Laptops, 2-3kg

Samsung R520

The 15.6-inch R520 desktop-replacement laptop is well worth a look if you're seeking a budget machine primarily intended for handling productivity tasks at home. Its graphics capability could be better, but it offers decent overall performance, a great keyboard and good battery life

Editor's rating 7.2

HP Pavilion dv3-2230ea preview

The 13.3-inch Pavilion dv3-2230ea entertainment laptop could probably do with a more powerful GPU, but it compensates for this with a feature that, for the moment, makes it unique: its multi-touch display. It's also relatively portable and should prove a solid performer, offering decent value for money overall

User rating 8.0

Toshiba Satellite A500

The 16-inch Satellite A500 caters well to those who have a limited budget but still want a machine that will let them watch movies, listen to music and play the odd game. Its screen could do with a higher resolution, but it feels bomb-proof, it's pretty speedy and it looks fairly attractive

Editor's rating 7.0

Sony Vaio CW series (VPCCW1S1E)

The 14-inch Vaio VPCCW1S1E is an excellent entertainment laptop. It looks stylish, its screen handles movies well, and, as usual with Sony machines, its keyboard is very good. It's no slouch in the performance stakes either, offering enough power to satisfy all but the most demanding gamer

Editor's rating 8.0

Apple MacBook (multi-touch white 2009)

Apple has given its plastic entry-level MacBook laptop a small spec bump and a 'unibody' makeover, making it lighter and sturdier than before. The battery isn't user-replaceable now, but will last longer, while the trackpad has been upgraded to the same glass multi-touch design as the MacBook Pros'

Editor's rating 8.5

Advent Roma 3000

The 15.6-inch Roma 3000 sports a particularly good keyboard, and its capable dual-core processor makes it much better suited to multi-tasking than the cheaper Roma 1000. Its battery life is disappointing and we'd prefer it to run the 64-bit version of Windows 7, but it's a solid budget laptop overall

Editor's rating 6.9

Advent Roma 1000

The 15.6-inch Roma 1000 is one of the cheapest Windows 7 laptops that money can currently buy. Considering its low price, it's also tastefully designed, and its keyboard is particularly good. Capable of handling most productivity tasks, it's worth a look for bargain hunters

Editor's rating 6.5

Samsung R720

With a stylish design and good all-round specification, the 17.3-inch R720 desktop-replacement laptop represents excellent value for money. Its 3D graphics performance isn't particularly brilliant, but it can still handle older titles, so casual gamers will probably be satisfied

Editor's rating 7.7

MSI X600

If you like ostentatious laptops, the 15.6-inch X600 probably isn't for you. This thin-and-light laptop is about as conspicuous as a stealth bomber, but it's a gorgeous specimen nonetheless, and its ultra-low-voltage CPU delivers surprisingly good performance

Editor's rating 8.0

HP Compaq 6735s

Whether its sober design will appeal depends on your tastes, but there's no denying that the 15.4-inch Compaq 6735s is a well-built machine. Its full-size keyboard is comfortable to type on, the matte finish on the screen means it's legible in all lighting conditions, and it's a capable performer too

Editor's rating 6.5

Acer Aspire 5536

Proving that desktop-replacement laptops needn't be the size of a headstone, the 15.6-inch Aspire 5536 is a decent machine. Its trackpad is irritating and its speakers aren't much cop, but it offers a full-size, comfortable keyboard, bright screen and good looks for an affordable price

Editor's rating 7.5

Fujitsu LifeBook S7220

The 14.1-inch LifeBook S7220 is a worthy mobile workhorse that offers decent performance, solid build quality and plenty of useful features, such as integrated mobile broadband and a good webcam. Also sporting a spill-proof, comfortable keyboard, this laptop is well-suited to life on the road

Editor's rating 7.4

Asus UX50V

The thin and light, 15.6-inch UX50V is an absolutely gorgeous-looking machine, with a stunning screen and excellent keyboard. Your mind won't be blown by this laptop's processing power, but its battery life is impressive and it will definitely inspire jealousy among your friends

Editor's rating 7.5

Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, summer 2009)

The latest update to Apple's premium 15-inch MacBook Pro makes only minor modifications. Nevertheless, a faster CPU, better battery and the addition of an SD card slot, together with a price cut, make it a substantial improvement on its predecessor

Editor's rating 8.2

Apple MacBook (white 2009 edition)

The last MacBook left in Apple's lineup has had a worthwhile update. It offers specs and performance on a par with the higher-end MacBook Pros but for significantly less money. It's a sturdy machine and the keyboard is excellent, but the white plastic design is starting to look dated

Editor's rating 8.0

Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, summer 2009)

Apple has promoted its basic 13-inch, aluminium unibody MacBook to the Pro series, adding more features while reducing the price of the base configuration. The end result is one of the most universally useful laptops available, although there's still some features we'd like to see included

User rating 9.0

Editor's rating 8.6

HP Pavilion dv3-2055ea

Attractive, lightweight and with good connectivity, the 13.3-inch Pavilion dv3-2055ea is a well-specified laptop for a reasonable price. The dv3-2055ea's 3D graphics performance isn't quite good enough for it to be considered a true multimedia powerhouse, but it's certainly a capable all-rounder

Editor's rating 7.0

Samsung R510

Whether you're after a work or a leisure laptop, with a 15.4-inch screen and fairly impressive performance, the stylish and affordable R510 is well worth investigating. It also benefits from a sizeable, comfortable keyboard with an anti-bacterial coating, although we expected to see more USB ports

User rating 10.0

Editor's rating 7.0

Fujitsu Siemens LifeBook T5010

It's no featherweight, but the LifeBook T5010 convertible tablet PC makes up for that with a sizeable 13.3-inch screen and good performance. Its battery life is slightly disappointing and you have to use a stylus with the touchscreen, but the T5010 offers solid build quality and a comfortable keyboard

Editor's rating 7.5

Samsung R610

For a laptop with a Blu-ray drive, the attractive R610 is relatively cheap, and the aspect ratio of its 16-inch screen means you can watch high-definition films without any annoying black bars. It's also a decent multitasking machine, and its keyboard and connectivity options aren't bad either

User rating 7.0

Editor's rating 7.2