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This article was taken from the April 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
We've picked out the best Black Friday laptop deals that we've seen so far this week including money-off MacBooks, a sub-£300 Lenovo and plenty in between.
How we tested
Each laptop was assessed for web bowsing, video viewing and general tasks. We also ran benchmarking tests on the PCs (but not the Mac as it wouldn't be comparing like with like), marking them for general performance, gaming frame-rates, video conversion and battery life.
Apple MacBook ProThe 15.4in, 2,880 x 1,800p Retina display offers the highest native revolution of any device here, with vivid, realistic colours and deep contrasts, plus smoothly rendered images. It is very slim for such a large laptop -- just 18mm deep -- and battery life was impressive, managing more than seven hours, despite the large display. The Pro doesn't come cheap, although the starting price for the most basic version is £500 less than this one. £2,199
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Bright screen
Tired Expensive
Specs Processor: 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz)
Memory: 16GB RAM
Display: 15.4in Retina 2,880 x 1,800p
Hard drive: 512GB SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M
Ports: 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x Thunderbolt, HDMI, head/mic jack, SD card slot
Size: 359 x 247 x 18mm
Weight: 2.02kg
Battery life: 7 hrs 15 mins
Samsung ATIV Book 9 PlusThis PC might look strictly functional, but it's hiding a party animal. You can open the lid through 180°, but it won't flip completely into a tablet, despite having a 13.3in touchscreen. It still makes using Windows 8 a breeze, though. View in full HD 1,920 x 1,080p resolution, or QHD+ (3,200 x 1,800p) -- which makes your desktop icons too small to be practical. £1,299
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Terrific screen
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No tablet duty
Specs
Processor: 1.6GHz Intel Core i5
Memory: 4GB RAM
Display: 13.3in 1,920 x 1,080/3,200 x 1,800p
Hard drive: 128GB SSD
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4400
Ports: 2 x USB 3.0, HDMI, mini VGA, mini Ethernet, head/mic jack, SD card slot
Size: 320 x 223 x 14mm
Weight: 1.41kg
Battery life: 6 hrs 25 mins
HP Envy 17-J171saPretty much the same as 2013's excellent Envy 17 TouchSmart, this adds a Leap Motion sensor, enabling Minority Report-style 3D motion-control by tracking your hand movements. It's a cool idea, but there's not a great deal you can do with it.
Motion-gimmicks aside, the 17-J171SA still has an enviable spec, with its luxurious, full HD 17.3in screen and extremely powerful 2.2GHz processor, backed by 12GB RAM. £1,200
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Fine screen
Tired
Poor battery
Specs
Processor: 2.2GHz Intel Core i7
Memory: 12GB RAM
Display: 17.3in full HD 1,920 x 1,080 touchscreen
Hard drive: 1TB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M
Ports: 4 x USB 3.0, HDMI, RJ45, head/mic jack, SD card slot
Size: 416 x 275 x 33mm
Weight: 1.41kg
Battery life: 2 hrs 10 mins
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon TouchThe X1's processor is only dual-core, but it's clocked at 2GHz and is backed by 8GB of RAM -- owerful for a 21mm thick, 1.5kg device. It came second only to the Envy 17 in our benchmark test.
The case is claimed to be dust- and water-resistant, and also has a fingerprint reader. Its 14in screen offers ten-point touch sensitivity, making it easy to whizz through the Windows 8 tiles. But, at a less-than-HD resolution of 1,600 x 900 pixels, it's a bit of a disappointment -- especially for a PC at this price point. £1,480
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Smart design
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Poor screen
Specs Processor: Intel Core i7 (2.0 GHz)
Memory: 8GB RAM
Display: 14in 1,600 x 900p
Hard drive: 120-256GB SSD
Graphics: Intel HD Ports USB 2.0, USB 3.0, head/mic jack, SD card slot
Size: 331 x 226 x 21mm
Weight: 1.55kg
Battery life: 5 hrs 32 mins
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
