Asus top, HP not in reliability study

SquareTrade

Laptop reliability by manufacturer. Research by SquareTrade.

Mac fans are often quick to claim superior performance from their Apple laptops, but a study from a warranty supplier in the US has ranked the reliability of their hardware fourth behind Asus, Toshiba and Sony.

The reliability study, conducted by SquareTrade, was based on 30,000 individual laptop units covered by its in-house warranty plans.

Nine brands, represented by a minimum of 1000 units each, were ranked in the report, which revealed that laptops from Toshiba and Sony were nearly 40 per cent more reliable than those from HP, which came last.

"In terms of brands, Asus and Toshiba stood out as the most reliable manufacturers; while Acer, Gateway and HP had failure rates significantly higher than the average," the report said.

The study also found that one-third of all laptops would fail within three years, a rate that it says exceeds that of most other consumer electronics products.

"Given that the typical laptop endures more use and abuse than nearly any other consumer electronic device (with the possible exception of cell phones), it is not surprising to see such high failure rates," SquareTrade said.

Although fewer than 5 per cent of the laptops surveyed failed in the first year, 8 per cent more failed in subsequent years, with two-thirds of the reported failure rate from hardware malfunctions and the remainder reported as accidental damage.

Netbooks costing less than $400 also fared badly, with 5.8 per cent reporting a malfunction over a one-year period. Excluding failures from accidents, they were also 20 per cent more likely to fail than entry level laptops.

"Given the high failure rates of laptops and sizeable difference in reliability by brand, reliability should be a concern for consumers shopping around for the best holiday deals," the SquareTrade report said.

For the full report, visit SquareTrade report (pdf).

- © Fairfax NZ News