Best laptops 2024: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more

Why we like the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus

The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is one of the most well-rounded laptops money can buy. It offers strong performance, exceptional battery life, and a vibrant display. The best part is that it costs about $1,000, which is a reasonable price point considering the price to performance ratio. In fact, it performed exceptionally in PCMark 10’s benchmark, according to our review. With a PCMark 10 score of 7,061, it beat out the Acer Swift Go 14, which has similar specs to the Dell, and the more expensive Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. The Inspiron 14 Plus also lasted an impressive 17 hours on a single charge, which is definitely more than a full workday or school day. You don’t have to worry about finding a wall outlet to charge up.

Who should buy the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus

Anyone looking for a really good, well-rounded laptop. In addition to the impressive performance and battery life, it also has a lovely 14-inch 1400p display. According to our review, “the display is exceedingly well suited to office work and static imagery.” It has a peak brightness level of a stunning 418 nits as well as an anti-glare coating, which means you can use this laptop in different lighting environments. It may not have the prettiest design we’ve ever seen, but its hardware capabilities and astoundingly long battery life make up for the blah aesthetics.

Why we like the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED wowed us with its zippy CPU performance, phenomenal battery life, and attractive OLED touchscreen display. According to our review, “movies and games look realistic and vibrant” on the 1200p OLED touchscreen, although it can be difficult to use in bright environments due to the reflective surface. It also lasted 16 hours on a single charge, which is absolutely wild! That result really trumps otherwise excellent competitors like the Lenovo Slim 7 14 Gen 9 and the HP Pavilion Plus Laptop 14. As for performance, the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED absolutely crushed the PCMark 10 benchmark with an impressive score of 6,772. That means it’s very fast and responsive during real-world tasks like web browsing, video conferencing, and so on.

Who should buy the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED

Anyone looking for a powerful, affordable laptop with an OLED display! It’s so much more than its OLED screen, though. The build quality is quite good and day-to-day performance is zippy. Plus, you won’t have to go looking for an outlet often thanks to the long battery life. Connectivity options are a bit limited, but that’s not unusual for a laptop in this price range. Overall, it’s a great Windows machine that hits all the right marks.

Alternative option: If you’re looking for an even more affordable option, you should check out the HP Pavilion Laptop 16 ($769.99). It boasts a large 16-inch display with a taller 16:10 aspect ratio, which is perfect for scrolling through long web pages and documents. The keyboard is also spacious and easy to use, and it lasted over 18 hours on a single charge.

Why we like the Acer Aspire Go 15

The Acer Aspire Go 15 offers decent performance and battery life for the price ($299). The Intel Core i3-N305 CPU is power efficient and more than capable of handling daily tasks like general browsing, checking e-mail, and so on. It also ran for almost 12 hours on a single charge, which is nothing to sneeze at. The port selection is quite good as well. You’re getting USB-A ports on either side, a 3.5mm headphone jack and Kensington lock slot on the right, and one USB-C port and one HDMI port on the left.

Who should buy the Acer Aspire Go 15

Anyone looking for an inexpensive laptop with reliable day-to-day performance and good battery life. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles you’d see on more high-end machines, but it’s both serviceable and affordable, making it a clear value. The CPU is power efficient and the battery should last you throughout the day. Plus, the 15.6-inch 1080p display is easy to see “despite its low brightness,” according to our review. It’s a solid machine, especially for those on a tight budget.

Why we like the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite is finally here and ready to party. And boy, can it party. While we love its thin profile and phenomenal wireless connectivity, you just can’t beat the 20-hour battery life. Given that the Surface Laptop 7 is packing a mere 54 watt-hour battery, that result is even more impressive. According to our review, we believe it’s a “significant threat to alternatives with AMD and Intel hardware.” You better watch your back, competitors.

Who should buy the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7

Anyone that needs a long-lasting laptop. It’s a great option for frequent travelers or those who just don’t want to worry about battery life. Although Qualcomm’s chip isn’t ideal for gaming, it’s fantastic for battery life and it performs very well in day to day tasks – a big departure from previous laptops with older Qualcomm chips inside. Those struggled mightily with software compatibility; the vast majority of programs just work, and well, on the Surface Laptop 7.

Alternative option: The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge ($1,749.99) is a great alternative option to the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7. It lasted 21 hours on a single charge and it has a bigger OLED screen (16 inches, in fact!). That said, it’s heavier than our current pick at 3.42 pounds and it comes with less RAM. The 14-inch configuration is also more expensive at $1,349 as opposed to the Surface Laptop 7’s $999.99 base model.

Why we like the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus

From the convertible design to the beautiful touchscreen, the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus has a lot to offer, especially for under $500. The 2-in-1 design allows you to swing the screen around and use the laptop like a tablet, upping the versatility factor. You can also expect snappy day-to-day performance as well as lightning fast boot-up times.

Who should buy the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus

If you’re looking to pick up a premium Chromebook for work or personal use, then the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is a fine choice. While the $499 price tag is very much in the high end when it comes to Chromebooks, we feel the overall fit, finish, and firepower make it worth the extra cash.

Alternative option: If you’re looking for a cheaper Chromebook with a bigger screen, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE ($699.99) is a great option. The display measures 16 inches and it has a 2560×1600 resolution as well as a 120Hz refresh rate. According to our review, the “120Hz display is excellent and gives the laptop an edge if you’d plan to play games on a cloud gaming service that supports high refresh rates like Nvidia’s GeForce Now.” The only downside is that it’s a bit expensive for a Chromebook.

Why we like the MacBook Air (M3)

The MacBook Air (M3) has a lot to offer for the $1,299 price. In fact, it received high marks across the board thanks to the 8-core CPU (M3) and the 10-core GPU. It’s capable of chewing through office work as well as casual use tasks. While performance is comparable to the MacBook Pro (M3), there is one difference: the fans or lack thereof. The MacBook Air doesn’t have any fans, which results in quieter operation before heavy-duty tasks will likely put more pressure on the chip. That said, battery life is the real star of the show here. The MacBook Air (M3) breathed its last breath at the 19 hour mark, which is perfect for those with busy schedules.

Who should buy the MacBook Air (M3)

Anyone who prefers MacOS over competing operating systems. Battery life is outstanding and the laptop itself is both slim and light, weighing in at just over three pounds. The 15-inch Liquid Retina (LED) screen might be considered a step-down from the MacBook Pro’s Liquid Retina XDR (mini-LED) display, but that doesn’t mean it’s a poor screen. It still looks fantastic for day-to-day use. The $1,299 price tag is also reasonable for the performance and features you’re getting.

Read our full MacBook Air (M3) review

Why we like the Alienware m16 R2

The Alienware m16 R2 delivers strong graphics performance and good battery life. This specific model comes loaded with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, which is nothing to sneeze at. It lasted a respectable 11 hours and fifteen minutes on a single charge and it averaged 144 frames-per-second when running the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark. According to our review, it’s only “four frames-per-second slower than the Razer Blade 16,” which has an RTX 4090 GPU and a price tag of over $3,000.

Who should buy the Alienware m16 R2

Anyone looking for a great gaming laptop. You’re getting strong graphics performance as well as long battery life, which is unusual for a gaming laptop, as most tend to die around the six hour mark. The 16-inch IPS display also has a resolution of 2560×1600 and a refresh rate of 240Hz, so gameplay should be nice and smooth. The picture quality is good, but it’s not an OLED panel. While it may not be the brightest or most color rich display we’ve ever seen, it’s perfectly fine for gaming. Besides, you can always plug into an external monitor if need be.

Alternative option: If you’re looking for a more lightweight option, you should definitely check out the $1,599 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. It weighs just 3.31 pounds, which means you can easily take it anywhere with you. That said, it didn’t make the cut because of ho-hum battery life. Plus, the Alienware m16 R2’s RTX 4070 GPU is more powerful than the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14’s RTX 4060 GPU. Alternatively, if you’re looking for even more firepower, the ROG Zephyrus G16 is a killer OLED-equipped laptop with RTX 4070, 4080, and 4090 options available.

Why we like the Asus TUF Gaming A16

The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is something of a unicorn and I mean that in the best way possible. This specific machine exhibits strong graphics performance as well as long battery life. Long battery life? A gaming laptop? How preposterous. Well, not anymore! The Asus TUF managed an incredible 11 and a half hours on a single charge. Also, thanks to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, the laptop achieved 123 frames-per-second in the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark. That’s impressive, especially for a sub-$1,000 gaming machine.

Who should buy the Asus TUF Gaming A16

The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is a good option for those on a tight budget. For under a grand, you’re getting reliable graphics performance, a spacious keyboard, and long battery life. It also works as a good general purpose machine. With a Cinebench R20 score of 589, it should have “no trouble running apps and programs,” according to our review.

Alternative option: The $1,000 Lenovo LOQ 15 stands as another solid budget option. It’s more than capable of 1080p gaming and the design is very sci-fi inspired. It didn’t nab the top pick because of the poor battery life (not unusual for a gaming laptop) and limited ports, but if you’re looking for more raw GPU horsepower, its RTX 4060 is a step above the RTX 4050 included in the Asus TUF.

Why we like the Asus ProArt P16

The Asus ProArt P16 is a fantastic pick for creative professionals and prosumers. You’re getting a diverse selection of connectivity options, a stunning 4K OLED display, and great battery life. The 3840×2400 resolution (4K!) display measures 16 inches and features a taller 16:10 aspect ratio. This is a phenomenal display for photo or video editing, as it “boasts an incredible color gamut and deep contrast,” according to our review. The ProArt 16 also lasted over nine hours on a single charge and one of the USB-C ports supports USB 4.0 with data rates up to 40Gbps.

Who should buy the Asus ProArt P16

Anyone that likes making content. The Asus Pro Art P16 is the kind of laptop that really pays attention to the finer details. It exhibits the perfect balance of weight, connectivity, and battery life. Although it can get hot under heavier workloads and the aesthetics aren’t much to write home about (it’s just a black slab), it’s still a really good choice for creative folks. The 4K screen is to die for and, despite the powerful internals inside the machine, it somehow manages to weigh only 4.08 pounds.

Why we like the Acer TravelMate P6

The Acer TravelMate P6 is featherlight at just 2.65 pounds. The chassis is made of magnesium-alloy, which is a very light yet durable material. According to our review, “the ports are reinforced with additional metal brackets to hold up wear and tear.” In other words, this machine is built to last. It also has fantastic battery life, which is what you want in an ultraportable laptop. The 65 watt-hour battery lasted nearly 13 hours on a single charge–more than a full workday! This laptop offers reliable performance, too. The Acer TravelMate P6 turned in a respectable Cinebench R20 score of 3,065, which isn’t far behind the more powerful HP Pavilion Plus.

Who should buy the Acer TravelMate P6

Anyone looking for an affordable ultraportable. In addition to the featherlight form factor, it also comes with a 1080p webcam with a physical privacy shutter and a 14-inch 1200p display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The taller screen makes it easier to scroll through documents or webpages, and the 1080p webcam will make you look good on videoconferencing calls. The keyboard provides a nice typing experience, too. It even boasts white backlighting, which is perfect for typing in low light environments.

Alternative option: If you’re interested in picking up a more high-end ultraportable, you should consider picking up the HP Dragonfly G4. It weighs same as the Acer TravelMate P6, but has much better battery life–it managed 17.5 hours on a single charge! The only downside is that it costs just over $3,000 thanks to its more potent components and support for mobile LTE connections. The Dell Latitude 7450 Ultralight is another great option, as it weighs 2.33 pounds, lighter than our top pick. But, similar to the HP Dragonfly G4, it’s just too expensive, costing north of $2,000.

Why we like the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED

When it comes to 2-in-1 laptops, the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED just gets it right at the start. It has a gorgeous OLED display, a zippy Intel Core i7-1360P CPU, and a versatile convertible design. You can flip the screen around 360 degrees and use it like a tablet or prop the device up like a tent if you so wish. Colors on the 1800p OLED display are also “remarkably bright and saturated,” according to our review. The battery died at the 12 hour mark, dominating laptops with similar hardware like the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i and the Acer Aspire Vero 14.

Who should buy the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED

The Asus Zenbook 14 Flip is a good option for business professionals because of its convertible, slim design and stunning OLED display. You can take this machine with you anywhere and you don’t have to worry about finding an outlet to charge up. How can you go wrong with that?

Alternative option: The Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 ($849.99) is another good option to consider if you want to save some cash. The 1600p 16-inch display is bigger than the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED’s and is a “pleasant screen for work and entertainment,” according to our review. Battery life is comparable to our current pick (about 13 hours) and it’s currently on sale for $849.99 at Best Buy as of this writing, which is a pretty good deal for the hardware and features.

Why we like the Framework Laptop 13

The Framework Laptop 13 is unique because you can repair, upgrade, or customize any part of it. The hardware is marked with QR codes, which leads you to the individual part on Framework’s website. You can also mix and match the ports–they’re little rectangular blocks (similar to Lego pieces) that snap into the laptop. The whole idea behind this laptop is fun, but practical. You can really extend the life of your laptop with something like this.

Who should buy the Framework Laptop 13

Anyone that likes to get in there and tinker away. In addition to the upgradability aspect, it’s also pretty light at 2.87 pounds and it churns out respectable CPU performance. It’s not the fastest laptop we’ve ever tested, but office work and day-to-day tasks should be no problem. That said, it’s a little expensive for the hardware, so it may not be the best option for the budget-conscious.

Why we like the Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9 is a fantastic 2-in-1 laptop with fantastic audio. Generally speaking, most laptop speakers suck. They’re usually poorly placed, so you lose a lot of bass and treble, but that’s not the case with the Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9.

The sound bar in the Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9 lives in the hinge, so it’s not firing down into whatever surface you’ve got the laptop on. The sound is “impressively loud,” according to our review, and you can even hear the bass and treble at louder volumes. That’s why this laptop is perfect for listening to music or watching movies.

Who should buy the Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9

Audiophiles and movie buffs! The Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9 is a great laptop for consuming media. The sound is great, but so is the OLED touch display, which boasts a 2880×1800 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Black colors are “inky and dark, which makes movies look all the better,” according to our review.