I reviewed laptops for over a decade, sometimes testing over 30 devices per year. As you can probably guess, not all of them are winners and many should be avoided, even if the discount is cheap. Good news: It’s my job to recommend laptops that fit your budget and won’t make you regret your purchase six months later. So, don’t fall for marketing, fake sales or counterfeit brands on Amazon. These are my favorite laptops that I have tested myself and highly recommend you buy.
For more tips, also check out my recommendations in specific categories, such as Best MacBooks, Best Gaming Laptops, Best Chromebooks, Best Budget Laptops, Best Windows LaptopsAnd Best 2-in-1 laptops. My guide to How to choose a laptop can also help you if you are undecided.
The laptops I recommend most
Apple
MacBook Air (M5, 2026)
When friends or family members ask me which laptop to buy, I always start with the MacBook Air. This little laptop is way more powerful than most people think. With the M5 update, its GPU is now as powerful as the M3 Pro MacBook Pro, speeding up everything from gaming to video rendering. This is not at all what the MacBook Air is designed for, but the performance is there when you want to try it. That’s what makes it feel like a do-it-all machine, all contained in a fanless chassis that’s still one of the thinnest laptops you can buy. Oh, and did I mention that it will last well over a full work day away from the wall and will work just as well on battery as it does when plugged in? In almost every aspect, it is the benchmark.
The attractive price of the new MacBook Air could dissuade you MacBook Neo. But if you work in front of a computer eight hours a day, the performance, extra memory, super-fast storage speed, and Thunderbolt ports make the MacBook Air the right option. Unlike the Neo, you’ll never have to stop and wonder if you have the right computer for the job. (If you don’t already know you need a MacBook Pro for your job, you probably don’t.)
Microsoft
Surface Laptop 13.8-inch (7th edition)
I know not everyone wants a Mac. Not everyone wants to submit to Apple’s walled garden, or maybe there are specific apps you rely on that require Windows. Windows offers a very solid alternative to the MacBook Air: the Surface Laptop 13.8 (also known as 7th edition). It’s almost as good as the MacBook Air in many different areas, and it even outperforms it in others. The MacBook Air may be slightly thinner, but the Surface Laptop comes with an additional USB-A port. There are a lot of little compromises like that. My favorite aspect of the Surface Laptop 13.8, however, is the screen. It’s easily the superior display to the MacBook Air, offering a touchscreen, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a taller 3:2 aspect ratio. Like the MacBook Air, there is also a 15-inch version which is otherwise identical.
My only downside about this current version of the Surface Laptop is that it was released in mid-2024 and we were waiting for the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 chips to update with improved performance. These are rolling out to other laptops, but Microsoft has yet to announce a refreshed Surface Laptop. My best guess would be an announcement around the Microsoft Build developer conference in early June, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Photography: Christopher Null
Asus
Zenbook S16 (UM5606)
Finally, I will point you in the direction of Asus Zenbook S16. I have always loved this laptop for its stunning design. That all-white aesthetic, oversized trackpad, and thin bezels set it apart. There’s also the fact that it’s only 0.48 inches thick, which is almost as thin as the MacBook Air. My only problem with this laptop is that the price refused to come down for much of the last year. It was hard to justify it at over $1,500, no matter how fancy it looked. These days, the price hovers around $1,000 or below, making it a lot easier to swallow. What you get is an absolutely stacked laptop, with more memory and twice the storage of the MacBook Air. The OLED screen is also beautiful. It’s high resolution at 2880 x 1800 and has a 120Hz refresh rate. It doesn’t get much more premium than that.
Buy one of these three laptops and you won’t have much to complain about. But not everyone has $1,000 or more to spend on a laptop. And while a good discount will never fetch a decent amount in the category of the three laptops listed above, you’ll probably be surprised at how good sub-$800 laptops have become.
Cheap Laptops That Are Really Good
Everyone has a different idea of ​​”cheap,” but typically, these are laptops that cost less than about $750. This is where Windows laptops really shine these days, as they often offer great specs for less money. And in case you haven’t been paying attention, the latest silicon from Qualcomm and Intel has significantly improved battery life and can now play along the same lines as Apple. The best deal of all has to be the HP OmniBook 5. For just $500, this little laptop offers a Snapdragon X processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. It even has an OLED screen! While it would be a little harder to recommend at the full retail price of $800 (if only because the screen resolution is only 1920 x 1200), it’s an unbeatable deal at $500.
THE Dell 14 Plus is a notch above there, with a current starting price of $650. The specs are comparable, as are the battery life and performance. You’ll get a bit more graphics thanks to the move to Intel, but otherwise they’re similar in quality. The major upgrade you get with the Dell 14 Plus is the screen, which has a higher resolution at 2560 x 1600. It’s not OLED like the OmniBook 5, but the sharper screen translates to a better overall experience that’s worth the $150 in my book.
Speaking of better screens, this is where the MacBook Neo really shines. This is Apple’s new entry-level device, starting at $599. It has the best screen on a laptop you can buy at this price and gives you the macOS experience at an unprecedented price. Apple has prioritized its in-screen experience to give it a premium feel, whether it’s the display, build quality, or even the keyboard. The 8GB of RAM is a major drawback, as are the slower ports and SSD performance. As I said above, the MacBook Air is the best choice for most remote workers. But for students, travelers, or anyone whose laptop usage is a little more minimal, the MacBook Neo is the most premium laptop you can buy at this price.
Considering how good some of these other budget laptops are, it’s a little harder to find a place for Chromebooks. The best of the group remains the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14which is the most premium Chromebook ever, featuring an OLED display, 16GB of RAM, and battery life competitive with the MacBook Neo. $649 is probably more than most people want to spend on a Chromebook, it has more to do with the perception of Chromebooks and less to do with the quality of this particular laptop.
There are, of course, much cheaper Chromebooks, but once you get under $500, they generally have considerable drawbacks in terms of screen and touchpad quality. The only exception is the Acer Chromebook Plus 516. Although it’s a bit thick and the screen isn’t the sharpest (especially for a 16-inch laptop), it’s the best laptop you can buy under $300.
Powerful laptops for those who need them
Apple
MacBook Pro (M5 Max)
The MacBook Pro M5 Max is the real deal. Not only is it extremely powerful, but it’s also surprisingly portable and offers fantastic battery life. These three things don’t seem physically possible, but MacBook Pro M5 Max 16-inch succeeds. This has been the case with “Max” chips for years, but with the M5 generation, it’s never been more impressive. Not only does this year’s M5 Max significantly expand the GPU’s capabilities again, but it also significantly improves on-device AI processing in this laptop with a more efficient Neural Engine, AI accelerators in each of the GPU’s 40 cores, and faster memory bandwidth. It’s one of the most powerful AI laptops you can buy, and it will only appeal to a fraction of the population. But the MacBook Pro isn’t for everyone. It’s aimed at professional creatives and engineers who run heavy, demanding applications all day.
There are a number of Windows alternatives to the MacBook Pro, such as Asus ProArt P16 And Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i. And while they’re both powerful, they both use hot and heavy discrete graphics cards, which significantly reduce battery life to achieve this level of performance. This is why the Dell XPS 14 takes a different approach, ditching the discrete GPU for the new Intel X9 chip (also known as the B390). The results are truly impressive, replicating the performance of an RTX 4050 without the drawbacks of using a discrete GPU. Plus, as a laptop, the Dell
Gaming is the other major thing where extra performance is needed. While you can certainly use something like the Dell XPS 14 for gaming, you’ll need something dedicated to gaming if you game more than twice a week. After testing dozens of gaming laptops over the past year, the Lenovo LQ 15 really stands out. Such cheap gaming laptops only come with an RTX 5050, which is an entry-level Nvidia GPU. The LOQ 15 is thick and quite plain looking, but it really has the performance where it counts. With the gr preset aphic Medium, you can get well over 60 FPS (frames per second) in almost any game, and up to 113 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077. For the price, it’s really impressive.
There is a whole world of gaming laptops outside of budget, though. I’ve tested an assortment of options and always come back to Razer Blade 14 And Razer Blade 16. Both are extremely well designed, portable and minimalist, which is how these laptops have earned the reputation of being the MacBooks of PC gaming. This also comes with pricing similar to the MacBook Pro. But their excellent design means these laptops work just as well for work or school as they do for gaming. You won’t have trouble lugging this thing around campus like other gaming laptops. While there are more powerful gaming laptops out there, there’s really nothing like the Razer Blades.
Other good laptops I’ve tested
Photography: Luke Larsen; Getty Lede
If you stick with any of the laptops above, you will be very happy with your purchase. These are all laptops that I have returned to repeatedly over the past couple of years. However, maybe you’re looking for an individual feature or maybe you’re really trying to hit a certain price point that’s not represented above. Below I’ve included some of the other laptops that I’ve recently tested and enjoyed on some level. They each have at least one issue that makes me hesitant, but for the right person (and the right discount), they could be interesting options.
Framework 13 Laptop for $899: This unique laptop is fully serviceable and accessible, including the processor and motherboard. There is nothing else like it. THE 16 frame laptop gives you better performance, while the Frame laptop 12 is the budget option.
MacBook Pro M5 for $1,599: It’s not a significant improvement over the MacBook Air in terms of performance, and it’s a bit thicker. The Mini-LED display and additional ports are what you pay for.
Asus Zenbook A14 for $700: This laptop’s calling card is portability, as it weighs half a pound less than the MacBook Air, without compromising on build quality.
Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1.
Photography: Luke Larsen
Lenovo Yoga 9i for $1,550: This premium 2-in-1 laptop is one of the most premium Windows laptops you can buy, but it’s priced too high to compete.
Acer Nitro V16 for $885: This gaming laptop is one of the cheapest you can buy, and it’s a solid option for getting started. But the 130-watt power supply is underpowered, which means you don’t get the full performance of the GPU when gaming.
Asus Vivobook 14 for $610: Although they have great battery life, the HP OmniBook 5 14 and Dell 14 Plus both offer better screens and specs for a similarly priced laptop.
Lenovo Legion 7i for $1,749: This premium, all-white gaming laptop is one of my favorites aesthetically, and it performs just as well. But expect to pay extra for all those bells and whistles.
Alienware 16X Aurora.
Photography: Luke Larsen
Asus CX14 Chromebook for $139: A sub-$200 Chromebook will never be without compromise, but if your budget is truly that low, this is as good as you’ll find.
Alienware 16X Aurora for $1,650: Another great gaming laptop, this one with typical Alienware style. It has a higher resolution screen, but if price is a concern, the Lenovo LOQ 15 is still the way to go
How much should you spend on a laptop?
If you’re shopping for a laptop, you probably have an idea of ​​how much you want to spend. But a little context might help put things into perspective. The cheapest laptops cost around $200, but they can go as high as $5,000. Meanwhile, the average amount people spent, according to the best data we havecosts around $750. This sits firmly in the mid-range, split between the more expensive devices that cost over $1,000 and the more budget-friendly machines that you find under $700.
When we talk about price, it’s often the “starting” price of the laptop, that is, the cheapest configuration. This is very important to consider, as you want to compare devices apples to apples as much as possible. For example, a cheaper laptop might start at $750 with 256GB of storage, while a more premium laptop might start at the same price but come with 512GB or even 1TB of storage. Increasingly, you can find really decent laptops at this price, some of which are listed below.
If your budget needs to be under $750, there are still some good options. Laptops below this price tend to compromise in one area or another. More often than not, it’s the quality of the screen and touchpad that suffers, as these are things you can’t see on a spec sheet or reference photo. Chromebooks often give you the best value, especially if you’re trying to spend $500 or less.
So why spend more? Well, there are two main reasons. First, you may want a more premium design, perhaps with bolder aesthetics or premium components. Take the MacBook Pro, for example. It starts at $600 more than the MacBook Air, but comes with a brighter Mini-LED display, significantly better speakers, and more ports. The second main reason to spend more than around $750 is to get more performance. Whether for gaming or content creation, laptops with discrete GPUs are more expensive, which makes it difficult to find one that’s worth it. gaming laptop less than $1,000. If you are buy a gaming laptopplan to spend at least $1,500.
What are the best laptop brands?
Unlike the world of smartphones, the biggest laptop brands have been around in the tech industry for over 40 years now. Socket Apple Out of the picture, four laptop brands stand out from the rest, keeping up with the latest trends and technologies, while backing them up with reliable support and services.
Lenovo is the biggest PC brand in the world, at least in terms of global shipments. It may be best known for its familiar sub-brands like ThinkPad and Yoga, but it’s also not afraid to take risks with more experimental designs and advanced technology. Lenovo has also made a name for itself in gaming, with its Legion laptops, known for balancing performance and features at the most competitive prices.
Asus has quickly become a favorite, notable for its large number of laptops available in the consumer market. The company takes a similar approach to Lenovo, which has led Asus to quickly innovate new technologies. and drawingswhile also launching premium clamshell laptops at more affordable prices than its competitors. Gaming laptops in particular are a space that Asus has come to dominate, with the ROG Zephyrus, Strix, and TUF brands leading the way.
Dell and HP are a bit more conservative, although they’re not without some standout designs either. Interestingly, the two companies have both gone through a significant rebranding of their laptops. HP introduced “Omnibook” as a replacement for the Specter and Envy sub-brands in 2024, while Dell began 2025 by completely removing its well-known sub-brands, including Inspiron and XPS. Dell has since reversed course and now XPS is back.
Other laptop makers include Microsoft Surface, Samsung, Acer, LG and MSI, although none of them have as large a global footprint in laptops as the first four.
How to choose the right laptop?
If none of these laptops really mean anything to you, that’s okay! There are way more laptops than we have time to test. To help you make intelligent choices, we have developed a complete laptop buying guide. We also have details on all the CPUs and GPUs you need to know. We recommend that you follow these guidelines:
RAM: Is there a more controversial component in laptops than memory? In most cases, make sure you have 16 GB of RAM. It’s become the new standard for even more affordable laptops. Upgrading to 32GB is even better and means you’ll never have to worry about running out of memory, especially if you’re a gamer or video editor. THE recent memory loss However, RAM configuration options (and overall laptop pricing) could change soon, although we have yet to see how exactly that will play out. Apple’s launch of the 8GB MacBook Neo could also have an influence on where things go.
Processor: In the world of Windows laptops, you have three processor brands to choose from: Intel, AMD, or Qualcomm. Intel’s Core Ultra Series 2 launched in late 2024, offering a huge increase in battery life. It also has the best integrated graphics of the three. Ultra Series 3 Core has just been deployed, and based on my own testsis extremely impressive in terms of performance and efficiency. AMD chips have primarily been used in gaming laptops, as they have struggled to take much ground from Intel. Its next-generation chips, the AMD Ryzen AI 400 series, are also expected to launch in 2026. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon The second generation of these chips, Snapdragon X2was announced last fall and will launch on devices in 2026.
Discrete graphics: Want to play AAA PC games or edit videos on your laptop? You’ll probably need a standalone GPU. At this point, Nvidia is the main option. THE RTX 5090 launched in 2025 as the most powerful new GPU available, but the 40 series is still a good option. Integrated graphics have also improved significantly over the years, especially with the latest offerings from Apple, AMD and Intel, such as the Apple M5 or the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H.
Screen: The display depends on the size of the laptop. A 1200-pixel resolution (HD+) screen on a 13- or 14-inch laptop looks sharp enough, but you’ll need more pixels on larger screens, like a 2560 x 1600, 2880 x 1800, or 3840 x 2400. Although IPS displays are sufficient for most people, OLED or Mini-LED are becoming more common, which offer better color accuracy, better contrast, and decent HDR performance.
Connectivity: Ports are important, although everyone needs something different. However, for most people, we suggest at least two USB-C ports and at least one USB-A and HDMI for these existing devices. (Remember, almost all laptops today use one of these USB-C ports for the power adapter.) Luckily, most laptops still have headphone jacks, but always check, because a few bold machines have ditched it. Finally, make sure Wi-Fi 6E is supported or newer. Even if you don’t have Wi-Fi 6E Or Wi-Fi 7 router However, it’s a safe bet that you will do so in the future (see our Best routers Or Best Guides on Mesh Systems if you need a new one).
Battery life: Battery life is extremely competitive these days, with Apple, Qualcomm, and Intel all making very ambitious battery life claims. Most laptops with the latest chips (and without a discrete graphics card) will give you more than 10 hours of battery life, or even much more if your workload is lighter.
Intel vs. AMD vs. Qualcomm
In the world of Windows laptops, there are three main options for processors: Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. All three companies have good options, but it really depends on the type of laptop. For high-end laptops, you’ll need something like the Intel Core Ultra 258V or the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. Meanwhile, for budget laptops, Snapdragon X is the best option. And for gaming laptops, I’d recommend something from AMD like the Ryzen AI 9 365. All three companies have announced next-gen chips for 2026, though, and some exciting new stuff is coming soon.
Intel’s latest chips, known as Ultra Series 3 Core or codenamed Panther Lake, are slowly starting to roll out new laptops, such as Dell XPS 14. These chips are a huge step forward from the previous generation, both in terms of processor and integrated graphics performance. This is very impressive, but AMD and Qualcomm will also release new silicon soon.
Qualcomm made a big splash in 2024 with its Snapdragon X chips. These ARM-based chips, like Apple’s M-series chips, emphasize efficiency, which significantly improves battery life. This has been a game changer for Windows laptops across a wide price range. The Qualcomm Snapdragon Qualcomm recently unveiled the Snapdragon X2 Platform which so far includes the X2 Elite Enhanced, X2 Elite and X2 Plus. Laptops are still slowly being rolled out and becoming available.
As part of Team Red, AMD has become a competitive player in the gaming laptop space in particular. Its latest gaming chips are the most powerful gaming hardware you can find in a laptop, including the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D. Unfortunately, it’s still difficult to find many laptops that support these killer chips. The company also has its Ryzen AI 300 H and HX chips, which are a little more commonly found in gaming laptops. AMD also has its consumer chips, as part of the Ryzen AI 300 series, but they haven’t yet made it into as many laptops and don’t have as long a battery life as the latest options from Intel and Qualcomm. AMD’s new chips are the Ryzen AI 400 series, which will also arrive soon.
I’ve been reviewing laptops for a decade, and WIRED contributor Chris Null has been testing these machines for 25 years. We test every laptop we review in a variety of situations, including synthetic benchmarks, real-world use cases, and comparisons to similar equipment. ment. We don’t look at hardware in isolation: our reviews aim to match laptops with the users who will benefit most from them, taking into account performance, usability, portability and price.
We put each laptop through a series of tests before writing a review and assigning a rating.
Practical use: We evaluate the exterior of the device. We compare its thinness and lightness to other laptops. We open and close the lid several times to test the quality and ease of use of the hinge. We emphasize the weak points like the keyboard and the lid to test the build quality. We type furiously on the keyboard and swipe on the touchpad to make sure it’s comfortable and precise. These are all things you can’t see just by looking at a device’s landing page on Amazon. We use the laptop itself for several days (and sometimes weeks) to report any oddities that might arise, such as misplaced ports, excess preloaded software, or unexpected issues that make using the laptop difficult.
Images and sounds: Once we start a device itself, it’s all about the images and sounds of the laptop. The screen is everything, because it’s the world through which you experience the entire device. There’s a lot you can learn about a screen’s brightness, colors, and contrast just by looking at it. Beyond just subjective testing, we also use a Spyder colorimeter to measure a display’s brightness, contrast, color saturation, and color accuracy. If it’s an HDR-enabled display, we also test the maximum screen brightness in HDR content. We also test a laptop’s webcam and speakers to see if they’re worthy of your video calls and music streaming sessions.
Performance tests: Finally, we test performance. There are many ways to do this, but we always evaluate a laptop’s performance based on what it is intended for. We don’t expect a $500 budget laptop to perform as a powerful gaming laptop, nor do we expect a gaming laptop to have 18 hours of battery life. Our test bench includes more than 20 synthetic benchmarks, although these are constantly changing and depend on the processor and operating system of the unit, as laptops based on macOS and Snapdragon have fewer benchmarks available. These tests include various tests in the latest versions of Geekbench, PCMark, 3DMark, Procyon, GFXBench, Pugetbench, Superposition, Cinebench and various gaming related tests such as 3DMark and Cyberpunk 2077. Note that WIRED does not, in general, report raw benchmark scores. In addition to paying attention to the scores produced by these benchmarks, we also look at fan volume and speed, the laptop’s surface temperature, and its effect on battery life.
It’s a lot, I know. But we’re thorough because we want to stick to our recommendations and ensure that the laptops we highly review are worth it.
