As both touch and non-touchscreen laptops have evolved, they’ve become incredibly lightweight and thin, making them more portable than ever. With an ultra-thin chassis, you can easily slip your new laptop into a backpack or tote for a work commute or carry-on bag for business travel without worrying about being worn down by weight. Another innovation for laptops is the inclusion of SSD storage and M.2 SSD compatibility. A solid state drive allows for faster boot times and file or program access than traditional hard-disk drives, and M.2 SSDs are designed to provide fast, reliable storage in an even smaller package, leading to even thinner laptops. Battery life is one of the most important factors to consider when shopping for a new laptop, and you have to identify what you’ll use your laptop for in order to determine what kind of battery you need. Want to be able to run intense programs or use your laptop all day? Try to find a laptop with a battery life of 10 hours or more. Just want a laptop to keep around the house for occasional use? You can get away with a shorter battery life. Customers should be aware that specs such as 4K displays and dedicated graphics cards can shorten battery life, so while it may be tempting to spring for the flashy gaming model, you’ll be lucky to get 8 hours of use before you need to find an outlet. If you’re in the market for a touchscreen laptop, check out our top picks below to see which is right for you. It’s powered by an Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM to give you all the power you need for daily tasks as well as big projects and even some creative work. The solid state drive (SSD) has 128GB of space so you never have to worry about running out of room. It also allows for faster file and program access as well as boot times for your laptop so you can spend less time waiting for your computer to turn on and more time getting things checked off your to-do list. The integrated battery gives you up to 14.5 hours of use on a single charge, so you can go all day before needing to plug in. Size: 13.5 inches | Resolution: 1080p HD | CPU: 8th Generation Intel Core i5 | GPU: Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 | RAM: 8GB DDR3 | Storage: 128GB SSD | Touchscreen: Yes It uses USB-C connections for faster data transfers between external storage devices and your laptop as well as connecting external displays and charging mobile devices. The 1080p HD display uses IPS technology for crisp details and rich colors that make everything from video calls and virtual meetings to spreadsheets and client mock-ups look amazing. With a fingerprint reader, you can set up biometric log-ins for your laptop, email, and other sensitive programs to keep your personal data and work safe from unauthorized access. The 17-hour battery life gives you the equivalent use of two typical workdays on a single charge, letting you tackle a tough day at the office and still catch up on your Netflix shows before needing a recharge. Size: 15.6 inches | Resolution: 1080p HD | CPU: 10th Generation Intel Core i7 | GPU: Integrated Iris Plus Graphics | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Storage: 1TB SSD | Touchscreen: Yes The MediaTek processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB eMMC storage drive may not blow everyone away, but they provide plenty of space and power for a mobile workstation or handling typical daily office work. With ChromeOS, you’ll get access to Google’s suite of apps including Docs, Sheets, and Drive for cloud storage and collaboration with co-workers. You’ll also be able to tether your laptop to your smartphone’s Wi-Fi hotspot for a reliable internet connection when you can’t be in the office or when you’re meeting a client off-site. The laptop’s compact and lightweight body makes it perfect for commutes, business travel, or carrying around the office. And the 10-hour battery life means you can work all day, worry-free. Size: 11.6 inches | Resolution: 1366 x 768 HD | CPU: MediaTek MTK 8173C | GPU: Integrated PowerVR GX6250 Graphics | RAM: 4GB DDR3 | Storage: 64 GB eMMC | Touchscreen: Yes The 12.5-inch full HD display creates beautiful colors and detailing to make reading documents and spreadsheets much easier. You can also enjoy a movie on Hulu or Prime Video when you’ve finished your work. The aluminum chassis and Gorilla Glass display take the worry out of bringing the Chromebook Flip with you. Both are designed to provide better durability and resistance to drops, bumps, and screen cracking than previous models, so it’s perfect for stowing in a backpack or carry-on bag. The 10-hour battery life lets you work all day, and with a 3.5 second boot time, you can almost instantly start your tasks. Size: 12.5 inches | Resolution: 1080p HD | CPU: Intel Core M3-6Y30 | GPU: Integrated Intel HD Graphics 615 | RAM: 4GB DDR3 | Storage: 64GB eMMC | Touchscreen: Yes The display is made with Gorilla Glass for enhanced durability and produces great 4K resolution, making this an ideal laptop for both traditional and creative professionals. The 2-in-1 form factor is perfect for streamlining your work devices, because you can use the Spectre as either a laptop or tablet. It’s built around an Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM for tons of power. The 512GB SSD means you’ll have super-fast access to all of your most-used files and programs. If you’re worried about keeping your personal data and work safe, the integrated camera works with IR technology and Windows Hello for facial recognition logins to keep your laptop safe from unauthorized access and use. Size: 15.6 inches | Resolution: 4K | CPU: 8th Generation Intel Core i7 | GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti | RAM: 16GB DDR3 | Storage: 512GB SSD | Touchscreen: Yes The 1TB SSD gives you plenty of storage, but there’s a second M.2 slot for easy upgrades when you need more space for games. The chassis is CNC machined from aluminum for sleek elegance as well as durability while remaining lightweight. At just 4.4 pounds, it’s easy to slip this into a backpack to take to a friend’s house, library, or carry to class. The 15.6-inch OLED display delivers excellent 4K resolution as well as 100 percent sRGB color calibration for better accuracy. The integrated speakers use THX Spacial Audio technology for more immersive audio without a headset, but you can use Bluetooth connectivity if you prefer wireless headsets or other wireless peripherals. Wi-Fi 6 compatibility lets you take advantage of blazing-fast internet speeds for online gaming with friends, and USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 connections let you set up multiple external monitors for the ultimate battle station. The only downsides are the steep price and short battery life of just 7 hours. But if you don’t mind spending and charging a bit more, the Blade 15 Advanced is the perfect gaming laptop. Size: 15.6 inches | Resolution: 4K | CPU: 10th Generation Intel core i7-8750H | GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Storage: 1TB SSD + extra M.2 slot | Touchscreen: Yes The Intel m3 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB eMMC storage drive are typical for a Chromebook laptop, and while it’s not anything to get super excited for, it’s plenty of power and space for basics. You can always connect external storage drives for more space if needed. The Titan C security chip allows for encryption protection of all your data so you never have to worry about someone accessing your personal data or work. With ChromeOS, you’ll get access to Google’s online suite of apps such as Sheets, Docs, and Drive, as well as the ability to download documents and spreadsheets for working offline when you need to. The battery lasts up to 12 hours on a single charge, letting you keep it on from the minute you wake up until well after dinner without needing to plug in. Size: 13.3 inches | Resolution: 1080p HD | CPU: Intel Core m3 | GPU: Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 615 | RAM: 8GB DDR3 | Storage: 64GB eMMC | Touchscreen: Yes The 2-in-1 form factor lets you use it as a laptop or tablet, meaning you can ditch a few mobile devices and streamline your workflow. While the Surface Pro 7’s body is super thin, it features plenty of powerful components to help you tackle everything from work to movies and even casual gaming. The Intel Core i5 CPU and 8GB of RAM are plenty powerful to handle daily tasks and entertainment, and the 256GB SSD gives you all the room you need for files, programs, music, and movies. The 10.5-hour battery life isn’t as great as other Surface models on the market, but you can still get through a regular workday or Saturday movie marathon without any issues. Size: 12.3 inches | Resolution: 2736 x 1824 HD | CPU: 10th Generation Intel Core i5 | GPU: Integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics | RAM: 8GB DDR3 | Storage: 256GB SSD | Touchscreen: Yes
Andrew Hayward specializes in smartphones, wearables, smart home tech, and video games. His work has been published by TechRadar, Macworld, and others. Jeremy Laukkonen is a tech writer and the creator of a popular blog and video game startup. He also ghostwrites articles for numerous major trade publications. Andy Zahn is a writer specializing in tech. He’s reviewed cameras, weather stations, noise-cancelling headphones and more for Lifewire. Jonno Hill is a writer who covers tech such as computers, gaming equipment, and cameras for Lifewire and publications including AskMen.com and PCMag.com.
What to Look for in a Touchscreen Laptop
Screen size
Touchscreen laptops come in a variety of sizes, ranging from around 10 to 15 inches or more (measured diagonally). Smaller screens will give you more of a tablet vibe, while larger screens will feel more like a dedicated laptop. Long Answer: It depends on what your budget is and what you need out of your storage drive. A traditional hard-disk drive (HDD) is generally going to be cheaper because the tech behind it is older and more established. However, since they use moving mechanical parts to read and write data, they can be very susceptible to damage and file corruption. They’re also much slower than their solid state drive (SSD) counterparts. Since SSDs use what’s known as flash memory, similar to what is found in thumb drives and RAM components, they don’t have any mechanical parts to worry about. Flash memory also allows for much faster file retrieval, program startup, and even computer boot times if you use an SSD as your Windows or other operating system drive. This convenience comes at a high price though. SSDs tend to be several hundred dollars more than their HDD counterparts with similar storage capacities. So if you’re willing to spend a bit more for better load times and reliability, you’ll want an SSD. If you have a budget to stick to, and don’t mind using older tech, a traditional HDD will be just fine to use.
Design
The beauty of a touchscreen laptop is that it’s much more versatile than a traditional model. Many can be used in tent mode (their keyboards can fold back at an angle) and some go as far as transforming into full-fledged tablets (their keyboards can fold all the way back behind the display). Depending on how you intend to use your touchscreen laptop, a 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 design may be a valuable feature.
Battery life
Because touchscreen laptops are often smaller than traditional laptops, their battery life often pales in comparison. Some will offer up as few as eight hours (depending on brightness level and usage), but others can pack as many as 20 hours of juice.
