This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

A dependable laptop is one of life’s essentials — like water, oxygen, or a roof over your head. Sure, we all have smartphones that are basically tiny computers stashed in our pockets. But the power and precision of a laptop with a full keyboard, ample storage, and a dedicated processor just makes it so much easier to work, study, play games, stream entertainment, create art, and so much more.

If you’re in the market for a new laptop, we recommend HP, which has a range of respectable laptops — from your simple and affordable Chromebook laptops to high-end choices with more graphical and processing power.

But all the technical talk can get a little overwhelming. So before we jump into the best HP laptop picks below, we should first take a look at all the little things that matter.
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What components are most important when choosing a laptop?Beyond all the different types of HP laptops, you’ll also want to consider the inner components that make them (and any other laptop) what they are:

CPU — The central processing unit is basically the brains behind your laptop. It determines how fast your computer can run. If you’re just planning to use your laptop for simple things like email, browsing the web, and writing reports, then you don’t necessarily need the highest spec processor. But if you plan to run heavy-duty software, such as that for games or video editing, then you’ll need something powerful.

GPU — The graphics processing unit — also known as the graphics card — is sort of like the beauty to the CPU’s brains. The better the GPU, the better things will look on your laptop, especially when it comes to rendering high-quality video games.

RAM — Random-access memory provides short-term storage for applications that are currently running so that you can access the info you need quickly. If you tend to do a lot of multi-tasking, you won’t want to dip below 8GB of RAM.

Storage — Besides the amount of storage space, you’re also likely to be faced with a choice between a hard drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD storage). Fast-working SSD is most common in laptops now. Depending on your intended usage, you may or may not need to splurge on the highest-tier option.

Display — Your GPU is only as good as your display, so make sure you’re opting for a screen with at least 1080p resolution to enjoy the best views. A typical gaming laptop will have a display of 15 inches or larger, though you can find more portable options as small as 11 inches. And consider whether or not you want a laptop with a touchscreen surface. These can come in handy for artistic endeavours and note-taking.

Ports — Beyond what’s inside, you might also consider the available ports on your laptop of choice. For example, if you need to a microphone, mouse, or miscroSD card, then you’ll want to make sure your laptop has enough inputs to get the job done.

Keep these things in mind when shopping for a HP laptop.

Are HP laptops good for gaming?HP offers a variety of high-quality gaming laptops that are powerful enough to handle the most popular (and most epic) games. In fact, they don’t just handle them; they deliver gameplay that’s so smooth on displays that are so vivid, that you’ll easily become immersed in your favourite fantasy worlds. HP has even dedicated an entire lineup to gaming — the Omen series of laptops. Not only are they powerful, but they’re impressively portable, too. 

Can you find convertible HP laptops?HP also offers a wide variety of 2-in-1 laptops, though they don’t all belong to one specific line. Rather, there are convertible versions of many of HP’s top laptop styles, such as the Spectre. You’ll know the convertible styles when you see them because they all have “x360” in their name, a reference to the fact that their screen can flip a full 360 degrees backward to turn itself into a touch screen tablet. Because there are so many different models that offer convertibility, HP makes it easier than ever to enjoy the convenience and adaptability of a 2-in-1 laptop, regardless of your required specs.

What is a Chromebook?A Chromebook is a type of budget laptop that operates exclusively on Google Chrome browser and operating system. For those who just need to browse the internet, answer some emails, and do a little word processing, an entry-level Chromebook is the perfect fit. HP offers a vast array of affordable Chromebook laptops starting as low as £200, if all you really need is the bare bones.

What is the best HP laptop?Now that you know pretty much everything about choosing a laptop, we can move on to the best HP laptops to fit just about every need, from gamers to business professionals to young students. We’ve lined up a selection of the best HP laptops for just about everyone and every budget. All you need to do is check out everything in this list, and find the option that best suits your needs.

These are the best HP laptops in 2023.

Best For Display

Specs

Battery: Up to 8 hours CPU: Intel Core i7 Display: 17.3-inch Full HD touch screen GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2050 RAM: 16GB Storage: 512GB SSD Touchscreen: Yes One of HP’s legitimate Macbook Pro competitors, the HP Envy 17(opens in a new tab) offers impressive performance at a far more reasonable price. 

The first thing to notice is its oversized display — 17-inch, full HD touchscreen. That makes it excellent for streaming and general entertainment. It has rudimentary gaming power too, though the battery isn’t great — keep the charger on hand for long gaming sessions. But it does have fast charging, so it’s always raring to go.

If you’re using it for work, it’s a dream to type on thanks to a lift-hinge that elevates the keyboard to a more natural typing position, while the Intel Core i7 processor gives you the power for effective multitasking — and with RAM and storage backup.

There are other great features: an easy-to-navigate operating system, dimming technology, and HP QuickDrop for sharing photos between laptop and phone.

Best For Chromebook

Specs

Battery: Up to 10 hours CPU: AMD Dual-Core A4 Display: 14-inch HD GPU: UMA Graphics RAM: 4GB Storage: 32GB Touchscreen: Yes With a surprisingly decent display, this simple-yet-sophisticated HP Chromebook(opens in a new tab) is able to deliver the ease of portability without sacrificing any of that screen space. 

It won’t handle much in the way of added software — and it definitely isn’t built for gaming — but if you spend your computer time browsing the internet and using web-based applications, this fine little Chromebook will serve you perfectly. 

What we especially like are its streaming capabilities. It has a very nice display (touchscreen no less, for handy function) and audio by B&O PLAY.

Plus, it actually has quite an impressive keyboard and trackpad — especially for a laptop of this size — which makes it a great choice for students and anyone else who spends most of their days typing away in front of a screen.

Best For Versatility

Specs

Battery: Up to 10 hours CPU: Intel Core i7 Display: 13.3-inch, 2K GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics RAM: 16GB Storage: 512GB SSD Touchscreen: Yes With a 360-degree flip-and-fold design, the HP Spectre x360(opens in a new tab) can form itself to any configuration you need to work or entertainment. It switches quickly and easily between laptop, tablet, and tent modes.

It has enough RAM to handle most games, run all your apps smoothly, and help you multitask with ease. But best of all, its 1920 x 1200HD screen serves up such vivid graphics, you’ll be easily immersed into all of your favourite streaming content when your work is done. It’s best for causal use overall — a bit of browsing, gaming, and streaming, without being specialist in any one area.

The most surprising thing is that you get all of this greatness for a comparatively affordable price. It also comes in bigger (more expensive) sizes, though it starts to get overly bulky in tablet mode — and portability is surely the point of a device like this.

Best For Gaming

Specs

Battery: Up to 6 hours CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H Display: 17.3-inch Full HD GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 1070 RAM: 8 GB DDR4 Storage: 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD Touchscreen: No With a super-fast processor and an anti-glare, backlit display that serves up smooth, realistic graphics, the HP Omen 17 ranks among the most popular gaming laptops. It’s designed for all your favourite video games and epic streaming content — and it will eat through games easily.

And because it’s designed to handle heavy gaming, it also multitasks like a beast, so you can power through your work and get to the good stuff faster than ever.

The battery life is low compared to standard laptops, and it is a bit bulky, but those specs are actually quite decent when compared to other gaming laptops. Plus, it’s got a sweet RGB backlit keyboard, which isn’t necessary by any means. The lights and colours are fun, but not overbearing like other gaming laptops.

Best For Tight Budgets

Specs

Battery: Up to 8 hours CPU: AMD 3020e Display: 14-inch HD GPU: AMD Radeon RAM: 4GB Storage: 64GB Touchscreen: No Running Windows 10 Home, the HP Stream 14(opens in a new tab) is an ultra-convenient laptop all about portability and price. 

Its backlit HD display and ultra-narrow bezel make it an awesome choice for both browsing the web and streaming binge-worthy entertainment, no matter where you wind up. It even has a decent HP True Vision 720p HD camera, and it boasts HD audio with stereo speakers so you can stay connected from afar. 

It also includes a multi-format SD media card reader and two USB ports to ensure that you’re always able to plug in and power up with a variety of accessories. 

Overall, it’s doesn’t have the capabilities for serious work or complex software. But it’s not made for that. Rather, it’s an easy-to-carry device that does the basics for relatively little money. If that’s the budget you’re working with, it’s a tidy machine.

Joseph joined Mashable as the UK Shopping Editor in 2018. He worked for a number of print publications before making the switch to the glittery world of digital media, and now writes about everything from coffee machines to VPNs.

Ashley Keegan is a freelance contributor to Mashable.

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