Which laptop brand to buy in 2022

Knowing how long a laptop brand will last you, which brands develop the most faults and when you can expect to see problems is invaluable when it comes to choosing a laptop. That’s why we asked 15,000 Which? members to tell us about the problems and experiences they’ve had with brands over the past eight years.

Our unique survey data reveals the truth about brand loyalty to find out who you turn to time and again, and crucially reveals how long you can expect laptop brands to last. We have also uncovered when popular brands developed a fault, how serious this fault was and the reasons why products are replaced

This is how we know the most common issue people encounter with their laptops is a severe drop in battery performance over a very short space of time. In fact, our research indicates this accounts for up to 23% of faults.

Keep reading to find out more about laptop brands.

Already know which brand you want? Use our independent, expert laptop reviews to pick the best model for your budget.

Laptop brands rated

The table below summarises this year’s results. Brands are ranked by their customer satisfaction score, which relates to whether a brand's customers would recommend it to a friend.

Which? members can log in now to view the brands in the table below. Not a member? Join Which? today to access our laptop brand research and all of our online reviews – including laptops, desktops and computer monitors.

Table notes: 

• Results are based on a survey of 7,374 Which? members who own laptops, conducted in July 2021. 
• Where n/a is reported there is not enough data. 
• Customer satisfaction is based on brand satisfaction and whether Which? members would recommend the brand to a friend. 
• Average test score is based on results of models tested under the latest test programme and available to buy as of October 2021. 
• Estimated lifetime is based on how long laptops lasted before they were replaced directly due to a fault.

Best vs worst laptop brands

As the graph below demonstrates, there is a big difference between the top-scoring and bottom-scoring brands in our tests, and a sizeable difference in terms of how satisfied people are with their laptops.

How long will my laptop last?

On average, a laptop should last just under nine years. The very best brands exceed this, while some come up a little short.

Which? members can log in to view which laptop brands last the longest before they need to be replaced. If you're not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access to our laptop brand research and all of our online reviews – from laptops to cars.

Verdict: top laptop brands in-depth

We've pulled together our survey data and independent test results – with some insight from our laptop experts too – to give you an in-depth look at each brand. 

Which? members can log in to view our unique lab test scores and customer satisfaction survey results. 

If you're not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access our verdicts on the following laptop brands, listed here in alphabetical order:

• Acer laptops verdict
• Apple laptops verdict
• Asus laptops verdict
• Dell laptops verdict
• Google laptops verdict
• HP laptops verdict
• Lenovo laptops verdict
• Microsoft laptops verdict
• Samsung laptops verdict

Common laptop problems

By far and away the most common hardware problem people experience with their laptops is a severe drop in battery performance over a very short space of time. Of course, batteries only have a limited lifespan, but we would still expect them to have a gradual reduction in performance rather than a substantial drop-off. 

• 14% of reported faults were battery related
• 4% were screen issues, with dead pixels and flickering panels commonly cited
• In terms of software, the most frequent problem laptop owners had was specifically related to Windows 10 updates, with 15% of laptop faults blamed on this.

Owners of laptops from our worst-rated manufacturer reported that more than one in three of their devices experienced a problem within just six years of ownership.

Get more help on fixing a laptop with our top tips for computer repair and guide on how to to speed up a slow laptop.

How we calculate the best and worst brands

Which? has a wealth of information on the UK's favourite computing brands. Every year we ask Which? members to tell us about the technology products they own – from how likely they would be to recommend a brand, to how reliable the products are once they get them home. 

This year more than 10,000 Which? members told us about more than 20,000 devices. We calculate a brand's estimated lifespan and its customer score based on the results of our annual survey.

Our reliability surveys, combined with our extensive lab tests, mean we can recommend the best laptops you should buy – simply use our expert laptop reviews.

This data is crucial for our testing, too. If a brand falls far below the category average, we take away the manufacturer's Best Buy status and won’t recommend any of their products unless a marked improvement in reliability is shown.

Head to our laptop reviews

Know which laptop brand you want? Use the links to go straight to our reviews and find your ideal model:

• Apple laptop reviews
• Acer laptop reviews
• Asus laptop reviews
• Dell laptop reviews
• HP laptop reviews
• Lenovo laptop reviews
• Microsoft laptop reviews

Or browse all of our laptop reviews.