved past however this is an older model that still had the issue. The quality of the display was better than low-quality-TN at least, however I think the colors left something to be desired, as it was poorer than standard 1920x1080 IPS panels, and it made you deal with software scaling quirks of high resolutions without giving you the full sharpness in exchange for it.
  
  You can get a Lenovo Yoga 720 for a similar price with a good 1920x1080 display. Worth noting is that despite having an "i5" instead of an "i7", they're both U-series so there's not an appreciable difference between the two, and both are easily beaten by any HQ-series. In fact, the "i5" 7200U actually benchmarks slightly higher than the "i7" 6500U (it's a 6500U not 7700HQ). In general U-series vs HQ-series is a truly meaningful distinction, while "i5" vs "i7" can be considered misleading branding on Intel's part.
  
  

  ASUS FX502VM
  

  
  Also looks good on paper but the screen is the same type as the ASUS P-series, which is really not good for a laptop costing over $1000 I would say. I might suggest these alternatives:
  
  

• http://www.eluktronics.com/N850HP6 (72% NTSC only on Eluktronics, Schenker, and a few others' versions of this Clevo. Not Sager/Prostar unless you call and ask for a special order. 45% NTSC IPS normally -- much better than the FX502VM but this can be a similar price with the even better display.)
  
• Acer Helios 300 (if it comes back in stock for $1049 -- 45% NTSC IPS)
  
• Legion Y720 (if you don't mind the 7 lb weight and the non-replacable 45% NTSC IPS display)
  
• Legion Y520 (3GB 1060 like the FX502VM but better display still -- 45% NTSC IPS).

Edit: it now says it should be back in stock by February 20! You can order it right away, but it'll only ship by Feb 20.

And BTW, the Pro comes with 32GB of storage. A 64GB version is exclusive to Best Buy. Honestly I personally wouldn't bother at all. I got the 64GB from Best Buy just because there was a one-day deal on it for $479, and my $499 32GB Amazon was within the return period. If Best Buy's deal was for $499, I wouldn't have bothered at all. Setting menu is showing I'm only using 4.8GB with 47.6GB left (so if it were the 32GB I would've had 15.6GB left). You get 100GB of free Google Drive either way.

— — — —

Oh, Amazon just ran out of stock last night! Yesterday it was showing that only 15 were left. This morning, it was showing they'll be back in stock by February 14. For some reason now that message is gone too.

I don't think this happens usually–for the past month that I've been tracking them, they've always been in stock (sold and fulfilled by Amazon). I'd suggest waiting a few days, but yeah it should be this link

For photo editting in this price range I would advise you to check one of those laptops

laptop name | Acer Nitro 5 Spin | Lenovo Yoga 720 | Lenovo Yoga 730
--- |---- |---- |----
CPU | Quad core 8th Gen I5-8250U | Quad core 7th Gen I7-7700HQ | Quad core 8th Gen I5-8250u
GPU | GTX 1050 | GTX 1050 | Intel UHD Graphics 620
Screen "| 15.6"" FHD Multi-Touch IPS" "| 15.6"" 4K Multi-Touch IPS" "| 13.3"" touchscreen"
Ram | 8 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB
SSD | 256 GB | 512 GB | 256 GB
HDD | 1 TB | 0 | 0
Weight | 4.85 Lbs. | 4.41 Lbs. | 2.62 Lbs.
Battery life | 7 Hrs. | 6 Hrs. | 6 Hrs.
Price | 950~1150$ | 1300~1400$ | 650~750$
Pros | One of the best bang for the money 2 in 1 in the market with a dedacted GPU. | light . | One of the best bang for the money in the market.
Pros | The GTX 1050 should be enough for CAD work and good gaming exprince . | The GTX 1050 should be enough for CAD work and good gaming exprince . | Great battery life .
Pros | Great battery life . | A great UHD screen with perfect for photo and video editing . | Very light .

You could check my post about Each GPU performance to help you decide what to go for .

You could check my post about The best laptop for school to help you decide what to go for .

The Acer that you linked would definitely work fine. It’s cheap, has decent specs and is easy to upgrade as you mentioned. You may find it a bit big if the classes you are taking are in a lecture setting, but it’s definitely still workable.

If you could move your budget up a bit, you may find something like the Acer R14 for $550 to be a bit more preferable because of its smaller screen size, SSD, and better specs (i5 and 8gb ram).

An even better option imo is to go even cheaper and get something like a refurbished HP Folio for under $300. It’ll be more portable with a 14” display, and has an SSD. It’s a few years old now, but it should easily work fine for your needs.

For more suggestions, consider checking out my suggestion guide. If you have any questions let me know. Best of luck!

that one is cheaper because it has an older generation processor. have you considered the HP spectre? it may be a little out of budget but you get a great premium laptop with great specs.

https://www.amazon.com/Spectre-8th-Gen-Touchscreen-Convertible/dp/B0773JVW5Z/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=hp+spectre&qid=1565900258&s=electronics&sr=1-4

this one is a 2 in 1, has very good b&o audio (it is quite good) has 16gb of ram and a 1080p display, led ofc. 521gb SSD should be sufficient for games and other important files. it is a bit out of budget but it is very good IMO however, you can get a slightly better variant refurbished for less.

The one you found is an older version. It might be ok for your needs, but for a similar price, you could get the newer version which is much faster. So I would say, that's not a good deal all things considering.

here is the Amazon link of the one I recommended.

A good display for photo editing should have at least 80% sRGB, 300 Nits and a good % on AdobeRGB - but with your budget, the best thing is getting something with 100% sRGB (color coverage). Aspire 3 has ~ 60%.


Happy to help!

The Yoga 730 is good enough for what you plan to do. It has average specs as its really meant to be a simple student laptop but its thunderbolt 3 port will allow you to game through for eGPU. This laptop has have some QC issues in the past but their standard have improved recently. Its touch screen is nice to use as it is very responsive and so is its trackpad. Build quality wise its above average but noting too special. Overall it should be a good laptop for what you need it to

This Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga would be an excellent choice for you. Amazing power to get all your task done with the best experience possible and has a n extremely good build quality. It's keyboard is very sturdy and it's trackpad is very good. It has all the other features you need and much more including it's super light weight and excellent battery life features.

Make sure that if you're ordering it from Lenovo's site, you're customizing it to have the display that supports the pen.

With an i5-4200U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and the 1920x1080 display with pen support, it comes out to $1175.

This one is comparatively priced with the i7-4600U, which isn't a big difference, but would get to you much faster than waiting for a custom order from Lenovo.

Either way, make sure you know what you're getting.

As far as gaming goes, the integrated Intel HD 4400 graphics would be capable of handling those games, but it isn't going to do so fantastically.

The new XPS 13 would bring graphics a little less powerful than Nvidia GT 820M dedicated graphics, and are pretty solid. However, it isn't going to give you a digitizer for handwriting all your notes.

Hi, I bought from BH Photo Video a while back and they were great. You end up with a US charger so I used a travel adaptor, no probs. Check this link:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?setNs=p_PRICE_2%7c1&Ns=p_PRICE_2%7c1&ci=18945&srtclk=sort&origSearch=chromebook&ipp=72&N=4110474288

JB hifi have a very good deal on the HP x360 14 for $850 AUD - thats an i3 for less than you will find most m3 chromebooks in aus...

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/hp/hp-x360-14-da0000t-14-touchscreen-2-in-1-chromebook/380167/

​

Amazon are shipping the new Asus c434 to Aus (M3 model)- check it -$830AUD + shipping

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Chromebook-Touchscreen-Processor-C434TA-DSM4T/dp/B07Q2RB6BY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1YQTPVDRZV3MM&keywords=c434+asus&qid=1554977245&s=gateway&sprefix=c434+a%2Caps%2C402&sr=8-1

​

If you want a pixelbook, kogan are selling them: $1349 AUD + shipping. They sell the pixel slate too if you are interested.

https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/google-pixelbook-128gb-i5-8gb-ram/

https://www.kogan.com/au/shop/tablets-laptops/?q=pixel+slate

​

The x360 is looking like good value to me.

Good luck, there are some very nice options available.