What do you get when crossing a laptop with a tablet PC? A notebook that you can break in half. The rise of touch screens is inevitable in this laptop test of NRC. If the Windows New Style or do you prefer to go for a (used) MacBook or dirt cheap Chromebook? ‘Back to school’ see you standing in almost any computer store. The start of the new school season is a reason to look for a new laptop. What’s for sale on notebooks that run on Windows at a time when the tablet PC seems to dominate? Along with test lab Hardware.Info tested NRC stack laptops. What is striking in this stack? The touch screen. In the era of Windows 8.1 is no longer there to escape. Microsoft’s operating system has two faces: the traditional desktop and a home screen full of colorful apps, the same that you see in Windows Phone. The home screen is convenient to operate with your fingers, but you want to be productive – lyrics rams, much cut and paste, edit photos and often switch between programs – then the desktop view the most convenient option. Microsoft also has a Windows RT variant that only the home screen displays and Office running yet but that seems like a dead end.
The start screen of Windows 8.1
Fewer manufacturers more formats
The emergence of affordable tablet PCs, the computer world upside down put: prices fall, profits shrink. The PC market scrambles back a bit but Sony (Vaio notebooks) withdraws from the laptop sales, Samsung seems the same plan with its Windows machines. Another big name, Dell, mainly makes machines for the corporate market and is therefore not included in this test. But the computer supply thanks to the tablets with their touch screens have varied than ever. It also comes with the new hybrid formats: laptops that you can fold, split or double hits, tablet PCs that may emerge as a full-fledged computer. Not every structure is equally happy. In the test winner in the cheapest category, the Medion Akoya, you see the screen light back and forth wobble when you tap. For other computers, it is definitely not easy to get the keyboard off the screen and you’ll do just that in practice. The hybrid also, most laptops will eventually be used mostly as a laptop.
What is fast?
For the test we look at life (how long do you do on a full battery? ), speed, screen quality and build quality and finish. When it comes to speed, you can not blindly rely on the processor clock speed (the number of gigaherz). Virtually every laptop runs on Intel processors, which are for sale in a great variety. Do not have an eagerness to learn everything from Atom / Celeron / Pentium / Baytrail / Dual or quad follow the simplest advice: choose a Core i3 or rather a Core i5 processor. If you want to get the most out of it: a Core i7. During the test shows that the touch laptops with slower processors very smoothly even if they have a solid state drive (SSD) storage on flash memory instead of a hard drive with moving parts. Even in the low end working machines with eMMC memory (same type as found in tablets) is still fast compared to laptops with ‘old fashioned’ hard drive. Many computer manufacturers use a SSHD: a disk with extra gigabytes of flash memory. A good compromise to reconcile. Speed and affordable storage The quality of the screens varies widely. Some laptops have a full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels), but there are still many who do it with fewer pixels. Generally provide so-called IPS displays the best quality. They suffer less discoloration when the screen tilts slightly (the vertical viewing angle). That’s something you just have to try in the store
And what does that cost
In the test of Windows machines, we distinguish three price categories.? Under 500 euros, 500 to 1,000 euros and 1,000 euros above. In the first category, the Medion Akoya P2211T wins thanks to the extra long and extra hard drive. In the middle category, we choose two winners: 13.3 inches and 15.6 inches (buddy ‘desktop replacement’). In this large size – 15.6 inches – the HP Pavilion 15 p035nd winner comes out on top thanks to a better display and a larger SSHD. At 13.3 inches to 1.000 euros the Lenovo Yoga wins 2 13, thanks to the full HD screen and fast i5 processor. In the segment above 1,000 euros, the Toshiba Satellite Z30T-A-111 wins. But that really necessary, all those complicated model names? Unfortunately. There is varied under the hood in laptop parts and that affects performance. The testers Hardware.Info: “You would be surprised how illogical the systems are screwed together sometimes.”
Among the 500: 
This is the category where you find the most variation in hybrid formats. For fast computers, you should not be here, but for office tasks, they are well suited. The Medion Akoya P2211 T sticking out thanks to the extra hard drive and fine screen, which however can wiggle when you tap. The alternatives are the Asus Transformer Book T100TA-DK002H and HP Pavilion 11 X360. Read the completeness of this test also Hardware.Info.
Medion Akoya P2211t
Between 500 and 1,000 euros
the middle class, we distinguish two sizes: 15 inch and 13 inch. Some people prefer a large screen that is sufficient at home, others opt for handiness. At the big laptops HP Pavilion 15 p035nd falls on his 1 terabyte SSHD and 8 GB of memory – only the battery life is disappointing. Alternatives include the Acer Aspire V7-582P-3401G50tkk and Toshiba Satellite S50-B-136. 
The HP Pavilion 15 p035nd
The 13 inch specimens makes the Lenovo Yoga 2 13 the best impression, for just under a thousand euros. Very light, very fast and a solid construction to the screen to fold. The (much) more affordable alternatives are the HP Pavilion 13 a020nd and Asus Transformer Book Flip TP300LA-DW007H. 
Lenovo Yoga 2 13
over $ 1,000
Do you have to spend over $ 1,000, then the Toshiba a good choice. Note the large SSD of 512 GB – nota bene purchased from rival Samsung. Other options: Lenovo Yoga 2 13 (which falls just on the edge of this category) and the Asus Transformer Book T300LA-C4019H. 
Toshiba Satellite a111 Z30t
Alternative 1: the tikdoos Google
Asus C200 Chromebook
Why buy an expensive laptop as yet almost all of your software running on web servers? That is the philosophy of Google Chromebooks. Chrome OS is a lightweight operating system that almost all the programs running in a web browser from a web. Local storage is not possible, giving you a very limited machine in your hands without internet connection. There are some apps that work offline, such as the calculator or a few games. But Spotify or Evernote may for example store any files on your laptop. Chromebooks is difficult to compare with Windows machines: as almost all of the computation is performed on the web server, the laptop itself with limited processor from the feet. The same applies to the hard disk: there is barely storage, because it is not needed with 100 GB of Google Drive, the hard disk in the cloud. Samsung and Toshiba also make Chromebooks, see this video. The tested Asus C200 (see here for more info) has a somewhat pale display that changes color when the screen tilts slightly. It is also striking that it has a nice keyboard, unfortunately without backlit keys. For 279 euros you can buy a tap and mail box when you can have fine but still not replace your regular computer. Incidentally, Microsoft announced in response to the Chromebooks (which are especially popular in the USA) that there are very cheap laptops on Windows coming, like this one. This is reminiscent of the netbookhausse a few years ago
Alternative 2:. (Poor Man’s) MacBook Air
MacBook Air 13.3 inch
The MacBook Air laptop is true for shoppers as the holy grail of notebook area. Built of aluminum, thin, light and a good battery life. You can also run fine on Windows. But you pay for that or the grand prize: the entry-level MacBook Air 13.3 inch cost 1029 euro (11.6-inch 929 euro). Therefore, there is a lively trade in used Apple machines. That is pretty safe, because the supply is predictable because Apple so little varies configurations. The firm Leapp (anagram of Apple) buy machines that are exchanged in Mac stores and sells aircraft again, with an extended warranty. That includes iUsed.nl. Via tweedehandsmac.nl you can make your fortune: for example, an immaculate 2010 MacBook Air with 4GB of memory and a 128 GB SSD for 550 euro. Thanks to the SSD machine feels after four years on smoothly. Always try a second machine myself first. Look, especially if you buy from individuals, that there is no damage to the screen sitting (dead pixels) and check how often the battery is charged (use the free tool Battery Health or look under “About This Mac”). With more than 1,000 cycles you, the battery may be replaced – cost 139 euros at Apple
Alternative 3 Surface Pro 3, Microsoft’s hybrid
Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Microsoft software engineer produces its own tablet computer, the Surface. Microsoft thinks the Surface of a new category in itself; the combination of work (Windows on the desktop) and pleasure (the apps in the Start menu). A 2-in-1 laptop, so you have to buy. Tablet no longer With 800 grams in your bag you wear a lightweight computer with you, which, thanks to the 3: 2 screen is easier to read and edit text than the previous generation Surface (which had a 16: 9 widescreen). Are you tired of typing, then you are going to make. Using the stylus notes The screen has a high resolution and the 12-inch size seems to be the default for professionale tablets: nice and big and just to lift with one hand. The tested Surface version with i5 processor and 256GB SSD drive is a good compromise between speed and operating time (the entry level version runs on a Core i3 processor). More results can be found here. Biggest disappointment: The Surface keyboard (129 euros) is not supplied as standard to keep the entry price low. The keyboard is also the protective flap for the screen and consists of very thin buttons. The tap nicer than previous versions, but the mouse pad performs very accurate. Then you better Surface Arc Touch Mouse purchase to 70 euros. And if we’re at it: the docking station of a Surface Pro 3 costs 200 euros. 
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