As the pandemic ebbs and Americans return to their offices, laptop sales have nonetheless continued to grow. We’re still working and studying at home at least part of the time, and laptops offer all the power that most of us need and so much more flexibility than a desktop computer. Meanwhile, tablets continue to serve as excellent complementary devices for some people and even as laptop replacements for others.
In our most recent PCMag Readers’ Choice survey, we asked you to assess your satisfaction with the laptops and tablets you’re using. Your ratings may help your fellow readers determine the brand of laptop and tablet that they’ll pick for their next purchase.
This bears repeating: Today’s supply chain shortages may mean that the laptop or tablet that you had your heart set on is not available. If that’s the case, the survey results will help you determine which brands are viable alternatives…and which you should avoid.
Laptops 2022
MSIMSI might not be a household name, but PCMag readers have been singing its praises for some time now, giving the company high marks for satisfaction and earning it four Readers’ Choice Awards in the last seven years, including this one.
What makes 2022 different is that it’s the first time that MSI—or any Windows laptop brand—hasn’t had to share the award with Apple, which won every year for well over a decade. In some years, the PC brand sharing with Apple received satisfaction ratings competitive with Apple’s own scores, but in other years, they lagged, only earning an award because we know that for many Windows users a MacBook is just not an option. (Use the arrows below to click through all the scores in different categories.)
This year, there’s no question which laptop maker is delivering the most satisfying experience, according to its customers. MSI, which is primarily known for its gaming computers, received an overall satisfaction rating of 9.5 on a scale from zero (extremely dissatisfied) to 10 (extremely satisfied). That rating is an improvement from last year’s excellent 9.2 and it’s the highest overall satisfaction rating we can recall ever seeing for a laptop brand. However, that wasn’t even the company’s highest score this year. MSI received scores of 9.6 for satisfaction with reliability and screen/display quality. All the company’s other ratings were similarly impressive, including 9.4s for likelihood to be recommended and even for tech support, a category that rarely gets such high marks. Respondents were also very impressed with MSI’s value, rating it a 9.2, up from last year’s category-topping 8.7 (shared with Acer).
What makes MSI’s ratings even more startling is that nearly all of Apple’s satisfaction ratings actually improved from its Readers’ Choice Award-winning performance in 2021. Some increases were fairly small, such as overall satisfaction, which went from 9.1 to 9.2, and recommendation likelihood, which went from 9.1 to 9.3. But other ratings saw more substantial jumps (for example, satisfaction with battery life went from 8.4 to 9.0). As is often the case, Apple did rate last in satisfaction with cost/value at 7.8, but that’s actually up from 2021’s 7.4. Apple simply couldn’t keep pace with MSI and repeat once again as a Readers’ Choice Award winner, but as you can see by its ratings, Apple users continue to be quite satisfied with their laptops.
For more, read The Best Laptops of 2022The Best Laptops of 2022.
2-in-1 Convertible Laptops 2022
2-in-1 hybrid laptops continue to fill an important niche for many of us. They let you use the computer like a conventional laptop most of the time, but easily convert into a tablet when needed, whether it’s so you can draw on the screen with your finger or a pen, work more comfortably while sitting on the couch, or watch a movie while squeezed into a coach airline seat. This year, DellDell wins its first Readers’ Choice Award for its line of 2-in-1 laptops, replacing the perennial favorite, Microsoft, which didn’t receive the requisite number of responses to be included in our survey analysis.
Microsoft’s absence doesn’t taint Dell’s win. Dell’s ratings improved substantially on every measure. Overall satisfaction, for instance, went from 8.4 in 2021 to 8.7 this year, while the likelihood to recommend score improved from 8.2 to 8.8. Dell also received top marks for satisfaction with its touch screens (9.3), ease of use (9.2), and size and weight (9.1), among other scores.
HP gave Dell a run for its money on several measures. HP tied Dell’s ratings for likelihood to recommend (8.8) and satisfaction with touch screen (9.3) and was slightly ahead on satisfaction with screen/display quality (9.3 to 9.2). HP also bested Dell in satisfaction with reliability at 9.0 compared with Dell’s 8.8. However, HP was half a point behind Dell in satisfaction with cost. Dell improved from an 8.0 for this measure in 2021 to 8.6 this year, while HP dropped slightly from 8.2 to 8.1.
For more, read The Best 2-in-1 Convertible and Hybrid Laptops for 2022The Best 2-in-1 Convertible and Hybrid Laptops for 2022.
Tablets 2022
AppleApple may have finally been dethroned as the highest-rated laptop brand according to our survey respondents, but the company remains firmly atop the tablet category, winning its fifth Readers’ Choice Award in a row. The tablet market has thinned out and this year Apple only faced competition from Samsung and Amazon in our survey. Apple received the top satisfaction ratings on every question except satisfaction with cost, where it earned a 7.7 from our readers, far behind Amazon’s 9.0 and Samsung’s 8.4. Apple had ratings of 9.0 or better on more than half of the questions. On every measure, Apple’s rating improved or stayed the same compared with 2021.
When you look at Apple’s ratings, you see a complete package. Readers tell us they’re very satisfied with the setup experience (9.3), reliability (9.4), ease of use (9.2), screen/display quality (9.4), and size and weight (9.2) of their Apple iPads. Should you need support, you’ll likely be satisfied with that as well: The company earned a very good score of 8.5 for satisfaction with tech support.
Samsung’s overall satisfaction rating dipped very slightly this year to 8.4 from last year’s 8.5, but respondents say they’re still quite likely to recommend the company’s Android-based tablets, giving it a score of 8.8 on that measure, just a bit behind Apple’s 9.0. If you prefer an Android, you’re likely to be very pleased with Samsung if your experience mirrors those of our respondents.
Amazon’s strongest suit is its low prices. Aside from its category-topping satisfaction with cost rating and a satisfaction with setup rating slightly ahead of Samsung (9.1 to 9.0), Amazon has the lowest rating among the three brands on every measure. Amazon’s worst rating was for overall satisfaction (7.8), which we consider to be the most important for a brand. The company’s likelihood to recommend rating (7.9) also couldn’t break 8.0. This may be due in part to its relatively low rating for ease-of-use (8.4) in a product category where being simple is expected.
For more, read The Best Tablets of 2022The Best Tablets of 2022.
Full Results
The PCMag Readers’ Choice survey for Laptops and Tablets was in the field from January 10 to 31, 2022. For more information on how our surveys are conducted, read the survey methodology.
