10 Cool AMD Laptops To Check Out In 2021

As AMD continues to up the ante in its battle with rival Intel, PC makers including HP, Lenovo, Dell and Acer are launching innovative laptops powered by AMD chips.

AMD Laptops To Consider

AMD has continued its push to compete more fiercely with Intel in the mobile processor space, with the chipmaker recently announcing a number of new CPUs for laptops—including the Ryzen 5000 mobile lineup in January and the Ryzen Pro 5000 processors for business laptops in March. The result is an array of new AMD laptops either now available or coming to the market soon. Those include AMD-powered business laptops as well as consumer, gaming and education laptops—across both Windows 10 notebooks and Chromebooks. Top PC makers with major offerings on AMD laptops for 2021 include Lenovo, HP, Acer and Dell.

Going forward, AMD sees most of its growth coming from the notebook side, said Matthew Unangst, director of AMD’s commercial client business, in a briefing earlier this month. AMD ended 2020 with 2.9-point gain on market share over Intel compared to the previous year, which brought its share to 19 percent. “This growth that we have in the number of commercial notebook design wins, I think, bodes well for our opportunity as we look forward,” Unangst said.

What follows are 10 cool AMD laptops to check out in 2021.

HP EliteBook 835 G8

HP recently announced an expansion of its portfolio of AMD-powered business laptops--with a focus on updating the EliteBook 805 series that targets mainstream corporate workers. The newly unveiled models include the EliteBook 835 G8, which is powered by the new generation of AMD Ryzen Pro 5000 processors as well as integrated AMD Radeon graphics. The EliteBook 835 G8 features a 13.3-inch FHD display with slim bezels for an 85 percent screen-to-body ratio, as well as an optional HP Sure View Reflect integrated privacy screen to prevent visual snooping. The laptop also rates well on portability with a starting weight of 2.75 pounds and a thickness of 0.7 of an inch.

Other features include HP Tamper Lock intrusion detection technology--which automatically locks the PC if it has been physically opened--and optional LTE connectivity. To assist with collaboration, the EliteBook 835 G8 comes with HP Dynamic Audio technology, which optimizes audio for speech, music or movies while reducing background noise.

HP EliteBook 845 G8

The HP EliteBook 845 G8 is also powered by the new AMD Ryzen Pro 5000 processors and integrated AMD Radeon graphics, but features a larger FHD display at 14 inches. Like the 835 G8, the 845 G8 includes slim bezels and a screen-to-body ratio of 85 percent--and it’s also lightweight for a 14-inch business notebook with a starting weight of 3.1 pounds. Key capabilities that are shared with the other new AMD-powered EliteBook models include the optional HP Sure View Reflect integrated privacy screen, HP Tamper Lock intrusion detection technology, optional LTE connectivity and HP’s Dynamic Audio technology.

HP EliteBook 855 G8

For an AMD-powered notebook with an even larger display, HP is rolling out its new EliteBook 855 G8. The notebook features a 15.6-inch FHD display with an 85 percent screen-to-body ratio and the optional HP Sure View Reflect integrated privacy screen. Like the other models in the new EliteBook 805 series, the 855 G8 model will be offered with AMD’s new Ryzen Pro 5000 CPUs and with integrated AMD Radeon graphics. The EliteBook 855 G8 also comes with a fairly lightweight design--at least for a 15.6-inch business notebook--with a starting weight of 3.85 pounds, and includes other capabilities found in the new 805 G8 series such as optional LTE connectivity and HP’s Dynamic Audio technology.

HP ProBook 635 Aero G8

For HP’s SMB-focused ProBook lineup, the company recently debuted a new model that features AMD processors and a highly portable design--the ProBook 635 Aero G8. The 13.3-inch notebook has a starting weight of just 2.2 pounds, with a thickness of 0.7 of an inch. The ProBook 635 Aero G8 is powered by the new AMD Ryzen 5000 processors along with AMD Radeon graphics--and HP is touting the device as the “world’s lightest AMD-based business notebook.” Other key capabilities include optional LTE connectivity; the optional HP Sure View Reflect integrated privacy screen; a spill-resistant and quiet keyboard (with optional backlighting); and HP QuickDrop software, which enables wireless transferring of files and photos from a smartphone.

Lenovo ThinkBook 14p

Lenovo recently unveiled new AMD-powered laptops in its ThinkBook lineup, including the ThinkBook 14p. The notebook includes AMD Ryzen 5000 Series mobile processors, up to the newest generation of AMD’s Ryzen 9 5000 H Series chips. The ThinkBook 14p also comes with integrated AMD Radeon graphics, and is configurable with up to 32 GB of RAM for even further enhanced performance.

The 14-inch display on the ThinkBook 14p features a 16:10 aspect ratio--providing about 6 percent greater usable screen space than a 16:9 display--while sporting optional OLED display technology with 2.8K resolution. Other key features include a “smart power button” (with an integrated fingerprint reader); an optional FHD webcam with ThinkShutter cover; a larger touchpad with a backlit keyboard that includes dedicated conference call keys; AI-powered noise cancellation; and a portable form factor at 3.08 pounds.

Lenovo ThinkBook 16p

The second new ThinkBook to include AMD’s latest Ryzen 5000 series CPUs is the ThinkBook 16p, which features a larger display at 16 inches. Like the 14p model, the Lenovo ThinkBook 16p will be powered by the new AMD Ryzen 9 5000 H Series processors. Along with the larger display size, other key differences for the ThinkBook 16p include the availability of discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics as well as pre-configured color calibration technology (for enhanced color accuracy). The display also offers a 16:10 aspect ratio, resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 and up to 400 nits of brightness, along with reduced bezels for a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio (though the notebook is not available with an OLED display). Additionally, the ThinkBook 16p will include the optional FHD webcam, smart power button, larger touchpad and AI-based noise cancelling technology that comes with the 14p model.

Lenovo 14w Gen 2

For the second-generation model of the education-focused Lenovo 14w—a Windows 10 notebook aimed at both students and teachers—Lenovo has included the newest AMD 3015e dual-core processor and configurability with up to 8 GB of RAM. The laptop includes a 14-inch display, with both touch screen and non-touch options available, as well as FHD or HD resolution. Other key features on the Lenovo 14w Gen 2 include a 720p HD webcam, dual microphones, MIL-STD-810H durability, up to 10 hours of battery life and a starting weight of 3.2 pounds.

Lenovo Legion 7

Lenovo says that its new Legion 7 laptop will deliver massive performance for gaming through the inclusion of the new generation of AMD Ryzen 5000 H-series chips. Configuration options go up to the AMD Ryzen 9 5900H mobile processor, offering eight high-performance cores as well as solid battery life (estimated at up to eight hours on a charge). The Legion 7 will also include the latest-gen Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics and up to 32 GB of 3200 MHz DDR4 RAM. Meanwhile, Lenovo is touting the Legion 7 as “the world’s first 16-inch QHD gaming laptop,” with its 16-inch display boasting resolution of 2,560 x 1,600, as well as a 165 Hz refresh rate. The display also stands out with its 16:10 aspect ratio--offering 11 percent more usable screen real estate for an improved field of view, Lenovo says.

Dell Inspiron 14 7000 2-in-1

While Dell does not have as broad of a lineup for AMD-powered laptops as Lenovo and HP, the company does have some notable models featuring AMD processors, such as the Inspiron 14 7000 2-in-1. The convertible notebook includes the AMD Ryzen 7 4700U Mobile Processor, along with AMD Radeon graphics. The laptop’s 2-in-1 display measure 14 inches and offers FHD resolution, while other key features on the Inspiron 14 7000 2-in-1 include up to 16 GB of RAM; a range of ports (USB-C, USB-A and HDMI); a fast-charging battery; and built-in connectivity to the Amazon Alexa voice assistant.

Acer Chromebook Spin 514

Acer says the Chromebook Spin 514 is its first-ever Chromebook to feature AMD Ryzen 3000 C-Series processors and AMD Radeon graphics, which help to enable strong performance and battery life of up to 10 hours. The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 includes a 14-inch display with FHD resolution, and the device is highly durable with Gorilla Glass on the display and a reinforced aluminum chassis, according to the company. Other notable features include slim bezels around the display (for a 78 percent screen-to-body ratio) and a thickness of 0.68 of an inch, as well as options for up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of storage. Additionally, Acer is offering a variant of the convertible notebook aimed at business users—the Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 514—with additional security and management capabilities.