Our picks for gaming, business, and more

From hardcore gaming machines to budget-priced devices for students, we’ve gathered the best of Asus’s laptop arsenal.

By Jennifer Allen2021-05-28 09:05:00 UTC

If you’re in the market for a new laptop, the wealth of choice can feel positively overwhelming. You’ve gotten as far as knowing you need a laptop, either for work, pleasure, or simply so you don’t have to keep squinting at a smartphone screen, but where do you go from there? 

As one of the biggest laptop manufacturers in the world, Asus is a great company to look at when considering buying a new laptop, whether that’s a cheap laptop for taking to class or a gaming powerhouse for playing the latest titles on. We’ve chosen a wide range of the best Asus laptops for all people and all budgets, but we haven’t stopped there. After all, you probably want to know a bit more about what all those technical specifications actually mean and figure out just what you need most from your purchase, so we’ve looked at all that too. With a range of different Asus laptop models, you’ll soon appreciate the difference between a ZenBook and a ROG Zephyrus along with everything else in between. 

If your heart is already set on one of the or one of the , head over to our roundups for further insight on other brands and what could work so well for you and your bank balance. 

What’s the difference between different Asus laptop models?

Like many other computer brands, Asus offers several different laptop models that cater to different budgets and needs. It can look confusing given that the names aren’t exactly as clear as you might think, but we can offer some insight into what they actually mean to you. 

• ZenBook: One of the biggest ranges under the Asus brand, ZenBooks are typically thin, lightweight, and pretty stylish. These are the devices that are most likely to rival the likes of Apple’s MacBooks, in that it’s easy to carry them between locations while still benefiting from good battery life and strong features. They’re the general all-rounders of the Asus stable but they’re rarely the cheapest option out there because of their lightweight form.

• ROG/TUF: Designed with gaming in mind, the TUF Gaming and ROG – Republic of Gamers range provides great graphics cards, powerful performance, and usually a few gaming-centric extras such as RGB lighting for the keyboards and other fun bonuses. These are premium systems that tend to be a little heavier than others because they offer so much power under the hood.

• VivoBook: With a stylish design, the VivoBook range looks pretty good and is often very slim. Even better, it also tends to offer convertible features with certain laptops so you can use your laptop as a tablet and vice versa. They’re ideally suited for productivity on the move. 

• ExpertBook: The ExpertBook range isn’t the best-looking of laptops but they’re made with military-grade toughness and durability in mind while remaining incredibly light. These are the workhorses for anyone who prefers to work on the move. 

• Chromebook: Chromebooks run Chrome OS and store the majority of their files on the cloud for easy access. They’re not powerful devices by any means but with great battery life and the ease of being able to access your files from anywhere, they’re highly practical. 

• StudioBook: Designed with creative professionals in mind, the StudioBook range is expensive, but means you can take a mighty powerhouse with you wherever you go. Expect the best displays out there and powerful graphics capabilities. 

What are the most important things to look for in a laptop?

Like buying a car, you need to know what you’re looking for. In the case of finding the best Asus laptop for you, it all depends on how you plan on using it.

Keen to game all night long or planning on conducting some complex video or photo editing? In that case, you’ll want a powerful CPU and GPU to keep things running smoothly. We go in further depth below about what you’ll need for a gaming laptop, but for anything heavy-duty, you’ll want a powerful CPU. Paired up with that also needs to be a decent amount of RAM. Most laptops come with a minimum of 8GB these days but if you plan on multitasking a lot then you’ll really need 16GB to avoid any frustration. For general business or productivity purposes, hard drive space shouldn’t be too big an issue as you can store a lot of files on the cloud but again, if you’re editing photos or videos, you’ll need some decent spare capacity. 

It’s also important to consider the size, weight, and portability of your laptop. If you plan on simply keeping it in your home at all times, this won’t be much of an issue, but if you need to carry it back and forth between work and school, for instance, you’ll soon find yourself irritated that you chose a bulky 17-inch screen instead of a svelte 13-inch device. 

Finally, don’t forget about what might feel like the incidental extras when picking out a laptop. We’re talking about things like how many ports are available on the laptop and how they can help you out. Keep an eye on the number of USB ports on the laptop you’re considering buying and think about whether that will suit your needs. You can always add more via a USB hub but that’s not always practical. Look out for features like an SD card reader too if you plan on transferring photos regularly. 

What to consider when looking for a gaming laptop?

When buying a gaming laptop, there are slightly different considerations to make than buying a regular laptop. Typically, gaming laptops cost a lot more so you’ll want to make sure you pick out the right components for your needs. Here’s a quick overview of what’s important.

Speed is everything. A fast gaming laptop means you can play games at high frame rates and with the graphical settings up high without any risk of lag. To do so, you need a powerful CPU (also known as a processor), along with a great GPU (graphics card). In particular, the better the GPU, the better your laptop can render details like textures, anti-aliasing, and ray tracing so your games look better. A high amount of RAM is also useful as it enables you to access data more quickly. 8GB is the absolute minimum you should be willing to accept on a gaming laptop with 16GB much more ideal. 

Storage space is also important as each game takes up a lot of space. 512GB is the minimum you should aim for but more is, well, more. Make sure it’s a solid-state drive (SSD) so that you get the fastest speeds compared to a conventional hard drive. A good display with a high refresh rate is also important so that your games truly look good on screen. Typically, gaming laptops come in at 15.6-inch or 17.3-inch displays so bear this in mind for portability. Simply put, gaming laptops are rarely designed with portability in mind as they have a lot of powerful specs to pack in. 

Other considerations should include the keyboard. Comfort is important, but you may also want to choose a keyboard that has RGB lighting, which is fun but also practical too if you game in dim lighting. Extra ports can be useful too if you plan on plugging in controllers or other devices to play with. 

Now that you know everything about laptops, here are the best Asus laptops for 2021.