Google taught its DeepMind AI to remember things like a human would.
This is unique. Most AIs can specialize in one area, like defeating the world’s best Go players; but DeepMind was programmed to apply previous knowledge and skills to learning new tasks, drawing from a neural network of programmed skills and “memories”.
Now, DeepMind is teaching itself how to organize its own “brain” network. And Google researchers were shocked when, without any input from them, the AI chose to make part of its brain look nearly identical to humans.
Google’s DeepMind team, in collaboration with University College London (UCL) researchers, stuck the AI in a virtual reality maze to teach it spatial awareness and memorization of patterns, publishing their findings in Nature.
As time went on, it rearranged its electrical grid into a hexagonal pattern (think beehives).
What’s significant about that pattern is that it mirrors the pattern of neural cells found in our own entorhinal cortex, which handles our internal navigation and memory of places—essentially our personal GPS, complete with saved locations of our favorite hangouts.
In 2014, Norwegian researchers won a Nobel prize for their research on grid cells. Arranged in hexagonal grids, these cells fire signals in different directions as you move forward or change directions.
With these cells, our entorhinal cortex forms a mini-map in your head, helping you to remember the quickest route to work or guess which direction faces north.
And without any guidance, DeepMind created its own hexagonal, mental mini-map to get out of maze puzzles even faster than human brains can.
Credit: Andrea Banino et al.
“We were surprised how well it worked,” Caswell Barry, an UCL neuroscientist, told the Guardian. “The degree of similarity is absolutely striking.”
Using this human-style network, the AI learned to recognize the most direct route to a goal, and even figured out how to cheat and take shortcuts.
AI brains: a map to understanding our own?
DeepMind naturally emulated an aspect of human brain structure that wasn’t widely known until four years ago.
As Google’s AI gets more intelligent and takes on other tasks, it will likely develop new neural networks that efficiently handle these tasks.
These networks could help researchers better understand how our own brains work. Or, as Barry told the Guardian, “It could be a testbed for experiments you wouldn’t otherwise do.”
Alzheimer’s targets the entorhinal cortex first before moving on to the hippocampus and other brain regions.
Looking at how healthy brains’ and sick brains’ grid cells compare to the firings of DeepMind’s electrical nodes could provide an interesting avenue of study for neuroscientists hoping to better understand the disease.
For now, DeepMind’s impact is more centered on short-term tech improvements than long-term health breakthroughs.
During the Google IO 2018 conference this week, Google announced that Android P would have improved battery life and adaptive brightness, based off of DeepMind AI technology.
Plus, of course, now that robots can chase after us and we can’t even escape them in a maze, we’re basically doomed.
Welcome to our list of the best laptops you can buy in 2018. Here, you’ll find the top laptops that have been carefully tested by the TechRadar editorial team.
In our list of the best laptops you’ll find a wide array of choices, from the best gaming laptops, top budget choices, as well as the best 2-in-1 laptops that are virtually everywhere in 2018. That means you’re sure to find exactly what you’re looking for right here on this list.
Because every single laptop in this guide has been used and reviewed by us, you can be confident that only the best laptops make it on this list. Our very own price comparison tool will also make sure you get the very best deals for these top-rated laptops.
We’ve also recently updated this list with the brilliant MSI GS65 Stealth, currently our pick for the best gaming laptop money can buy in 2018.
Riding the top of our best laptops list for three years running, the 2018 revision of Dell’s flagship continues the trend of excellence. The 2018 Dell XPS 13 is a slimmer, more powerful version of the award-winning laptop with a stunning 4K display and a gorgeous Rose Gold on Alpine White color option. Packing an 8th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU and a bezel-less ‘Infinity Edge’ display, this Dell XPS 13 is more expensive, but its still worth every penny. It’s no wonder the Dell XPS 13 continues to be the most popular Windows laptop in the world. Better yet, there’s a wide range of customization options, so you can make the Dell XPS 13 the best laptop for you.
The best all-rounder laptop that punches above its weight
CPU: Intel Core i3 – i5 | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 620 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 13.3-inch up to QHD+ (3,200 x 1,800) | Storage: 256GB SSD
Wonderful aluminium body
Fast wake-up and use
Fantastic value for money
Average battery life
Behold the Asus ZenBook UX310UA, a laptop that sidesteps the lofty price of the Dell XPS 13 without compromising on performance. It doesn’t quite look or feel as nice as the Dell above, and the battery life isn’t as good, but you can still expect an all-aluminum frame and fantastic performance from a 7th-generation Kaby Lake processor – whether that’s of the i3 or i5 variety is entirely up to you. Additionally, you can choose between a full HD, 1080p display or a brilliant 3,200 x 1,800-pixel, QHD+ screen with 30% more pixels compared with Apple’s 13-inch Retina screens. No matter what model you go for, the Asus ZenBook UX310UA is one of the best laptops you can buy.
CPU: Intel Atom x5-Z8550 | Graphics: Intel Atom | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 10.1-inch full HD IPS touchscreen | Storage: 64GB SSD, up to 128GB microSD
Extremely thin + light
Excellent display
It’s cheap!
Intel Atom is underpowered
If you’re after a cheap laptop that offers something a bit special, look no further than the Lenovo Yoga Book 2017. As with all Yoga devices, the screen folds flat so you can use it either as a tablet or a laptop. To add more versatility, Lenovo has now added the option to buy it with either Windows 10 or Android 6.0 onboard – which one you choose will depend how you’re more likely to use the device. The screen on this thing defies the cheap asking price and the keyboard and capacitive touch-keyboard are both fantastic too. This is a great option if you want something cheap for basic computing tasks, for creating art using the built-in Wacom digitizer or a train device for watching movies. But for more heavy lifting you’d be better off choosing one of the options above as the Intel Atom CPU in this thing is great at saving power and making the battery last for ages but not so good at super speedy processing.
If you’re after the latest and greatest laptop from Apple, we suggest you welcome the 13-inch Macbook Pro with Touch Bar. Despite Microsoft’s claims that its Surface Book 2 is twice as powerful as Apple’s flagship MacBook Pro, it’s also more expensive at the starting level. Of course, the headline feature is the Touch Bar – it’s a thin OLED display at the top of the keyboard which can be used for any number of things, whether that be auto-suggesting words as you type or offering Touch ID so you can log in with just your fingerprint. If you’re a massive fan of the Macbook Pro 2017, you’ll be happy with this model but there are some serious reasons why you should consider one of the Windows alternatives. As we said before, it’s not as powerful, the screen is lower-res versus the competition and isn’t touchscreen friendly, plus the battery is a bit disappointing, too. So, if you’re open to switching to a PC, definitely consider the XPS 13 as a more modern, cheaper alternative. But, if you’re a steadfast Apple diehard, this is definitely the best laptop for you!
The new MSI GS65 Stealth has knocked our previous choice of the best gaming laptop, Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501, off this list, thanks to its excellent array of cutting edge components, which includes an 8th-generation Intel Core i7-8750H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 GPU. It’s also more reasonably priced than the Zephyrus GX501, and its subtle design means that it can double as a work or study laptop without raising any eyebrows. If you’re looking for a more affordable gaming laptop, however, check out the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming below.
Last year’s Dell XPS 15 was already one of the best laptops you could buy, but now that Dell has taken the beautiful redesign of the Dell XPS 13 and applied it here – while also making it a convertible. Well, it’s amazing. Not only do you get one of the most aesthetically pleasing 15-inch laptops on the market, but it also packs one of those new Intel Kaby Lake G-series CPUs featuring ‘discrete-class’ Radeon graphics. This means that this laptop packs serious power – even if it can get a little loud.
If you’re looking for a thin and light gaming laptop, but you gasp whenever you see the price of the Razer Blade, the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 might be for you. Not only does this laptop pack a powerful CPU, it now includes a Nvidia GTX 1060 Max-Q – capable of running all of the latest games – in a laptop less than an inch thick. You won’t find a Nvidia MaxQ equipped laptop cheaper than the Dell Inspiron 15 7000, and it looks good, to boot.
When it comes to the best Chromebook laptop, you have a choice between two stark alternatives. There’s the premium Chromebook Pixel, which we list further down this page, and then there’s the excellent Asus Chromebook Flip C302, which combines premium features in a much more affordable package. For many people, Chromebooks are excellent and affordable laptops that are perfect for students, and the Asus Chromebook Flip C302 is easily one of the best Chromebooks, and one of the best laptops, money can buy. It comes with an Intel Core processor, full 1080p display, touchscreen, backlit keyboard and USB-C port.
With the Surface Book 2 (13.5-inch), Microsoft has crafted one of the most powerful 2-in-1 laptops in the world. The Surface Book 2 has some powerful enough components to handle most day-to-day tasks, and even some light gaming and video editing if you go for a model with a dedicated graphics card. Brilliant build quality and excellent battery life makes this a wonderful device for using as either a laptop, or as a powerful Windows 10 tablet. It also comes in a 15-inch version, which is more powerful and with a larger screen. If you’re after a more affordable 2-in-1 device, then the Acer Switch 3, below, is well worth checking out.
If you want the Microsoft Surface Book 2 but you want to spend a lot less, the Acer Switch 3 2017 is definitely the your best option. It’s designed around essentially the same concept as the Surface Book 2 and it’s a less capable thanks to slightly lower power innards, but for most tasks it’s a brilliant little machine. What’s more, to add further value this 2-in-1 laptop/tablet comes with the keyboard upgrade which means no little extras to pay for. As usual it comes in several different versions, with USB Type-C, 8GB RAM, an IPS display and Intel Core i3 7100U CPU coming with the more expensive option.
This year’s iteration of the MacBook is another win for Apple, and it’s once again won us over with a gorgeous design, excellent performance and best-in-class battery life. Apple has updated the processors with Intel’s 7th-generation Kaby Lake range, which means you get improved performance and longer battery life without sacrificing the thin and light design that the MacBook is famous for. While the MacBook 2017 is not designed as a pure productivity machine, like the more powerful and versatile MacBook Pro above, or as a gaming machine like the Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501, it’s still one of the best laptops in the world right now thanks to being a super slim and light MacBook that you can take anywhere without even noticing the weight, and being a powerful showcase for macOS High Sierra. If you’re after a MacBook, this year’s model is easily one of the best.
Designed for users hoping to avert the complicated nature of a Windows PC or Mac, Chromebooks have been a raging success in recent years as a result of their accessibility. The Google Pixelbook is no exception. Although it’s double the price of the average Chrome OS device and doesn’t come with a stylus as you might expect, the Pixelbook is built to withstand the future. It has a pair of Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports for accessories and super fast file transfers, a hinge that flips inside out for watching movies on planes and – perhaps best of all – Android app support. Now, there are still some kinks to work out, but you can access the entire Google Play store on the Pixelbook, from playing Sonic the Hedgehog to watching videos in VLC. And, with a battery life of 7 hours and 40 minutes in our own testing, you can do so for a while without recharging. If you’re after a cheaper Chromebook, the Asus Chromebook Flip (which is higher up this page) is an excellent choice.
Some of the very best laptops in 2017 have been 2-in-1 devices, and Lenovo has added to that list with the excellent Lenovo Yoga 920. It features a wonderfully slim design, and its build quality is exceptional. The 360 degree hinge allows you to convert the laptop into a tablet-like device, making it flexible in all senses of the word. It’s cheaper than the Surface Book 2, and while it doesn’t offer quite the same quality when in tablet mode, it’s an excellent device with plenty of power and bags of battery life. It’s definitely a worthy alternative, and it’s easily one of the best laptops we’ve seen this year.
A budget Ultrabook that performs better than it looks
CPU: Dual-core Intel Core i3 – i7 | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 620 | RAM: 4GB – 8GB DDR4 | Screen: 14-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) ComfyView IPS | Storage: 128GB – 256GB SSD
Powerful for the price
Stellar battery life
Boring looks
Down-firing speakers
While you may have been convinced that ‘budget Ultrabook’ was an oxymoron up until this point, the Acer has turned this common misconception on its head with the Swift 3. That’s because the company has taken the all-aluminum chassis of the Acer Swift 7 and stuffed some more affordable components inside for everyone to enjoy. It doesn’t run macOS, but the Acer Swift 3 does put the age-old MacBook Air to shame in about every other regard, including the nigh-unbeatable price tag. Of course, in the process of demolishing the competition, Acer did have to cut a few corners in order to keep the price so impressively low. So although you can’t expect much in the way of an Ultra HD display or quality onboard sound, the performance benchmarks alone give even the Surface Laptop a run for its money.
We’ve also had a glance of the upcoming 2018 edition of the Swift 7 at CES 2018, which comes with boosted graphics and processing specs. It could be a shoe-in for a place on this list when it launches later this year.
While it may not have the best keyboard in the world, the Samsung Notebook 9 is still one of the best laptops you can buy in 2018. Packed with more horsepower than the MacBook Pro, but at a much lower price, Samsung has crafted a laptop that has just as much substance as it does style. Plus, on top of its killer specs, it’s lightweight and thin, making this one of the most portable 15-inch laptops you can buy today.
General laptops: Where the best cheap laptops are found, devices that focus more on practicality than style, portability or power. That’s not to say they can’t be fast, but you’ll typically find a non-Ultrabook clamshell laptop with an HD screen and spinning drive-based storage for less than $600 or £400.
Ultrabooks: Where you’ll find thin-and-light notebooks sporting SSD storage and display resolutions that exceed 1080p. Paired with powerful, albeit mobile-centric components and especially long battery life, the best Ultrabooks will cost a pretty penny – $700 or £500 to $2,000 or £1,800.
2-in-1 laptops: Where notebooks that double as tablets are located. The Surface Book 2 might be a ways off, but many of the best 2-in-1 laptops are available right now. Outfitted with both detachable and 360-degree rotating hinges, these hybrids are the most versatile way to experience Windows 10 (or Chrome OS) on a touchscreen.
Chromebooks: Where you’ll find the best Chromebooks running Chrome OS. These do much of what Windows and macOS can in the browser, focused on cloud storage over local, while recently getting Android app support for touchscreen models. They generally cost less than $300 or £200 and some can even withstand a slight tussle.
Gaming laptops: Need a laptop to play games (almost) just like a shiny desktop PC can? Then you’ll want one of the best gaming laptops. These machines generally cost from $800 or £600 to upwards of $3,000 or £2,800 and they’ll likely be the ones to take advantage of AMD’s laptop-grade Ryzen processors first.
Laptop-tablet hybrids: Designed from the tablet-first approach to laptop-tablet hybrids, the best Windows tablets pack beyond-HD touchscreens, sometimes with kickstands in their frames or provided via keyboard covers. These generally shine with a stylus, and range from the budget to the premium price ranges.
Once you’ve experienced one of the best 2-in-1 laptops, you won’t want to go back. It’d even be difficult to go back to a normal, old non-convertible laptop. And, judging by a recent patent filed by Microsoft, smartphones could soon follow in the footsteps of these versatile machines with their flexible hinges.
These days, there are many different kinds of devices to choose from that you’ll be proud to display on your desk. And, gone are the days where you’d have to settle for mediocre performance – as the best 2-in-1 laptops are just as fast as any conventional laptop. And, now that we’ve started seeing the new U-series 8th-generation Coffee Lake CPUs, the best 2-in-1 laptops are only going to get faster and more efficient. Sure, the MacBook Pro might be tempting, but it doesn’t have an 8th-generation Intel processor or a 4K display. However, the best 2-in-1 laptops totally do. And, they’re a lot more fun to use, thanks to their awesome touchscreens.
Most of the best 2-in-1 laptops are convertible, meaning the bottom half swings around behind the screen lid, so you’ll accidentally touch the keyboard a lot when they’re in tablet mode. A slim few are detachable, like the Surface Book 2, whose high-resolution PixelSense display is held up by sheer magnetic force. Either way a lot of these choices are compatible with styluses, though they’re often sold separately. As such, we’ve been sure to mention the pros and cons of each device as follows.
The Samsung Notebook 9 Pro can go head-to-head with the 15-inch MacBook Pro, and for a substantially lower cost. Though it’s limited to only one configuration, albeit across two different sizes, the Samsung Notebook 9 Pro is as powerful as it is pragmatic. Defined in part by its inclusion of the S-Pen, this heavy-hitting hybrid is every bit as capable as Microsoft’s Surface Book and without the need to recharge its stylus.
Google’s new Pixelbook does something that we couldn’t have seen coming. It takes the Chromebook platform and shoots it straight into the stratosphere, competing with premium products from Apple and Microsoft. It’s able to accomplish this herculean task by beefing up the internals and, more importantly, by including full Android app support. This means that this device tears down the barriers that would prevent macOS or Windows users from jumping on the Chromebook bandwagon. It might cost a lot more than other Chromebooks on the market, but the Pixelbook is truly the future of the platform.
We get it, the Pixelbook is enticing, but it’s also out of your price range. In that case, the Asus Chromebook Flip C302 is a choice alternative. Having introduced a touchscreen and convertible design to Google’s cloud-based Chrome OS, the Asus Chromebook Flip is made better by its compatibility with Android apps. That’s right, just like the Pixelbook, you can use the Asus Chromebook Flip for Google Play apps, albeit after installing an out-of-the-box update.
If you’ve been in the market for one of the best 2-in-1 laptops, but you also kind of wanted to get one of the best gaming laptops instead, you’re in luck. The Dell XPS 15, already a fantastic laptop, has been transformed into a 2-in-1 – and was given discrete-class Radeon RX Vega graphics in the process. What this means is that you can get a beautiful convertible laptop, but you don’t have to give up any power. And, while that means that it’s a little expensive and the fans get a bit loud – it’s worth it in our book.
Though many heads will be turned to the 15-inch model this time around, as Microsoft recently debuted a large-sized laptop for the first time ever, the 13.5-inch rendition of the Surface Book 2 deserves your attention nonetheless. To start, it comes with a 7th- or 8th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, respectively, depending on your needs. But, per usual with the Surface devices, the draw isn’t what it can do on the inside, but rather, how it can transform on the outside. Not only can its screen be detached from its keyboard, but it’ll last longer too.
Gamers ought to look elsewhere, but for everyone else, the Lenovo Yoga 920 is a passable alternative to the ludicrously expensive Surface Book 2. For those who value, well… value over a screen that can be detached completely from its keyboard, the Lenovo Yoga 920 has a lot of good to offer. The design, for instance, is less pronounced and has the subtlety of a more traditional Ultrabook. Meanwhile, it’s thin and powerful all the same.
To be fair, we loved the 13-inch Surface Book already, so when we first caught word that a 15-inch Surface Book 2 was in the works, our expectations were amplified. In the end, Microsoft’s second 2-in-1 laptop isn’t perfect, but it is an impressive feat held back by a handful of (frankly necessary) concessions. For starters, this machine features cutting-edge 8th-generation Intel processors and Nvidia 10-series graphics for gamers and creative types alike. Pair that with its nifty convertibility, and we have ourselves a winner.
A handsome 2-in-1 with a strikingly thin frame, the HP Spectre x360 now brandishes the might of Intel’s 8th-generation Kaby Lake Refresh architecture. So, despite its slim chassis and weighing only 2.78 pounds (1.26kg), this version of the Hewlett-Packard flagship is ready not only to stream 4K video, but to run your favorite games at 720p using integrated graphics tech. Otherwise, if you’re a creative type, it comes with the HP Pen, unlike some stylus-less hybrids.
Inspired heavily by Apple’s seminal MacBook, the Asus ZenBook Flip S brings an attention to detail that’s often lost with Windows laptops. Thinner and lighter than most of the best 2-in-1 laptops, this gorgeous device brings the power of an Intel Core i7 CPU in a package you won’t be afraid to bring out in public. And, because it’s rocking a 1080p display with a powerful processor, you don’t have to worry about running out of juice – it will last through all but the longest plane rides.
While other laptop makers are adding discrete graphics and increasing their screen sizes, Samsung has decided it’s best to lay low with the Samsung Notebook 7 Spin this year. It works, but seemingly unintentionally so. Because it scraps the Nvidia chip, the 13-inch Samsung Notebook 7 Spin can be used for up to 7 hours at a time without charge. It also has a better keyboard than you would expect, although we are disappointed in the lack of a bundled stylus.
