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What are the best laptops for light gaming with good battery life?

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Dell XPS 15 vs HP Omen 15 vs Apple MacBook Pro

 vs HP Spectre x360 15t vs Dell Precision 5510

Specs

Weight

2kg (4.44 lbs)

RAM

8 / 16 / 32GB DDR4 at 2400MHz

CPU

Intel Core i3-7100H / Intel Core i5-7300HQ / Intel Core i7-7700HQ

GPU

Intel HD Graphics 630 / NVIDIA GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5

Storage

500GB HDD + 32GB Flash / 1TB HDD + 32GB Flash / 256/512GB/1TB PCIe SSD

Ports

1 HDMI 1.4 2 USB 3.0 with PowerShare 1 Thunderbolt™ 3 (2 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3) Supports: Power In / Charging, PowerShare, Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps Bi-Directional), 3.1 USB Gen 2 (10Gbps), VGA, HDMI, Ethernet and USB-A via Dell Adapter

Webcam

720p

Aspect Ratio

16:9

Display

15.6-inch FHD (1920x1080) / 15.6-inch UltraSharp™ 4K Ultra HD (3840x2160) Touch display

Battery

56 / 97WHr

Display Size

15.6 inches

Wireless

802.11 AC & Bluetooth 4.0

Trackpoint

No

Operating System

Windows 10

Size

14.06 x 9.27 x 0.45-0.66-inches

SD reader

Yes

Touchpad Size

4.1 x 3.1 inches

Release date for the most recent model

2017

Screen size

-

SSD

-

Display Resolution

-

Screen resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

Dimensions

-

Wi-Fi

-

Memory

-

Bluetooth

-

Connections

-

Graphics

-

Chipset

-

Operating Systems

-

Soundcard

-

Display Options

-

Power Adaptor

-

Card Slots

-

Weight

2.3 kg

RAM

8GB

CPU

Intel® Core™ i5 9300H

GPU

NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650

Storage

-

Ports

-

Webcam

-

Aspect Ratio

-

Display

-

Battery

-

Display Size

-

Wireless

-

Trackpoint

-

Operating System

Windows 10 Home

Size

-

SD reader

-

Touchpad Size

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Screen size

15.6"

SSD

256 Gb

Display Resolution

-

Screen resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

Dimensions

-

Wi-Fi

-

Memory

-

Bluetooth

-

Connections

-

Graphics

-

Chipset

-

Operating Systems

-

Soundcard

-

Display Options

-

Power Adaptor

-

Card Slots

-

Weight

3.02lbs

RAM

8/16GB

CPU

-

GPU

Apple M1 8 core

Storage

-

Ports

2/4 Thunderbolt 3 Ports, Headphone jack

Webcam

720p

Aspect Ratio

16:10

Display

13.3 in 2560x1600 IPS

Battery

-

Display Size

-

Wireless

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac & Bluetooth 4.0

Trackpoint

No

Operating System

-

Size

-

SD reader

-

Touchpad Size

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Screen size

13.3inch / 15.4inch

SSD

-

Display Resolution

2880x1800 for the 15" version, 2560x1600 for the 13" version

Screen resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

Dimensions

-

Wi-Fi

-

Memory

-

Bluetooth

-

Connections

-

Graphics

-

Chipset

-

Operating Systems

-

Soundcard

-

Display Options

-

Power Adaptor

-

Card Slots

-

Weight

2.89 lb

RAM

8GB

CPU

8th Generation Intel Core i7

GPU

Intel Graphics 620

Storage

256GB SSD

Ports

2xUSB-C, 1xUSB-A

Webcam

-

Aspect Ratio

16:9

Display

-

Battery

-

Display Size

-

Wireless

-

Trackpoint

-

Operating System

-

Size

-

SD reader

-

Touchpad Size

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Screen size

15.6inch

SSD

-

Display Resolution

-

Screen resolution

UHD

3DMark Firestrike Score

920

Dimensions

-

Wi-Fi

-

Memory

-

Bluetooth

-

Connections

-

Graphics

-

Chipset

-

Operating Systems

-

Soundcard

-

Display Options

-

Power Adaptor

-

Card Slots

-

Weight

1.78kg to 2.02kg

RAM

-

CPU

Intel i5 - 6440 HQ

GPU

-

Storage

256GB SSD

Ports

-

Webcam

720p

Aspect Ratio

-

Display

-

Battery

56Whr /// 84Whr

Display Size

15.6 inches

Wireless

-

Trackpoint

-

Operating System

-

Size

-

SD reader

-

Touchpad Size

-

Release date for the most recent model

-

Screen size

-

SSD

-

Display Resolution

-

Screen resolution

-

3DMark Firestrike Score

-

Dimensions

14.06 x 9.27 x 0.66 inches

Wi-Fi

802.11ac

Memory

8GB+

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 4.1

Connections

2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Audio combo in/out, Card Reader: SD, SDXC, SDHC, UHS-11

Graphics

Intel® Pro Graphics 530 & P530

Chipset

Mobile Intel CM236

Operating Systems

Win 7 Pro / Win 10 Pro / Win 10 Home / Ubuntu 14.04

Soundcard

Realtek High Definition Audio

Display Options

15.6" UltraSharp™ UHD IGZO (3840x2160) Touchscreen

Power Adaptor

130 Watt AC adapter

Card Slots

SD/SDHC Card reader

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Amazing display

Two display choices are available for the XPS 15, an Ultra HD touchscreen or a Full HD non-touch screen. Both screens have a very wide array of colors as they cover approximately 100% of sRGB color space. The viewing angle is around 170 degrees. However, at 45 degrees, slight color change can be noticed. With around 350 nit output for brightness, it’s a viable choice for outdoor usage. All of this makes it an amazing display.
Comment

Pro
 Solid keyboard and trackpad

The keyboard and trackpad are reliable and solid all-around. The keyboard is responsive but is not super “clicky”, rather a bit soft. It has a white backlight on black keys that illuminates them at night. The touchpad is rather large while having no buttons. Despite this, the XPS 15 can reliably distinguish between the left and right clicks which are done on the trackpad itself.
Comment

Pro
 Can run most modern games

Being an excellent all-rounder, it can be used as a gaming laptop for games that are not exceptionally demanding, like Overwatch or Dota 2. Unless you’re using the cheapest model, you can expect a reasonable 60 frames per second for almost all modern games, provided that you’re willing to lower the game’s settings.
Comment

Pro
 Very well-rounded laptop

The cheapest configuration is a great choice for general non-intensive use - things like internet browsing, watching movies and similar tasks. Whereas the more expensive configurations are gradually more capable of intensive tasks, like video editing or gaming. It’s not as good as a specialized computer built for a specific purpose, like a video editing laptop with an enormous RAM size or a gaming laptop with a superior graphics card, but it’s a very well-rounded, reliable laptop.
Comment

Pro
 Operates well on a Linux system

All essential things, like network connectivity, ports and sound, work right “out-of-the-box” with a Linux operating system. There is a compatibility issue on the new 9560 model with its graphics card but the laptop is still very usable with its integrated Intel graphics card.
Comment

Pro
 Slick design

The whole design is quite stylish. The aluminium chassis provides a very clean look while the black carbon fiber palm rest with an almost borderless display cements it as a visually modern laptop. All of this is made with a premium build quality.
Comment

Pro
 Optional password-free-sign-in via a fingerprint reader

For an additional $25 it’s possible to enjoy a password-free-sign-in by having a fingerprint reader. It will keep your laptop safe while still providing convenient access to it.
Comment

Pro
 Good battery life if you pick the 1080p display

Models with the 1080p screen last about 10 hours with general usage. Naturally, if more intensive tasks are involved, the battery will be drained faster.
Comment

Con
 Audible coil whine

Coil whine can be heard when it’s generally quiet and the fans are not running. Audible when the laptop is connected to the power supply. The manufacturers have acknowledged it as a problem and, if possible, will push out an update which should eliminate it. Until then, it’s still a gripe.
Comment

Con
 9560 model's GPU has compatibility issues on Linux

The new 9560 model has some trouble accepting its GTX 1050 Ti video card while running a Linux operating system. Fortunately, the integrated Intel graphics card is capable enough to substitute it. The manufacturers are probably aware of the issue and will, most likely, release an update for it.
Comment

Con
 Some ghosting in games

The display is not intended for gaming purposes so it can produce an effect called “ghosting”. Ghosting is when the pixels are not able to change their colors fast enough, so the color of the preceding frame can still be slightly seen on the next frame. This causes a blurring effect. Note that it only happens on high framerates coupled with fast objects.
Comment

Con
 Awkward webcam location

The webcam is located under the screen instead of on top. It means that your face will be shown from a lower angle which can seem a bit weird. It also means that your fingers can partially obstruct the webcam while you’re typing.
Comment

Con
 Battery doesn’t hold long with the Ultra HD screen

If you’re choosing the configuration with an Ultra HD screen, expect a very short battery life of around 6 hours for general usage. With more intensive tasks it's even less than that.
Comment

Con
 Noisy fans

The laptop is very quiet during idle and light usage but when there is some workload, the fans get quite loud and distracting.
Comment

Con
 Palmrest collects sweat

The palm rest is made from carbon fiber which attracts fingerprints and sweat. After some time it gets kind of unpleasant to touch and needs to be cleaned.
Comment

Pro
 Fast SSD

Has a 256 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD.
Comment

Pro
 Lightweight

For a gaming laptop a weight of 2.3 kg is quite light.
Comment

Pro
 Amazing build quality

The MacBook Pro has an all-aluminum body that looks great and is sturdy enough that worries of accidentally damaging are mostly alleviated. It has a robust lid, well-spaced back-lit keyboard with speakers on each side of the keyboard and an excellent button-less trackpad.
Comment

Pro
 One of the best SSDs that can be found on a laptop

With read speeds at 3.1Gbps and write speeds at around 4.7Gbps, the SSD used in the Macbook Pro is the best in the market by far. This doesn't just mean opening/saving files is quicker, but it also has a pretty huge impact on general application performance.
Comment

Pro
 Fantastic display

The MacBook Pro has a sharp, color accurate 2560 x 1600 IPS display. It's bright at 500 nits, has great viewing angles (viewable at up to 178 degrees) and capable of displaying 87.3% of sRGB color gamut.
Comment

Pro
 The OS is exceptionally easy to use

Macbooks are famous for working out of the box. The default operating system (macOS) is also exceptionally easy to use even for people who have never used it before. Most people will not need to customize or change anything since all the apps just work out of the box. The people who like to customize things and tinker with their systems will also find it pretty easy to do so, considering the fact that macOS is a Unix and allows varying degrees of control to users.
Comment

Pro
 Both the hardware and software are designed in-house

Both the operating system and the hardware are designed by Apple and are made to be as compatible as possible from the get-go. Any drawback that the hardware might have compared to competitors, is made up by the great compatibility between the hardware and OS. Furthermore, because Apple controls the hardware that goes inside their laptops, they can be sure that every OS release will be fully compatible even with their older hardware, ensuring software compatibility for many years after the laptop is released.
Comment

Pro
 The default macOS is very developer friendly since it's a Unix

OSX is based on XNU (Darwin) kernel, it's certified Unix and arguably a lot more developer friendly than Windows. Development for Unix is native on OS X. There's a large selection of great development tools available for OSX. The operating system itself comes bundled with a powerful terminal emulator, called Terminal. Additionally, Apple provides tools, like Xcode, an IDE that contains a comprehensive collection of tools for developing OSX and iOS software, for free.
Comment

Pro
 Can run up to 3 external monitors and output 4K

With 2 Thunderbolt (DisplayPort) plugs and 1 HDMI, MBP can run up to 3 external monitors and output 4K over HDMI.
Comment

Pro
 Good customer support

Apple offers support over the phone worldwide, provides support in Apple retail stores and authorized resellers and has community forums where users can help users.
Comment

Pro
 Plenty of RAM for multitasking

The MacBook Pro has up to 32 GB of RAM. That much RAM is perfect for running IDEs, emulators, and virtual machines.
Comment

Pro
 OSX/macOS and most software apps have great HiDPI support

Comment

Pro
 Great keyboard

The Macbook uses the second generation of the "butterfly" keyboards first introduced in 2015. They feel different to use than most laptop keyboards as they are very shallow, but most people report really enjoying the keyboard after getting used to it.
Comment

Pro
 Good battery life

The battery drains in about 9 hours of typical use.
Comment

Pro
 New OSX updates run on older models for quite a long time

Comment

Pro
 Very portable

The latest Macbook Pro has a trimmed down design compared to predecessors. It's 0.61 inches (15.5 mm) thick and and weighs 4.02 pounds. It's thinner than Macbook Air even.
Comment

Pro
 Good stability

Comment

Pro
 Great performance

The combination of a 6th gen i5 CPU and an 5200 integrated GPU makes for a powerful laptop.
Comment

Pro
 One of the best trackpads around

The Macbooks are renowned for having the best trackpad out of any laptop. It has full gesture support, you can configure in the software how much pressure you want before it physically clicks and the finger tracking is perfect.
Comment

Con
 Terrible Linux support

The 2016 hardware has zero Linux compatibility due to new standards used by Apple. Until drivers are released for Linux, which there has been no news of, the 2016 Macbooks cannot be used for Linux at all.
Comment

Con
 No Ethernet or FireWire ports

An adapter is required to transfer data over FireWire or connect to the Internet using an Ethernet cable.
Comment

Con
 Glossy screen

Apple has deleted the matte-screen option from its lineup, an unfortunate decision that reduces the usability of the computers and means you get less work done. You won't realize how much time you spend moving your head around to get reflections off whatever you're trying to see until you switch to a matte screen. Those "deep blacks" and "rich colors" that you were supposed to get from a glossy screen are not present, since they're buried behind a sheen of reflection under all lighting conditions.
Comment

Con
 You need dongles or a dock to connect USB-A devices

There are no USB-A ports, so you'll need a dongle or a dock to use things like webcams.
Comment

Con
 RAM is soldered in

A crippling, unmitigated rip-off which prevents you from upgrading the internal RAM.
Comment

Con
 The keyboard is unique in how it feels and some people may need some time to get used to it

The keyboard on the Macbook is unique and some people may not like the way the keys feel to press or not having physical function keys.
Comment

Con
 Requires the use of proprietary firmware

The source code of the firmware isn't available for users to audit or modify.
Comment

Con
 Hard to repair or upgrade the hardware

The battery and other components are glued in, and the battery blocks access to other parts. The battery will wear out eventually, and the fact that it's glued in means that Apple prevents you from easily repairing or upgrading a MacBook Pro.
Comment

Con
 It's missing the ESC key, which is a hassle for VI users

There is no physical function or escape keys as they have been replaced by a touch screen, so if you're a big Vim user and don't want to change your habits, the Macbook might be a poor choice.
Comment

Con
 The default OS spies on you

Apple spies on its users, and helps others spy on them too. OSX needs to be wiped from the laptop and be replaced with Linux or another acceptable OS before it can be used. There have also been cases of security issues being reported and not fixed for quite some time. An example is a security issue in iTunes which was left unfixed for three years while it was being used by the government to collect data. These security issues may or may not be intentional, but other data collection is.
Comment

Con
 Limited gaming performance

The Macbook lacks a dedicated GPU, so gaming performance will be limited. That said it comes with the best integrated graphics on the market and will be able to play modern games on low settings well.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent performance

Performance of course depends on the configuration, but a medium-powered configuration with 8GB RAM and i7 provides an excellent performance. Multitasking is a breeze and the laptop doesn't stutter or lag even with 20 Chrome tabs open simultaneously. The SSD is also extremely fast and is able to copy 40GB of data in about 2 seconds. Gaming performance is decent as well, managing to hit 40FPS with Dirt 3 on medium settings.
Comment

Pro
 Great, colorful display

The Spectre x360 has a great glossy Full-HD screen to complement its amazing design. At 317 nits, the screen is pretty bright and it has a decent color range as well, covering 101.7 percent of the sRGB color spectrum.
Comment

Con
 Has some bloatware

While it's less than HP usually has, there are still apps like Netflix, The Weather Channel, Hearts Deluxe, Connected Photo etc.
Comment

Con
 Can easily trap heat and overheat

The extremely thin chassis is a drawback as far as heat management goes. Even a relatively simple activity like streaming HD videos will overheat the laptop and put the internal heat at about 105 degrees Fahrenheit which is 10 degrees higher than the 95 degrees "comfortable" threshold.
Comment

Pro
 Great design

The HP Spectre x360 has an all-aluminum body that gives it a very premium feel. The edges are all smooth and polished which provide a great highlight accent to the laptop.
Comment

Pro
 Long battery life

For simple activities such as web browsing and editing files, the HP Spectre clocks in at around 11 hours of autonomous battery life.
Comment

Pro
 Good keyboard

HP put a lot of effort in the creation of this keyboard and it shows. With 60 gram actuation weight and a travel length of 1.3mm, typing on the Spectre x360 is a great experience, reminiscent of typing on a mechanical keyboard.
Comment

Pro
 Remarkable screen

There’s a choice between a Full HD and an Ultra HD screen. The Full HD is a matte-type screen with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 while the Ultra HD has a glossy, touch-enabled surface which supports resolutions up to 3840 x 2160. Both screens have a very accurate color portrayal with approximately 100% of sRGB color space covered. They also have incredibly wide viewing angles. The brightness for the UHD screen is around 390 nits which is considered “very bright” and can easily be used outdoors. The FHD version has around 360 nits which is slightly worse but is also considered bright.
Comment

Pro
 Great performance for graphics-related work or gaming

The included hardware corresponds to a moderately powerful workstation laptop. The video card has certified drivers that are optimized for performance with specific applications, like AutoCAD or DCC (Digital Command Control). Similarly, all of provided processors have four cores for high multi-tasking capabilities while the 32GBs of RAM allow running large projects. This combination makes it an attractive option for rendering, 3D modeling, and similar tasks.
Comment

Con
 Palm rest gets greasy

The carbon fiber coating is very susceptible to the sweat of your hands. The continuous contact with the skin can make the palm rest greasy and uncomfortable. It has to be cleaned regularly in order to avoid it.
Comment

Con
 Premium pricing

The price seems a bit steep for what you’re getting.
Comment

Pro
 Great Linux support

The hardware is Ubuntu Certified. It makes sure that Ubuntu, and by extension other Linux distributions work right out-of-the-box without needing to mess with it to get basic things, like Wi-Fi or soundcard, to work.
Comment

Pro
 Solid touchpad

The touchpad feels a bit slippery but is, otherwise, responsive and reliable. Several different gestures are available to make navigating with the touchpad easier. These gestures, like zoom, rotate, scroll and others, can be disabled via touchpad settings.
Comment

Pro
 Reasonable battery life

With the Ultra HD screen the battery lasts for about 4 hours of general usage. This is with the smaller 3-cell (56Wh) battery. Note that, if you’re choosing the bigger 6-cell (81Wh) battery, the hard drives are limited to the M.2 PCIe drives with no secondary storage option.
Comment

Pro
 Great design

It looks strikingly clean. Built with an aluminium chassis it presents itself as a luxurious laptop. When opened, it has a sleek, dark carbon fiber palm rest with an almost bezel-less display. The small edges allow fitting a 15.6 inch screen inside such a small frame.
Comment

Pro
 Small and lightweight for a workstation

It is surprisingly small and lightweight for being a workstation-type laptop. With the weight ranging from 1.8kg to 2kg and with the dimensions of 35.8 x 23.5 x 1.7 cm, it really is a portable workstation laptop.
Comment

Pro
 Reliable keyboard

The keyboard is covered with a soft coating that is pleasant to touch. The keys feel rather shallow with only 1.3mm travel distance but are still very responsive. It also has a backlight with three options - bright, dim and off.
Comment

Pro
 Silent during light usage

Comment

Con
 Loud during high workload

Comment

Con
 Not ideal for video calls

It has very awkward webcam and microphone locations making it rather unsuitable for video calls. The webcam is located under the screen, instead of on top, which creates a strange angle. It can also be partially covered by fingers when typing. Similarly, the microphone is located at a weird place - at the very front of the frame. At such a close position it can more easily distort your voice.
Comment

Con
 Lacks certain keys

It has no numpad which would typically ease the input of numbers. It even has enough space for it. In addition, the navigation keys (arrows) are replaced with Page Up, Page Down, Home, and End keys.
Comment
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