I would suggest you spend some time at
Notebook Review.com.
Definitely a good place to see reviews of just about every latpop available, plus, you can search for laptops based on: manufacturer, processor type, graphics, weight, and screen size.
Another place to look at would be here:
Cnet.com - laptop buying guide.
If this helps, it looks like laptops/notebooks are divided into the following "types":
--Desktop replacement
--Thin and light
--Ultraportable
--Tablets and convertible notebooks.
(I was looking into getting myself a laptop, and my work just got me one instead)
David